Apocalypto, Apocaslchipto

Posted by Nicholas Gill Dec 12, 2006

Everyone is talking about how Mel Gibson's Apocalypto used the Mayan language in the film, but it isn't the first time a director has done so. I just watched the fim End of the Spear (2005) the other day. It's about a remote and violent tribe (the Waodani) in the Ecuadorian Amazon and their storied interactions with a group of missionaries over a period of decades.

It's an Indie film, based on a true story, and uses native actors in many cases as well. The Wao Tededo language is used throughout the movie, sprinkled with some English and Spanish. It's a language that barely lives on and is spoken by very few people much like many of the Amazonian dialects. Most of the languages are not written and therefore have faded away into oblivion. Just a few remain in very isolated parts of the jungle.

It's not a bad movie at all and although the messages of Christianity are a bit much at times, it is no where near some of the books of the incidents are. There is some beautiful scenery and you get a good glimpse into tribal life.