Superman eschews longtime patriot act

The meaning of "American way" is unclear? "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." What is this UN Superman?


Superman eschews longtime patriot act
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/columns/film_reporter_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002764635

By Tatiana Siegel

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?

Ever since artist Joe Shuster and writer Jerry Siegel created the granddaddy
of all comic book icons in 1932, Superman has fought valiantly to preserve
"truth, justice and the American way." Whether kicking Nazi ass on the radio
in the '40s or wrapping himself in the Stars and Stripes on TV during the
Cold War or even rescuing the White House's flag as his final feat in
"Superman II," the Krypton-born, Smallville-raised Ubermensch always has
been steeped in unmistakable U.S. symbolism.

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."

"The world has changed. The world is a different place," Pennsylvania native
Harris says. "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."

In fact, Dougherty and Harris never even considered including "the American
way" in their screenplay. After the wunderkind writing duo ("X2: X-Men
United") conceived "Superman's" story with director Bryan Singer during a
Hawaiian vacation, they penned their first draft together and intentionally
omitted what they considered to be a loaded and antiquated expression. That
decision stood throughout the 140-day shoot in Australia, where the pair
remained on-set to provide revisions and tweaks.

"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."

But for Superman purists looking for a nod to the big blue Boy Scout's
nationalistic loyalties, he is still saving Americans, albeit many with
suspiciously Aussie accents. He foils Lex Luthor's nefarious plan to send
millions from the nation's heartland to a watery death. And in his most
impressive scene, the hero saves the day while a plane hurtles toward a
baseball stadium full of fans enjoying America's pastime. Although there is
no indication that it is an American baseball game depicted, the scene was
one of the few shot on U.S. soil, at Dodger Stadium.

Nevertheless, the long-standing member of the Justice League of America
seems to have traded in his allegiance to the flag for an international
passport.

"He's here for humanity," Dougherty says.
--
your best, last and only line of defense-a Cohort of Roman Heavy Infantry


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