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

A.V.A.T.A.R.
(Anglos 
Valiantly 
Aiding 
Tragic 
Awe-inspiring
 Races) is 
a 
fast‐paced 
media 
mashup 
that 
highlights 
the overplayed 
racial 
tropes 
of 
Hollywood 
cinema 
using James 
Cameron's 
multimillion‐dollar 
epic 
Avatar as 
its visual 
anchor. 
The 
hilarious 
visual 
juxtapositions 
and accompanying 
soundtrack
 of 
baffling 
one‐liners 
spliced together 
from
 seventeen
 films 
are 
both 
a 
humorous 
jab 
at racism in our supposedly liberal popular 
culture,
as 
well as 
a 
media
 literacy 
tool 
for 
deconstructing how whiteness and Other-ness is 
portrayed 
in 
mainstream 
films 
about humanitarian crises. This piece builds on our previous 
work, 
300 Epithets, 
that 
analyzes
 the 
archetypes 
used in the nationalist right-wing film, 300.

• Category

  Entertainment

[Nelson Smith]

Looking for Last King of Scotland, and She (pretty much all versions) to show up as well., but you certainly hit upon enough of the more egregious ones to make the point. Thing is you could do a sequel using footage from countless other movies. Good work.

[lewistonvideomaker]

Thanks. Last Kind of Scotland is in there for a quick second (the scene with the hooks). I'm not familiar with She. I will look into it.

[Mspendragon72]

I like what you've done here..but why the over-kill and repeat, repeat...it's not needed and it's more then an little patronizing. We get it.

[lewistonvideomaker]

thanks for the comment. i have received similar feedback from some other people. some viewers get the theme instantly. others have no clue what the video is trying to say, even with the repetitions. so, maybe it wasn't worth it to repeat so much.

[magicskarf]

i liked the repeats, it really drove the message home

[lewistonvideomaker]

thanks!

[lewistonvideomaker]

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.

[lewistonvideomaker]

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.

[ndoak atu]

But a lot of these are spot-on. Avatar, Dances with Wolves, Tears of the Sun, Blood Diamond, all correct

[ndoak atu]

Another one that I think should get a little bit of a pass is Gran Torino, because the whole point of that movie was the crusty old racist white dude abandoning his prejudices and forming a friendship with the people he used to hate that was so powerful that he was willing to lay down his life to protect them. It was about letting go of prejudice, not enforcing it.

[ndoak atu]

Temple of Doom should get at least some leeway for a few reasons. One, it was the second Indy film, so the hero had to be white because he had already been established as such in the previous film. Two, Indy only ends up in India because his plane crashes and initially only goes to the palace because he's pursuing "fortune and glory" not out of some white man's burden mentality. Also, at the end, he's screwed, until he gets saved by INDIAN troops. Finally, it was a good movie, unlike Avatar.

[UberNoodleX]

Awe inspirED would be the correct term, no? Is it the race or the white saviour who is awe inspiring? Otherwise, funny video.

[mrsticky005]

Fine with me.

[pressure01]

I wouldn't call it Black guilt. Its more along the lines of imperialist guilt (for lack of a better term).

[mrsticky005]

Well...that was actually somewhat surprising. Black guilt? What a twist.

Still don't agree with your point of view but hey at least it's a change of pace.

[pressure01]

As an African American, I consider myself, to a certain extent, complicit in White imperialism. The Black in America has tried so hard to be included (via inclusion) that he has been a participant in Western world imperialism. With regard to contemporary imperialism the contemporary Black in America is as guilty as the White in America.