Avatar as symptom: Hollywood mythological narrative and crisis (original) (raw)
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Film & History: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Film and Television Studies, 2009
Scholars dedicated to the study of gender relations frequently consider 1968 as a watershed year which marks the beginning of a period of crisis for the traditional models of white masculinity 1 in the United States. 2 Arguably as a consequence of this challenge to the white male paradigm, since the mid-1970s film studies has been able to relate the prevailing ideals of masculinity in Hollywood Cinema to the political, social and economic contexts in which they were produced and consumed. In addition, and concurrent with the study of masculinity, film studies began to consider the idea of hyper-masculinity, a representation that appeared to compensate for perceived white male victimization. The hyper-masculine identity has for instance been considered in light of the upsets endured by the codes of masculinity, whether as an aftermath of the Vietnam War, the Feminist movement, the rise of multi-culturalism, the Cold War, and the advent of multinational capitalism. 3
9 From the American Myth to the American Dream: Alternative Worlds in Recent Hollywood Westerns
Alternative Worlds
This chapter analyzes two recent popular Westerns, Andrew Dominik's The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) and Tommy Lee Jones's The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005). In these films, the Western myth is replaced by a new myth, the 'American Dream', in which the lone legend is re-cast as family man and breadwinner. The old American frontier, as well, assumes a new dimension, moving from a utopian 'frontier' understood as the symbol of discovery, exploration, and Manifest Destiny, to a dystopian and defensive vision of a national border that must be protected against 'illegals'. The chapter argues that Westerns, in offering themselves as alternative worlds to 2 American modernity, show that myths are difficult to let go of, particularly if the myth that replaces them is as inexpressibly dreary as the American Dream. Classic Westerns are America's most enduring mythical genre. Like all good myths, they show us an alternative world, 'a heroically decent America,' 1 a world whose cowboys and gunslingers, sheriffs and bandits, prospectors and ranchers inhabit 'a masculine world where men were men and women-on the rare occasions they appeared-seemed to like it that way.' 2 Common consensus has declared this world to be either one of the pasta time of lawlessness, chaos, racism and the genocide of native Americans 3-or mythical fiction-the time of Manifest Destiny, rugged individualism, romantic rides into stunning sunsets, and apolitical fireside chats. 4 Neither its association with the past nor its reputation for peddling sentimental myths have particularly endeared the Western to scholars and critics. In fact, the Western has become saddled, as it were, with a reputation for being the most backward, traditional and un-modern of all film genres. For over 30 years now, scholars have agreed that the Western is a genre in decline, one that can only survive as self-parody or in 'revisionist' form, 5 and one unable to compete in terms of quality with more sophisticated genres. Several critics have pointed out that very few Westerns have ever won
Into the Wild (West): Philosophy and Cinematic Mythmaking
Two recent monographs that demonstrate the power of philosophical engagement with cinematic genres and the cinematic capacity for mythmaking, Hollywood Westerns and American Myth and Ride, Boldly Ride, are here argued to make an innovative contribution to the view that film is "philosophy in action," and that the American Western is a crucial genre in which to see this at work. They do so by arguing both that philosophical practice can find a relevant object in this cinematic genre, and that the Western as a cinematic genre makes unique contributions to philosophical practice. Kevin Stoehr and Robert Pippin show that by raising questions of identity, self-manifestation, and the affirmation of existence, Westerns present us with an innovative form of philosophical scrutiny that reveals how the audience understands itself and creates a philosophical presentation of the American myth.
Colonialism, Resistance, and Environmental Issues in James Cameron's Avatar (2009
Avatar has revolutionized the film industry. James Cameron introduced a new level of immersive visual storytelling that captivated audiences worldwide. While some previous studies on Avatar have highlighted some important research findings, they seem to leave Avatar's themes understudied. "Avatar" explores themes of colonialism, resistance, and environmental issues, highlighting the harm caused by resource exploitation and the need for responsible resource management. It depicts the exploitation of weaker groups by more powerful ones, with humans representing the colonizers and the Na'Vi people representing the colonized. The film emphasizes the resistance of the Na'Vi, their fight to defend their homes, and the involvement of nature in the war against humans. Additionally, it addresses environmental destruction caused by human greed and disregard for the environment. This study suggests that further research could explore comparative analysis with other works to provide a broader understanding of the themes.
The inner frontier. Images of the USA in recent Western cinema (2000–2020)
GeoJournal
At the heart of the American western cinema lies the myth. And the western myth is closely linked to the frontier, that boundary between civilization and wilderness that is constantly being negotiated. The frontier mythology is an integral part of scholarly writing on the western, and especially works well with the classical western of the studio era, where the dichotomy of wilderness and civilization had been considered the key to the genre. The following study will go back to the original term frontier, Frederick Jackson Turner’s concept of frontier mythology and Matthias Waechter’s re-reading of this mythology, and will seek for a new angle to discuss recent westerns in the light of current events. This is necessary as most of the exemples may look like westerns, but most of them are only told in the mode of a western or use the classical form and iconography to aim for something different than in earlier decades. Genre cinema has become more of a discourse today which is not cre...
From the American Myth to the American Dream: Alternative Worlds in Recent Hollywood Westerns
2014
This chapter analyzes two recent popular Westerns, Andrew Dominik’s The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) and Tommy Lee Jones’s The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005). In these films, the Western myth is replaced by a new myth, the ‘American Dream’, in which the lone legend is re-cast as family man and breadwinner. The old American frontier, as well, assumes a new dimension, moving from a utopian ‘frontier’ understood as the symbol of discovery, exploration, and Manifest Destiny, to a dystopian and defensive vision of a national border that must be protected against ‘illegals’. The chapter argues that Westerns, in offering themselves as alternative worlds to