AVATAR
What makes a likeable character?
Avatar (2009) PG-13 |
2h 42min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Released December 18, 2009 (USA)
Directed by
James Cameron
Writing Credits (WGA)
James Cameron...(written by)
Cast
Sam Worthington...Jake Sully
Zoe Saldana...Neytiri (as Zoë Saldana)
Sigourney Weaver...Dr. Grace Augustine
Stephen Lang...Colonel Miles Quaritch
Michelle Rodriguez...Trudy Chacón
Giovanni Ribisi...Parker Selfridge
Joel David Moore...Norm Spellman
Storyline When his brother is killed in a robbery, paraplegic Marine Jake Sully decides to take his place in a mission on the distant world of Pandora. There he learns of greedy corporate figurehead Parker Selfridge's intentions of driving off the native humanoid "Na'vi" in order to mine for the precious material scattered throughout their rich woodland. In exchange for the spinal surgery that will fix his legs, Jake gathers intel for the cooperating military unit spearheaded by gung-ho Colonel Quaritch, while simultaneously attempting to infiltrate the Na'vi people with the use of an "avatar" identity. While Jake begins to bond with the native tribe and quickly falls in love with the beautiful alien Neytiri, the restless Colonel moves forward with his ruthless extermination tactics, forcing the soldier to take a stand - and fight back in an epic battle for the fate of Pandora
Avatar
In Hindu Mythology, an Avatar is the descent of a deity to the earth in an incarnate form or manifest shape; In other words...the incarnation of a god/ the divine Self...Krishna!
Arrived 7-21-3227 BC
Departure 2-18-3102 BC
In Hindu Mythology, an Avatar is the descent of a deity to the earth in an incarnate form or manifest shape; In other words...the incarnation of a god/ the divine Self...Krishna!
Arrived 7-21-3227 BC
Departure 2-18-3102 BC
Lord Krishna lived for 125 years. RAJKOT: It's now official. Lord Krishna was born on21-07-3227 BC and died on 18-02-3102 BC.
A banshee is a female spirit in Irish mythology who heralds the death of a family member, usually by wailing, shrieking, or keening. Her name is connected to the mythologically important tumuli or "mounds" that dot the Irish countryside, which are known as síde (singular síd) in Old Irish.
Pandora
Classical Mythology. the first woman, created by
Hephaestus, endowed by the gods with all the
graces and treacherously presented to Epimetheus along with a box (originally a jar) in which Prometheus had confined all the evils that could trouble humanity. As the gods had anticipated,Pandora gave in to her curiosity and opened the box, allowing the evils to escape, thereby frustrating the efforts of Prometheus. In some versions, the box contained
blessings, all of which escaped but hope.
Classical Mythology. the first woman, created by
Hephaestus, endowed by the gods with all the
graces and treacherously presented to Epimetheus along with a box (originally a jar) in which Prometheus had confined all the evils that could trouble humanity. As the gods had anticipated,Pandora gave in to her curiosity and opened the box, allowing the evils to escape, thereby frustrating the efforts of Prometheus. In some versions, the box contained
blessings, all of which escaped but hope.
100 Great Bhagavad Gita Quotes From Krishna:
Here are a hundred Bhagavad Gita quotes, spoken by Krishna to Arjuna on the battlefield of the Kurukshetra. These are taken from a translation by Eknath Easwaran. You may also be interested in the free pdf downloads of the Bhagavad Gita.
100 Krishna Quotes
From the Bhagavad Gita
Whenever dharma declines and the purpose of life is forgotten, I manifest myself on earth. I am born in every age to protect the good, to destroy evil, and to reestablish dharma.
As they approach me, so I receive them. All paths, Arjuna, lead to me.
I am the beginning, middle, and end of creation.
Among animals I am the lion; among birds, the eagle Garuda. I am Prahlada, born among the demons, and of all that measures, I am time.
I am death, which overcomes all, and the source of all beings still to be born.
Just remember that I am, and that I support the entire cosmos with only a fragment of my being.
Behold, Arjuna, a million divine forms, with an infinite variety of color and shape. Behold the gods of the natural world, and many more wonders never revealed before. Behold the entire cosmos turning within my body, and the other things you desire to see.
I am time, the destroyer of all; I have come to consume the world.
That one is dear to me who runs not after the pleasant or away from the painful, grieves not, lusts not, but lets things come and go as they happen.
Just as a reservoir is of little use when the whole countryside is flooded, scriptures are of little use to the illumined man or woman, who sees the Lord everywhere.
They alone see truly who see the Lord the same in every creature, who see the deathless in the hearts of all that die. Seeing the same Lord everywhere, they do not harm themselves or others. Thus they attain the supreme goal.
With a drop of my energy I enter the earth and support all creatures. Through the moon, the vessel of life-giving fluid, I nourish all plants. I enter breathing creatures and dwell within as the life-giving breath. I am the fire in the stomach which digests all food.
There are three gates to this self-destructive hell: lust, anger, and greed. Renounce these three.
Pleasure from the senses seems like nectar at first, but it is bitter as poison in the end.
That which seems like poison at first, but tastes like nectar in the end – this is the joy of sattva, born of a mind at peace with itself.
The Lord dwells in the hearts of all creatures and whirls them round upon the wheel of maya. Run to him for refuge with all your strength, and peace profound will be yours through his grace.
Whatever you do, make it an offering to me – the food you eat, the sacrifices you make, the help you give, even your suffering.
I am heat; I give and withhold the rain. I am immortality and I am death; I am what is and what is not.
Those who worship other gods with faith and devotion also worship me, Arjuna, even if they do not observe the usual forms. I am the object of all worship, its enjoyer and Lord.
Those who remember me at the time of death will come to me. Do not doubt this. Whatever occupies the mind at the time of death determines the destination of the dying; always they will tend toward that state of being.
When meditation is mastered, the mind is unwavering like the flame of a lamp in a windless place.
They are forever free who renounce all selfish desires and break away from the egocage of “I,” “me,” and “mine” to be united with the Lord. This is the supreme state. Attain to this, and pass from death to immortality.
They live in wisdom who see themselves in all and all in them, who have renounced every selfish desire and sense-craving tormenting the heart.
The meaning of Karma is in the intention. The intention behind action is what matters. Those who are motivated only by desire for the fruits of action are miserable, for they are constantly anxious about the results of what they do.
You have the right to work, but never to the fruit of work. You should never engage in action for the sake of reward, nor should you long for inaction.
Perform work in this world, Arjuna, as a man established within himself – without selfish attachments, and alike in success and defeat. For yoga is perfect evenness of mind.
At the beginning of time I declared two paths for the pure heart: jnana yoga, the contemplative path of spiritual wisdom, and karma yoga, the active path of selfless service. There are the fundamental different types of yoga.
Do your work with the welfare of others always in mind. It was by such work that Janaka attained perfection; others too have followed this path.
There is nothing in the three worlds for me to gain, Arjuna, nor is there anything I do not have; I continue to act, but I am not driven by any need of my own.
The ignorant work for their own profit, Arjuna; the wise work for the welfare of the world, without thought for themselves.
It is better to strive in one’s own dharma than to succeed in the dharma of another. Nothing is ever lost in following one’s own dharma, but competition in another’s dharma breeds fear and insecurity.
The senses are higher than the body, the mind higher than the senses; above the mind is the intellect, and above the intellect is the Atman. Thus, knowing that which is supreme, let the Atman rule the ego. Use your mighty arms to slay the fierce enemy that is selfish desire.
You and I have passed through many births, Arjuna. You have forgotten, but I remember them all.
My true being is unborn and changeless. I am the Lord who dwells in every creature. Through the power of my own maya, I manifest myself in a finite form.
Those who know me as their own divine Self break through the belief that they are the body and are not reborn as separate creatures. Such a one, Arjuna, is united with me.
Bhagavad Gita Quotes on the EmotionsDelivered from selfish attachment, fear, and anger, filled with me, surrendering themselves to me, purified in the fire of my being, many have reached the state of unity in me.
Actions do not cling to me because I am not attached to their results. Those who understand this and practice it live in freedom.
The wise see that there is action in the midst of inaction and inaction in the midst of action. Their consciousness is unified, and every act is done with complete awareness.
The process of offering is Brahman; that which is offered is Brahman. Brahman offers the sacrifice in the fire of Brahman. Brahman is attained by those who see Brahman in every action.
The offering of wisdom is better than any material offering, Arjuna; for the goal of all work is spiritual wisdom.
Approach those who have realized the purpose of life and question them with reverence and devotion; they will instruct you in this wisdom.
Even if you were the most sinful of sinners, Arjuna, you could cross beyond all sin by the raft of spiritual wisdom.
Krishna delivers the Gita to Arjuna.
As the heat of a fire reduces wood to ashes, the fire of knowledge burns to ashes all karma.
Those who surrender to Brahman all selfish attachments are like the leaf of a lotus floating clean and dry in water. Sin cannot touch them.
Those who renounce attachment in all their deeds live content in the “city of nine gates,” the body, as its master. They are not driven to act, nor do they involve others in action.
Those who possess this wisdom have equal regard for all. They see the same Self in a spiritual aspirant and an outcaste, in an elephant, a cow, and a dog.
Pleasures conceived in the world of the senses have a beginning and an end and give birth to misery, Arjuna. The wise do not look for happiness in them. But those who overcome the impulses of lust and anger which arise in the body are made whole and live in joy. They find their joy, their rest, and their light completely within themselves. United with the Lord, they attain nirvana in Brahman.
Free from anger and selfish desire, unified in mind, those who follow the path of yoga and realize the Self are established forever in that supreme state.
Knowing me as the friend of all creatures, the Lord of the universe, the end of all offerings and all spiritual disciplines, they attain eternal peace.
It is not those who lack energy or refrain from action, but those who work without expectation of reward who attain the goal of meditation.
Those who cannot renounce attachment to the results of their work are far from the path.
Reshape yourself through the power of your will; never let yourself be degraded by self-will. The will is the only friend of the Self, and the will is the only enemy of the Self.
To those who have conquered themselves, the will is a friend. But it is the enemy of those who have not found the Self within them.
The supreme Reality stands revealed in the consciousness of those who have conquered themselves. They live in peace, alike in cold and heat, pleasure and pain, praise and blame.
With all fears dissolved in the peace of the Self and all actions dedicated to Brahman, controlling the mind and fixing it on me, sit in meditation with me as your only goal.
Arjuna, those who eat too much or eat too little, who sleep too much or sleep too little, will not succeed in meditation. But those who are temperate in eating and sleeping, work and recreation, will come to the end of sorrow through meditation.
In the still mind, in the depths of meditation, the Self reveals itself. Beholding the Self by means of the Self, an aspirant knows the joy and peace of complete fulfillment.
Wherever the mind wanders, restless and diffuse in its search for satisfaction without, lead it within; train it to rest in the Self.
I am ever present to those who have realized me in every creature. Seeing all life as my manifestation, they are never separated from me.
When a person responds to the joys and sorrows of others as if they were his own, he has attained the highest state of spiritual union.
No one who does good work will ever come to a bad end, either here or in the world to come.
Through constant effort over many lifetimes, a person becomes purified of all selfish desires and attains the supreme goal of life.
Meditation is superior to severe asceticism and the path of knowledge. It is also superior to selfless service. May you attain the goal of meditation, Arjuna!
Even among those who meditate, that man or woman who worships me with perfect faith, completely absorbed in me, is the most firmly established in yoga.
With your mind intent on me, Arjuna, discipline yourself with the practice of yoga. Depend on me completely. Listen, and I will dispel all your doubts; you will come to know me fully and be united with me.
The birth and dissolution of the cosmos
itself take place in me. There is nothing that exists separate from me, Arjuna. The entire universe is suspended from me as my necklace of jewels.
Arjuna, I am the taste of pure water and the radiance of the sun and moon. I am the sacred word and the sound heard in air, and the courage of human beings. I am the sweet fragrance in the earth and the radiance of fire; I am the life in every creature and the striving of the spiritual aspirant.
