Avatar Remix - A.V.A.T.A.R. (Anglos Valiantly Aiding Tragic Awe-inspiring Races)

[MegaMissaA]

The "It is our destiny to save these people" dude at 3:11 looks a lot like Stephen Harper

[sxeptomaniac]

Including The Last King of Scotland doesn't make any sense, as that movie is more about the meddling of a misguided outsider, and Gran Torino not so much either, as, IMO, it's much more about a mentorship relationship that happens despite race issues, IMO.

OTOH, Tears of the Sun is dead on, especially since it came out near Hotel Rwanda, making the contrast very obvious.

[lewistonvideomaker]

@sxeptomaniac thanks for your comments. i appreciate the feedback.

[LordMunchkin]

Hollywood attempts to justify colonialism at every turn. Even so called "pro-native" films end up merely putting forward the same contrivances. Instead of "we have to control the natives to help them" it's "their predicament is entirely their own fault, nevermind how we violently exploited them." In the end, it is the sad attempt of western society to live with itself after having fucked over the world for centuries. It's goddamn destructive.

[theshow2k8]

@LordMunchkin

Colonialism was very good for the most part.It helped many people and freed them from their primitive ways where many would die because of the lack of understanding of the world around them.

Most of the third world would not be where it is now and almost all would be dead if it were not for the Western world.

[LordMunchkin]

@theshow2k8

Colonialism is not responsible for the exchange of the ideas and techniques. That's the goddamn printing press, which you should be thanking the Chinese for by the way. Colonialism is responsible the systemic exploitation of developing countries, the byproduct being short term growth. In it's nature a unsustainable affair, the colonialist hightailed it out when they weren't making ends meet. That left a lopsided system to fail and the people who relied on it to suffer.

[1legerdemain1]

Very interesting stuff! I hope there's more to come.

[PisceanBeautyy]

You guys did a wonderful job! Hope you have some more videos like these up your sleeves.

[PisceanBeautyy]

The title to this video always makes me chuckle.

[jxhensley]

Congrats on the socimages link!

[lemonlama]

GREAT JOB!!!!

[ermhm]

Wow congrats on this video, it perfectly showed the underlining ideology of all the movies involved. Great job!!!

[mewtiny]

I don't quite understand why Gran Torino has been spliced in, it doesn't seem to fit the mold of the Avatar storyline for me, that's more about a very solitary man reconnecting with those around him and passing on a legacy to someone who appreciated and listened to him.

[lewistonvideomaker]

@mewtiny We tried to emphasize imagery, not story line (though that's certainly important). The images, perspective through which a story is told, and assignment of agency is consistent in these movies. Your summary of Gran Torino is valid but also does not refute the analysis presented. The white protagonist (Clint) finds himself surrounded by exotic other (Hmong families) and is awe-struck by their tragedy and beauty. He adopts the cute kids as his own and sacrifices himself to save them.

[thoreauberon]

I agree that the editing distracted from the point of the video. I would love some narration or a narrative a little more coherent. Otherwise it is a good point to recognize. 

[lewistonvideomaker]

@thoreauberon thank you for the feedback. for a film deconstruction with narration (inter-titles), i suggest "300 this is revisionism", which is the first video i made of this genre.  for this AVATAR Remix, i didn't want to intervene with anything more than edits of the original content. no extra sound, titles, or voice-over. the commentary would remain strictly in the edits and require more work on the viewer's part to make meaning of the repetitions.

[cosmosanddemos]

Whoa, this is fantastic!

[v13r3r]

Nice and well done, but the looping was a bit much in certain places. To be fair, in Blood Diamond, Leo's character is Rhodesian. He may be "white" but he's still African. Or do you have to be "black" to be African? Not only that, have you seen movies from Asia like India and China? They do the same thing. Beating the narrow minded and corrupt whites or big, strong(sometimes tribal) black man.

[lewistonvideomaker]

@v13r3r Thanks. Your point about Blood Diamond is well taken. This video is about the repetition of iconic images in pop culture, not necessarily the individual plots of each film (those are all very relevant as well). While the technical plot of Blood Diamond has the white lead as a "Rhodesian," to most American viewers, it's still just good old Leonardo DiCaprio (icon) with a funny accent. I also understand foreign film industries stereotype as well. This video only focuses on my own culture.

[stonecyphermoon]

@lewistonvideomaker Leo's character is only African because of the white imperialist colonization of his ancestors. So I fail to see how Blood Diamond is any different.

[TheMrilson]

The characterization in group( never as an individual), childishness, sexuality, all the patterns of racial prejudice towards semi-civilized groups. Super critic, congrats.

