James Cameron's "Avatar" (grading and discussion)
- Thread starter chrisspringob
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Selfridge was the grey area. Granted, it was a very dark grey, but it was there. He wanted the unobtanium and wanted the Na'vi to move, but I felt he honestly didn't want to go around killing indiscriminately. He gave Grace and the scientists a chance when no one else wanted to, he was extremely doubtful about sending in the goon squad, and it was obvious he felt regret at the destruction of Home Tree.
I feel like he felt pressured by the alpha male machismo of Quaritch and that he was of the personality type where what he didn't see couldn't hurt him. As long as he didn't see Na'vi getting crushed and dying under their machines, he could convince himself they would move on and find another tree. As long as he was safe in his bunker and didn't have to see the Na'vi, he didn't have to worry about them.
I feel like he felt pressured by the alpha male machismo of Quaritch and that he was of the personality type where what he didn't see couldn't hurt him. As long as he didn't see Na'vi getting crushed and dying under their machines, he could convince himself they would move on and find another tree. As long as he was safe in his bunker and didn't have to see the Na'vi, he didn't have to worry about them.
That's not grey. That's as dark as it gets. When they blew up the giant tree the faces of the people back at control were mostly tragic and I thought it was completely incongruous from the rest of the story where humans were irredemably bad and big blue people were lovely and noble. It's not rocket surgery. Cameron doesn't do that sort of book learnin' stuff. This is where trying to read anything other than pure entertainment into this kind of film is a waste of grey matter.
Selfridge gave Grace and the others a last ditch effort to try and get the Na'vi to move, a last chance to save their lives. So he had displayed some benevolence and regret and desire to save lives earlier. His ability to ignore what was going on became more and more difficult to do, so he allowed the others, against the advice of Quaritch, to try and help the Na'vi.
I didn't think it was incongruous at all.
And I still don't understand it when people say things like "humans were irredemably bad and big blue people were lovely and noble." Are you sleeping through most of the movie? (Feel free to add "yes, it was boring" jokes here.) There is a large group of humans who are not bad, who are heroes. All the scientists and Michelle Rodriguez' character and Sully. And there is jealousy and pettiness on display by the Na'vi characters, as well.
^^^
I think Selfridge's "benevolent" acts were mostly motivated by his desire to prevent a PR disaster for the company. It was made clear in the movie that he was under pressure in two different ways: the company wanted quick results, but they also didn't want any bad press.
In the end, the "quick results" priority took over (perhaps because Quaritch pushed into that direction) and it probably caused the very PR disaster they had feared all along.
The bottomline is that Selfridge was mostly interested in saving his own career. And in the end, he was trapped between two equally bad alternatives (at least for him). He's screwed when he doesn't order the attack on the Na'vi and he's screwed when he orders the attack and it goes badly (badly = too many natives die in the process).
I think Selfridge's "benevolent" acts were mostly motivated by his desire to prevent a PR disaster for the company. It was made clear in the movie that he was under pressure in two different ways: the company wanted quick results, but they also didn't want any bad press.
In the end, the "quick results" priority took over (perhaps because Quaritch pushed into that direction) and it probably caused the very PR disaster they had feared all along.
The bottomline is that Selfridge was mostly interested in saving his own career. And in the end, he was trapped between two equally bad alternatives (at least for him). He's screwed when he doesn't order the attack on the Na'vi and he's screwed when he orders the attack and it goes badly (badly = too many natives die in the process).
I don't think it matters from whence the benevolent action comes. (I personally don't believe that a Kantian ethic exists for anyone - we are always exercising a Utilitarian ethic, whether we have mapped out all of the various pluses and minuses or we are doing good just to please our god, mother or whomever)
Mostly. But consider his reluctance to give Quaritch the order to go in. He knows it's wrong.
Thing is, he does it anyway. So I wouldn't say Selfridge is good, or morally grey, he's just about aware enough to realise what he's doing is pretty reprehensible.
I wouldn't say that he knows that it's wrong. It's more like that he knows that it's a stupid decision and that it's likely gonna blow up in his face.... but given the dilemma he's in, he ran out of options. And to make matters worse, he has to deal with Quaritch, who couldn't care less about the standing of the company. At the end of the day, Selfridge was simply too weak to stand up to Quaritch and he was increasingly losing control of the entire situation.
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There's a deleted scene where Quaritch is in a very heated argument with Selfridge and chokes him, basically announcing that he is in command now. (Presumably Selfridge does not want to attack the 'tree of souls')
EDIT, I found the deleted scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhZCSx-jdrw#t=0m49s
EDIT, I found the deleted scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhZCSx-jdrw#t=0m49s
It's an interesting comparison (they're obviously from the same Cameronian cloth of evil corporate sleazebags) but it's also interesting to see what ways they differ.
Burke is very heavy on the charm offensive when we first meet him, and, indeed, for most of the movie. He's just a nice, regular guy who happens to be working for the corporation. This is of course a load of BS, and the guy plainly has no conscience at all, leading or leaving people to their deaths without a second thought and, when confronted with the carnage he's caused, can't manage much more than a 'hey, my bad', as if he'd made a poor investment choice or something.
Selfridge first shows up as an obnoxious jerk who cuts through the crap and reminds people of the bottom line. When it comes time to do the despicable stuff, though, he's aware enough to recognize it as such even though he does it anyway. In Burke's shoes I think he'd do the same thing but he'd probably hesitate for brief moment first.
Now there are obvious reasons for the shift. Mainly it's Quaritch - in Aliens, the original commander was incompetent and inexperienced, but not evil, so it's up to Burke to shoulder that, while here Quaritch is made the chief bad guy so if Selfridge was every bit as thoughtless it'd probably undercut just how bad he is.
But I disgress.
Yes, but that's not how Cameron chose to morally frame the movie. In fact, I don't believe it was ever mentioned.
What we got was a Gaia fairytale. You can't mine because the planet and its creatures are alive and connected.
I don't know if I'd say that. The Na'vi were, for the most part, willing to let the humans mine. But then the humans weren't happy enough with that. They wanted more as they always do, and thus they went after the village itself.
Wow. Congratulations. Way to miss the boat on the message of the film!
So I guess this whole story being an allegory about past (and present) atrocities towards more primitive people sitting on valuable natural resources completely passed you by without noticing, eh?
Because we all know if it A-OK to do whatever you want to someone if they don't have a direct line to a 'god'? Again, I salute you. It takes considerable skill to misinterpret something that badly. Bravo!
I'm finally gonna see this in about an hour. Looking forward to it.
Give me a break. Even Helen Keller would have picked up on the Indians-in-space bit. It's about as subtle as a ball-peen to the face.
The characters don't seem particularly aware of any historical precedent though. Not one "This has all happened before. They'll never stop taking." Nope, we get the vapid "The planet's alive! The trees are magic!"
I imagine Cameron felt he had to dump intellectual arguments in favor of a simplistic nature vs. industrialists in order to get the audience rooting for the aliens killing humans in very nasty ways.
This is just a fucking awesome, brilliant film - and that's allowing that every major criticism I've seen of it has some truth to it.
Y'know, on the subject of 3D in general - I hadn't thought much one way or another about Burton's Alice In Wonderland, but now it's on my must-see list simply based on seeing the trailer in 3D.
Y'know, on the subject of 3D in general - I hadn't thought much one way or another about Burton's Alice In Wonderland, but now it's on my must-see list simply based on seeing the trailer in 3D.