My eternal seed, Arjuna, is to be found in every creature. I am the power of discrimination in those who are intelligent, and the glory of the noble. In those who are strong, I am strength, free from passion and selfish attachment. I am desire itself, if that desire is in harmony with the purpose of life.
Bhagavad Gita Quotes on Life and DeathThe states of sattva, rajas, and tamas come from me, but I am not in them.
The three gunas make up my divine maya, difficult to overcome. But they cross over this maya who take refuge in me.
Some come to the spiritual life because of suffering, some in order to understand life; some come through a desire to achieve life’s purpose, and some come who are men and women of wisdom. Unwavering in devotion, always united with me, the man or woman of wisdom surpasses all the others.
After many births the wise seek refuge in me, seeing me everywhere and in everything. Such great souls are very rare.
The world, deluded, does not know that I am without birth and changeless. I know everything about the past, the present, and the future, Arjuna; but there is no one who knows me completely.
Delusion arises from the duality of attraction and aversion, Arjuna; every creature is deluded by these from birth.
Those who see me ruling the cosmos, who see me in the adhibhuta, the adhidaiva, and the adhiyajna, are conscious of me even at the time of death.
The Lord is the supreme poet, the first cause, the sovereign ruler, subtler than the tiniest particle, the support of all, inconceivable, bright as the sun, beyond darkness.
Remembering me at the time of death, close down the doors of the senses and place the mind in the heart. Then, while absorbed in meditation, focus all energy upwards to the head. Repeating in this state the divine name, the syllable Om that represents the changeless Brahman, you will go forth from the body and attain the supreme goal.
I am easily attained by the person who always remembers me and is attached to nothing else. Such a person is a true yogi, Arjuna.
Every creature in the universe is subject to rebirth, Arjuna, except the one who is united with me.
The six months of the northern path of the sun, the path of light, of fire, of day, of the bright fortnight, leads knowers of Brahman to the supreme goal. The six months of the southern path of the sun, the path of smoke, of night, of the dark fortnight, leads other souls to the light of the moon and to rebirth.
Under my watchful eye the laws of nature take their course. Thus is the world set in motion; thus the animate and the inanimate are created.
I am the ritual and the sacrifice; I am true medicine and the mantram. I am the offering and the fire which consumes it, and the one to whom it is offered.
I am the father and mother of this universe, and its grandfather too; I am its entire support. I am the sum of all knowledge, the purifier, the syllable Om; I am the sacred scriptures, the Rig, Yajur, and Sama Vedas.
I am the goal of life, the Lord and support of all, the inner witness, the abode of all. I am the only refuge, the one true friend; I am the beginning, the staying, and the end of creation; I am the womb and the eternal seed.
Those who follow the rituals given in the Vedas, who offer sacrifices and take soma, free themselves from evil and attain the vast heaven of the gods, where they enjoy celestial pleasures. When they have enjoyed these fully, their merit is exhausted and they return to this land of death. Thus observing Vedic rituals but caught in an endless chain of desires, they come and go.
Those who worship me and meditate on me constantly, without any other thought – I will provide for all their needs.
Those who worship the devas will go to the realm of the devas; those who worship their ancestors will be united with them after death. Those who worship phantoms will become phantoms; but my devotees will come to me. Those who worship the devas will go to the realm of the devas; those who worship their ancestors will be united with them after death. Those who worship phantoms will become phantoms; but my devotees will come to me.
Fill your mind with me; love me; serve me; worship me always. Seeking me in your heart, you will at last be united with me.
All the scriptures lead to me; I am their author and their wisdom.
Bhishma, Drona, Jayadratha, Karna, and many others are already slain. Kill those whom I have killed. Do not hesitate. Fight in this battle and you will conquer your enemies.
Not by knowledge of the Vedas, nor sacrifice, nor charity, nor rituals, nor even by severe asceticism has any other mortal seen what you have seen, O heroic Arjuna.
Better indeed is knowledge than mechanical practice. Better than knowledge is meditation. But better still is surrender of attachment to results, because there follows immediate peace.
Some realize the Self within them through the practice of meditation, some by the path of wisdom, and others by selfless service. Others may not know these paths; but hearing and following the instructions of an illumined teacher, they too go beyond death.
The brightness of the sun, which lights up the world, the brightness of the moon and of fire – these are my glory.
Calmness, gentleness, silence, self-restraint, and purity: these are the disciplines of the mind.
To refrain from selfish acts is one kind of renunciation, called sannyasa; to renounce the fruit of action is another, called tyaga.
By serving me with steadfast love, a man or woman goes beyond the gunas. Such a one is fit for union with Brahman.
When they see the variety of creation rooted in that unity and growing out of it, they attain fulfillment in Brahman.
I have shared this profound truth with you, Arjuna. Those who understand it will attain wisdom; they will have done that which has to be done.
I give you these precious words of wisdom; reflect on them and then do as you choose.
Here are a hundred Bhagavad Gita quotes, spoken by Krishna to Arjuna on the battlefield of the Kurukshetra. These are taken from a translation by Eknath Easwaran. You may also be interested in the free pdf downloads of the Bhagavad Gita.
100 Krishna Quotes
From the Bhagavad Gita
Whenever dharma declines and the purpose of life is forgotten, I manifest myself on earth. I am born in every age to protect the good, to destroy evil, and to reestablish dharma.
As they approach me, so I receive them. All paths, Arjuna, lead to me.
I am the beginning, middle, and end of creation.
Among animals I am the lion; among birds, the eagle Garuda. I am Prahlada, born among the demons, and of all that measures, I am time.
I am death, which overcomes all, and the source of all beings still to be born.
Just remember that I am, and that I support the entire cosmos with only a fragment of my being.
Behold, Arjuna, a million divine forms, with an infinite variety of color and shape. Behold the gods of the natural world, and many more wonders never revealed before. Behold the entire cosmos turning within my body, and the other things you desire to see.
I am time, the destroyer of all; I have come to consume the world.
That one is dear to me who runs not after the pleasant or away from the painful, grieves not, lusts not, but lets things come and go as they happen.
Just as a reservoir is of little use when the whole countryside is flooded, scriptures are of little use to the illumined man or woman, who sees the Lord everywhere.
They alone see truly who see the Lord the same in every creature, who see the deathless in the hearts of all that die. Seeing the same Lord everywhere, they do not harm themselves or others. Thus they attain the supreme goal.
With a drop of my energy I enter the earth and support all creatures. Through the moon, the vessel of life-giving fluid, I nourish all plants. I enter breathing creatures and dwell within as the life-giving breath. I am the fire in the stomach which digests all food.
There are three gates to this self-destructive hell: lust, anger, and greed. Renounce these three.
Pleasure from the senses seems like nectar at first, but it is bitter as poison in the end.
That which seems like poison at first, but tastes like nectar in the end – this is the joy of sattva, born of a mind at peace with itself.
The Lord dwells in the hearts of all creatures and whirls them round upon the wheel of maya. Run to him for refuge with all your strength, and peace profound will be yours through his grace.
Whatever you do, make it an offering to me – the food you eat, the sacrifices you make, the help you give, even your suffering.
I am heat; I give and withhold the rain. I am immortality and I am death; I am what is and what is not.
Those who worship other gods with faith and devotion also worship me, Arjuna, even if they do not observe the usual forms. I am the object of all worship, its enjoyer and Lord.
Those who remember me at the time of death will come to me. Do not doubt this. Whatever occupies the mind at the time of death determines the destination of the dying; always they will tend toward that state of being.
When meditation is mastered, the mind is unwavering like the flame of a lamp in a windless place.
They are forever free who renounce all selfish desires and break away from the egocage of “I,” “me,” and “mine” to be united with the Lord. This is the supreme state. Attain to this, and pass from death to immortality.
They live in wisdom who see themselves in all and all in them, who have renounced every selfish desire and sense-craving tormenting the heart.
The meaning of Karma is in the intention. The intention behind action is what matters. Those who are motivated only by desire for the fruits of action are miserable, for they are constantly anxious about the results of what they do.
You have the right to work, but never to the fruit of work. You should never engage in action for the sake of reward, nor should you long for inaction.
Perform work in this world, Arjuna, as a man established within himself – without selfish attachments, and alike in success and defeat. For yoga is perfect evenness of mind.
At the beginning of time I declared two paths for the pure heart: jnana yoga, the contemplative path of spiritual wisdom, and karma yoga, the active path of selfless service. There are the fundamental different types of yoga.
Do your work with the welfare of others always in mind. It was by such work that Janaka attained perfection; others too have followed this path.
There is nothing in the three worlds for me to gain, Arjuna, nor is there anything I do not have; I continue to act, but I am not driven by any need of my own.
The ignorant work for their own profit, Arjuna; the wise work for the welfare of the world, without thought for themselves.
It is better to strive in one’s own dharma than to succeed in the dharma of another. Nothing is ever lost in following one’s own dharma, but competition in another’s dharma breeds fear and insecurity.
The senses are higher than the body, the mind higher than the senses; above the mind is the intellect, and above the intellect is the Atman. Thus, knowing that which is supreme, let the Atman rule the ego. Use your mighty arms to slay the fierce enemy that is selfish desire.
You and I have passed through many births, Arjuna. You have forgotten, but I remember them all.
My true being is unborn and changeless. I am the Lord who dwells in every creature. Through the power of my own maya, I manifest myself in a finite form.
Those who know me as their own divine Self break through the belief that they are the body and are not reborn as separate creatures. Such a one, Arjuna, is united with me.
Bhagavad Gita Quotes on the EmotionsDelivered from selfish attachment, fear, and anger, filled with me, surrendering themselves to me, purified in the fire of my being, many have reached the state of unity in me.
Actions do not cling to me because I am not attached to their results. Those who understand this and practice it live in freedom.
The wise see that there is action in the midst of inaction and inaction in the midst of action. Their consciousness is unified, and every act is done with complete awareness.
The process of offering is Brahman; that which is offered is Brahman. Brahman offers the sacrifice in the fire of Brahman. Brahman is attained by those who see Brahman in every action.
The offering of wisdom is better than any material offering, Arjuna; for the goal of all work is spiritual wisdom.
Approach those who have realized the purpose of life and question them with reverence and devotion; they will instruct you in this wisdom.
Even if you were the most sinful of sinners, Arjuna, you could cross beyond all sin by the raft of spiritual wisdom.
Krishna delivers the Gita to Arjuna.
As the heat of a fire reduces wood to ashes, the fire of knowledge burns to ashes all karma.
Those who surrender to Brahman all selfish attachments are like the leaf of a lotus floating clean and dry in water. Sin cannot touch them.
Those who renounce attachment in all their deeds live content in the “city of nine gates,” the body, as its master. They are not driven to act, nor do they involve others in action.
Those who possess this wisdom have equal regard for all. They see the same Self in a spiritual aspirant and an outcaste, in an elephant, a cow, and a dog.
Pleasures conceived in the world of the senses have a beginning and an end and give birth to misery, Arjuna. The wise do not look for happiness in them. But those who overcome the impulses of lust and anger which arise in the body are made whole and live in joy. They find their joy, their rest, and their light completely within themselves. United with the Lord, they attain nirvana in Brahman.
Free from anger and selfish desire, unified in mind, those who follow the path of yoga and realize the Self are established forever in that supreme state.
Knowing me as the friend of all creatures, the Lord of the universe, the end of all offerings and all spiritual disciplines, they attain eternal peace.
It is not those who lack energy or refrain from action, but those who work without expectation of reward who attain the goal of meditation.
Those who cannot renounce attachment to the results of their work are far from the path.
Reshape yourself through the power of your will; never let yourself be degraded by self-will. The will is the only friend of the Self, and the will is the only enemy of the Self.
To those who have conquered themselves, the will is a friend. But it is the enemy of those who have not found the Self within them.
The supreme Reality stands revealed in the consciousness of those who have conquered themselves. They live in peace, alike in cold and heat, pleasure and pain, praise and blame.
With all fears dissolved in the peace of the Self and all actions dedicated to Brahman, controlling the mind and fixing it on me, sit in meditation with me as your only goal.
