[Aztlan] Apocalypto

[Lars Frühsorge]

Dear listeros!

As this topic is about to be removed from the list so soon (unfortunately 
just two days before people from outside the US are able to see the movie) 
I'd like to add my comments now. Of what I have heard it must be really 
disappointing, not only due to the violence but also because it is once 
again all about finding an explanation why this culture was doomed to 
vanish. I wonder when Hollywood (and many archaeologists as well) will 
finally stop showing Maya as a culture that collapsed a long time ago and 
acknowledge the fact that they are still alive.

But I don't think the only question worth to discuss is if history was 
depicted accurately in this movie or how to deal with the topic of human 
sacrifice. Every form of historic representation is influenced by 
contemporary perspectives. This is true for this movies as well as for 
scientific work. Just think about current explanations of the Maya collapse 
and our own concerns with environmental issues. So beside their obvious 
purpose of representing the past historiography (or a pseudo-historical 
movie) can tell us a great deal about the author or director in this case.
Instead of comparing this movie to Jared Diamonds book Apocalypto strongly 
reminds me of Gerry Jennings "The Aztec" for both are excessive depictions 
of violence and sexual practices which are tabooed in most cultures for a 
good reason. It seems that both authors use their works to live out certain 
personal fantasies and the historical and cultural distance of the events 
are the only fact which allows them to do so without fearing legal or social 
consequences. Of course such a form of projection is not new at all and has 
been used by various authors for centuries.

But it is not only about the director. Actually I expected this movie to be 
completely ignored by the mainstream-audience. Let's face the truth: shot in 
an "alien" language depicting a "strange" culture we hardly understand is 
not exactly the typical Saturday night entertainment. But still a lot of 
people seem to enjoy this. In conclusion, what does this tell us about our 
culture?

Lars