[sodden67]

I'm not sure if the Constant Gardener, Gran Torino and the New World deserve to be lumped in with the rest of these films, as they explore issues of race, white entitlement, etc with a fair bit more subtley and irony than the others. Esp the New World, where the natives are the ones saving the whites (from starvation during the first winters in 'America') and are repaid with violence and enforced inculturation. Plus it is as much from Pocahantas' viewpoint as from the whites.

[gentlerat]

Why has no one made a movie about John Brown yet? He's one of the few people in history for whom all of these cliches were actually true. Let me guess, not exotic enough?

[SteelCitiesFinest]

It's happening right now, when the entire western world calls the arab/middle eastern culture as barbaric/backward/6th century and use that as an exscuse to invade and try to shape and mould those ancient perseved indigenous peoples to how they want. It's sickening.

[McQuade007]

I think it's interesting how white people constantly put themselves in this hero position and feel they need to rescue the poor, weak, helpless race of people. It's this dominant gaze that clouds the reality that identity is relational. You can only be rich or poor in relation to something else. If we were able to see the perspective of the 'other', then it might not seem as bad as the 'us' thinks and efforts to not hurt the 'other' could be put in place.

[aRomanSoldier]

@McQuade007

So if we find a race or nation starving to death, we should just "let nature take its course" since it would be so racist to try to help them.

[Dipstikk]

@aRomanSoldier It always starts with the best of intentions. Then people begin to define "saving" as taking the people out of their homes, or using them for their own ends, or enslaving them, or occupying their land.

[theshow2k8]

@McQuade007

History reflects the fact that whites were looked upon as gods to most poor races and in most cases,were asked to help.

[gentlerat]

@theshow2k8 And as with anyone in that kind of situation, power given can be abused.

[razboz]

@theshow2k8 history would not debase itself by reflecting anything of the sort

[McQuade007]

I think it's interesting how white people constantly put themselves in this hero position and feel they need to rescue the poor, weak, helpless race of people. It's this dominant gaze that clouds the reality that identity is relational. You can only be rich or poor in relation to something else. If we were able to see the perspective of the 'other', then it might not seem as bad as the 'us' thinks and efforts to not hurt the 'other' could be put in place.

[LeroiPryce]

i'm blown away....this is how i've felt about about hollywood for a long time....

[UsmanChicago]

AMAZING!!!!

[EsmenetOfSumna]

"Through -your- eyes." "Yes, boss." "strange and exotic people"

Ouch. This is painful to watch, and so very necessary.

[lewistonvideomaker]

thanks

[TallyCola]

Excellent! It actually made me kind of sick to watch half way through, and the "yes boss" part. Very well done.

[wildcatste]

AMAZING!!!!!

[danucal1984]

whoa, i think you just about covered everything. thanks!

[johnminh01]

Brilliant and added to Favorites.

"Yes boss."

[KL253]

Brilliant

[garrisonmedia]

Very nice work.

[MizzDiamonds]

this was really good mashup the best that I have seen, you should be really proud of yourself. I still haven't seen Avatar or blind side becasue it's the same thing we have seen soooo many times over the years of a white person going into some type of foreign land and attempting to "save" the native people from other white people or from themselves.

[opheliablack]

Interesting. I could only laugh at some points at how spot-on it was.

[DarqueBeauty]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for this! I, for one, DEF got the meaning and am happy you are calling attention to the savior complex, the propensity to "other" others, the predilection to foist an condescending patronizing attitude towards the original inhabitants of the places they explore/decimate. Oh, I got it alright. Thank you!

[GameStudiosNL]

LOOOOL

many miles of wild ..... rofl wtf is this x] its so funny

[Scentless]

Brilliant. It makes its point without overstaying its welcome and does it so well.

[scifiwritir]

LOL! That is sooo sooo soo good. Thanks guys.

[jxhensley]

O_o that sure is some effort

[farrinphotography]

Powerful, it so brilliantly shows that we can't fight & kill to save the world no matter how much we rely on love, magic & power to show us the way. We can only do so by working together and by respecting and honoring our differences.- Robin Farrin

[lewistonvideomaker]

interesting interpretation. we were not actually trying to make a statement about violence as a tactic in justice struggles. violence is just a key visual way in which one's agency to make change is signified in many films. in all of these films, that agency consistently belongs to white people. in reality, of course, people of color have been central agents of change in their own liberation movements through non-violent as well as armed resistance.

[thebgprof]

Excellent. Kudos to you Craig and Ryan!