Arjuna, those who eat too much or eat too little, who sleep too much or sleep too little, will not succeed in meditation. But those who are temperate in eating and sleeping, work and recreation, will come to the end of sorrow through meditation.
In the still mind, in the depths of meditation, the Self reveals itself. Beholding the Self by means of the Self, an aspirant knows the joy and peace of complete fulfillment.
Wherever the mind wanders, restless and diffuse in its search for satisfaction without, lead it within; train it to rest in the Self.
I am ever present to those who have realized me in every creature. Seeing all life as my manifestation, they are never separated from me.
When a person responds to the joys and sorrows of others as if they were his own, he has attained the highest state of spiritual union.
No one who does good work will ever come to a bad end, either here or in the world to come.
Through constant effort over many lifetimes, a person becomes purified of all selfish desires and attains the supreme goal of life.
Meditation is superior to severe asceticism and the path of knowledge. It is also superior to selfless service. May you attain the goal of meditation, Arjuna!
Even among those who meditate, that man or woman who worships me with perfect faith, completely absorbed in me, is the most firmly established in yoga.
With your mind intent on me, Arjuna, discipline yourself with the practice of yoga. Depend on me completely. Listen, and I will dispel all your doubts; you will come to know me fully and be united with me.
The birth and dissolution of the cosmos
itself take place in me. There is nothing that exists separate from me, Arjuna. The entire universe is suspended from me as my necklace of jewels.
Arjuna, I am the taste of pure water and the radiance of the sun and moon. I am the sacred word and the sound heard in air, and the courage of human beings. I am the sweet fragrance in the earth and the radiance of fire; I am the life in every creature and the striving of the spiritual aspirant.
My eternal seed, Arjuna, is to be found in every creature. I am the power of discrimination in those who are intelligent, and the glory of the noble. In those who are strong, I am strength, free from passion and selfish attachment. I am desire itself, if that desire is in harmony with the purpose of life.
Bhagavad Gita Quotes on Life and DeathThe states of sattva, rajas, and tamas come from me, but I am not in them.
The three gunas make up my divine maya, difficult to overcome. But they cross over this maya who take refuge in me.
Some come to the spiritual life because of suffering, some in order to understand life; some come through a desire to achieve life’s purpose, and some come who are men and women of wisdom. Unwavering in devotion, always united with me, the man or woman of wisdom surpasses all the others.
After many births the wise seek refuge in me, seeing me everywhere and in everything. Such great souls are very rare.
The world, deluded, does not know that I am without birth and changeless. I know everything about the past, the present, and the future, Arjuna; but there is no one who knows me completely.
Delusion arises from the duality of attraction and aversion, Arjuna; every creature is deluded by these from birth.
Those who see me ruling the cosmos, who see me in the adhibhuta, the adhidaiva, and the adhiyajna, are conscious of me even at the time of death.
The Lord is the supreme poet, the first cause, the sovereign ruler, subtler than the tiniest particle, the support of all, inconceivable, bright as the sun, beyond darkness.
Remembering me at the time of death, close down the doors of the senses and place the mind in the heart. Then, while absorbed in meditation, focus all energy upwards to the head. Repeating in this state the divine name, the syllable Om that represents the changeless Brahman, you will go forth from the body and attain the supreme goal.
I am easily attained by the person who always remembers me and is attached to nothing else. Such a person is a true yogi, Arjuna.
Every creature in the universe is subject to rebirth, Arjuna, except the one who is united with me.
The six months of the northern path of the sun, the path of light, of fire, of day, of the bright fortnight, leads knowers of Brahman to the supreme goal. The six months of the southern path of the sun, the path of smoke, of night, of the dark fortnight, leads other souls to the light of the moon and to rebirth.
Under my watchful eye the laws of nature take their course. Thus is the world set in motion; thus the animate and the inanimate are created.
I am the ritual and the sacrifice; I am true medicine and the mantram. I am the offering and the fire which consumes it, and the one to whom it is offered.
I am the father and mother of this universe, and its grandfather too; I am its entire support. I am the sum of all knowledge, the purifier, the syllable Om; I am the sacred scriptures, the Rig, Yajur, and Sama Vedas.
I am the goal of life, the Lord and support of all, the inner witness, the abode of all. I am the only refuge, the one true friend; I am the beginning, the staying, and the end of creation; I am the womb and the eternal seed.
Those who follow the rituals given in the Vedas, who offer sacrifices and take soma, free themselves from evil and attain the vast heaven of the gods, where they enjoy celestial pleasures. When they have enjoyed these fully, their merit is exhausted and they return to this land of death. Thus observing Vedic rituals but caught in an endless chain of desires, they come and go.
Those who worship me and meditate on me constantly, without any other thought – I will provide for all their needs.
Those who worship the devas will go to the realm of the devas; those who worship their ancestors will be united with them after death. Those who worship phantoms will become phantoms; but my devotees will come to me. Those who worship the devas will go to the realm of the devas; those who worship their ancestors will be united with them after death. Those who worship phantoms will become phantoms; but my devotees will come to me.
Fill your mind with me; love me; serve me; worship me always. Seeking me in your heart, you will at last be united with me.
All the scriptures lead to me; I am their author and their wisdom.
Bhishma, Drona, Jayadratha, Karna, and many others are already slain. Kill those whom I have killed. Do not hesitate. Fight in this battle and you will conquer your enemies.
Not by knowledge of the Vedas, nor sacrifice, nor charity, nor rituals, nor even by severe asceticism has any other mortal seen what you have seen, O heroic Arjuna.
Better indeed is knowledge than mechanical practice. Better than knowledge is meditation. But better still is surrender of attachment to results, because there follows immediate peace.
Some realize the Self within them through the practice of meditation, some by the path of wisdom, and others by selfless service. Others may not know these paths; but hearing and following the instructions of an illumined teacher, they too go beyond death.
The brightness of the sun, which lights up the world, the brightness of the moon and of fire – these are my glory.
Calmness, gentleness, silence, self-restraint, and purity: these are the disciplines of the mind.
To refrain from selfish acts is one kind of renunciation, called sannyasa; to renounce the fruit of action is another, called tyaga.
By serving me with steadfast love, a man or woman goes beyond the gunas. Such a one is fit for union with Brahman.
When they see the variety of creation rooted in that unity and growing out of it, they attain fulfillment in Brahman.
I have shared this profound truth with you, Arjuna. Those who understand it will attain wisdom; they will have done that which has to be done.
I give you these precious words of wisdom; reflect on them and then do as you choose.
Quotes About Oneness
“It does not matter how long you are spending on the earth, how much money you have gathered or how much attention you have received. It is the amount of positive vibration you have radiated in life that matters,”
― Amit Ray
“You are never alone. You are eternally connected with everyone.”
― Amit Ray
“You and I are all as much continuous with the physical universe as a wave is continuous with the ocean.”
― Alan W. Watts
“Your greatest awakening comes, when you are aware about your infinite nature.”
― Amit Ray
“-We need more love, to supersede hatred, -We need more strength,
to resist our weaknesses,
-We need more inspiration,
to lighten up our innermind.
-We need more learning,
to erase our ignorance,
-We need more wisdom,
to live longer and happier,
-We need more truths, to suppress deceptions,
-We need more health,
to enjoy our wealth,
-We need more peace, to stay in harmony with our brethren
-We need more smiles,
to brighten up our day,
-We need more hero's, and not zero's,
-We need more change of ourselves, to change the lives of others,
-We need more understanding,
to tackle our misunderstanding,
-We need more sympathy,
not apathy,
-We need more forgiveness,
not vengeance,
-We need more humility to be lifted up,
-We need more patience and not undue eagerness,
-We need more focus, to avoid distraction,
-We need more optimism,
not pessimism
-We need more justice,
not injustice,
-We need more facts, not fiction,
-We need more education,
to curb illiteracy,
-We need more skills, not incompetence,
-We need more challenges,
to make attempts,
-We need more talents,
to create the extraordinary,
-We need more helping hands,
not stingy folks,
-We need more efforts,
not laziness,
-We need more jokes, to forget our worries, -We need more spirituality,
not mean religion,
-We need more freedom,
not enslavement,
-We need more peacemakers,
not revolutionaries...with these, we create an heaven on earth.”
― Michael Bassey Johnson
“We all are so deeply interconnected; we have no option but to love all. Be kind and do good for any one and that will be reflected. The ripples of the kind heart are the highest blessings of the Universe.”
― Amit Ray
“All differences in this world are of degree, and not of kind, because oneness is the secret of everything.”
― Swami Vivekananda
“A person with ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed.”
― Desmond Tutu
“Each person you meet
is an aspect of yourself,
clamoring for love.”
― Eric Micha'el Leventhal
“When you fight yourself to discover the real you, there is only one winner.”
― Stephen Richards
“Technology is destructive only in the hands of people who do not realize that they are one and the same process as the universe. ”
― Alan W. Watts
“We all are so deeply interconnected; we have no option but to love all.”
― Amit Ray
“Consider your own place in the universal oneness of which we are all a part, from which we all arise, and to which we all return.”
― David Fontana
“Never allow your ego to diminish your ability to listen.”
― Gary Hopkins
“There is only one all pervading God. It has only one message - Love all, encompass all and transcend the limits of the selfish gene.”
― Amit Ray
“Breathe next to me. And I will capture a piece of your soul along with mine.”
― Marikit dR. Camba
“To be grounded in an attitude of compassion is to be capable of receiving and welcoming the suffering, which the other is giving us. This does not mean that we suffer for them, but that we offer them possibility of going beyond the separate self in which suffering is harbored. (59)”
― Jean-Yves Leloup
“Say I Am You
I am dust particles in sunlight.
I am the round sun.
To the bits of dust I say, Stay.
To the sun, Keep moving.
I am morning mist, and the breathing of evening.
I am wind in the top of a grove, and surf on the cliff.
Mast, rudder, helmsman, and keel,
I am also the coral reef they founder on.
I am a tree with a trained parrot in its branches.
Silence, thought, and voice.
The musical air coming through a flute,
a spark of a stone, a flickering in metal.
Both candle and the moth crazy around it.
Rose, and the nightingale lost in the fragrance.
I am all orders of being, the circling galaxy,
the evolutionary intelligence, the lift,
and the falling away. What is, and what isn't.
You who know Jelaluddin, You the one in all,
say who I am. Say I am You.”
― Jalaluddin Rumi
“The Self says ‘I AM’–as in the very grand sayings of Christ, especially in the Gospel of John, in which he says in the state of onenenss with Yahweh (which in Hebrew means ‘I AM’), I AM is the way and the truth and the life–but the ego says ‘I am this’ or ‘I am that,’ thus attaching itself only to a small portion of the Vastness. (62)”
― Ravi Ravindra
“One in All
All in One--
If only this is realized,
No more worry about your not being perfect (175)”
― Edward Conze
“When you are right, everything around you is right, for the beautiful flow that is inside your heart has the capacity to spread its fragrance of oneness-light all around you.”
― Sri Chinmoy
“You is.
Within Me!
We are ONE.”
― Arnaud Saint-Paul
“It does not matter how long you are spending on the earth, how much money you have gathered or how much attention you have received. It is the amount of positive vibration you have radiated in life that matters,”
― Amit Ray
“You are never alone. You are eternally connected with everyone.”
― Amit Ray
“You and I are all as much continuous with the physical universe as a wave is continuous with the ocean.”
― Alan W. Watts
“Your greatest awakening comes, when you are aware about your infinite nature.”
― Amit Ray
“-We need more love, to supersede hatred, -We need more strength,
to resist our weaknesses,
-We need more inspiration,
to lighten up our innermind.
