Hollywood doesn’t exists solely to entertain stateside movie goers.
The rise in global box office figures means today’s blockbusters often rake in big bucks overseas. Sometimes, a film’s overseas haul rescues an otherwise disappointing box office take, with the recent “Robin Hood” being a prime example.
That means when the film industry reboots a property like “Superman,” it can play fast and loose with the iconic line, “truth, justice and the American way” as it did with Bryan Singer’s 2006 film “Superman Returns.” Conservative movie goers may not like it, but it does reflect a global reality.
But why can’t “Captain America” be an exception?
Here’s Joe Johnston, the director of the upcoming “Captain America: The First Avenger,” explaining why our red, white and blue superhero isn’t so American – never mind the moniker.
He was created as propaganda tool, but he soon became much more than that. There are all these incarnations over the decades, but the film is not a flag waver. It’s about a guy who wants to do the right thing, and that transcends all nationalities and borders. He’s going to do the right thing no matter what flag is on his chest.
So … Captain America really is Captain Every Country is Just as Noble as Every Other Country?
Is Johnston really so ambivalent about his own nation? Or, does he fear a flag-waving hero won’t sell well overseas? That doesn’t give people in other countries much credit, does it?
“Captain America” doesn’t involve the Iraq War or anything remotely controversial as far as the initial trailer suggests. It’s set during World War II, a conflict everyone save perhaps Ed Asner would describe as a noble effort by the U.S. military.
If an American filmmaker can’t make an American icon into a figure who unabashedly represents the best of America’s ideals, then why bother in the first place?
(Photo: Chris Evans plays Steve Rogers, a scrawny man reborn as a super soldier in the upcoming Marvel Comics film “Captain America: The First Avenger.” Paramount Pictures)
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{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
>>It’s about a guy who wants to do the right thing, and that transcends all nationalities and borders.>>
Um, Mr. Johnston, I only counted about 40 or so freedom-loving (last I checked, the “right thing”) nations — gracious all and none of whom were France, Germany, Russia or China — who jumped in with the US, Britain and Australia when the most recent war in Iraq started. Care to riddle me that one?
And in fact this is part of the problem. He’s called Captain America. He is designed in Red, White and Blue. He carries the flag with him. But this could be a problem because of the image of our flag?
Let me ask you, if you see a squad of Soviet soldiers in a Cold War era film waving the flag of the USSR, would that fact prevent you from seeing the film? If you saw a character you liked from another country who embodied that’s countries nationality in a similar fashion of Captain America, would you not see the film?
Johnston may be looking at the marketability of the film on a world level, but doing so as he is runs the risk of ticking off your already built in audience. The film becomes more Jonah Hex and less Iron Man.
Stick to the core character and don’t apologize for it. For comic movies, time and time again this works. Why is this so hard to figure out?
Marvel’s actually been doing this sort of crap to Cap for a while, trying to jettison, or (worse, in my opinion) deliberately undermine, his patriotic theme. “Multiculturalism” doesn’t actually mean anything of the kind; it means “occidental self-hatred”.
But marketers must think foreign markets are a bunch of idiots. If people still bought the DVDs of “Code GEASS: Lelouch of the Rebellion”, despite it involving an alternate history where Japan leads a coalition of Asian countries against Western imperialism (imagine a German show about saving all the neighboring countries from a Jewish conspiracy, for the level of fail involved), they’ll buy absolutely anything. It doesn’t matter if it’s *actually* immoral—let alone just being very slightly un-PC—they’ll pay to see it as long as it looks cool.
The whole issue is depressing; I almost wish the marketers were right. It might mean people might pass up being entertained for the sake of principle, even as stupid a principle as anti-Americanism. I hold out no such hopes, however.
Whoa, let me clarify: Captain America is what I was calling “very slightly un-PC”, not the borderline Holocaust-denial stuff like Code GEASS, which is, well, borderline Holocaust denial.
I would love to hear from WWTW readers who consider themselves liberal or left of center on this particular issue … thoughts?
From personal observation, international audience like the movie better if it’s not too American, or it only shows patriotism in general. I think Johnston’s just trying to sell a movie. It’s business, and they’re just trying to cash more bucks (and foreign money).
I agree to an extent, RC – but if you’re a foreigner and you buy a ticket to see Captain American, you gotta know there might be a few pro-American themes afoot.
Might I suggest that the studios consider doing what they did in the 50s and 60s when a more prudish American audience couldn’t stomach nude scenes? Produce a “European version” which takes out all the offending flag waving for the more sophisticated audience. Then they could offer both versions to the domestic DVD market – especially in the case of downloads.
