The filmmaker says he removed “about 10 minutes” of action scenes from his new film Avatar: The Way of the Water to avoid highlighting gun violence as much as possible.
Whether Avatar: The Way of the Water impressed for its length (3h10) when it was released, James Cameron’s film could have been even longer. The filmmaker thus revealed during an interview with the media Esquire Middle Easthaving cut to the assembly “about 10 minutes” of scenes of violence by firearms.
He explains that he made this choice in order to avoid promoting weapons because of an upsurge in this type of violence for several years, particularly in the United States.
“I cut about 10 minutes from the film during action scenes with guns. I wanted to get rid of some of that brutality, to strike a balance between light and dark,” he says. he in his interview.
“Horrible shooting”
According to James Cameron, portraying shooting scenes in film has become problematic due to the many controversies around access to guns and the increase in mass shootings.
In his interview, the filmmaker explains that in his opinion, a director of action films today should not promote firearms but rather be critical of the message he conveys in his films to this subject.
James Cameron also regrets today the violence present in some of his films, such as those of the franchise terminator.
“When I look back on my films, I don’t know if I would put guns back as much as I did with ‘Terminator’ over 30 years ago,” he says. he.
And to conclude: “What is happening with firearms in our society makes my stomach turn. I am happy to live in New Zealand, where we have just banned all assault rifles two weeks after the horrific shooting at a mosque a few years ago.”
