Power to the workers eh? There's even an ant quoting Marx "The workers control the means of production". Is this a socialist plot to indoctrinate the youth of today?
Probably not, what do you think?
Try and be objective with your thoughts...
If I remember correctly, there's a scene towards the end when Z finally discovers 'Insectopia' only to find a bunch of 'bohemian' bugs arguing about whose turn it is to add wood to the campfire. Doesn't that scene suggest some political balance?
share[deleted]
Right now, I'd prefer Communism over Captitalism.
Don't give *beep* about Capitalism being all great. I've lived in the USSR and believe me people were given everything they needed...but if they wanted to live a good life they had to work very hard, and some did.
If I wanted to get a job, they'd give me one - they had to (it was illegal if they didn't.) They had to educate me.
I might've ended up getting a nearly same paying job (yet much harder one) than say a coal miner, but if I like the profession, I'd prefer it either way.
There was discipline. People knew who they had to follow and that's exactly what they did.
>>Right now, I'd prefer Communism over Captitalism.
Don't give *beep* about Capitalism being all great. I've lived in the USSR and believe me people were given everything they needed...but if they wanted to live a good life they had to work very hard, and some did.
If I wanted to get a job, they'd give me one - they had to (it was illegal if they didn't.) They had to educate me.
I might've ended up getting a nearly same paying job (yet much harder one) than say a coal miner, but if I like the profession, I'd prefer it either way.
There was discipline. People knew who they had to follow and that's exactly what they did.<<
You're very bad at lying.
I've lived in the USSR and believe me people were given everything they needed
If anything, this movie is ANTI-Communist propaganda. It speaks against a totalitarian government where your contribution to society is pre-determined, and as a reward you are given equal rations. Hmmmmm, that sounds like communism to me!
It promotes the idea of giving power to the people, and respecting the individual. These are two ideals of capitalistic democracy.
This movie is loosely based on Ayn Rands novel "Anthem", which is, in fact, ANTI-Communist propaganda.
Please don't make random pseudo-intellectual statements about the liberal media corrupting the youth of today and threatening this *perfect* arrangement in the USA.
Greensound, I agree. Certainly the colony is portrayed as a socialist system, which is consistent with how many insect and animal societies are structured -- each animal in the colony exists only to serve the group, like in beginning of the movie when Z (Woody Allen) is told by his therapist something to the effect of "You've had a real break through -- you're right, you ARE insignificant". But the lack of choice, independent thinking, individualism, and even the lack of "fun" are quickly made apparent.
The signs posted all over inside the colony poke fun at socialism with messages like "Freetime is for Training," and "Nothing Satisfies like Work." The message turns Hitlerian later when the general's plan for purifying the colony is revealed and set in motion.
In my opinion, in any given movie or work of literature, the way to discover the artist's intended message is to figure out who the hero is and what they represent. In this case, the hero is an individualist who tries to get the blind followers to think for themselves -- it's only the villains who promote communism, and those who do not question the system are pawns. The one ant who questions this ends up being the only one who thinks far enough outside the box to save them all by discovering the plot to destroy the colony -- in other words, individualism is the remedy for communism, not the other way around.
I haven't read "Anthem," but I recently read Rand's "The Fountainhead," and her Objectivist ideals about socialism stifling the heroic spirit of the individual came to mind immediately in watching "Antz." I admit the word "propoganda" did come to mind, but more pro-individual than pro-state.
I found alot of commie themes in this movie, but mainly it was about being an individual. I think the movie was Anti-commie rather than propaganda.
I also think that if countries want to be communist let them, its not our beef.
I agree, I think the movie did have alot of communist theme's. I personally think the government in the movie was the communist one and that the opposing forces were more anarcho-syndicalist in nature in that they talked about how the workers control the means of production but they clearly were not communist in that they wanted equality without an authoritarian regime.
sharewell if the movie was made to oppose communism then that would be propaganda too. i think theres a lot of ideas in this film but i wouldn't say that it is directly opposing or supporting any political "ism". its just supporting individuality.
shareIt’s interesting (or maybe not), the original system of government in the film is a monarchy, centrally planned (socialist) and similar to Marxist ideals, everyone has the same things, lives in equal accommodation works for a greater social good (or bad) and everyone works for the government.
At the end of the film is it still a monarchy? It's been a while since I last watched the film but I assume the princess goes on to be queen with Zee as King or whatever, so nothing really changes.
The film promotes individualism and free thinking so one could say that it was not Communist but in the final form of Marxism aren’t these things prevalent anyway?
Any thoughts? Are Antz Communist?
This movie is about ants. It is based on how they work and live. No wonder it seems communist-like. Ants are all for the benefit of the community. That's just how they are.
shareof course that is how ant colonies work, but for the more adult audience viewing this film, there were definite allusions to communism vs individualism. and pretty much the movie is anti-communism. the simple story was about ants, but there was a point to the movie, and it was that people should think for themselves.
shareTo me the bad guy ant seemed to be the only communist the movie with his anti-individualism speeches!
share[deleted]
Historically, Communism rarely works out. It looks like a nice idea but does not work well. People want to buy things they don't need!
You've got to follow your balloon!
Yes, I think you're right about people wanting things they don't need. In fact, there's so much pressure to spend -- there's advertising everywhere, even on the back of public toilet stall doors!! Even among adults, there's peer pressure to have this car or live in that neighborhood or join this club. Then, of course, there's the government encouraging spending because it stimulates the economy. So in a way, even in a capitalist society, people are discouraged from thinking for themselves -- if they ignored the pressure and decided not to buy so much, it would actually damage the economy! Sort of a Catch-22 there.
And like you said, communism may go well for a bit (and as an earlier poster said, the government must educate and employ people) but then some predator-type recognizes that the people have stopped thinking for themselves and decides now is the time to seize power and fulfill his glorious destiny -- just as the ant called The General becomes a power-hungry Hitler-type -- like so many promises-promises leaders who became egomaniacal dictators, in their own way individualists, because they put their individual agenda for power and glory ahead of the good of the people.
>>Historically, Communism rarely works out. It looks like a nice idea but does not work well. People want to buy things they don't need! <<
Well, that and they don't like being expendable pawns who can be ordered to work and die without choice for an oppressive and hypocritical regime that doesn't give a *beep* about them.