I think it has to do with both Hollywood anti-Americanism and pandering to foreign audiences. Note that he doesn’t think the flag matters — he said that any flag would do.
For a film set during WWII, this really sucks.
I guess they just want to be invited to all the cool parties, and making a movie that Republicans and Tea Party types can get behind would get them shamed and shunned.
I’ve never seen any evidence to suggest that patriotic films don’t perform well overseas. I’m thinking that movie producers assume that they need to make comic book heroes more “multicultural” for the same reason that liberals in general accept faulty global warming data: because it fits in so closely with their personal beliefs that they can’t bring themselves to question it.
Captain Commie!
Tom in AZ, there’s a bunch of other shows/toons like like Code GEASS, in which is most certainly border-lines Holocaust denial or other atrocities committed by the Axis Powers during that time, which greatly sickens me. Doesn’t help that a bunch of them are popular too.
So this begs the question, if we allow that stuff above to go through, why can’t we have our country’s greatest superheroes be our greatest superheroes? Having Captain America not be an American symbol is like soccer being America’s favorite past-time. It’s just not right!
Captain America is my favorite comic book character.
In the director’s attempts to ensure that it will “sell overseas”, he has ensured that I will not spend a dime on this film, as he clearly doesn’t “get” the character that I have read and loved most of my life.
No, Cap doesn’t stand up on a hill and thumb his nose at other countries…but he IS unabashedly American, complete with red, white and blue and flag-waving.
As a lifelong Captain America fan, this is sadly not surprising. Since the WWII generation of writers and artists died off, Captain America has been handled by a nonstop procession of leftists who use the character to undermine the ideals of this nation, the very ideals he is supposed to embody.
If there are any patriots left at Marvel Comics or its parent company, they have not been able to get within a country mile of Captain America.
>>I’ve never seen any evidence to suggest that patriotic films don’t perform well overseas.>>
Zac’ry! Little franchise called National Treasure springs immediately to mind as a pretty nice seller overseas.
Hauptmann Deutschland and Captain Britain — has Mr. Johnston already forgotten about them? We don’t need to turn Captain America into “Captain Every Country is Just as Noble as Every Other Country” since the Marvel Universe has those characters built into it.
BTW, I find trouble subscribing to the notion that the world hates America. If they did, we wouldn’t have a population the size of Los Angeles County living in the United States illegally. If the world hates us, Bono wouldn’t make his primary residence New York City. And, let us not forget what colors Russia’s flag is.
The problem other countries have with America is that they wished they were us, and every issue they raise about America, they wished they had themselves.
Chuckie B, it seems to be too late, but I gladly would have loaned Johnston my Contest of Champions issues.
K makes an excellent point. Why not show a different version in foreign markets?
Didn’t The Expendables do well overseas last summer? That’s steeped in Americana and our love of the shoot ‘em up, bigger is better label. I think that’s wrong, I think they may not say they love our flag-waving, but their actions do not match their words as far as sales go.
They’re really just trying to impress critics anyway, not audiences, and all too often, that means pushing the right ideological buttons. A lot of critics seem to think “makes a statement I agree with” is the same as “makes its statements with artistry”. Obviously they’re connected—to get philosophical the True and the Beautiful are both reflections of the Good—but they’re not *interchangeable*. I can think of a few leftist critics who mention the distinction; it seems to be more common among right-wing critics, but then, given the leftward tilt of Hollywood, “I like it even if I don’t agree with it” is something right-wing critics say more often.
Maybe leftist film critics are lazy in this regard, from being pandered to so much.
As a supporter the Veterans of Foreign wars this is shameful and a blow to all those remaining survivors of WWII and families who have loved ones that served. Capt. America was created as propaganda, and yes he grew into something more – he created a sense of American pride and strength. He was not created, nor intended for foreigners. To sacrifice an American SuperHero for the chance to pull in a larger foreign demographic is pathetic. Is Hollywood really that desperate to please the world? Does this mean the new muslim superhero will avoid all references to Allah?
Let’s just be straight up about this. Johnston is just another member of the Marxist Hollyweird left and really does not like this country. Even though these hypocrites make millions here. I will not watch this movie as I will never spend a penny to see any of that scum Damon’s movies.
We should just call him “Captain All-That-Stuff” now.
I wonder if Capt is gonna ride a Harley… Probably gonna have a proto-type
“green energy moped”.