Quote:
Originally Posted by HiFiRevival
Knowing Mel, and his psychotically Catholic leanings, how could that ending signify anything other than "saving" the poor natives after the rest of the movie butchered who they were and set them up and indistinguishably stupid savages who would have just killed each other off if not for the blessed hope on the boat?
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I think you got it basically exactly wrong. The Mayans (in the movie) were basically fighting a war within themselves, and the boats represented the way bigger issue at hand. There was nothing but a sense of dread at the end of the movie... this guy had just made a miraculous escape to save himself and his family, and now he knew the end was definitely there. They would more or less have to spend the rest of their lives running.
I think Mel was trying to say
something about our priorities in America, telling us whatever we're currently focused on, whoever we're currently fighting, is the wrong issue. The movie was endlessly referenced as a social/political commentary. I think if you're going to assign meaning to it, it's vital to do it that way rather than view it as some sort of Mel commentary on history.