-We need more learning,
to erase our ignorance,
-We need more wisdom,
to live longer and happier,
-We need more truths, to suppress deceptions,
-We need more health,
to enjoy our wealth,
-We need more peace, to stay in harmony with our brethren
-We need more smiles,
to brighten up our day,
-We need more hero's, and not zero's,
-We need more change of ourselves, to change the lives of others,
-We need more understanding,
to tackle our misunderstanding,
-We need more sympathy,
not apathy,
-We need more forgiveness,
not vengeance,
-We need more humility to be lifted up,
-We need more patience and not undue eagerness,
-We need more focus, to avoid distraction,
-We need more optimism,
not pessimism
-We need more justice,
not injustice,
-We need more facts, not fiction,
-We need more education,
to curb illiteracy,
-We need more skills, not incompetence,
-We need more challenges,
to make attempts,
-We need more talents,
to create the extraordinary,
-We need more helping hands,
not stingy folks,
-We need more efforts,
not laziness,
-We need more jokes, to forget our worries, -We need more spirituality,
not mean religion,
-We need more freedom,
not enslavement,
-We need more peacemakers,
not revolutionaries...with these, we create an heaven on earth.”
― Michael Bassey Johnson
“We all are so deeply interconnected; we have no option but to love all. Be kind and do good for any one and that will be reflected. The ripples of the kind heart are the highest blessings of the Universe.”
― Amit Ray
“All differences in this world are of degree, and not of kind, because oneness is the secret of everything.”
― Swami Vivekananda
“A person with ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed.”
― Desmond Tutu
“Each person you meet
is an aspect of yourself,
clamoring for love.”
― Eric Micha'el Leventhal
“When you fight yourself to discover the real you, there is only one winner.”
― Stephen Richards
“Technology is destructive only in the hands of people who do not realize that they are one and the same process as the universe. ”
― Alan W. Watts
“We all are so deeply interconnected; we have no option but to love all.”
― Amit Ray
“Consider your own place in the universal oneness of which we are all a part, from which we all arise, and to which we all return.”
― David Fontana
“Never allow your ego to diminish your ability to listen.”
― Gary Hopkins
“There is only one all pervading God. It has only one message - Love all, encompass all and transcend the limits of the selfish gene.”
― Amit Ray
“Breathe next to me. And I will capture a piece of your soul along with mine.”
― Marikit dR. Camba
“To be grounded in an attitude of compassion is to be capable of receiving and welcoming the suffering, which the other is giving us. This does not mean that we suffer for them, but that we offer them possibility of going beyond the separate self in which suffering is harbored. (59)”
― Jean-Yves Leloup
“Say I Am You
I am dust particles in sunlight.
I am the round sun.
To the bits of dust I say, Stay.
To the sun, Keep moving.
I am morning mist, and the breathing of evening.
I am wind in the top of a grove, and surf on the cliff.
Mast, rudder, helmsman, and keel,
I am also the coral reef they founder on.
I am a tree with a trained parrot in its branches.
Silence, thought, and voice.
The musical air coming through a flute,
a spark of a stone, a flickering in metal.
Both candle and the moth crazy around it.
Rose, and the nightingale lost in the fragrance.
I am all orders of being, the circling galaxy,
the evolutionary intelligence, the lift,
and the falling away. What is, and what isn't.
You who know Jelaluddin, You the one in all,
say who I am. Say I am You.”
― Jalaluddin Rumi
“The Self says ‘I AM’–as in the very grand sayings of Christ, especially in the Gospel of John, in which he says in the state of onenenss with Yahweh (which in Hebrew means ‘I AM’), I AM is the way and the truth and the life–but the ego says ‘I am this’ or ‘I am that,’ thus attaching itself only to a small portion of the Vastness. (62)”
― Ravi Ravindra
“One in All
All in One--
If only this is realized,
No more worry about your not being perfect (175)”
― Edward Conze
“When you are right, everything around you is right, for the beautiful flow that is inside your heart has the capacity to spread its fragrance of oneness-light all around you.”
― Sri Chinmoy
“You is.
Within Me!
We are ONE.”
― Arnaud Saint-Paul
#3
Avatar Trivia:
Avatar (2009)Trivia
Director James Cameron, known for being tough on set, allegedly kept a nail-gun on set that he would use to nail cell phones, that had the misfortune of ringing, to a wall above the exit sign.
James Cameron was convinced that CGI effects had progressed enough to make this film when he saw Gollum in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002).
At the time of auditioning, Sam Worthington was living in his car.
The Na'vi language was created entirely from scratch by linguist Dr. Paul R. Frommer. James Cameron hired him to construct a language that the actors could pronounce easily, but did not resemble any single human language. Frommer created about 1,000 words.
This movie took four years to make, from pre-production to release.
James Cameron originally planned to have the film completed for release in 1999. At the time, the special effects he wanted increased the budget to $400 million. No studio would fund the film, and it was shelved for eight years.
Matt Damon and Jake Gyllenhaal were the studio's first choices to play Jake Sully, but James Cameron decided to cast the less-known Sam Worthington in the lead role.
To appease 20th Century-Fox's fears, and remembering the harrowing experience of Titanic (1997) and its production overruns and costly delays, James Cameron promised to forgo his director's fee if Avatar (2009) flopped.
Chris Pine auditioned for the lead role and said that it was his worst audition ever.
Jake's atrophied legs were prosthetics cast from the legs of a real paraplegic. Sam Worthington's real legs were tucked into the wheelchair and digitally removed in post-production.
The cigarette that Sigourney Weaver's character "smokes" is computer-generated.
Some CGI scenes took an average of 47 hours to render.
According to Sam Worthington, he was invited to the casting via a phone call. The person who called told him nothing about the script, nor did they even tell him the director's name. Worthington was disappointed at first, thinking it was "another waste of time."
First movie to ever cross the U.S. $2-billion mark worldwide (and later the U.S. $2.5-billion mark), making it the highest-grossing film in history (not adjusting for inflation).
James Cameron wanted an unknown actor to play Jake Sully, because it would give the character a "real" quality--the guy you want to have a beer with, who ultimately becomes the leader who transforms a whole world.
According to James Cameron, the Na'vi are blue to create a conceptual parallel with traditional Hindu depictions of God (e.g., Vishnu and his later "avatars"--a Sanskrit word meaning "a manifestation of divinity in bodily form"--such as Rama, Krishna, etc.) but also because Cameron just liked the color blue.
James Cameron admitted in an interview that he got the idea for "Avatar" after watching Disney's 1995 animated film Pocahontas (1995).
Sam Worthington said in an interview that it was easier for him to master the Na'vi language than the American accent.
The whooping and cackling sounds made by the wolf-like predators on Pandora are actually real spotted hyena calls.
"Unobtainium" is a humorous term used mainly in the aerospace industry. It describes a material that is perfect for an application (but does not exist), is extremely expensive, or violates the laws of physics. Its chemical symbol is Uo. "Unobtainium" is also a general concept term used by sci-fi enthusiasts for any fictional substance that is needed to build a certain device that is crucial to the plot of a sci-fi story. "Unobtainium" is featured in The Core (2003), where the earth-boring vessel called the "Virgil" has a hull made from unobtainium to help it withstand the massive pressures inside the Earth's core. "Unobtainium" is also an anti-gravity element in the online multi-player video game "Skyrates."
To help the actors prepare for their roles, director James Cameron took the cast and crew to Hawaii, where they spent their days trekking through the forests and jungles and living like tribes (building campfires, eating fish, etc), in order to get a better sense of what it would be like to live and move around in the jungle on Pandora, since there would not be any actual jungle sets to aid and guide the actors and crew. Zoe Saldana even dressed up as a warrior during these journeys, complete with an alien tail symbolic of the one her character has in the movie. These hikes were only done during the daytime, however, as the cast and crew spent their nights at a Four Seasons hotel.
James Cameron's first directorial feature since Titanic (1997), which was the highest-grossing film of all time--until this one.
All animals on Pandora have six limbs, except for the humans and Na'vi.
Composer James Horner stated that this was his most difficult film and the biggest challenge of his career. He said in an interview that he worked on the music from 4:00 am to 10:00 pm for a year and a half.
The first of five proposed Avatar films.
The book Grace picks up in the abandoned school is called "The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss. Like the plot of the film, the book is about a forest full of beautiful trees and mystical creatures that are destroyed by man's lust for ever growing industry.
According to Jake's video logs, the entire film (on Pandora) takes place over a 96-day period. The first log is dated 05/19/2154 and the last is 8/24/2154, which is Jake's Birthday
Michael Biehn was considered for the role of Col. Quaritch. James Cameron rejected him because he'd already cast Sigourney Weaver, and he didn't want people to think it was Aliens (1986) all over again.
The word "avatar" is Sanskrit for "incarnation." It is used extensively in Hindu scriptures to refer to human incarnations of God.
James Cameron disclosed on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien (2009) that he began working on preliminary drafts of his movie as early as the mid-'90s. Because his visual concepts were so avant-garde, the technology required to consummate his vision was not then available. Not until 2005 was he able to proceed with viable script scenarios.
Avatars have eyebrows and five digits per hand or foot while the Na'vi only have four and no eyebrows. The Avatars are also broader in the chest and arms, appearing more "muscular."
Chris Pratt auditioned for the role of Jake Sully.
One of the most expensive movies ever made (as of December 2009), with an estimated budget of $280,000,000 (in U.S. dollars).
The movie is 40% live action and 60% photo-realistic CGI. A lot of motion capture technology was used for the CGI scenes.
The spiral-shaped, retracting creatures Jake encounters early in the film are giant versions of Christmas Tree Worms, a marine invertebrate commonly kept in reef aquariums.
The first movie to be shot with a 3D camera, released in 3D and in IMAX 3D to be nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award.
Despite understanding the Na'vi are not placental mammals, James Cameron insisted from the start that Neytiri should have breasts so as to look hot from a human's point of view.
In much of the movie, Sigourney Weaver's avatar wears a Stanford tank top. Weaver attended Stanford in the early 1970s.
The multiple breathing orifices seen on the larger animals of Pandora were inspired by the air intakes on the sides of sports cars.
Most of the animal noises heard in the movie are recycled dinosaur noises from Jurassic Park (1993), notably the T-Rex and the Raptors'.
The actors playing the Na'vi had cameras attached to their heads so that they filmed close-ups of their faces. Dots painted on their faces allowed motion-capture software to record their facial expressions, providing a "framework" from which the CG artists worked.
Sigourney Weaver plays a James Cameron persona for her character in this film. Sigourney stated in an interview, "I teased him because to me I'm playing Jim Cameron in the movie as this kind of brilliant, approach-driven, idealistic perfectionist. But that same somebody has a great heart underneath. So I have to say I was always kind of channeling him."
The first completely digitally shot movie to win the Oscar for Best Cinematography.
The word "na'vi" in Hebrew means prophet. A na'vi is a visionary or someone who communicates directly with God. Its plural, nevi'im, also refers to the prophetic books of the bible, which include "Daniel," "Micah," and "Isaiah."
Col. Quaritch mentions that being on Pandora made him feel "like a shavetail Looie." "Shave tail" was a term originally used in the 19th century among U.S. cavalry regiments. Newly assigned cavalry troopers were given horses with a shaved tail, to let other troopers know that the rider was dangerously inexperienced and should be given extra room to maneuver during training. "Looie" is a nickname for lieutenant, the two lowest ranks--2nd Lieutenant is lowest, with 1st Lieutenant being one step above it--for Marine Corps officers.
In James Cameron movies, allies to the main characters often have Catholic references. In Aliens (1986), this ally was called "Bishop;" in The Abyss (1989), it was "Monk." In "Avatar," Sigourney Weaver plays a character called Grace Augustine. Saint Augustine was a Catholic monk who brought Christianity to pagan England, and became Archbishop. One manner of address for an Archbishop is "Your Grace."
The cap that Norm Spellman wears during his first trip into the Pandoran jungle has Braille symbols on it that represent "#1969," or "Number 1969," the year that humans first landed on the moon.
The year is never stated, but the video log shows that the year is 2154. The final battle takes place during August 2154, 200 years from the date of James Cameron's birth.
Ey'wa, the deity of the Na'vi people, is a mixed-up pronunciation of "Yahweh," the God of the Hebrews.
