Around the Dell Avatar’s message
In Avatar, the highest-grossing movie of all time, hu- mans try to destroy an indigenous population to ex- ploit resources they need. If that sounds all too familiar, it’s because it is, says the film’s producer Jon Landau. “The movie speaks to human history over a long pe-
riod of time,” Landau said. “That’s happened forever and ever.” The movie’s challenge to look critically at our own
culture meshed well with the Richard P. Gifford Lecture in Business Ethics, delivered in September by Landau to a “sold-out” crowd in Memorial Ballroom. Sponsored by the School of Business and Economics
(SOBE), it was no small feat to secure Landau as a speaker. Paul Kelbaugh, who teaches business ethics, was responsible. In his introduction of Landau, Kelbaugh said he conceived the idea watching The Producers one morning in the wee hours. Six months and hundreds of phone calls later, Landau arrived on cam- pus. He was generous with his time, speaking with local and campus re- porters and lecturing in Kelbaugh’s class. He also shared one of his Oscars with anyone who wanted to get a photo snapped while holding an Academy Award. During his talk, Landau shared behind-the-
scenes clips of some of his movies, as well as stories about his own attempts to conduct business ethically and to push the boundaries of what is possible. Landau produced his first film at age twenty-three.
The production company offered him a free car to use during the shoot. Landau said he would decline the offer if it would lower the production cost. The com- pany said no. Landau said he didn’t want that type of relationship so he rejected the car. He said he has tried to keep that ethos throughout his career. The primary mission of a movie, Landau said, is to
entertain, but he believes there is an underlying social responsibility to produce a moral message without preaching. “For me, filmmaking has always been about pushing boundaries,” he said. In Titanic, his second biggest blockbuster, Landau
built the set in Mexico in 100 days, a feat considered impossible. While he pushed the boundaries, the story was what made the movie a success, he said. The grip- ping love story issued the cautionary message that
“technological brilliance does not allow us to master the universe.” Landau also put in a plug for liberal arts education
and advised students to “use your success to create a more sustainable world.” He said he accepted the invi- tation to speak at LC because of the emphasis on ethics throughout the School of Business and Econom- ics. “I thought that was such an incredible thing.”
Spanglish and Calvin for Turner lectures Stavans Gordon
Dr. Ilan Stavans, considered one of the most influential figures in Latino literature in the United States, gave one of two John M. Turner Lectures in the Humani- ties. The Lewis-Sebring Professor in Latin American and Latino Culture at Amherst College, Dr. Stavans lectured on “Spang- lish: The New American Language.” An internationally known, award-winning cultural critic, linguist, translator, public speaker, editor, short-story writer, and television host, Dr. Stavans focuses on language, identity, politics, and history.
Dr. Bruce Gordon, Titus Street Profes-
sor of Ecclesiastical History at Yale Di- vinity School, spoke on “Scripture and Conscience in the Reformation: John Calvin and Sebastian Castellio.” A pro- lific researcher and writer, Dr. Gordon has written more than seven books, in- cluding Calvin (Yale University Press, 2009), a biography that seeks to study Calvin’s character and the complexities of church reform and theological exchange in the Reformation.
$1,780amount raised by the Solidarity Sleepers for local homeless shelters | 5,046number of LC boardings on the Greater Lynchburg Transit Co. buses during the fall semester 6 LC MAGAZINE Spring 2011
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