Preserve the Legend
"You're not going to use the story, Mr. Scott?"
"This is the west, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."
-From The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Today I caught the movie Hollywoodland, which centers around the investigation of the death of George Reeves, known to many in the early years of TV as Superman. The movie itself is good, but not great. I love just about anything that takes place during Hollywood's "golden age" , so I might have liked it more than it deserved. But I am not here to talk about the movie as much as the approach it takes in its portrayal of the actor Reeves.
I opened with the above quote because it illustrates the need to preserve legends. Mr. Reeves was, if the movie is accurate, an actor looking for mainstream fame and never achieved it, at least the way he wanted. However, what he did do was capture the imagination of many a young child throughout the U.S. One scene that struck me as powerful, whether intentional or not, was when Reeves makes a Public Appearance in character as Superman. While his audience is entirely composed of kids and their parents, his appearance instantly excites many of the youngsters in the audience. Many of them are awestruck as they are seeing their hero in action. For many of them, this will be the high point of their life. True, they will eventually learn that Superman was never real, but for that brief moment he was, and saved the day for them.
Unfortunately, according to the movie, Reeves spent the time before his appearance drinking whiskey and smoking and doing the gig more or less out of contractual obligation. He loathed the fact that he was trapped in the role of Superman and couldn't have cared less about the kids; ironic as he was making their dreams come true. While whether or not Reeves actually felt this way is up for debate, the movie basically takes it upon itself to "destroy" a legend that many hold dear.
Much of what keeps people content in the world relies upon the preservation of legends. Whether it be in the area of film, writing, or even religion. Legends give people something to hold onto. Many people base their system of values from the stories they have learned through generations. These stories can be told through characters such as Superman, Davy Crockett, Luke Skywalker, Indiana Jones, and let's not forget special ones like Jesus Christ or Buddha. It doesn't matter who one chooses, what matters is that they give them someone or something to remind them that life is beautiful and worth living.
A recent interpretation of the story of the Alamo portrayed Davy Crockett as more or less an average man who enjoyed drinking and was basically just a human being. Granted, there is no real way he could have killed a "bar" at only three, or single handedly made peace with the Creek Indians as Disney would have one believe. But you know what? It makes for a more entertaining and inspirational story. Do people who grew up with Davy Crockett as a role model need to know that he really wasn't all that? That he was just a cook in the Indian Wars and that he only went to the Alamo because he thought the Mexicans were already mostly beaten? I think not. I think one of my previous posts illustrated well enough that I like Superman. I am not going to argue with whatever research can prove that Reeves really was like the individual portrayed in the movie. What I would argue with is the decision to reveal the so called "truth" to people who benefit best from not being enlightened with such facts.
One aspect of everyday life that keeps me hopeful is seeing young childfen have fun. Not teenagers, they're an interesting case whose taste in fun is questionable at best. I mean the really young ones, the ones who look to legends more than anything else for guidance and perseverance in life. The ones who honestly believe that everything can work out right before they grow up and lose faith in that belief. I can say nothing jars your values more than growing up, but I still cling to legends as a source of guidance, mostly becuase I lived in an era where their preservation was still intact. There was not reality TV to pull back the curtain on my favorite movie star, and there wasn't any kind of biopic trying to let me know that Superman was a pompous ass. While I do not believe in keeping people naieve, I do believe in preserving their sense of hope, and when it comes down between revealing a harsh truth or preserving a legend, we should work to preserve the legend.
"This is the west, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."
-From The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Today I caught the movie Hollywoodland, which centers around the investigation of the death of George Reeves, known to many in the early years of TV as Superman. The movie itself is good, but not great. I love just about anything that takes place during Hollywood's "golden age" , so I might have liked it more than it deserved. But I am not here to talk about the movie as much as the approach it takes in its portrayal of the actor Reeves.
I opened with the above quote because it illustrates the need to preserve legends. Mr. Reeves was, if the movie is accurate, an actor looking for mainstream fame and never achieved it, at least the way he wanted. However, what he did do was capture the imagination of many a young child throughout the U.S. One scene that struck me as powerful, whether intentional or not, was when Reeves makes a Public Appearance in character as Superman. While his audience is entirely composed of kids and their parents, his appearance instantly excites many of the youngsters in the audience. Many of them are awestruck as they are seeing their hero in action. For many of them, this will be the high point of their life. True, they will eventually learn that Superman was never real, but for that brief moment he was, and saved the day for them.
Unfortunately, according to the movie, Reeves spent the time before his appearance drinking whiskey and smoking and doing the gig more or less out of contractual obligation. He loathed the fact that he was trapped in the role of Superman and couldn't have cared less about the kids; ironic as he was making their dreams come true. While whether or not Reeves actually felt this way is up for debate, the movie basically takes it upon itself to "destroy" a legend that many hold dear.
Much of what keeps people content in the world relies upon the preservation of legends. Whether it be in the area of film, writing, or even religion. Legends give people something to hold onto. Many people base their system of values from the stories they have learned through generations. These stories can be told through characters such as Superman, Davy Crockett, Luke Skywalker, Indiana Jones, and let's not forget special ones like Jesus Christ or Buddha. It doesn't matter who one chooses, what matters is that they give them someone or something to remind them that life is beautiful and worth living.
A recent interpretation of the story of the Alamo portrayed Davy Crockett as more or less an average man who enjoyed drinking and was basically just a human being. Granted, there is no real way he could have killed a "bar" at only three, or single handedly made peace with the Creek Indians as Disney would have one believe. But you know what? It makes for a more entertaining and inspirational story. Do people who grew up with Davy Crockett as a role model need to know that he really wasn't all that? That he was just a cook in the Indian Wars and that he only went to the Alamo because he thought the Mexicans were already mostly beaten? I think not. I think one of my previous posts illustrated well enough that I like Superman. I am not going to argue with whatever research can prove that Reeves really was like the individual portrayed in the movie. What I would argue with is the decision to reveal the so called "truth" to people who benefit best from not being enlightened with such facts.
One aspect of everyday life that keeps me hopeful is seeing young childfen have fun. Not teenagers, they're an interesting case whose taste in fun is questionable at best. I mean the really young ones, the ones who look to legends more than anything else for guidance and perseverance in life. The ones who honestly believe that everything can work out right before they grow up and lose faith in that belief. I can say nothing jars your values more than growing up, but I still cling to legends as a source of guidance, mostly becuase I lived in an era where their preservation was still intact. There was not reality TV to pull back the curtain on my favorite movie star, and there wasn't any kind of biopic trying to let me know that Superman was a pompous ass. While I do not believe in keeping people naieve, I do believe in preserving their sense of hope, and when it comes down between revealing a harsh truth or preserving a legend, we should work to preserve the legend.
posted by Darth Liberal at 6:10 PM
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