The film reached the U.S. $500-million mark in 32 days, beating The Dark Knight (2008)'s previous record of 45 days. James Cameron's previous film, Titanic (1997), took 98 days to reach the U.S. $500-million mark.
The RDA (Resources Development Administration)'s private security force members all wear French military rank badge. Col. Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) wears the rank badge of a French colonel. When Trudy Chacón (Michelle Rodriguez) breaks Sully and Augustine out of jail and flies them to the avatar link outpost, the woman alerting Quaritch is shown wearing the three ribbons of a French captain.
There are striking similarities between the movie and the "Destination: Void" universe depicted by Frank Herbert and Bill Ransom in the science fiction novels, "The Jesus Incident" and "The Lazarus Effect." In the novels, an alien planet called Pandora is home to a global network of sentient kelp in which the minds of the deceased also continue to exist. The kelp, as well as other native lifeforms on the planet, are linked into a large entity with a shared consciousness, called "Avata."
While the movie was often described as "anti-war" by critics and fans, James Cameron repeatedly said in interviews that the film was not inspired by or commenting on any specific conflicts or any specific nation's overall foreign of defence policies. Cameron also said that the film DID have a brutally strong pro-environmentalist message on purpose because, as he put it, "I am a tree-hugger."
Grace mentions there are ten to the fourth connections between each tree, and ten to the 12th trees on Pandora, and that this is more than the human brain. In scientific notation, "ten to the fourth" is 10,000, and "ten to the 12" is one trillion. This makes for a total of ten to the 16th, or ten quadrillion, connections. The human brain has an average of 100 trillion.
The first time Sigourney Weaver has appeared in a James Cameron film since Aliens(1986). Cameron said that he didn't want to cast her at first, exactly because "she was [his] safest choice to play the botanist."
When Trudy (Michelle Rodriguez) refers to needing to fly VFR, she is referring to the Visual Flight Rules, where a pilot, accurately enough, needs to see where they are going.
The Na'vi were partially inspired by a dream James Cameron's mother had about a tall, blue woman.
Jake Sully's initials (J.S.) are the same as John Smith, a central figure in the historical and often romanticized story of Pocahontas. This film shares many similarities with the Pocahontas story in plot and theme. Like John Smith, Sully is a member of an invading force who falls in love with a tribal princess, after learning her customs.
The concept of a network of trees, in which minds of the deceased continue to exist, appears in several novels of the "Ender" series by Orson Scott Card, most prominently in "Speaker for the Dead." Just like in the movie, the trees in the novel are sacred to the native (remotely humanoid) inhabitants, who tolerate the presence of a small human colony on their world until cultural misunderstandings lead to conflict.
The common spirit of Pandora, where every creature is constantly connected to each other, and the planet itself, is based on the concept of Gaia, described in Isaac Asimov's novel "Foundation's Edge" (1982).
In the original ending Neytiri was going to be pregnant with Jake's child.
James Cameron designed Neytiri's costumes based on a taparrabo, a loincloth thing worn by Mayan Indians.
In an obvious nod to Alien (1979), James Cameron has an early long shot showing the company ship, ISV Venture Star, approaching Pandora. This is identical to the long shot in Alien (1979), when the Nostromo is approaching LV-426, the planetoid where they are receiving the signal from.
The film's landscapes were in part inspired by the famed Huangshan Mountain in China.
This film was released in China, but its 2D version was pulled from cinemas very quickly afterwards, despite the film being the most popular shown in China ever. It is likely that a large part of this was because of its message, which could be seen as being potentially inspirational to oppressed people within China. Oddly enough, China still allowed the 3D version to be shown even afterwards.
The first (and only, as of 2010) science-fiction feature film by James Cameron that does not involve or mention nuclear weapons.
James Cameron wanted Mauro Fiore to photograph this film because he admired Fiore's lush jungle photography in Tears of the Sun (2003). Fiore agreed after a 30-minute meeting with Cameron, followed by a two-hour guided tour of the constructed sets with Jon Landau.
Mo'at, the spiritual leader of the tribe, is referred to by the title "Tsahik." This name sounds remarkably similar to the Hebrew "Tsaddik," meaning an individual of outstanding virtue and piety. The term is often applied to an especially knowledgeable interpreter of Biblical law and scriptures.
In the original draft, Jake's name was Josh, while Neytiri's was Zuleika (a real female name of Arabic origin, meaning "fair", "brilliant" and "lovely").
In the final battle sequence, Jake jumps onto Col. Quaritch's gunship. The colonel sees Jake and pushes the control stick to swerve the ship. Jake loses balance and slides down the ship, where he grabs and hangs on to a missile. This is a reference to True Lies(1994), also directed by James Cameron. In that film, Harry Tasker uses the control stick to swerve the Harrier jet he is flying. The terrorist, who is standing on the jet, loses balance and slides down the wing of the jet, and his suspenders catches on the missile.
Though he is not credited in the film, several locations look very similar to paintings by English surrealist Roger Dean, most notably his works "Floating Islands" and "Arches."
Jodie Foster and Jamie Lee Curtis were considered for the role of Dr. Grace Augustine.
According to a CNN report, Cameron visited the Brazilian rain forest more than once after receiving outcries from tribal leaders inspired by his film. During one visit Cameron was a real-life Jake Sully; with warpaint on his face, and a spear in his hand, he met with 18 indigenous tribal leaders to plan a battle to stop construction of a proposed dam.
Twenty of the world's top creature designers worked with James Cameron on the film, as well as character designs and landscape designs, all for the hardware, amp suits and the helicopters. Eighteen months was spent on design. James Cameron wanted the creatures to be plausible so their form and function were interrelated--e.g., if a creature has four wings, how does it fly, do the wings move together or the opposite way or 90 degrees out of phase like they do in the film with one wing moving and the other acting as a stabilizer, but if they need to climb or make a rapid escape all four wings beat furiously. All the six-legged creatures in the film move like ants, in that their four front legs move together but the rear two move separately.
In the UK, the film was shipped in two parts, under the code name "Redbird." Reels 1-5 were delivered first; 6-10 came the following day.
The first film to gross $700 million domestically in the US. James Cameron's previous film, Titanic (1997), was the first film to gross $500 and $600 million domestically.
The joystick and throttle, used to remote-control the bulldozer, is a set of modified Saitek X52 Pro. Those are designed to control airplanes in flight and combat simulator programs.
Weta Digital and ILM (Industrial Light & Magic) had previously worked together on Contact (1997), Van Helsing (2004), and Eragon (2006), making "Avatar" their fourth collaboration.
The Chinese renamed one of their national park mountains as Avatar Hallelujah Mountain, because of this film. Of course, according to James Cameron, the design of the mountains in the film are inspired by the mountains around southern China, in particular, Huangshan.
The highest-grossing film in post-communist Russia. It earned $111,411,877 there and a total of 13.3 million tickets was sold (as of March 2010).
Any scene with Zoe Saldana was done 100% physically, facially and vocally all at the same time. It took a year to capture and transfer all of that to Neytiri.
James Cameron started developing the film in 1994.
In the Thai version, Jake Sully is a "Navi" who becomes a "Na'vi." The Thai word for Marine is "Na-vig-ga-yo-tin," but the translator shortened it to make the voice-over sync.
The film bears a striking resemblance, in terms of plot, to the Indian movie Vietnam Colony (1992). It should be noted that "Vietnam Colony" was released in 1992, and James Cameron said that the "Avatar" script was ready in 1995 and had many inspirations from India, including the title. A brief comparison between both the movies: (1) "Vietnam Colony": Mohanlal and an innocent guy are appointed by a real estate company to a notorious colony called Vietnam Colony, as this colony has high real estate values. "Avatar": Sam Worthington is appointed by the RDA Corp. to go to Pandora, as the place has a valuable mineral called Unobtainium. (2) "Vietnam Colony": Mohanlal disguises himself as a writer and becomes a member of the colony. "Avatar": Sam transfers his mind to a Navi body and becomes a member of Pandora. (3) "Vietnam Colony": Mohanlal falls in love with the heroine (Kanaka), who is an important resident of Vietnam Colony. "Avatar": Sam falls in love with Neytri (Zoe Saldana), who is an important resident of Pandora. (4) "Vietnam Colony": While Mohanlal was trying to cheat the colony residents and throw them out of the colony, he understands that the company is doing an injustice and tries to help the residents. "Avatar": While Sam was trying to cheat the Pandora residents, he understands that the company is doing an injustice and tries to help the residents. (5) "Vietnam Colony": Mohanlal finally joins hands with the colony residents and fights against his company. "Avatar": Sam joins hands with the Navis and fights against his company. (6) "Vietnam Colony": At the end of the movie, Mohanlal becomes a permanent Vietnam Colony resident. "Avatar": At the end, Sam becomes a permanent Pandora resident.
There are two sound effects borrowed from Jurassic Park (1993) creatures. During Jake's run from the panther-like Thanator, it roars at him, using a T-Rex roar. Later, when Jake is learning to ride the horse-creature, Pale, she makes a barking noise, like that of the Velociraptors in the kitchen scene.
The film was reportedly conceived in the 1990's - an era when "Save the Rainforest" was a popular phrase in society. Americans and other countries were highly vocal in protest over industrial slashing and burning of Amazon rain forests and forced displacement of indigenous tribes. By the time the technology was finally available to make this film, movement's popularity had faded significantly.
Yunjin Kim appeared as Neytiri in an early test footage.
The film is Sigourney Weaver's 7th science fiction film. The film was released 30 years after Sigourney Weaver's breakthrough film Alien (1979). James Cameron directed Sigourney Weaver in the sequel Aliens (1986). This is the 2nd film which Cameron and Weaver have worked together on.
James Cameron initially wanted Q'orianka Kilcher to play Neytiri, based on her role as Pocahontas in The New World (2005).
The film is considered by some to be a futuristic remake of The Last Samurai (2003). In that film, Tom Cruise stars as a disillusioned American civil war veteran who is hired to help the Emperor of Japan fight against rebellious samurai warriors and winds up fighting on their side instead. after he is captured and lives among them in their village and embraces their culture and their way of life.
In early December 2005, a casting call for the female lead was posted on the website of Mali Finn Casting. It erroneously identified the movie as James Cameron's Alita: Battle Angel (2018).
James Cameron has mentioned Roger Dean as a possible influence on the landscapes.
Sigourney Weaver dyed her hair red for the film.
James Cameron said "some of the design choices were about colors affecting us psychologically, which is why the film has such a striking color palette, like the early days of color cinematography where everything had to be bright and vibrant."
On one of the posters for the film, an image of the right side of Neytiri's face is shown. If you look very closely at her eyeball, you can see a reflection of the forest trees of Pandora on it.
The film takes place from 2148 to 2154.
James Cameron said making the film was "a complete leap into the unknown. Like a jump off a cliff and madly fabricating a parachute on the way down. It's a lot of fun to be out on the edge and know that you're doing something nobody's ever done before."
When Jake reassures Mo'at (the shaman) that he is "empty," it refers to his life being empty. The term "jarhead" is applied to Marines referring to their traditional "high and tight" haircut, and is used by Dr. Augustine when Sully is entering the Avatar link for the first time.
The tree, Eh'wa, also bears a resemblance to the Hindi/Aramic/Urdu word "Hewa," which, in English, means "Eve." "Eve" in Hebrew means "The Giver of Life," an entity from which all life arises. Also, in the Bible, Eve is tempted to eat from the Tree. The word na'vi bears close resemblance to the Arabic/Hindi/Urdu word for Nabi, meaning "prophet." "Avatar" is Hindi for the "incarnated one." Lord Krishna was one of the avatars of Lord Vishnu. Some Hindus believe that Lord Buddha was also an avatar of Vishnu, preceding Krishna.
In Korean, "Na'vi" is spelled like "nabi," the Korean word for "butterfly," and a very common name for cats.
Calling the sizable pallets of explosives on-board the shuttle "Daisy Cutters" refers to the BLU-82B, a 15,000-lb. bomb and the largest non-nuclear weapon the US Air Force had at its disposal (until 2008, when the MOAB was deployed), designed to flatten landing areas in jungle zones.
