Yes, this is a blog post about the new Captain America film, and I know you wouldn’t expect a post about a summer movie on Foreign Policy Association’s blog network, but please, bear with me. And no, this is not a movie review. For that, please read A. O. Scott’s review in The New York Times, it explains why “Captain America: The First Avenger” is a fun summer blockbuster. Far from being a review (no spoilers here), this is rather a comment about the “deeper meaning” of the film (if, in fact, summer blockbusters can be said to have deeper meanings).
First of all, I should say that I enjoyed the film, it’s a fine example of the summer blockbuster type of movie, and you can certainly go see it and take away nothing more than the simple enjoyment of this kind of movie. It is summer, after all. However, since yours truly is the U.S. Role blogger I couldn’t help but wonder if this film says something about the U.S. at this time in history. After all, there have been times in our past when a movie such as this simply could not have been made in Hollywood. Can you imagine a producer trying to finance this movie in the 1960’s? I think a star-spangled hero would have been a tough sell in a decade defined by social, cultural and political rebellion against the status quo. And how difficult would it have been to sign A-list talent in the cynical 70’s, a decade defined by the rise of the anti-hero? If this film had been made at all it would have been as a comedy, or worse, a farce.
Here we are barely a decade into the 21st Century and we have a confident, assertive, and heroic depiction of an all-American hero, rockin’ the red white and blue and saving the day. Of course, it helps that this is a Golden Age origin story set in the WWII era, almost anyone looks heroic fighting Nazis. Indy would be proud. And yet beyond the historical setting we are left with present-day Hollywood apparently having no trouble at all finding producers, writers, directors and stars to give us a film portrayal of Greatest Generation values that may have seemed a bit passé to some. And although it remains to been how well this movie will be received by the movie-going public (and it will be interesting to see how well it does abroad) I think it reflects a spirit of pride and optimism about the U.S. role in the world that Captain America has been given free rein to save the day once again.
Image Credit: LA Times.com
