I reached this article by Zenit news agency, perfectly complements the entry I did on this film, you feel good.
ROME, Saturday March 6, 2010 (ZENIT.org) .- Here is the article he writes, on the eve of the Oscar Awards for the film Avatar, Licia Pereira, theologian and film critic.
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After just over ten years of absence from the film, James Cameron (Aliens, Therminator and Titanic) is back with Avatar, a film written, produced and directed. With nine Oscar nominations, including best picture is the box office worldwide all having raised in late January, the considerable sum of more than two billion dollars, surpassing Titanic was until then the largest ticketing all time.
Where is the key to success? Does your plot? Difficult because Avatar is simple and very predictable. What technology? Without doubt curious about the advanced special effects that can be appreciated only in 3d led many people to the movies, but it only explains the new film fever? I think there's more behind. So ... Is success will be on your "philosophy" in the background? Maybe.
What is it?
In 2154, a team of scientists and military mercenaries seeking to colonize the planet Pandora to extract a mineral that can solve energy and environmental problems on Earth, and also improve the multinational sponsors colonization, the problem is that higher concentration of this mineral is found in the territory inhabited by the natives of the planet, Na'vi, enormous blue humanoid-type creatures, but cats have features and a tail.
As expected Na'vi resist the presence of humans and scientists seek a peaceful means to enlist their cooperation in the opposite case the military will use force to compel them to move and thus extract the mineral sought after. Jake (Sam Worthington), a paralyzed former marine is one of the volunteers to contact Na'vi, such contact is made through an Avatar, a body created in the laboratory from genes and Na'vi human genes that, when connected to a person's mind, induces sleep, comes to life. Jake
then makes a triple play: for the military is a spy who passes the information to facilitate military operations, for scientists is a partner in diplomatic relations and Na'vi is a choice of divinity, such choice will allow you to be admitted to his clan. What follows is predictable: Jake empathizes with Pandora, falls in love with the princess Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), repents of his duplicity, declares war on the military despite the dead and wounded all ends with a "happy end" to Hollywood style. The film does not require intelligent effort to be understood, nor is deep, as would be, to touch the deep fibers of the heart. Hence the puzzlement of his success.
What is an Avatar?
begin with the title of the film. Avatar, in Sancrist "which falls" is a Hindu religious term, is a hierophany [1] of Vishnu, a divinity in every so often descending to earth to help men, which can assume human or animal form. The term has been taken by some virtual communities where members plus a nickname, choose a picture (a literary or comic, a singer, an animal, an object) that represents, ie an avatar. We then two interesting elements that already appear in the title of the film and are present throughout the development of the same: the spiritual and virtual reality.
* * *
After just over ten years of absence from the film, James Cameron (Aliens, Therminator and Titanic) is back with Avatar, a film written, produced and directed. With nine Oscar nominations, including best picture is the box office worldwide all having raised in late January, the considerable sum of more than two billion dollars, surpassing Titanic was until then the largest ticketing all time.
Where is the key to success? Does your plot? Difficult because Avatar is simple and very predictable. What technology? Without doubt curious about the advanced special effects that can be appreciated only in 3d led many people to the movies, but it only explains the new film fever? I think there's more behind. So ... Is success will be on your "philosophy" in the background? Maybe.
What is it?
In 2154, a team of scientists and military mercenaries seeking to colonize the planet Pandora to extract a mineral that can solve energy and environmental problems on Earth, and also improve the multinational sponsors colonization, the problem is that higher concentration of this mineral is found in the territory inhabited by the natives of the planet, Na'vi, enormous blue humanoid-type creatures, but cats have features and a tail.
As expected Na'vi resist the presence of humans and scientists seek a peaceful means to enlist their cooperation in the opposite case the military will use force to compel them to move and thus extract the mineral sought after. Jake (Sam Worthington), a paralyzed former marine is one of the volunteers to contact Na'vi, such contact is made through an Avatar, a body created in the laboratory from genes and Na'vi human genes that, when connected to a person's mind, induces sleep, comes to life. Jake
then makes a triple play: for the military is a spy who passes the information to facilitate military operations, for scientists is a partner in diplomatic relations and Na'vi is a choice of divinity, such choice will allow you to be admitted to his clan. What follows is predictable: Jake empathizes with Pandora, falls in love with the princess Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), repents of his duplicity, declares war on the military despite the dead and wounded all ends with a "happy end" to Hollywood style. The film does not require intelligent effort to be understood, nor is deep, as would be, to touch the deep fibers of the heart. Hence the puzzlement of his success.
What is an Avatar?
begin with the title of the film. Avatar, in Sancrist "which falls" is a Hindu religious term, is a hierophany [1] of Vishnu, a divinity in every so often descending to earth to help men, which can assume human or animal form. The term has been taken by some virtual communities where members plus a nickname, choose a picture (a literary or comic, a singer, an animal, an object) that represents, ie an avatar. We then two interesting elements that already appear in the title of the film and are present throughout the development of the same: the spiritual and virtual reality.
