Posted on 06/29/2006 12:49:56 PM PDT by Ebenezer
(English-language translation)
“Holy God!”, my grandmother would have said if she were still alive, if she spoke English, and if she would have read the [film] review of “Superman Returns” written by Richard Corliss titled “The Gospel of Superman” that appears in the June 26 issue of “Time”. We read that Bryan Singer’s version emphasizes the superhero’s divinity and elaborates: “He is not a super man; he is a god (named Kal-El), sent by his heavenly father (Jor-El) to protect Earth. That is a mission that takes more than muscles; it requires sacrifice, perhaps of his own life. So he is no simple comic-book hunk. He is Earth's savior: Jesus Christ Superman.”
“Imagine that!”, my grandmother, who was neither a saint nor scared of anything, would [also] say, but for this character, who was created in 1938 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster for a comic book, to be a god was something exaggerated. It’s true that he flies and has extraordinary powers, but this has nothing to do with miracles and deities; he simply comes from another planet, and changing from a red sun to a yellow sun, as I remember, gave him his powers.
Meanwhile, Singer laughs at this unexpected interpretation but does not rule it out, since he recognizes that, growing up in a Judeo-Christian culture, “these things stick and are manifested in your life, in your art, conscious or unconsciously.”
On the other hand, although the present film’s creator has also pontificated that “Superman was always a love story, the most romantic one that has ever been told,” the magazine “The Advocate” offers another version regarding what type of love. “How Gay is Superman?” the homosexual-oriented publication asks, although it does not specify what are his new preferences. What the reporter does point out is the attractiveness actor Brandon Routh exhibits with his well-fitting, fashionable tights.
According to the article, Superman would not be the first superhero to “come out of the closet”, since Batgirl confessed her lesbianism in her new life in comic strips, just as Colossus did in “The X-Men”. But the openly-homosexual Singer does not wish to enter into the polemic, although he remembers that “the X-Men were born during the social and sexual revolution of the 1960s, while there was nothing political about Superman.” Now then, Siegel’s and Shuster’s creation is patriotic as well. You will remember that the Man of Steel stood for Truth, Justice, and the American Way.
Curiously, in “Superman Returns”, Daily Planet editor Perry White asks: “Does he still stand for truth, justice and all that other stuff?” That "stuff" is translated as all that junk, foolishness, or thing. Some critics have screeched, asking themselves what is the problem with “the American Way”. Why renounce patriotism? Or it may be not to offend the international market. Are Singer and his patron Warner Brothers being too accommodating? After all, it has always been said that Superman is “America”, that is, the United States that they have abrogated.
The matter does not end there. New York rabbi Simcha Weinstein says that Superman is Jewish, assuring that the story of the Man from Krypton, as that of other superheroes, directly belongs to the tradition and ideals of the Jewish people. He explains that Kal-El, which is Superman’s name in his home planet Krypton, is a Hebrew idiom that means “the voice of God”. (At least, he is not God.)
In defense of his thesis, he also said that Superman’s creators were Jewish, and that he believes they put into the character a large part of their culture and philosophy. “In addition, he has an alter ego, Clark Kent, like many Jews who came to the United States during the 1930s and ‘40s. Only a Jew would have a name like Clark Kent,” Weinstein joked.
Luckily, my grandmother Big Mom was not concerned with Superman. I’m sure she never read a comic book, although she greatly enjoyed “Jiggs and Maggie”, a comic strip that, at the time, appeared in [the newspaper] “El Imparcial”.
I remember a SNL skit from the 1970s (when it was funny) where Superman came to earth but instead of landing in Smallville, he ended up in Nazi Germany...
Superman as a Christ allegory? Very likely. It has enough of the aspects of the Christ story to be plausible.
Superman gay? Not even plausible, and not worth mentioning. Must be wishful thinking on the part of homosexuals. I know I've found myself thinking that a hot lesbian was a terrible waste. I'm sure homosexuals feel the same way about heterosexual hunks with a reputation for endurance, control, and a penchant for tights.
Superman Jewish? Good old, corn fed Kansas beef... Superman is not likely to be Jewish, although his creators may have injected some of their life experiences into his character. His moral certainty, and decisive actions are probably a projection intended to resonate with the American public at large, thus encouraging an America that is willing to act against evil wherever it may occur. The end result is an America willing and able to defend the innocent, including Jews. Admittedly, somewhat cynical - but I didn't ask the question.
Uberman!
Yaaah.
See the part that really gets liberals down is Superman's motto:
'Truth,Justice and the AMERICAN way'
Just can't have that in the U.S. It excludes the non-supermen.
Superman: Jewish, landing in Nazi Germany, with all those powers.
It would have been a very brief Third Reich indeed.
Well, who do we write to to get the "American way" put back into the movie on a regional/USA release of the DVD? I'm sure they filmed the scene with the correct phrasing and have it stored on digital tape somewhere.
In the leftist/liberal mindset, the American Way does not include truth and justice.
Speaking of which:
Lois Lane??
Don't hold your breath. The Hollywood types would consider any mention of the American Way as "jingoistic", "militaristic", "racist", "xenophobic", "homophobic", "supremacist", "triumphalistic", and on and on.
At least, on "Superman II", the film shows the Man of Steel carrying the American flag to place it on top of the White House. Very patriotic.
I like this Lois Lane better than the one in the older movies. I can't say more without having this thread become a spoiler.
Yes. But isn't this 'Lois Lane' and unwed mother?
Haven't seem the movie BTW!
In "Superman Returns", we learn that she had a child out of wedlock and is living in sin with some guy. But then, she fornicated with Superman in "Superman II".
I prefer an old-fashioned, celibate Man of Steel.
Sure, you're right - but discussion further at this point would ruin the movie for others.
Let's just say that Lois Lane could've been a lot worse, and what we had wasn't all that bad compared to the worse that Liberals could've inflicted on us. A stable home, and stable relationship with a good and decent man who is a lot like superman, but human - is not a bad thing. One could say that the character of Lois Lane was a careful medium between conservative and moderate. One might suppose that the press was depicted in the movie as extremely moderate, pro-superman, and thus implying a strong pro-freedom, pro-justice bias in the media which is absent in today's real media. But suppose it wasn't offered as a contrast, so much as a cover.
This just in: Imam Reads Free Republic Thread, Issues a Fatwa against "that Jew Superman".
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