At the beginning when Col. Quaritch is briefing the men on the situation on Pandora, there are blinds, as well as a metal panel in the top-left corner of the blinds, that resemble an American flag. Oddly enough, the panel has a "50" engraved in it, as 50 is the number of stars on the American flag.
Promotional items were shipped to cinemas under the name "Project 880."
Grace Augustine was originally named Shipley in earlier drafts.
James Cameron said, "Some people think of this as an animated film. It's not an animated film because I'm not an animator. I don't want to be an animator. I'm a director. I want to work with actors. A director-centric actor-centric process."
Zoe Saldana's Star Trek (2009) co-star Chris Pine and her future Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) co-star Chris Pratt unsuccessfully auditioned for Jake Scully.
Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die," edited by Steven Schneider.
The film was thrown into an unwanted spotlight when several filmmakers, including Canadian director John Greyson, put out a press release stating that James Cameron had blocked the movie from being released in Israel, in accordance with the Boycott Divestment Sanctions movement (which calls for all Israeli activities to be shunned until Israel acceded to all Palestinian demands to end their conflict). Cameron found out about this when his top producing partner called him, and he was furious about it, as he had no intention of boycotting Israel (or any other nation that wanted to show the film) and Greyson and his colleagues admitted that their original press release was "a joke" that amounted to "wishful thinking" on their part.
The film took 4 years to make.
James Cameron felt it was remarkable that 25 years into his career, he was making a film and not knowing what to do.
James Cameron felt that after working months and months on the Na'vi and the avatars and the creatures, that he stopped thinking about all the work that went into them and just enjoyed the life of those scenes with them.
In the extended version, when Jake lies in the gutter having been thrown out of the bar, there's an ad flashing by that says "Discover a new world".
In 2014 an article entitled "The 1960s Avatar TV Show" was posted to the web, claiming that the film was actually a re-imagining of a science-fiction television series from 1963. It supposedly starred William Shatner as Jake Sully (until being replaced by Roger Ewingin season 3) and featured several images from other 1960s sci-fi films and series, with the actors' skin tinted blue. Despite claiming to be authentic, it was entirely a hoax.
James Cameron started working on the film following the cancellation of his TV series Dark Angel (2000).
On May 27th, 2017, the long anticipated Pandora: World of Avatar opened at Disney's Animal Kingdom to good reviews and large crowds. The main attraction, Flight of Passage, has been reported to be reaching lines averaging two hours.
James Cameron admitted that expectations were daunting on this film after Titanic (1997) and his other films, but that was to be expected. He does consider "Avatar" different from anything he's made before and it plays by its own rules.
This became the first Hollywood movie to sell over ten million tickets in South Korea.
An early idea for Pandora that was abandoned was that the sky would be purple and the plants would be blue, but James Cameron felt the Na'vi being blue was challenge enough and just let the greenery be green.
James Cameron described his creative process as "what I'm good at is working with actors to create scenes and then editing their performances to get the absolute best version of that scene and then sharing that with the audience. It's an amazing process to go through. Sometimes you think it's not going to work when you get started and then the characters come to life."
This story is about aliens (the term given to humans in this film) using overwhelming strength to invade and annihilate a peaceful group of local inhabitants... similar to "Aliens".
James Cameron said doing the designs were "a joyful experience. What you imagine is always kind of hazy. It's like the memory of a dream. You can't be specific. You can draw it but it's a completely new act of creation."
James Cameron likes 3D because "it brings to cinema what better sound or color brought. I'm making it my ethos not to change how I direct my movies or how I do scenes with the actors. I'm trying to make 3D plus the film or turbocharge it but the basic architecture of the engine is the same and that's the only healthy way to view the 3D. The actors don't act any differently for a 3D camera."
One of Michael Mann's favorite films.
Arnold Schwarzenegger said James Cameron's films are extraordinary inspiration.
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This was the highest-grossing film in South Korea, grossing about $105.48 million.
In this film, Zoe Saldana's character Neytiri is an extraterrestrial who falls in love with Jake Scully (Sam Worthington), a human. In Saldana's earlier film Star Trek (2009), released the same year, her character Nyota Uhura, a human, falls in love with Spock (Zachary Quinto), an extraterrestrial.
The Space Hippies in Star Trek: The Way to Eden (1969) also had a song that went "I See You."
Peter Mensah had appeared in two episodes of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles(2008) and Sam Worthington had previously starred in Terminator Salvation (2009) as Marcus Wright. Writer and director James Cameron created the "Terminator" franchise.
James Cameron wanted to take familiar archetypes and make them fresh and new, like enormous rain forests and mountains that levitate.
Sigourney Weaver plays a role similar the one she played in Gorillas in the Mist (1988).
The relationship between Hal Tara and Zita in Strings (2004) is considered by some to be a possible influence behind the relationship between Jake Scully and Neytiri.
First narrative film directed by James Cameron to not co-star any of the cast members of The Terminator (1984). However, Sam Worthington co-starred in its sequel, Terminator Salvation (2009), which Cameron had no involvement in.
In the animated post-apocalyptic fantasy film Wizards (1977), the film's main protagonist was called Avatar. The film was released by 20th Century Fox.
Director Cameo
James Cameron: His voice is heard over the radio shortly after the Dragon Gunship appears on screen, en route to attack the Na'vi Hometree.
Director Trademark
James Cameron: [feet] Close-up of Jake's feet when he moves them around in the soil; close-up of Col. Quaritch's feet in his first scene; slow-mo focus on the wolf-creature's feet as it circles around Jake's avatar, just before he first meets Neytiri.
Spoilers
In the final battle sequence, Neytiri has a white hand print on her chest as part of her warpaint. It has five fingers, indicating that it is Jake's hand (avatars have five fingers while Na'vi only have four).
When Jake is examining his ponytail, Dr. Augustine states, "Don't play with that, you'll go blind." This is a common phrase that is taught to adolescent boys (referencing their genitalia) to discourage them from masturbating. It is shown later in the film that the Na'vi use their ponytails to link their minds during mating.
The film's original title was "Project 880." In the original script: Earth and its environmental problems are explored (Sully has never even seen a forest, so Grace has to practically hold his hand when they go into the woods); we see Josh (Jake) Sully's Avatar being born (he actually "births" himself), and his reaction to walking again is quite different, as it takes him a while to gain any sort of strength, and then he cries; it is revealed the Avatar program originally existed to train Na'vi to be an indigenous workforce for the Corporation, since it is so expensive to send human workers. Obviously, they did not like that; there is an Avatar controller who is burnt out because his Avatar died with him in it. He committed Avatar suicide because he had fallen in love with a Na'vi girl who had been killed by the military; the Avatars have a Na'vi guide named N'Deh, who is sleeping with Grace; Grace survives the soul transfer.
Stephen Lang has hinted that Col. Quaritch could return for a sequel, saying, "You think those two arrows in my chest are going to stop me from coming back? Nothing's over so long as they've got my DNA."
During the aftermath of Home Tree falling, James Horner uses a three-note motif that is the same as the one used throughout Enemy at the Gates (2001) and Troy (2004), movies that he also scored.
In the scene that introduces the concept of the tree of souls to the viewer, Grace remarks that outsiders are forbidden to go there, but that she would "die to get samples." This turns out to be an unfortunately prophetic figure of speech as later, she is allowed to go to the tree of souls because she is dying. Her first words upon arriving are, "I need to get samples . . . "
Grace Augustine says to Quaritch, "Or what, Ranger Rick, you going to shoot me?" Of course, he eventually does shoot Augustine.
In the scene where Jake Sully is in prison, his back is to the camera and you can see the back of his wheelchair. The brand of wheelchair he is in is "Grunt," which is another term for a Marine infantryman.
WILHELM SCREAM: When the gas munition hits the ground at the attack of The Home Tree.
Jake's opening narration "I started having these dreams of flying." foreshadows Jake riding on the Ikran.
Avatar (2009)Trivia
Director James Cameron, known for being tough on set, allegedly kept a nail-gun on set that he would use to nail cell phones, that had the misfortune of ringing, to a wall above the exit sign.
James Cameron was convinced that CGI effects had progressed enough to make this film when he saw Gollum in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002).
At the time of auditioning, Sam Worthington was living in his car.
The Na'vi language was created entirely from scratch by linguist Dr. Paul R. Frommer. James Cameron hired him to construct a language that the actors could pronounce easily, but did not resemble any single human language. Frommer created about 1,000 words.
This movie took four years to make, from pre-production to release.
James Cameron originally planned to have the film completed for release in 1999. At the time, the special effects he wanted increased the budget to $400 million. No studio would fund the film, and it was shelved for eight years.
Matt Damon and Jake Gyllenhaal were the studio's first choices to play Jake Sully, but James Cameron decided to cast the less-known Sam Worthington in the lead role.
To appease 20th Century-Fox's fears, and remembering the harrowing experience of Titanic (1997) and its production overruns and costly delays, James Cameron promised to forgo his director's fee if Avatar (2009) flopped.
Chris Pine auditioned for the lead role and said that it was his worst audition ever.
Jake's atrophied legs were prosthetics cast from the legs of a real paraplegic. Sam Worthington's real legs were tucked into the wheelchair and digitally removed in post-production.
The cigarette that Sigourney Weaver's character "smokes" is computer-generated.
Some CGI scenes took an average of 47 hours to render.
According to Sam Worthington, he was invited to the casting via a phone call. The person who called told him nothing about the script, nor did they even tell him the director's name. Worthington was disappointed at first, thinking it was "another waste of time."
First movie to ever cross the U.S. $2-billion mark worldwide (and later the U.S. $2.5-billion mark), making it the highest-grossing film in history (not adjusting for inflation).
James Cameron wanted an unknown actor to play Jake Sully, because it would give the character a "real" quality--the guy you want to have a beer with, who ultimately becomes the leader who transforms a whole world.
According to James Cameron, the Na'vi are blue to create a conceptual parallel with traditional Hindu depictions of God (e.g., Vishnu and his later "avatars"--a Sanskrit word meaning "a manifestation of divinity in bodily form"--such as Rama, Krishna, etc.) but also because Cameron just liked the color blue.
James Cameron admitted in an interview that he got the idea for "Avatar" after watching Disney's 1995 animated film Pocahontas (1995).
Sam Worthington said in an interview that it was easier for him to master the Na'vi language than the American accent.
The whooping and cackling sounds made by the wolf-like predators on Pandora are actually real spotted hyena calls.
"Unobtainium" is a humorous term used mainly in the aerospace industry. It describes a material that is perfect for an application (but does not exist), is extremely expensive, or violates the laws of physics. Its chemical symbol is Uo. "Unobtainium" is also a general concept term used by sci-fi enthusiasts for any fictional substance that is needed to build a certain device that is crucial to the plot of a sci-fi story. "Unobtainium" is featured in The Core (2003), where the earth-boring vessel called the "Virgil" has a hull made from unobtainium to help it withstand the massive pressures inside the Earth's core. "Unobtainium" is also an anti-gravity element in the online multi-player video game "Skyrates."
To help the actors prepare for their roles, director James Cameron took the cast and crew to Hawaii, where they spent their days trekking through the forests and jungles and living like tribes (building campfires, eating fish, etc), in order to get a better sense of what it would be like to live and move around in the jungle on Pandora, since there would not be any actual jungle sets to aid and guide the actors and crew. Zoe Saldana even dressed up as a warrior during these journeys, complete with an alien tail symbolic of the one her character has in the movie. These hikes were only done during the daytime, however, as the cast and crew spent their nights at a Four Seasons hotel.
James Cameron's first directorial feature since Titanic (1997), which was the highest-grossing film of all time--until this one.
All animals on Pandora have six limbs, except for the humans and Na'vi.
Composer James Horner stated that this was his most difficult film and the biggest challenge of his career. He said in an interview that he worked on the music from 4:00 am to 10:00 pm for a year and a half.
The first of five proposed Avatar films.
