MYTH & THE SUPER HERO STORY

Myth stories were created to explain and ground religious and philosophical ideas of a particular culture.  Myth stories give people solace and hope.  Since every culture has a mythology, these stories are inherently universal regardless of nuance and individual story divergences.  Essentially we all want to believe our lives have purpose and destiny so myths strongly resonate.  Since myth connects religion and philosophy, true believers, agnostics, and metaphysicians can share common ground.

     The most popular movies, television shows, and stage productions are either complete myth stories or contain this genre as a major influence.  The most common myths are those from the ancient Greeks, which were famously re-purposed from those master duplicators, the Romans.  Variations of these show up all across the world.

     In the U.S. the super-hero story most often found in comics and graphic novels are the equivalent of Greek Mythology.  The line is clearly drawn between the good guys and the evildoers and for many years this was very satisfying.  Superman saved the world from Braniac.  The Fantastic Four always foiled Dr. Doom.  Wonder Woman kicked plenty alien butt too.  As time went on and trends came and went, this good vs. evil formula, while idealized and wonderful, got stale because it didn’t reflect our increasingly complex world and evolving belief systems.  So to stay current, our super-heroes began to exhibit more and more flaws making them relatable.  They were still extraordinary crime fighters but suddenly they started dealing with conflicted emotions leading them to question their own worth and if good and evil were absolutes are situational.  Just like real people.  Batman and Spiderman in their everyday identities dealt with these issues from the beginning but now it started to affect their alter egos.  Suddenly the modern myth stories were very reflective of our humanity and popularity increased.

     They modern super-hero is now just as angst-ridden as the guy with two ex-wives demanding an increase in alimony, the worker who has been downsized out of a job, and the woman living from paycheck to paycheck.  Add to that, sudden betrayals of trust from your most trusted ally, and a banking system that’s ripping you off right and left.  So now the super heroes fight battles on all fronts and sometimes the solution of one problem reveals an even bigger dilemma.  Drama.  Not only drama but serialized ever-escalating drama.  Real entertainment.  This is why the Iron Man feature franchise, the Thor Franchise, The Captain American Franchise etc. are so lucrative.

     ABC’s MARVEL AGENT’S OF SHIELD is part of this new evolution.  Originally the acronym stood for Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, and Law-Enforcement Division. It was changed in 1991 to Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate. For the ABC show it’s Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. These agents in this organization are not super-heroes with super powers other than their specialized very human skill sets.  But they do deal with humans and other forces with otherworldly abilities.  The fact that the main cast is all human with flaws and secrets makes them people we empathize with and worry about.  The first few episodes were not super compelling but watchable.  Many of my friends complained that it was lightweight.  But because Joss Wheedon, an exceptional ex-prod, was behind this show, I was willing to give it some time to grow.  I was glad I did.  By episode 6, we really begin delving into the psychological depths of the characters and suddenly this show is still a comic book but something more-----it’s an interesting character study with emerging lessons in humanity.  Phil Coulson, the leader of the group, was supposedly killed in the recent movie, THE AVENGERS, and brought back to life.  (This is the tie-in with the Marvel movies so that anytime a new one is about to drop; this show can be part of the marketing.  Story-wise this idea also works well.)  Coulson has been altered because of his death experience and is now a fundamentally changed guy who looks at the world differently and treats his team with an infectious tough love.  As they encounter a variety of world-threatening situations, they also grow psychologically (slowly, because this is television) and have little “light-bulb” moments about who they are in the world.

BLACK NATIVITY: Process & Form

After viewing this film at a screening the other night I briefly had an exchange with the minister husband of a writer friend of mine. He appreciated the film. I told him I felt it was a faith-based film done correctly. It doesn't transcend or challenge the genre with its message. It follows a standard, non-surprising story arc, but within the form of a musical, it holds up well in terms of competence of execution.

A little background:
This film almost didn't get made. It's been reported that some major male stars like Samuel L. Jackson and Laurence Fishburne passed on the pivotal role of the troubled minister grandfather. The production appeared to be dead in the water but somehow Forrest Whitaker (who happens to have studied opera and has an amazing tenor voice) stepped into the role of the minister and Kasi Lemmons (the writer/director) was able to get her vision transferred to the big screen. Obviously the budget was modest but the visuals and the highly stylistic approach (owing much to traditional musical theater) proved to be an asset.

My big concern with many faith-based films is not the faith part. It's the drama/story part. A good story tracks a protagonist's journey from problem to solution. The protagonist battles, overcomes obstacles, each which increase the tension, until he or she, takes a definitive action, that ultimately decides his/her fate. In the best stories, the protagonist has a deep self-revelation dramatically earned by what has come before, that causes the definitive action that resolves the story. In some faith-based films, the drama is over-wrought and melodramatic. The hero is tempted by the evil ones and the mishaps are piled on with increasing consequences. The wise, sage character advises the hero that the LORD will solve everything if that belief is just acknowledged. So the hero acknowledges his short-comings and presto, the problems are magically solved and cue the big gospel number and the story is over. The glaring problem here is the conclusion is not earned dramatically and the hero doesn't solve his own problem so what has he really learned? This weakens the story and the hero and drains all the dramatic tension from the story. In a good story, the hero learns how to solve or attempt to solve his own problem. Many faith based films opt for the "Preachy message" delivered by the Sage to save the day. This drives me nuts because this approach is cool in church but it is not dramatic and undercuts good story. It's lazy craftsmanship and sends me running out of the theater screaming "Booooooo" or makes me turn the channel with the quickness.

BLACK NATIVITY understands that it's a musical pageant on celluloid. It is a hybrid of the Ritual and American Musical Theatre forms. The story is predictable but the actors resist going over the top and infuse their performances with naturalistic expression. This approach works. It satisfies the True Believers, both dogmatic and more progressive, and the general not-so-particular religious folk. I hope it does well because it is a lesson to those who want to tell this type of story with competence and also raises the bar for those stuck in their dogmatic, over melodramatic, and lazy storytelling ways. On a larger scale, it helps open the doors to the idea that black filmmaking is capable of variety. We don't all run around slapping ho's around and shooting up the 'hood! Nor do we have to be a man wearing a dress over-playing yet another feisty, tired stereo-type that lacks the depth and individuality of say, Flip Wilson's Geraldine. We do have that but we're also capable of more...much more.