Is Superman still American?

[jimnysf]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 11:27am

Bush has made being "American" a negative. What a shame!

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/columns/film_reporter_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002764635

"Nevermind Superman's sexual orientation. Here's another identity-related question that is likely to spark controversy as the Man of Steel soars into theaters nationwide this Fourth of July weekend in Warner Bros. Pictures' "Superman Returns": Is Superman still American?...

But in the latest film incarnation, scribes Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris sought to downplay Superman's long-standing patriot act. With one brief line uttered by actor Frank Langella, the caped superhero's mission transformed from "truth, justice and the American way" to "truth, justice and all that stuff."


"We were always hesitant to include the term 'American way' because the meaning of that today is somewhat uncertain," Ohio native Dougherty explains. "The ideal hasn't changed. I think when people say 'American way,' they're actually talking about what the 'American way' meant back in the '40s and '50s, which was something more noble and idealistic."

While audiences in Dubuque might bristle at Superman's newfound global agenda, patrons in Dubai likely will find the DC Comics protagonist more palatable. And with the increasing importance of the overseas boxoffice -- as evidenced by summer tentpoles like "The Da Vinci Code" -- foreign sensibilities can no longer be ignored.

"So, you play the movie in a foreign country, and you say, 'What does he stand for? -- truth, justice and the American way.' I think a lot of people's opinions of what the American way means outside of this country are different from what the line actually means (in Superman lore) because they are not the same anymore," Harris says. "And (using that line) would taint the meaning of what he is saying."

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 11:29am

Well,technically he is an illegal alien, if you think about it.

[Pippin]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 11:32am

get him out, he's taking our jobs away!

[jimnysf]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 11:44am

"..get him out, he's taking our jobs away!"

Or as some would say, "He's doing a job Americans won't do!"

[yodamarie78]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 11:55am

There's an interesting op-ed in the Times today about this.

"It wasn't until Superman came to television in the 1950's that the phrase became codified in the form most of us remember it: "a never-ending battle for truth, justice and the American way."

You wouldn't know this from the many articles that have been written about Bryan Singer's film "Superman Returns," which opened this week. Few of these articles treat the Man of Steel as if he's a process, the malleable product of different writers and eras. Many, in fact, talk about how unchanging he's been over the years. And quite a few quote the line "truth, justice and the American way" as if it's something Superman always stood for — even though you won't hear it in this film."
Truth, Justice and (Fill in the Blank)

[Gothampc]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 11:57am

It's just as well. People for the American Way really messed up the meaning of that phrase.

[jimnysf]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 12:02pm

"People for the American Way really messed up the meaning of that phrase."

Sure. If that makes you feel better, keep thinking that. However, it's the negative image of America caused by Bush and his supporters that's the problem, not the NY Times, or the ACLU, or People for the American Way! It's the liar and war monger Bush and his misguided supporters.

[jasonf]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 1:28pm

See, until all this stuff came out about the line, I just saw it as a Smallville-type reference. On the TV show they always take the well-known familiar Superman-isms and tweak them a little as a wink to the audience. That's kind of what I had figured they were doing here - much like they did with the "it's a bird, it's a plane" line.

[bwaysinger]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 1:30pm

Of course, Fox was running with it like mad, just as they're running with the New York Times committing treason (in spite of their own poll showing more people think it's the leaker's fault).

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 6/30/06 at 1:31pm

lmao Pippin!

[StageManager2]

Posted: 7/2/06 at 4:23pm

"Well, technically he is an illegal alien, if you think about it."

Literally!

[JohnBoy2]

Posted: 7/2/06 at 6:14pm

American? I thought he was gay!