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| Hearsay: |
James Cameron ripped off Soviet sci-fi writers for movie about blue cat hippies, say pale, tail-less Russians incensed on behalf of author who doesn’t seem to have dollar signs for pupils.
A group of modern-day Russian communists based in St Petersburg has even called for Cameron to be arrested for “plundering” Soviet legacy, Pravda reported today. A message posted on the website of the CPLR (the Communists of St Petersburg and the Leningrad Region Organisation) claims that “the starred and striped scum” – ie Cameron – “did that because the late writers would not be able to sue him. Cameron’s place is in jail, not on the red carpet of the Oscar ceremony.”
The CPLR is wrong on one important point – only Arkady is dead. His brother Boris Strugatsky is still with us and could therefore sue for plagiarism if he wanted. But according to reports, Boris has shrugged off the similarities between Avatar and his work.
However, he hasn’t yet seen the Cameron film and some Russians hope he might change his mind when he realises how close the stories are. Given that Avatar is already the second most successful film in the history of Hollywood – and is quickly catching up with the all-time number one, Titanic, also by Cameron – a lawsuit could make him a rich man, though plagiarism is notoriously difficult to prove.
A group of modern-day Russian communists based in St Petersburg has even called for Cameron to be arrested for “plundering” Soviet legacy, Pravda reported today. A message posted on the website of the CPLR (the Communists of St Petersburg and the Leningrad Region Organisation) claims that “the starred and striped scum” – ie Cameron – “did that because the late writers would not be able to sue him. Cameron’s place is in jail, not on the red carpet of the Oscar ceremony.”
The CPLR is wrong on one important point – only Arkady is dead. His brother Boris Strugatsky is still with us and could therefore sue for plagiarism if he wanted. But according to reports, Boris has shrugged off the similarities between Avatar and his work.
However, he hasn’t yet seen the Cameron film and some Russians hope he might change his mind when he realises how close the stories are. Given that Avatar is already the second most successful film in the history of Hollywood – and is quickly catching up with the all-time number one, Titanic, also by Cameron – a lawsuit could make him a rich man, though plagiarism is notoriously difficult to prove.
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January 18th, 2010 at 10:34 am
Well, just add it to the list with Pocahontas and Fergully: the Last Rainforest.
January 18th, 2010 at 1:19 pm
I once read Stephen King gets sued every time one of his books is published. I’m not saying James Cameron didn’t plagiarize, but this might rank up there with the Dan Brown guys.
January 18th, 2010 at 6:47 pm
Cameron does sort of have a track record with this kind of thing, though…
[see link above]
I’m just saying.
January 20th, 2010 at 7:26 pm
Hi Fred yes he does. He ripped off HARLAN ELLISON for the Terminator which he based on two very famous Ellison stories. Ellison got the lawyers involved and from that time every Terminator dvd etc has his name on the credits. Cameron was got boasting by STARLOG magazine editors and others on how “I ripped off a couple of Ellison stories”. Cameron is a smug self rigteous twit who was a truck driver up here in Ontario (after dropping out of college) and wormed his way into the industry through various dubious means (look them up they are everywhere online).
cheerio from ontario.
January 20th, 2010 at 11:06 pm
note: Tarkovsky’s film ‘Stalker’ was based upon an Arkady Brothers novella ‘Roadside Picnic’, credited I believe.