supertzar
19-10-2007, 02:29 PM
I watched this classic of fantasy animation again last night. This time I understood things about it that I did not in the past. It actually functions to contain (limit) knowledge about who is responsible for destruction on our own planet. It paints Hitler as the root of all evil.
In fact, in the future world of Wizards, Hitler's evil is so powerful that when the mutant wizard Blackwolf discovers 20th century film reels of Nazi Germany he is able to use the projected images to overwhelm and confuse the elves (who have never seen technology before) in battle.
Blackwolf's twin brother Avatar is a bumbling, good-hearted old wizard who spends his days sipping wine and enjoying the attention of a sexy fairy-princess-in-training. He turns out to be The Messiah who saves the world from the reincarnation of Hitler in the form of his brother! They even call him The Messiah.
http://www.compressed-data.com/wizards.jpg
The elves, led by the Jewish Messiah Avatar, have to deal with hostile "Arabs," too. Bakshi could not spell out his political message by using blatant Arab stereotypes, so he made them a mix of Viking types and Arab types. The leader looks Viking, but is named Abdul. All the "Jewish" elves want is peace, but they are forced to defend themselves when the "Arabs" get out of line. Can you say Israeli propaganda?
The animation is incredible at times. If you have ever seen the Bakshi-produced Lord of the Rings animated feature, you will recognize the experimental techniques employed in the film. The juxtaposition of cartoon drawings, painting and acid-soaked colors applied to live-action footage is extremely effective. The film drags on, though, and you end up wishing it was about half an hour shorter.
It is interesting to understand the ideas packaged with the psychedelic eye-candy, especially in light of the fact that Bakshi must have known that many of the theater-going audience for Wizards would be tripping on LSD. Since, to many people, the Nazis are the ultimate expression of evil, the message seems a good one. To the more sophisticated viewer it obscures the hidden hand behind wars throughout history and subtly portrays Israel as without fault.
In fact, in the future world of Wizards, Hitler's evil is so powerful that when the mutant wizard Blackwolf discovers 20th century film reels of Nazi Germany he is able to use the projected images to overwhelm and confuse the elves (who have never seen technology before) in battle.
Blackwolf's twin brother Avatar is a bumbling, good-hearted old wizard who spends his days sipping wine and enjoying the attention of a sexy fairy-princess-in-training. He turns out to be The Messiah who saves the world from the reincarnation of Hitler in the form of his brother! They even call him The Messiah.
http://www.compressed-data.com/wizards.jpg
The elves, led by the Jewish Messiah Avatar, have to deal with hostile "Arabs," too. Bakshi could not spell out his political message by using blatant Arab stereotypes, so he made them a mix of Viking types and Arab types. The leader looks Viking, but is named Abdul. All the "Jewish" elves want is peace, but they are forced to defend themselves when the "Arabs" get out of line. Can you say Israeli propaganda?
The animation is incredible at times. If you have ever seen the Bakshi-produced Lord of the Rings animated feature, you will recognize the experimental techniques employed in the film. The juxtaposition of cartoon drawings, painting and acid-soaked colors applied to live-action footage is extremely effective. The film drags on, though, and you end up wishing it was about half an hour shorter.
It is interesting to understand the ideas packaged with the psychedelic eye-candy, especially in light of the fact that Bakshi must have known that many of the theater-going audience for Wizards would be tripping on LSD. Since, to many people, the Nazis are the ultimate expression of evil, the message seems a good one. To the more sophisticated viewer it obscures the hidden hand behind wars throughout history and subtly portrays Israel as without fault.