Mel Gibson's Apocalypto
December 2nd 2006 17:27
In about a week Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto will be released. So, do folks attend what may be, according to early reviews, in Rolling Stone ("a film of blunt provocation and bruising beauty -- it's breathtaking to watch a jaguar racing in the jungle alongside the man who is named after the beast. Say what you will about Gibson, he's a filmmaker right down to his nerve endings."), and at Cinema Strikes Back, and implied by the official website, here, a masterpiece. Or, do they stay away because of the director’s personal behavior? All of this is made even more topical because of the recent conduct of actor and comedian Michael Richards, of the Seinfeld show, on stage recently at a Los Angeles comedy club.
Originally, I didn’t really have much interest in Mr. Gibson’s previous film, The Passion of the Christ. When it was released I heard the controversy. Both sides having those advocates who were thoughtful, and those who were belligerent. I’m older, and old school. Religion is personal business, unless someone is physically hitting you with it. It was when my daughter had seen the movie and asked me questions about the telling of the story that I finally saw the film.
Within twenty minutes I realized that Mr. Gibson had created a beautiful work of art, regardless, or possibly because of, his religious perspective. Difficult to know with artists. I found the compelling narrative amazing, particularly since I can’t speak ancient Aramaic. Within our family there were discussions of whether the movie, or the original words, or neither, or both, were anti-Semitic. Much discussion about art, the Bible, religion in general, Christianity, Judaism, bureaucracies, politics and power.
Pretty good response to a movie.
So, since Braveheart was apparently not a fluke, and The Passion of the Christ stirred tens of millions worldwide, what happens with Apocalypto?
The movie trailer is edited to show a film of throbbing energy and lush colors. According to the two reviews available this is not just the trailer, but the movie itself. It is a compelling epic which Mr. Gibson intended to provoke comparisons to the world today. In his interview in Time Magazine, March 2006, he said, “
These are ideas worth exploring, in an atmosphere in the United States where people finally seem to have found their common voice again. An environment where calm examination and inquiry is no longer interpreted and reviled through a harsh megaphone as somehow less patriotic than walking in docile lockstep response to voices profaning courage as disobedience.
These might be things worth discussing after the movie, too.
Originally, I didn’t really have much interest in Mr. Gibson’s previous film, The Passion of the Christ. When it was released I heard the controversy. Both sides having those advocates who were thoughtful, and those who were belligerent. I’m older, and old school. Religion is personal business, unless someone is physically hitting you with it. It was when my daughter had seen the movie and asked me questions about the telling of the story that I finally saw the film.
Within twenty minutes I realized that Mr. Gibson had created a beautiful work of art, regardless, or possibly because of, his religious perspective. Difficult to know with artists. I found the compelling narrative amazing, particularly since I can’t speak ancient Aramaic. Within our family there were discussions of whether the movie, or the original words, or neither, or both, were anti-Semitic. Much discussion about art, the Bible, religion in general, Christianity, Judaism, bureaucracies, politics and power.
Pretty good response to a movie.
So, since Braveheart was apparently not a fluke, and The Passion of the Christ stirred tens of millions worldwide, what happens with Apocalypto?
The movie trailer is edited to show a film of throbbing energy and lush colors. According to the two reviews available this is not just the trailer, but the movie itself. It is a compelling epic which Mr. Gibson intended to provoke comparisons to the world today. In his interview in Time Magazine, March 2006, he said, “
These are ideas worth exploring, in an atmosphere in the United States where people finally seem to have found their common voice again. An environment where calm examination and inquiry is no longer interpreted and reviled through a harsh megaphone as somehow less patriotic than walking in docile lockstep response to voices profaning courage as disobedience.
These might be things worth discussing after the movie, too.
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Comment by Cibbuano
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
That language, the atmosphere... great. The direction, a little predictable.
Comment by Theresa
Today's World
Thx for dropping by; this was written prior to release of the movie, when all the publicity over Mr. Gibson's arrest was unfortunate publicity for the film. Having read Cibbuano's review, I refer readers to that post, as I think it captures the film well.
20/20 Filmsight .
Theresa