Gibson's Apocalypto Re-Runs Wilde
Took time off from a busy pre-Xmas schedule to screen Apocalypto, which as everyone knows is Mel Gibson’s foray into the pre-Columbian world of the Maya. As noted previously, overtones of the Book of Revelations can be read into the story, as it is a fable of “end times” complete with solar eclipses, unbelievable cruelty, hyper-violence, decadent rulers and ignoble savages. Still, it’s quite an eyeful, from its placid opening moments in the underbrush of the tropical rainforest of Central America to its final shot, a replay of the first after two-plus hours of the carnage in between.
But it would be unfair to say it’s only a violent movie, just as it would be to say it’s only a chase movie. (A dream early in the film comes to the protagonist, Washington-born actor Rudy Youngblood, of a bloodied and horrified specter urging him to “Run!”) Apocalypto does take us deep into the world of the Maya, from its notable use of Yucatec Maya spoken in the film (subtitled of course, my own Maya is a bit rusty as I’m sure yours is too) to the classic Mayan profile that dominates the faces of the cast of characters. Indeed, it’s sometimes hard to tell the “Good Maya” from the “Bad Maya” in this film, though I think the Bad Maya are slightly more into body piercing and tattoos, while the Good Maya favor scarification.
Somewhere in the middle, though – when the captured Good Maya led by Jaguar Paw (Youngblood) escapes sacrifice and instead is allowed to run for freedom – the film turns into something not so very different than The Naked Prey, a 1966 film directed by and starring Cornel Wilde (read about it on IMDB). In that film, a group of big-game hunters are captured by African tribal warriors, strung up and brutally murdered, except for the Wilde character, who is allowed the chance to run for his life.
The rest of The Naked Prey follows Wilde’s harrowing run through the jungle with the natives in hot pursuit, as he is wounded, chased by a man-eating lion, braves rivers and snakes, and finally finds rescue at the gates of a fort, as Jaguar Paw finds rescue at the beach where a boatload of conquistadores and missionaries are landing. At times its similarity to Apocalyto is striking: one of Wilde's pursuers is bitten by a poisonous snake, and the reaction of his compatriots, though unsubtitled as it is in Gibson's movie (one of the few outright laughs in the film) is pretty much the same. Gibson and co-writer Farhad Safina must have screened The Human Prey, or perhaps seen it on TV or one of those Hollywood basement screening rooms, and incorporated elements into their own film. (Don’t believe me? Buy the VHS from Amazon, or look for it on late-night TV yourself, since there’s no DVD yet.)
Still it’s hard to make an original movie, or have an original thought – is this story really that different from the Odyssey, for instance? Gibson should be applauded for his kinetic filmmaking skills, audacity and commitment to bringing to the screen a vision at once personal and timeless, in Apocalypto. It’s a helluva eyeful, a wild chase film, and a window into another world. Two thumbs up: just mind they don't get chopped off.
But it would be unfair to say it’s only a violent movie, just as it would be to say it’s only a chase movie. (A dream early in the film comes to the protagonist, Washington-born actor Rudy Youngblood, of a bloodied and horrified specter urging him to “Run!”) Apocalypto does take us deep into the world of the Maya, from its notable use of Yucatec Maya spoken in the film (subtitled of course, my own Maya is a bit rusty as I’m sure yours is too) to the classic Mayan profile that dominates the faces of the cast of characters. Indeed, it’s sometimes hard to tell the “Good Maya” from the “Bad Maya” in this film, though I think the Bad Maya are slightly more into body piercing and tattoos, while the Good Maya favor scarification.Somewhere in the middle, though – when the captured Good Maya led by Jaguar Paw (Youngblood) escapes sacrifice and instead is allowed to run for freedom – the film turns into something not so very different than The Naked Prey, a 1966 film directed by and starring Cornel Wilde (read about it on IMDB). In that film, a group of big-game hunters are captured by African tribal warriors, strung up and brutally murdered, except for the Wilde character, who is allowed the chance to run for his life.
The rest of The Naked Prey follows Wilde’s harrowing run through the jungle with the natives in hot pursuit, as he is wounded, chased by a man-eating lion, braves rivers and snakes, and finally finds rescue at the gates of a fort, as Jaguar Paw finds rescue at the beach where a boatload of conquistadores and missionaries are landing. At times its similarity to Apocalyto is striking: one of Wilde's pursuers is bitten by a poisonous snake, and the reaction of his compatriots, though unsubtitled as it is in Gibson's movie (one of the few outright laughs in the film) is pretty much the same. Gibson and co-writer Farhad Safina must have screened The Human Prey, or perhaps seen it on TV or one of those Hollywood basement screening rooms, and incorporated elements into their own film. (Don’t believe me? Buy the VHS from Amazon, or look for it on late-night TV yourself, since there’s no DVD yet.)Still it’s hard to make an original movie, or have an original thought – is this story really that different from the Odyssey, for instance? Gibson should be applauded for his kinetic filmmaking skills, audacity and commitment to bringing to the screen a vision at once personal and timeless, in Apocalypto. It’s a helluva eyeful, a wild chase film, and a window into another world. Two thumbs up: just mind they don't get chopped off.
