Superman (1978) Review- A closer look at the Titular Hero & American Society

Superman (1978) was the film that really sparked off the superhero genre, the film spawned many sequels and a franchise was made. Superman was directed by prolific director Richard Donner, who directed The Omen (1976) and went on to direct movies such as The Goonies (1985) and Lethal Weapon (1987). With a star studded cast led by Christopher Reeve, Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman and Margot Kidder, the film was highly anticipated at the time. The film was given a 55 million dollar budget by Warner Bros. which meant that the film was the most expensive film ever made at the time. The film follows the much beloved character of Clark Kent, played by Christopher Reeve, and his early struggles in life as he learns to deal with his heritage and powers. In adolescence he realizes his true calling and becomes the character of Superman and fights against villains such as Lex Luthor.

The film begins in black and white, as if we were watching the film in a theatre back in the early 1900’s, the film gives some exposition of 1938 America which is forty years before the main story in the film. We are made aware of the depression that was plaguing America at the time. In the following year would be the first real uses of colour in film, therefore the use of black and white is quite accurate of the era. This indicates the misery that was a worldwide epidemic of the time, there was no American dream anymore whilst in the midst of the Great Depression and the cusp of World War II. Andrew Butler and Carl Boehm agrees, stating ‘Superman had his origins in the Depression ...Carl Boehm has argued, the character ‘answered the call for a savior from a nation facing war with Europe, distrust of public officials, and a post depression economy’ (Solar flares: science fiction in the 1970s, p188) The voice over leads the audience to believe that the only hope at this time was the Daily Planet and Metropolis, saying ‘Even the great city of metropolis was not spared the ravages of the worldwide depression. In the times of fear and confusion, the job of informing the public was the responsibility of the Daily Planet... Whose reputation for clarity and truth had become a symbol of hope for the people of Metropolis’ (0:00-1:10), which will both be important focusses of attention for the main character. This would suggest how important the newspapers were as a form of creating solidarity and sending out information and political values, as in the 30’s there were not many other forms of media.

The film is quite lengthy at just over 2 hours and 15 minutes, this means that there is enough time to spend in these different eras with the character, we get to know him better at each point of his life so far. owards the beginning of the film we meet Martha and Jonathan Kent, Martha states “All these years, as happy as we’ve been, how I’ve prayed the good Lord see fit to give us a child” (23:40-24:00) which is significantly indicative of the time that the film is set. There was a post war baby boom from the years 1946-1964 as this was post war and people finally felt sure of their future and felt safe enough to have children.

When the film jumps to the mid 50’s to follow a teenage Clark Kent as he struggles with finding himself in the era of conformity. The cinematography and mise-en-scene in this particular part of the film paints this time as happy and filled with content for the character. He lives in a fictional town called Smallville, which is located in Kansas, here he lives on a farm in the middle of nowhere. The colour palette is filled with warm colours such as yellow, red and orange, these colours paired with the clear blue skies creates a sense of perfection and tranquility that has not yet been broken by metropolitan life. America had also been relatively untouched by the war, besides from Pearl Harbour, they were far away from the main battles meaning that they came out as the world's only superpower. To look back at the 50’s, they were a happy and strong time for this part of the country that seemingly had no fear from the Red Scare or had any other post war anxieties, it allowed a sense of calmness, peace and stability when transitioning into the 60’s.

When we reach Metropolis we can see the stark juxtaposition between the rural life that Clark Kent was used to and the metropolitan city that he now lives in. Where once was a frame filled with wide and open planes with the odd farm building and person has now been replaced with a cramped frame filled with the hustle and bustle of the city, tall building and hundreds of cars and people. The amount of crime that is prevalent in the city shows how American society , must have felt at the time, during his years on the farm he was untouched by crime but as soon as he enters the city he is over run, it leaves Kent no choice but to fight crime. Nickie D. Phillips and Staci Strobl write ‘We found that the dominant crime problems encountered were terrorism, government corruption… followed by violent street crime’ For comic books this is quite a common theme, along with world chaos, the two continue to state ‘‘The crime problem in the comics...represents the point of crisis...necessitates the hero’s journey towards achieving apocalyptic justice’ (Comic Book Crime: Truth, Justice, and the American Way, p63) this may indicate America’s fear of nuclear warfare that would result in apocalyptic effects. Superman seemingly became the only person that would be able to stop the worry within the American society in the film, I believe that the filmmakers hopes were to carry this message on into real American society

Superman, much like in all other iterations of the titular character, is seen as being the light in the darkness and the hope for humanity. At the time America had been going through a rough patch, with the Vietnam war raging on in the early 70’s, to finish in 1975. During the penultimate years and the subsequent following years after the war, America’s morale was quite low. The Superman in the film was the exact character and pinnacle that America wished they had. Elayne Wehrly writes ’The only character With more than one dimension was Superman. His alter-ego, Clark Kent, a "mild-mannered newspaper reporter" was a character post-war audiences could relate to while Superman embodied their greatest fantasies’ (The role of Superman In post war American, p4). Superman is the all-American man, clad in patriotic red and blue, he is stereotypically American. He is there to gives advice to those that he saves (e.g. based on statistics the safest way to travel is to fly and not to smoke as it gives lung cancer), he saves cats from trees, he teaches moral lessons to children- he does not instil fear like many superheroes we see today but does the exact opposite, he gives hope. I believe that his character is a direct response to the troubles that American society was facing at the time, he is the embodiment of America and shows that American society could overcome this obstacle as well.

Margot kidder was applauded for her take on Lois Lane, transforming the once considered dull character into a head strong modern woman. The character was created in the 40’s and would usually take the traditional role of damsel in distress. Although a woman in ‘78 America is far from the most liberated woman but when compared with other standards expected, at the time she appears strong and defiant. Kidder seems strong in her disposition in every respect when it comes to Clark Kent but when she meets Superman, she seems to crumble away. This leaves me to question the message of the film, whether it meant to create a character that was strong and broke the mould expected of women at the time or whether it solidifies the idea that a woman should be reliant on the man to save her as she often is at multiple points within the film.

The overall message of this film is that good will always prevail evil, although there were not many superhero like films around at the time I believe this movie started the formulaic structure of superhero films that we see today. Without this film there would be none of the famous superhero films that we have today, such as Batman or Spider-Man. This film drives the home the message that if you stay morally true to yourself and the people around you then you can overcome any obstacle. Superman never has any doubt in himself, he stays true to his country as suggested when asked by Lois Lane why he is here on Earth he responds ‘I’m here to fight justice in the American way’, he is a true patriot.

All-in-all Donner created a blockbuster with Superman (1978), a film that paved the way for the genre in years to come. An all American film which injects messages of pure American culture, beliefs and society throughout the film. A film that can be enjoyed by adult and child alike, its simple messages of hope and happiness transgress any other message in the film. A true classic was made, leaving the name of Superman to go down in the hall of fame.

Bibliography

Butler, A. (2012) Solar flares: science fiction in the 1970s , Liverpool, Liverpool University Press

Phillips, N. Strobl. S. (2013) Comic Book Crime: Truth, Justice, and the American Way, New

York, New York University Press

Superman (1978) Directed by Richard Donner, USA

Wehrly, E. (1995) The Role of Superman in American Post-War Culture [Internet]

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