Historical Objectivity in "Apocalypto"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the issue of historical objectivity in Mel Gibson's film "Apocalypto". The paper holds that the film juxtaposes beauty and violence in a world saturated, graphically, in human tragedy. More specifically, the paper addresses a question raised by many reviewers: even if graphic violence serves a cinematic purpose, was "Apocalypto" guilty of portraying Mayan people as excessively violent, depraved, and even subhuman? The paper maintains that this question illuminates not only the film at hand, but also illustrates the expectations that audiences bring to films, and suggests the extent to which Hollywood caters to, manipulates, or disregards these expectations. The paper posits that perhaps fault lies less with Gibson's misunderstanding of history than it does with the critics' refusal to view the film as an unbound work of art. The paper concludes that, to a veteran filmmaker like Gibson, accuracy and fairness may simply be tools like any other, as malleable as lighting, acting, or props, just as easily manipulated to create the emotional thrust for which Hollywood has remained renowned.

From the Paper:

"Of the two issues, the more straightforward is accuracy. Critical reviewers merrily pointed out Gibson's liberties with the historical record. On its most basic level, "Apocalypto" loosely combines elements of Mayan culture spanning nearly a thousand years. As David Hansen, an archaeologist working for the Global Heritage Fund and the technical advisor for the film, freely points out, "There was nothing in the post-classic period that would match the size and majesty of that pyramid in the film" (Hansen). The arrival of the Spaniards at the conclusion of the film stands out as particularly disjointed since, as many reviewers noted, all of the great Mayan cities had fallen into disarray by the time of the Spanish conquests (Arden)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Ansen, David. "Mel's Jungle Boogie" Newsweek. www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16008892/site/newsweek
• Arden, Traci. "Is 'Apocalypto' Pornography?" Archaeology. www.archaeology.org/online/reviews/apocalypto.html
• Biancolli, Amy. "Intense, Exciting, and Way Too Bloody." Houston Chronicle. www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/movies/reviews/4357
• Hansen, Richard. Global Heritage Fund. www.globalheritagefund.org/apocalypto.html
• Nevaer, Louis E.V. New America Media. http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=7d6ee7c2b24711821e7b3c08516541b7

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