Emails #44: Nobody Does WWII Like The Guy From Jaws and E.T.

Letters to Captain America
Liberty and Hope During WWII

A special exhibit at the Smithsonian running from January 7th through July 4th.
Curated by Anne B. Hawthorne and Julia W. Gilbert.

Does Captain America exist? A single letter dated 1942 from a Pvt. Horace Garber to his family back in Memphis, TN seemed to answer the question definitively yes. While preparing an exhibit for Letters at War: Homefront to Frontline more of these curious references to a star spangled soldier cropped up. We knew right away the letters addressed to or mentioning Captain America were beacons of hope during one of the darkest periods in the history of the world. Does Captain America exist? Comb through nearly 2,000 letters and postcards from 1942 to 1945 on loan for this exhibit and decide for yourself.

Does Captain America exist?

We hope that you enjoy this collection.
Anne B. Hawthorne, Curator
Julia W. Gilbert, Curator

Emails #43: Wickedness Flourishes In The Darkness

"He was there for every battle even if we didn't see him."

"A feeling would come over me like he was in front of me deflecting bullets or behind me, backing me up."

"Sometimes it was like I could hear his booming voice on the battlefield urging me on."

"After we lost Joe, Cap was there. He reminded me that what we were doing was right. Yeah, I lost my best friend from high school, but I knew he died for something. Cap was right. Joe didn't just save the unit. He was saving the world."

BEN: Saying Cap is a manifestation of the American spirit is perhaps obvious, but I don't think Hollywood sees it that way. Any perfectly intelligent person might see Cap as an action figure, not a symbol. That's what makes the character a modern myth-- he is far more than the sum of his parts. Over the years, I think Marvel has had trouble keeping Cap's comics interesting. It would probably be because different writers and artists might see him more as a muscle-bound ass-kicker-- not the protector of freedom and liberty. Luckily, a film can most certainly bring out the reality.

Emails #42: Humbled By Their Sacrifice

Captain America
The Boy who loves his country

The Red Skull
The fiend who lusts for power

World War II
The war of good versus evil

"She's dead Cap. You can't save her."

"We weren't in time. How could we know? We couldn't protect them."

"War doesn't make sense, Cap."

"I might be just a hick farm boy but I know evil when I see it. These were people, all of them..."

"Don't snap on me now. We still need you."

"You shall be avenged. Evil will not triumph. So swears Captain America. May you all rest in peace."

Camera pulls back to reveal what Cap sees. A large pile of skeletal bodies heaped in a grey mass. The only color in frame is the red, white and blue of Cap's shield and uniform.

Emails #41: Soap Opera 101

Hurt Locker* and new Lady Hurt Locker opening soon at the mall... Great movie. Extra fine script and pretty concise. Well acted and suspenseful. *Referring to Emails #40. -Ben

Wow Mr. Hollywood. I think you are wrong. Dead Wrong™! Actually I think you are right. I take a different angle however to come to a similar conclusion. I have not spent time in Hollywood-- the land of broken dreams-- and yet certain facts remain. First, of all the material produced or waiting to be produced or trying to be produced or hoping to be produced, more than 99% of it is schlock, high school writing and unintelligible concepts. The other less-than one percent does not float to the top however. This tiny fraction does not triumph and prove its worthiness over all the rest. Since the overwhelming motive is profit and not content, the struggle for both is quickly supplanted by the quest for one. It is an accident that quality material is made. An accident. The really quality material is only arrived at by the painful process of sculpting the film. There is both the additive process of clay and wire structure combined with the careful chiseling and polishing of stone. Compound this with the fact that it is a group project. Many voices and opinions on the creative end combined with studios, marketing, sales, and demographic groups all chipping away or adding to a film.

Auteur film making only proves the point. The Hurt Locker proves the point. Clint Eastwood proves the point. Tarrantino proves the point. They don't get started until the concept is solid, clear. They are patient, deliberate and painstaking. They know what is important and they fight for it. They spend more of their time chiseling to reveal rather than forming to create. A good idea needs to come first. A strong story. A strong screenplay or outline. A patient studio and resilient producers. Clear minded and flexible director. Clever actors. A competent crew. Geniuses in post production who will sweat the details and make it fit in the edit. Spot on sound. Supportive music... Well you get the idea.

THOR Movie Review Double Feature!

We interput this broadcast to bring you a special THOR movie review!

This post is not part of the 'Emails' series regularly seen three days a week here on the Redefining Modern Myth blog. A little bit down the road, we'll have a full scale look at Thor and the other Avengers' films which actually precedes THOR's release in the same way that the casting of Chris Evans was actually discussed before and during the real casting. We'll return to the series on Wednesday.


