Superman gives up on 'American way'Posted on 07/01/2006 9:37:13 PM PDT by John Lenin
Superman gives up on 'American way'
Screenwriters Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris have revealed why Superman is no longer fighting for the "American way" in their new movie.
Superman's motto has been to preserve "truth, justice and the American way" ever since he first appeared in Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel's comic book back in 1938.
But the "American way" part has been removed from the new movie 'Superman Returns' because the screenwriters wanted to move the character away from US patriotism.
Instead, Superman - played by Brandon Routh - vows to fight for "truth, justice and all that stuff" in the film and Harris insists it was part of an attempt to make Superman more of an international icon.
"The world has changed. The world is a different place," Harris said.
"The truth is he's an alien. He was sent from another planet. He has landed on the planet Earth, and he is here for everybody. He's an international superhero."
Dougherty added: "We were always hesitant to include the term 'American way' because the meaning of that today is somewhat uncertain.
"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."
Maybe "Strait of Gibraltar"? And your comparison is inapt.
which is why the devil wears prada, is still #1.
Superman is overdone anyway. Yet another remake regurgitation of hollyweird.
Well, I liked it. Even if the writers had an anti-American agenda, you couldn't really tell it from this quotation. It was a throwaway line by the newspaper editor and was meant to be funny.
However, the moviemakers did go out of their way to show that Superman was an international superhero. It showed him saving folks in Germany as well as in the USA. Also, he traveled to space to contemplate the Earth as a whole.
Yup.
Exactly!
Times are a changin'
Scotty, beam me up!
I despise when they alter a great American icon. Ping!
Superman is an Illegal Alien and should be Deported.
LOL. Can you imagine having a hip-hop Superman?
"F you Lex, Imma light yo' a-- up wit' my mutha---- heat vision!"
I´m German, please excuse the mistakes I make when using a foreign language.
Please elaborate why my comparison Africans - Gibraltar - EU with Cubans - Caribbean Sea - US is wrong. Human lives are human lives, wrong?
I'm a big Superman fan. Just this past week i purchased dvds of Seasons #3 & 4 of the TV show starring George Reeves. Enclosed was a free pass for this movie. I just may use that free pass and make a show of walking out when this line is spoken.
Woah! I didn't notice that in the first two X-Men movies, which I thought were very entertaining.
That's completely incorrect. Superman never vows anything in this movie. The 'all that stuff' line was uttered by the Metropolis version of the New York Times editor, Perry White, about Superman.
If you can imagine an NYT editor saying the words 'truth, justice and the American way' without choking violently on the words, I guess you have a much more active imagination than I do. As it is, the line made perfect sense in context.
Brian Singer is a very talented director. The first 2 X-Mens were superb. The third, which did not feature him at the helm, was execrable. I also thought he did an admirable job with Superman Returns. There is but 1 flaw with his work--you have to actually see his movies in order to judge them.
Add this to the list of movies I refuse to watch. I just can't support Hollywood's anti-american bias.
My original boycott was over thirty years ago, when I vowed to never watch another Jane Fonda movie. Now I rarely go to a movie theater, and I'm very selective about what I rent.
With me it was Philadelphia, starring Tom Hanks. As soon as i heard the plot of the movie that had not yet been made, {Gay dying of AIDS, fired from his law firm} I knew 3 things.
[1] Hanks would be nominated for an "Oscar" -- this before the movie was made.
[2] Hanks KNEW he would be nominated for an "Oscar", and that's why he made the movie.
[3] I would never watch it.
It's pretty obvious, actually--the scene in #2 with I think it was Iceman "coming out" to his parents in their livingroom?
I have to agree. 1 and 2 were both well done and although they played it a bit fast and loose with canon, they tried to keep characters true to their personalities in the comics, generally...tho I found Rogue to just be poorly done.
3...well, best I can say is I'll never have those 2 hours back. They ruined the Phoenix, really messed with a lot of the other chars, but above all else...they absolutely, completely, made a total mess of Prof X. No idea of his personality. Clueless about the actual interaction with Magneto.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-0607020321jul02,1,715073.column?coll=chi-news-col
This Man of Steel could use some mettle
John Kass
July 2, 2006
"....The American icon is no longer an American. He's not proud of the American way.
It says so in The Hollywood Reporter, in a story by Tatiana Siegel, about the movie that other reviewers insisted was so, so iconic.
The real Superman, the pre-Kyoto, pre-Guantanamo Bay Superman, understood who he was. He fought for "truth, justice and the American way." That was his credo--even while threatening terrorists into giving up important information in time to save the day.
But in the new movie, the Man of Steel can't even bring himself to say it. Instead, a supporting character, played by Frank Langella, says Superman stands for "truth, justice and all that stuff."
All that stuff? Why didn't he just say "truth, justice and, you know, like, whatever?"
Excerpt: Go to: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-0607020321jul02,1,715073.column?coll=chi-news-col
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