The Past Speaks

I posted earlier about the politics of the movie Avatar, a film many critics regard as infused with anti-Americanism. I mentioned that I had watched the film in Japan and that the political message of the film went right over the heads of my Japanese in-laws.   Here are some links to some recent articles on the subject.

1) “Avatar Under Attack from Vatican, U.S. military, liberals”

2) “When Will White People Stop Making Films Like Avatar?” Argues that the film is similar to Dancing With Wolves, the Last Samurai— renegade white hero saves the day for indigenous people threatened by greedy capitalist imperialists. A criticism of the film from the left of the political spectrum

3) Reactions of Chinese bloggers to the film, translated into English. Many Chinese people see the film as a critique of rapid economic development and the forced relocation of villagers. (Many Chinese people were relocated to make way for the controversial Three Gorges Dam).