Another scene we didn't talk about in class would be where Jake was introduced to Neytiri's banshee. This scene is important for a few reasons. First, you see that this is another step for Jake to be welcomed to the Na'vi community. He is learning what it is truly like to be part of the Omaticaya clan. He is not only learning all of the skills important to the Na'vi, but also their outlook on life. He is beginning to understand the beauty of Pandora by gaining understanding and respect for nature. You see this through Jake's actions and reactions to the banshee.
This is another reason this scene is important. You slowly see the transformation from Avatar to Na'vi here. He starts out very skeptical of the banshee and seems very uneasy from his body language. But, as he watches and listens to Neytiri, he starts to see Seze differently. He goes from afraid to cautious to excited and finally anxious.And this all occurs in a matter of seconds. As Neytiri explains what to do and how to go about doing it, she brings up tsaheylu. This is the bond that, in this case, a hunter must make with one and only one of the banshees. This picture shows that she is connected on a deeper level because she feels more than anything else. She is a true Na'vi and Jake can see that through her body language.
She goes into more detail when they are on the mountain about to find Jake's perfect match. But you can see the new respect Jake has for these creatures when he asks, "When?" and she responds, "When you are ready," and flies off with confidence and grace.
James Cameron is able to make you feel from two different perspectives at this point, Jake and Neytiri. The viewers side with Jake because we can relate to him easiest and that leads us to feel his emotions of fear and anxiety stronger. But we also feel with Neytiri because she is so pure and wise and we want Jake to finally understand as she does. At the end of this scene we see and feel a glimpse of what it is like for them to be connected on that level. All of our emotions converge as Neytiri is soaring effortlessly with Seze and Jake can fully grasp the extent of what he is being taught.
This is one of my favorite scenes because, like you said, you start to get a whole new grasp, like Jake, on what the Omaticaya do with relation to the things around them. I love how you can really get a grasp of both perceptives like you mentioned. Neytiri truly draws you in with her sense of calm and wisdom but yet we have never experienced anything like this before so we can be feeling the same emotions that Jake feels too. Jake knows how Neytiri feels and wants to be in that mind set as much as we wish he could be too. I think this scene is a major when thinking about Jake's path on the way to becoming a Omaticaya. I think after he gets his own banshee, he actually starts to feel like one of the people.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about writing my blog post about this scene as well. This scene seems like a turning point for Jake; the point in the movie where he starts to see himself more as part of the Omaticaya than as part of the humans on Pandora. The fact that Jake asked when he found find his "perfect match" reinforces this. Why would he even ask this if he wasn't planning on staying or if he didn't care?
ReplyDeleteI liked this scene because it was such a rite of passage for Jake to truly become an Omaticayan. For him to make a bond with a banshee, we can truly see him as part of their clan now. For the animal to trust him shows a lot and we see the passion in Jake and the courage to make the bond and how good he is as a fighter and a warrior. Also, during this scene, I really liked the scenery and the images shown throughout of Pandora as Jake was flying and fighting with the banshee.
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