Posted on 12/12/2006 7:02:41 PM PST by My Favorite Headache
Just saw Mel Gibson's Apocalypto an hour ago and I have two or three historical questions pertaining to the film that I am still not clear on.
1. Who was it that is approaching the shoreline at the end of the film? They appear to be Vikings of some sort...was this the start of a colony there?
2. Why did the 2 evil warriors stop at the shore and walk towards them and not kill him? Were they stunned by the ships and the fact that the men looked that different and were white?
3. Was any of this based on a true story or was it merely a story that was created out of a historical period where these horrific things happened?
Thanks in advance!
By the way I do know that the rituals and attacks happened..I am asking if the story based on this man's events were real or based off anything like it.
2. The two men went to the men coming ashore, assumedly, because they believed the Gods had returned. Or something like that.
3. I think the story is largely one based on the period, and not probably a true story.
The Spanish explorers.. Right they were just stunned to see the strangers...Not historical in plot but in culture pretty close.
As I've always understood it the Spaniards were originally welcomed as Gods.
I think there were legends about hairy, light-skinned people/gods. Which apparently was why the Spaniards were accepted as such so easily.
That's the way I understood it also.
Thank you all who replied..it helps clear it up for me...I was left very curious as to why they just stopped cold like that.
Had to be somewhere.
This may be it.
If you have Spaniards landing, that would be in the post classic Maya period, and the cities, towns and warrior socities, etc. were no longer working, or had been totally abandoned for centuries.
It's really interesting that the most sacred Aztec god (Quetzalcoatl) was sometimes depicted as having a beard and white skin.
http://www.crystalinks.com/quetzalcoatl.html
You are probably the closest of all of us on the time period.
LOL - maybe I qualify then. I have a mustache and white skin.
Some reviewer I saw alluded to that fact that it was supposed to be Chistopher Columbus (3 ships) but I'm not convinced, as Mel was compelled to focus on the priest in one of the boats.
Well, the priest (Franciscan?) was holding a large cross to plant in the sand.
As far as being profoundly distracted to the point of ignoring Jaquar Paw....if you suddenly came upon humans with skin color never seen before...?
Nice, you got me....
What I want to know is: am I the only one who thought the heart-ripping Aztec high priest looked like Manuel Noriega?
Was it good?
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NEVER THOUGHT OF THAT!
Rob I give it 5 stars....best film of the year..just awesome. Very moving and keeps you on the edge of your seat. If it means ANYTHING...United 93 was in my book the only film to truly impact me in any way this year up until this film.
Go see it.
I went and saw it last night, and Apocalypto was a great movie. As you said, non-stop action and it didn't drag even once.
The brutality of man is well-explored in this movie, and it also showed how lightly human life has been valued throughout history. The Muzzies want to bring us all back to such a time.
Thanks for the recommendation.
Was it good? No, it was AWESOME!! :)
I loved it too! Very intense action movie. Looking forward to Rocky Balboa next week.
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