The book Grace picks up in the abandoned school is called "The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss. Like the plot of the film, the book is about a forest full of beautiful trees and mystical creatures that are destroyed by man's lust for ever growing industry.
According to Jake's video logs, the entire film (on Pandora) takes place over a 96-day period. The first log is dated 05/19/2154 and the last is 8/24/2154, which is Jake's Birthday
Michael Biehn was considered for the role of Col. Quaritch. James Cameron rejected him because he'd already cast Sigourney Weaver, and he didn't want people to think it was Aliens (1986) all over again.
The word "avatar" is Sanskrit for "incarnation." It is used extensively in Hindu scriptures to refer to human incarnations of God.
James Cameron disclosed on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien (2009) that he began working on preliminary drafts of his movie as early as the mid-'90s. Because his visual concepts were so avant-garde, the technology required to consummate his vision was not then available. Not until 2005 was he able to proceed with viable script scenarios.
Avatars have eyebrows and five digits per hand or foot while the Na'vi only have four and no eyebrows. The Avatars are also broader in the chest and arms, appearing more "muscular."
Chris Pratt auditioned for the role of Jake Sully.
One of the most expensive movies ever made (as of December 2009), with an estimated budget of $280,000,000 (in U.S. dollars).
The movie is 40% live action and 60% photo-realistic CGI. A lot of motion capture technology was used for the CGI scenes.
The spiral-shaped, retracting creatures Jake encounters early in the film are giant versions of Christmas Tree Worms, a marine invertebrate commonly kept in reef aquariums.
The first movie to be shot with a 3D camera, released in 3D and in IMAX 3D to be nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award.
Despite understanding the Na'vi are not placental mammals, James Cameron insisted from the start that Neytiri should have breasts so as to look hot from a human's point of view.
In much of the movie, Sigourney Weaver's avatar wears a Stanford tank top. Weaver attended Stanford in the early 1970s.
The multiple breathing orifices seen on the larger animals of Pandora were inspired by the air intakes on the sides of sports cars.
Most of the animal noises heard in the movie are recycled dinosaur noises from Jurassic Park (1993), notably the T-Rex and the Raptors'.
The actors playing the Na'vi had cameras attached to their heads so that they filmed close-ups of their faces. Dots painted on their faces allowed motion-capture software to record their facial expressions, providing a "framework" from which the CG artists worked.
Sigourney Weaver plays a James Cameron persona for her character in this film. Sigourney stated in an interview, "I teased him because to me I'm playing Jim Cameron in the movie as this kind of brilliant, approach-driven, idealistic perfectionist. But that same somebody has a great heart underneath. So I have to say I was always kind of channeling him."
The first completely digitally shot movie to win the Oscar for Best Cinematography.
The word "na'vi" in Hebrew means prophet. A na'vi is a visionary or someone who communicates directly with God. Its plural, nevi'im, also refers to the prophetic books of the bible, which include "Daniel," "Micah," and "Isaiah."
Col. Quaritch mentions that being on Pandora made him feel "like a shavetail Looie." "Shave tail" was a term originally used in the 19th century among U.S. cavalry regiments. Newly assigned cavalry troopers were given horses with a shaved tail, to let other troopers know that the rider was dangerously inexperienced and should be given extra room to maneuver during training. "Looie" is a nickname for lieutenant, the two lowest ranks--2nd Lieutenant is lowest, with 1st Lieutenant being one step above it--for Marine Corps officers.
In James Cameron movies, allies to the main characters often have Catholic references. In Aliens (1986), this ally was called "Bishop;" in The Abyss (1989), it was "Monk." In "Avatar," Sigourney Weaver plays a character called Grace Augustine. Saint Augustine was a Catholic monk who brought Christianity to pagan England, and became Archbishop. One manner of address for an Archbishop is "Your Grace."
The cap that Norm Spellman wears during his first trip into the Pandoran jungle has Braille symbols on it that represent "#1969," or "Number 1969," the year that humans first landed on the moon.
The year is never stated, but the video log shows that the year is 2154. The final battle takes place during August 2154, 200 years from the date of James Cameron's birth.
Ey'wa, the deity of the Na'vi people, is a mixed-up pronunciation of "Yahweh," the God of the Hebrews.
The film reached the U.S. $500-million mark in 32 days, beating The Dark Knight (2008)'s previous record of 45 days. James Cameron's previous film, Titanic (1997), took 98 days to reach the U.S. $500-million mark.
The RDA (Resources Development Administration)'s private security force members all wear French military rank badge. Col. Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) wears the rank badge of a French colonel. When Trudy Chacón (Michelle Rodriguez) breaks Sully and Augustine out of jail and flies them to the avatar link outpost, the woman alerting Quaritch is shown wearing the three ribbons of a French captain.
There are striking similarities between the movie and the "Destination: Void" universe depicted by Frank Herbert and Bill Ransom in the science fiction novels, "The Jesus Incident" and "The Lazarus Effect." In the novels, an alien planet called Pandora is home to a global network of sentient kelp in which the minds of the deceased also continue to exist. The kelp, as well as other native lifeforms on the planet, are linked into a large entity with a shared consciousness, called "Avata."
While the movie was often described as "anti-war" by critics and fans, James Cameron repeatedly said in interviews that the film was not inspired by or commenting on any specific conflicts or any specific nation's overall foreign of defence policies. Cameron also said that the film DID have a brutally strong pro-environmentalist message on purpose because, as he put it, "I am a tree-hugger."
Grace mentions there are ten to the fourth connections between each tree, and ten to the 12th trees on Pandora, and that this is more than the human brain. In scientific notation, "ten to the fourth" is 10,000, and "ten to the 12" is one trillion. This makes for a total of ten to the 16th, or ten quadrillion, connections. The human brain has an average of 100 trillion.
The first time Sigourney Weaver has appeared in a James Cameron film since Aliens(1986). Cameron said that he didn't want to cast her at first, exactly because "she was [his] safest choice to play the botanist."
When Trudy (Michelle Rodriguez) refers to needing to fly VFR, she is referring to the Visual Flight Rules, where a pilot, accurately enough, needs to see where they are going.
The Na'vi were partially inspired by a dream James Cameron's mother had about a tall, blue woman.
Jake Sully's initials (J.S.) are the same as John Smith, a central figure in the historical and often romanticized story of Pocahontas. This film shares many similarities with the Pocahontas story in plot and theme. Like John Smith, Sully is a member of an invading force who falls in love with a tribal princess, after learning her customs.
The concept of a network of trees, in which minds of the deceased continue to exist, appears in several novels of the "Ender" series by Orson Scott Card, most prominently in "Speaker for the Dead." Just like in the movie, the trees in the novel are sacred to the native (remotely humanoid) inhabitants, who tolerate the presence of a small human colony on their world until cultural misunderstandings lead to conflict.
The common spirit of Pandora, where every creature is constantly connected to each other, and the planet itself, is based on the concept of Gaia, described in Isaac Asimov's novel "Foundation's Edge" (1982).
In the original ending Neytiri was going to be pregnant with Jake's child.
James Cameron designed Neytiri's costumes based on a taparrabo, a loincloth thing worn by Mayan Indians.
In an obvious nod to Alien (1979), James Cameron has an early long shot showing the company ship, ISV Venture Star, approaching Pandora. This is identical to the long shot in Alien (1979), when the Nostromo is approaching LV-426, the planetoid where they are receiving the signal from.
The film's landscapes were in part inspired by the famed Huangshan Mountain in China.
This film was released in China, but its 2D version was pulled from cinemas very quickly afterwards, despite the film being the most popular shown in China ever. It is likely that a large part of this was because of its message, which could be seen as being potentially inspirational to oppressed people within China. Oddly enough, China still allowed the 3D version to be shown even afterwards.
The first (and only, as of 2010) science-fiction feature film by James Cameron that does not involve or mention nuclear weapons.
James Cameron wanted Mauro Fiore to photograph this film because he admired Fiore's lush jungle photography in Tears of the Sun (2003). Fiore agreed after a 30-minute meeting with Cameron, followed by a two-hour guided tour of the constructed sets with Jon Landau.
Mo'at, the spiritual leader of the tribe, is referred to by the title "Tsahik." This name sounds remarkably similar to the Hebrew "Tsaddik," meaning an individual of outstanding virtue and piety. The term is often applied to an especially knowledgeable interpreter of Biblical law and scriptures.
In the original draft, Jake's name was Josh, while Neytiri's was Zuleika (a real female name of Arabic origin, meaning "fair", "brilliant" and "lovely").
In the final battle sequence, Jake jumps onto Col. Quaritch's gunship. The colonel sees Jake and pushes the control stick to swerve the ship. Jake loses balance and slides down the ship, where he grabs and hangs on to a missile. This is a reference to True Lies(1994), also directed by James Cameron. In that film, Harry Tasker uses the control stick to swerve the Harrier jet he is flying. The terrorist, who is standing on the jet, loses balance and slides down the wing of the jet, and his suspenders catches on the missile.
Though he is not credited in the film, several locations look very similar to paintings by English surrealist Roger Dean, most notably his works "Floating Islands" and "Arches."
Jodie Foster and Jamie Lee Curtis were considered for the role of Dr. Grace Augustine.
According to a CNN report, Cameron visited the Brazilian rain forest more than once after receiving outcries from tribal leaders inspired by his film. During one visit Cameron was a real-life Jake Sully; with warpaint on his face, and a spear in his hand, he met with 18 indigenous tribal leaders to plan a battle to stop construction of a proposed dam.
Twenty of the world's top creature designers worked with James Cameron on the film, as well as character designs and landscape designs, all for the hardware, amp suits and the helicopters. Eighteen months was spent on design. James Cameron wanted the creatures to be plausible so their form and function were interrelated--e.g., if a creature has four wings, how does it fly, do the wings move together or the opposite way or 90 degrees out of phase like they do in the film with one wing moving and the other acting as a stabilizer, but if they need to climb or make a rapid escape all four wings beat furiously. All the six-legged creatures in the film move like ants, in that their four front legs move together but the rear two move separately.
In the UK, the film was shipped in two parts, under the code name "Redbird." Reels 1-5 were delivered first; 6-10 came the following day.
The first film to gross $700 million domestically in the US. James Cameron's previous film, Titanic (1997), was the first film to gross $500 and $600 million domestically.
The joystick and throttle, used to remote-control the bulldozer, is a set of modified Saitek X52 Pro. Those are designed to control airplanes in flight and combat simulator programs.
Weta Digital and ILM (Industrial Light & Magic) had previously worked together on Contact (1997), Van Helsing (2004), and Eragon (2006), making "Avatar" their fourth collaboration.
The Chinese renamed one of their national park mountains as Avatar Hallelujah Mountain, because of this film. Of course, according to James Cameron, the design of the mountains in the film are inspired by the mountains around southern China, in particular, Huangshan.
The highest-grossing film in post-communist Russia. It earned $111,411,877 there and a total of 13.3 million tickets was sold (as of March 2010).
Any scene with Zoe Saldana was done 100% physically, facially and vocally all at the same time. It took a year to capture and transfer all of that to Neytiri.
James Cameron started developing the film in 1994.
In the Thai version, Jake Sully is a "Navi" who becomes a "Na'vi." The Thai word for Marine is "Na-vig-ga-yo-tin," but the translator shortened it to make the voice-over sync.