Image: http://aldeawrpp.com ecological spirituality and myth of the noble savage
Among the many items of religiosity in the film are one of the most significant: the sacred tree. Mircea Eliade in his Treatise on the history of religions "talks about the religious function of the tree in ancient cultures and makes a classification of its various features [2], Avatar, assumes certain: the tree as the deity room in Eywa case, as a receptacle of the souls of the ancestors, showing the mystical bond between himself and the Na'vi, as a significant presence in initiation ceremonies, which occurs when Jake enters the town and as a regenerator Na'vi giver life, as seen in the healing ritual of Grace (Sigourney Weaver) and transformation Jake.
The strength of the symbolism of the tree is the underlying philosophy of Avatar: the naturalistic pantheism, which proposes that the universe is a unique and singular substance, and this uniqueness is what keeps all the intimate and mystical beings interconnected; is pantheism of Baruch Spinoza in his classic "He sive natura," God is nature. " There is a problem that presents a fictional alien culture with these characteristics, the problem arises when this culture is presented as spiritually superior to humans.
Now, humanity has been revealed that there is a God who is Creator and Love, different from the creature, but the call to communion of life with Him, Avatar, without getting into religious discussions, conveys the idea that religious naturalism is indeed superior to the Christian revelation.
There is no doubt that Avatar is a paradigmatic manifestation of neo-paganism in the culture Hodierna. The representation of the beautiful and exuberant nature of Pandora, except those that are animal-Na'vi constitution and anorexic, apologetic speech is accompanied by New Age, by an effective combination of images and words to sell the product well.
But Avatar is also the attempt to make social commentary, unfortunately one of the temas elegidos por Cameron ha sido usado hasta el cansancio en Hollywood: el buen salvaje. ¿Quién no percibe aquí la eterna crítica a la colonización española y portuguesa en América? ¿O el mea culpa de los americanos por el exterminio de sus indios? Una vez más el estribillo versa veladamente que la cultura cristiana con sus valores aplasta a las demás; no entremos en la discusión, recordemos sólo que para los buenos aztecas sacar el corazón de una persona viva era un rito religioso y que a pesar de las sombras de la colonización de las tierras americanas es históricamente innegable que la luz del Evangelio ha aportado una evolución a tales culturas.
Los dos protagonistas on the great tree. Image: http://miedomonstruocine.blogspot.com Another theme of the movie, certainly more current, is the ecology and is just the desire to transmit an ecological message, but as Pope Benedict XVI says , must be given its rightful place ecology: "There needs to be a kind of ecology, correctly understood. Indeed, the degradation of nature is closely linked to the culture that shapes human society: when is respected ' human ecology 'in society, environmental ecology also benefits [3] and Avatar is far from presenting a true ecological message.
Escape from reality and resignation of the human
We can not fail to mention that Avatar subtly suggests that if you like your successful escape harsh reality, do it because it is valid. And look at the reality of men in the 2154's black! Most human beings in the film are ambitious, bellicose and selfish, the same Jake just "good side out" due to contact with Na'vi, the Earth is a desolate, Jake Neytiri account in its no planet green. The human environment is cold, technologized, war, unlike Pandora is beautiful, magical, warm, better is to live among the inhabitants of Pandora (which means, appropriately, "All gifts") that among humans, it is significant that into the film, Jake in his personal diary to record that he actually became the avatar of their sensory experiences, as he sleeps in a capsule.
Nothing like a good dose of existential lie! The public will then not be surprised that Jake give up his humanity to become a Na'vi, the whole process should not overlook the fact that the protagonist is paralyzed, we can say that his physical handicap makes your decision is acceptable , because it appeals to sentiment it says it is better to give this life to live it as poor, as if the human person is defined by your body.
Another element to highlight is the relationship, is Jake's love affair with the princess (the romance is always an element that attracts the viewers) and its brotherhood with the other Na'vi, these relationships are much more than human plenificantes .
Affirmation of the human
Avatar is full of anthropological pessimism and reflects the current distrust of man in man and in his ability to do good, the spiritual crisis of the Christian West is characterized by moral and philosophical relativism, agnosticism and functional, materialism and the many other manifestations of the tragic situation of the world beset by people today live That would be good a paradise where all beings live in harmony and where simplicity is the rule of life!
Who does not? The profound aspiration for full happiness and harmony could explain the public's empathy with the film, unfortunately Avatar meets that aspiration so sentimental and superficial, but what is impressive is that resonates with people, this reveals how man today live far from their own interiority. Avatar
For modern man is corrupt and offers refuse moral and religious heritage of humanity-cultural to exalt the naive myth of the noble savage, of course, ignores the Christian revelation to us says the man, in spite of sin, is the image and likeness of God and has, in Jesus Christ, a sublime dignity and vocation [4], therefore to build capacity for themselves and others a more just and fraternal Avatar proposed and if the deity so clearly hear the prayer, more so the God of our faith, listen to your creature and offers his grace to enable it to live in harmony with Him, with yourself, with others and with all creation .
____________ [1] Demonstration of the sacred. See M. Eliade, A Treatise of the History of Religions, Mexico, 1972, p.49
[2] The theme is developed throughout the chapter VII. Cf ELIADEN M., Treatise ..., pp 242-298.
[3] Benedict XVI, Encyclical "Caritas in Veritate, 51
[4] See Second Vatican Council, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the world, Gaudium et Spes, 22
Semogil March 7, 2010
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