My Mighty Thoughts on The Mighty Thor.
A few thoughts by Rick.

Thor is not part of Captain America's WWII origin. He will show up later with a few pals in a little movie called The Avengers.

Spoilers? I will try not to wreck the movie-going experience of those who have not yet seen THOR. I liked the THOR movie a lot. There is good meat on it's bones and I will try to keep my thoughts focused on what worked and what didn't. I won't go into the plot too much. Thor is arrogant. Loki is a trickster. Odin banishes Thor to Earth. Suffice to say Thor must kick ass before he can return from Earth and kick ass in Asgard. Lots of quality action and destruction. More fighting than I expected from director Kenneth Branagh.


The Clothes Make The God.

I am going to make my first observation an odd one. While the medium shot does not seem to be totally absent from this film, it must have had other commitments. It seems that THOR is filled with expansive vista shots, nosebleed swooshing overhead pan shots and ultra tight closeups. I mention this because I wanted to talk about the costumes first. They are impressive when you are able to catch a glimpse. Almost immediately, I found that the reimagined threads were not too jarring and the characters seemed to wear them as one wears clothing. Perhaps this is a trick of design or directing or acting but the whole cast from Thor, Sif, Hogun, Fandral, Volstagg, Odin, Loki, Heimdall and the humans on earth seem to be pretty comfortable, relaxed in their costumes. Their postures are natural and movements seem to be unencumbered. This might seem like a minor detail but period dramas featuring characters that don't seem comfortable in their own clothes rubs me the wrong way. They got it right here.

Emails #40: Evans Gravitas?

Reactions: Chris Evans Cast as Captain America

RICK: For all intents and purposes, Evans is an unknown. After looking at a few pics I can see why he could be okay. Young looking and cartoonish. Muscled but still limber looking. Experienced with action movies and Marvel. I am seeing too much humor and not enough gravitas however. Maybe this is just the shadow of his FF character talking. Rogers is a broken, sick, unhealthy kid who has suddenly been given the body of a Super Soldier and then is sent to fight in a war where the atrocities are stacked up high enough to blot out the sun. I suppose that in a Marvel universe movie where the only real concern is rushing Cap along so he can lead the Avengers, scripts might not include the rape, torture, mutilation, fear, pain, suffering and EVIL that actually existed in WWII. Hugo Weaving (The Matrix, Lord of the Rings trilogy and V for Vendetta) has been cast as the Red Skull. This is inspired. Hugo CAN do dark and evil. He has tremendous presence and carries something profoundly tortured and human in his portrayals.

Maybe Evans can learn some acting tips from Weaving who I am sure has had to claw for his roles and convince people that he can get the job done. No depending on the baby faced good looks and swagger of a wanna be star for him. Can you imagine Evans in the same universe as Iron Man (Downey Jr.)? Or a CGI Hulk? After one or two movies, Evans will be too old to play Cap anyway. I know they have a nine picture deal but that is standard with the super hero franchises. He will get replaced easily if he can't cut it. Unfortunately, these things are driven by the inexhaustible engine of release dates, already announced, bought and paid for before the first draft is written. It makes you wonder how anything successful can ever be produced and the answer is flatly that all the elements are gelling at once and only talented crews, directors, actors and screen writers can pull it off. It is a miracle.

BEN: I agree on all points. Evans would not be my pick. I liked him as Johnny, but that's because he was cocky, a funny punk. Cap is the leader of men. Evans is Bucky.

Emails #39: How Old To Cast Steve Rogers

Rare color footage released by the Pentagon...

CLASSIFIED. EYES ONLY.

Cap scrapes mud from his shield while a dark-haired US Army Signal Corps documentarian, Lt. Col. George Stevens, interviews him on camera.

STEVENS
What do you want the people back home to know about?

CAPTAIN AMERICA
The men that are fighting and dying here today are true patriots. They ask only that you
remember them and never forget that they died fighting evil. They died protecting our
liberty and freedom. Their blood is the terrible price that they give to all of us.

RICK: What seems to be the essence of Captain America? Patriotism. The kind that adheres to the constitution. Leadership. Making hard choices on the battlefield, pressing ever onward and giving no ground.

Cap is 17. Maybe. Pearl Harbor is in December. School is about half way through for the year and crop planting is still a few months away. Maybe Steve Rogers is in the tenth grade. He has missed a lot of school due to illness and would normally be a senior. There are only forty kids in the grade anyway including Betsy, a curly haired angel who admires Steve's courage. With the world at war, will he really drop out of school to join the army?