The film bears a striking resemblance, in terms of plot, to the Indian movie Vietnam Colony (1992). It should be noted that "Vietnam Colony" was released in 1992, and James Cameron said that the "Avatar" script was ready in 1995 and had many inspirations from India, including the title. A brief comparison between both the movies: (1) "Vietnam Colony": Mohanlal and an innocent guy are appointed by a real estate company to a notorious colony called Vietnam Colony, as this colony has high real estate values. "Avatar": Sam Worthington is appointed by the RDA Corp. to go to Pandora, as the place has a valuable mineral called Unobtainium. (2) "Vietnam Colony": Mohanlal disguises himself as a writer and becomes a member of the colony. "Avatar": Sam transfers his mind to a Navi body and becomes a member of Pandora. (3) "Vietnam Colony": Mohanlal falls in love with the heroine (Kanaka), who is an important resident of Vietnam Colony. "Avatar": Sam falls in love with Neytri (Zoe Saldana), who is an important resident of Pandora. (4) "Vietnam Colony": While Mohanlal was trying to cheat the colony residents and throw them out of the colony, he understands that the company is doing an injustice and tries to help the residents. "Avatar": While Sam was trying to cheat the Pandora residents, he understands that the company is doing an injustice and tries to help the residents. (5) "Vietnam Colony": Mohanlal finally joins hands with the colony residents and fights against his company. "Avatar": Sam joins hands with the Navis and fights against his company. (6) "Vietnam Colony": At the end of the movie, Mohanlal becomes a permanent Vietnam Colony resident. "Avatar": At the end, Sam becomes a permanent Pandora resident.
There are two sound effects borrowed from Jurassic Park (1993) creatures. During Jake's run from the panther-like Thanator, it roars at him, using a T-Rex roar. Later, when Jake is learning to ride the horse-creature, Pale, she makes a barking noise, like that of the Velociraptors in the kitchen scene.
The film was reportedly conceived in the 1990's - an era when "Save the Rainforest" was a popular phrase in society. Americans and other countries were highly vocal in protest over industrial slashing and burning of Amazon rain forests and forced displacement of indigenous tribes. By the time the technology was finally available to make this film, movement's popularity had faded significantly.
Yunjin Kim appeared as Neytiri in an early test footage.
The film is Sigourney Weaver's 7th science fiction film. The film was released 30 years after Sigourney Weaver's breakthrough film Alien (1979). James Cameron directed Sigourney Weaver in the sequel Aliens (1986). This is the 2nd film which Cameron and Weaver have worked together on.
James Cameron initially wanted Q'orianka Kilcher to play Neytiri, based on her role as Pocahontas in The New World (2005).
The film is considered by some to be a futuristic remake of The Last Samurai (2003). In that film, Tom Cruise stars as a disillusioned American civil war veteran who is hired to help the Emperor of Japan fight against rebellious samurai warriors and winds up fighting on their side instead. after he is captured and lives among them in their village and embraces their culture and their way of life.
In early December 2005, a casting call for the female lead was posted on the website of Mali Finn Casting. It erroneously identified the movie as James Cameron's Alita: Battle Angel (2018).
James Cameron has mentioned Roger Dean as a possible influence on the landscapes.
Sigourney Weaver dyed her hair red for the film.
James Cameron said "some of the design choices were about colors affecting us psychologically, which is why the film has such a striking color palette, like the early days of color cinematography where everything had to be bright and vibrant."
On one of the posters for the film, an image of the right side of Neytiri's face is shown. If you look very closely at her eyeball, you can see a reflection of the forest trees of Pandora on it.
The film takes place from 2148 to 2154.
James Cameron said making the film was "a complete leap into the unknown. Like a jump off a cliff and madly fabricating a parachute on the way down. It's a lot of fun to be out on the edge and know that you're doing something nobody's ever done before."
When Jake reassures Mo'at (the shaman) that he is "empty," it refers to his life being empty. The term "jarhead" is applied to Marines referring to their traditional "high and tight" haircut, and is used by Dr. Augustine when Sully is entering the Avatar link for the first time.
The tree, Eh'wa, also bears a resemblance to the Hindi/Aramic/Urdu word "Hewa," which, in English, means "Eve." "Eve" in Hebrew means "The Giver of Life," an entity from which all life arises. Also, in the Bible, Eve is tempted to eat from the Tree. The word na'vi bears close resemblance to the Arabic/Hindi/Urdu word for Nabi, meaning "prophet." "Avatar" is Hindi for the "incarnated one." Lord Krishna was one of the avatars of Lord Vishnu. Some Hindus believe that Lord Buddha was also an avatar of Vishnu, preceding Krishna.
In Korean, "Na'vi" is spelled like "nabi," the Korean word for "butterfly," and a very common name for cats.
Calling the sizable pallets of explosives on-board the shuttle "Daisy Cutters" refers to the BLU-82B, a 15,000-lb. bomb and the largest non-nuclear weapon the US Air Force had at its disposal (until 2008, when the MOAB was deployed), designed to flatten landing areas in jungle zones.
At the beginning when Col. Quaritch is briefing the men on the situation on Pandora, there are blinds, as well as a metal panel in the top-left corner of the blinds, that resemble an American flag. Oddly enough, the panel has a "50" engraved in it, as 50 is the number of stars on the American flag.
Promotional items were shipped to cinemas under the name "Project 880."
Grace Augustine was originally named Shipley in earlier drafts.
James Cameron said, "Some people think of this as an animated film. It's not an animated film because I'm not an animator. I don't want to be an animator. I'm a director. I want to work with actors. A director-centric actor-centric process."
Zoe Saldana's Star Trek (2009) co-star Chris Pine and her future Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) co-star Chris Pratt unsuccessfully auditioned for Jake Scully.
Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die," edited by Steven Schneider.
The film was thrown into an unwanted spotlight when several filmmakers, including Canadian director John Greyson, put out a press release stating that James Cameron had blocked the movie from being released in Israel, in accordance with the Boycott Divestment Sanctions movement (which calls for all Israeli activities to be shunned until Israel acceded to all Palestinian demands to end their conflict). Cameron found out about this when his top producing partner called him, and he was furious about it, as he had no intention of boycotting Israel (or any other nation that wanted to show the film) and Greyson and his colleagues admitted that their original press release was "a joke" that amounted to "wishful thinking" on their part.
The film took 4 years to make.
James Cameron felt it was remarkable that 25 years into his career, he was making a film and not knowing what to do.
James Cameron felt that after working months and months on the Na'vi and the avatars and the creatures, that he stopped thinking about all the work that went into them and just enjoyed the life of those scenes with them.
In the extended version, when Jake lies in the gutter having been thrown out of the bar, there's an ad flashing by that says "Discover a new world".
In 2014 an article entitled "The 1960s Avatar TV Show" was posted to the web, claiming that the film was actually a re-imagining of a science-fiction television series from 1963. It supposedly starred William Shatner as Jake Sully (until being replaced by Roger Ewingin season 3) and featured several images from other 1960s sci-fi films and series, with the actors' skin tinted blue. Despite claiming to be authentic, it was entirely a hoax.
James Cameron started working on the film following the cancellation of his TV series Dark Angel (2000).
On May 27th, 2017, the long anticipated Pandora: World of Avatar opened at Disney's Animal Kingdom to good reviews and large crowds. The main attraction, Flight of Passage, has been reported to be reaching lines averaging two hours.
James Cameron admitted that expectations were daunting on this film after Titanic (1997) and his other films, but that was to be expected. He does consider "Avatar" different from anything he's made before and it plays by its own rules.
This became the first Hollywood movie to sell over ten million tickets in South Korea.
An early idea for Pandora that was abandoned was that the sky would be purple and the plants would be blue, but James Cameron felt the Na'vi being blue was challenge enough and just let the greenery be green.
James Cameron described his creative process as "what I'm good at is working with actors to create scenes and then editing their performances to get the absolute best version of that scene and then sharing that with the audience. It's an amazing process to go through. Sometimes you think it's not going to work when you get started and then the characters come to life."
This story is about aliens (the term given to humans in this film) using overwhelming strength to invade and annihilate a peaceful group of local inhabitants... similar to "Aliens".
James Cameron said doing the designs were "a joyful experience. What you imagine is always kind of hazy. It's like the memory of a dream. You can't be specific. You can draw it but it's a completely new act of creation."
James Cameron likes 3D because "it brings to cinema what better sound or color brought. I'm making it my ethos not to change how I direct my movies or how I do scenes with the actors. I'm trying to make 3D plus the film or turbocharge it but the basic architecture of the engine is the same and that's the only healthy way to view the 3D. The actors don't act any differently for a 3D camera."
One of Michael Mann's favorite films.
Arnold Schwarzenegger said James Cameron's films are extraordinary inspiration.
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This was the highest-grossing film in South Korea, grossing about $105.48 million.
In this film, Zoe Saldana's character Neytiri is an extraterrestrial who falls in love with Jake Scully (Sam Worthington), a human. In Saldana's earlier film Star Trek (2009), released the same year, her character Nyota Uhura, a human, falls in love with Spock (Zachary Quinto), an extraterrestrial.
The Space Hippies in Star Trek: The Way to Eden (1969) also had a song that went "I See You."
Peter Mensah had appeared in two episodes of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles(2008) and Sam Worthington had previously starred in Terminator Salvation (2009) as Marcus Wright. Writer and director James Cameron created the "Terminator" franchise.
James Cameron wanted to take familiar archetypes and make them fresh and new, like enormous rain forests and mountains that levitate.
Sigourney Weaver plays a role similar the one she played in Gorillas in the Mist (1988).
The relationship between Hal Tara and Zita in Strings (2004) is considered by some to be a possible influence behind the relationship between Jake Scully and Neytiri.
First narrative film directed by James Cameron to not co-star any of the cast members of The Terminator (1984). However, Sam Worthington co-starred in its sequel, Terminator Salvation (2009), which Cameron had no involvement in.
In the animated post-apocalyptic fantasy film Wizards (1977), the film's main protagonist was called Avatar. The film was released by 20th Century Fox.
Director Cameo
James Cameron: His voice is heard over the radio shortly after the Dragon Gunship appears on screen, en route to attack the Na'vi Hometree.
Director Trademark
James Cameron: [feet] Close-up of Jake's feet when he moves them around in the soil; close-up of Col. Quaritch's feet in his first scene; slow-mo focus on the wolf-creature's feet as it circles around Jake's avatar, just before he first meets Neytiri.
Spoilers
In the final battle sequence, Neytiri has a white hand print on her chest as part of her warpaint. It has five fingers, indicating that it is Jake's hand (avatars have five fingers while Na'vi only have four).
When Jake is examining his ponytail, Dr. Augustine states, "Don't play with that, you'll go blind." This is a common phrase that is taught to adolescent boys (referencing their genitalia) to discourage them from masturbating. It is shown later in the film that the Na'vi use their ponytails to link their minds during mating.
The film's original title was "Project 880." In the original script: Earth and its environmental problems are explored (Sully has never even seen a forest, so Grace has to practically hold his hand when they go into the woods); we see Josh (Jake) Sully's Avatar being born (he actually "births" himself), and his reaction to walking again is quite different, as it takes him a while to gain any sort of strength, and then he cries; it is revealed the Avatar program originally existed to train Na'vi to be an indigenous workforce for the Corporation, since it is so expensive to send human workers. Obviously, they did not like that; there is an Avatar controller who is burnt out because his Avatar died with him in it. He committed Avatar suicide because he had fallen in love with a Na'vi girl who had been killed by the military; the Avatars have a Na'vi guide named N'Deh, who is sleeping with Grace; Grace survives the soul transfer.
Stephen Lang has hinted that Col. Quaritch could return for a sequel, saying, "You think those two arrows in my chest are going to stop me from coming back? Nothing's over so long as they've got my DNA."
During the aftermath of Home Tree falling, James Horner uses a three-note motif that is the same as the one used throughout Enemy at the Gates (2001) and Troy (2004), movies that he also scored.
In the scene that introduces the concept of the tree of souls to the viewer, Grace remarks that outsiders are forbidden to go there, but that she would "die to get samples." This turns out to be an unfortunately prophetic figure of speech as later, she is allowed to go to the tree of souls because she is dying. Her first words upon arriving are, "I need to get samples . . . "
Grace Augustine says to Quaritch, "Or what, Ranger Rick, you going to shoot me?" Of course, he eventually does shoot Augustine.
In the scene where Jake Sully is in prison, his back is to the camera and you can see the back of his wheelchair. The brand of wheelchair he is in is "Grunt," which is another term for a Marine infantryman.
WILHELM SCREAM: When the gas munition hits the ground at the attack of The Home Tree.
Jake's opening narration "I started having these dreams of flying." foreshadows Jake riding on the Ikran.