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”.
Oh, great! "Jiggs and Maggie" treating domestic violence jokingly!
Imagine if Arab terrorists substituted for Japanese soldiers in today's Superman comic-book covers and stories. You wouldn't hear the end of it.
"Superman stands alone. Superman did not become Superman, Superman was born Superman. When Superman wakes up in the morning, he is Superman. His alter ego is Clark Kent. His outfit with the big red S is the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby when the Kents found him. Those are his clothes. What Kent wears, the glasses the business suit, that's the costume. That's the costume Superman wears to blend in with us. Clark Kent is how Superman views us. And what are the characteristics of Clark Kent? He's weak, unsure of himself... he's a coward. Clark Kent is Superman's critique on the whole human race..."
The problem with that is, that's not Clark Kent. That's the Donner Superman's off-the-mark version of Clark Kent.
True. In Action Comics, Clark Kent is portrayed as more of a "man"/aggressive reporter than either the Reeves TV show or in Donner's films.
No when superman thinks about himself he calls himself Clark. Superman is a persona he adopts Clark Kent the mild mannered farm boy from Kansas who votes solidily Republican is who he is. He is his parents son, his human parents.
I saw the film yesterday and no one who sees it could consider this Superman gay. He tries so hard to get Lois back he is virtually trying to seduce her.
Back when the cartoon was on, there was an episode where Superman landed in a parallel dimension (not bizarro world). In it, his alter ego had come to the conclusion that humans would never realize their potential without compulsion, so Superman became a dictator. I don't remember too much about it, except that I very much enjoyed the premise: a Superman who helps humanity to realize its natural goodness vs. a Superman who imposes his will on humanity to force them to be good.
What is that from? I was telling my dad that the other day. I don't agree with it, but I do find it interesting.
Never mind, I just realized who the Bill was.
Yeah, I was griping at the original author on that, not you.
And yes, Superman, a Kansas boy of high moral integrity, is DEFINATELY a Republican.
From my online Superman quiz, Superman As Super Savior:
http;//www.assistnews.net/Stories/s06070029.htm
Routh told Movie Magic: "In the '50's, Superman was America. 'Truth, Justice and the American Way.' For me, it's not about that. I mean, it's Truth, Justice...but it's not the American Way." When Routh was asked: "So you're saying that the perception of Superman is something that shouldn't be limited to America?", he replied: "How can it be? How can we be so simple-minded to say that it's just about America now? Superman came to save the world, not just America. For me, that's what it is, and in this film, that's what it's about."
John 3:17: "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.