Individual Heroism

2011

ISSN 1009-5039

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Viewing American Heroism from Superman Movies
WU Qiong
(China International Intellectech Corp., Beijing, 100022 China)

Abstract: Viewing the American heroism as an essential part for social development, this paper reveals how Superman movies explain the American heroism and how they impact the audiences. Among five Superman movies, Superman: The Movie is a remarkable terrific film with great story and acting. For the most important part, this movie introduces clearly about the American heroism. Superman movies reflect the idea of American heroism including mission and achievement of hero, goodness of soul, individualism, self-confidence, defender, strength, and courage. With the examples, the paper explores the American heroism in Superman movies and the influences of them on the audiences. Key words: superman; American heroism; movie; society
： I0-05 ：A ：1009-5039(2011)08-0373-03

As an important form of mass media, movie not only is an approach of art presentation, but also reflects the society and the spirit of people. Meanwhile, this kind of media form also influences the human behavior and thinking. Among all topics talked about in these movies, heroism is a permanent and popular theme for both the audience and the producer. Superman is one of the most famous topics in the American film history. The heroic spirit of this American hero has influenced people for generations till now.

2 American Heroism
From heroic epics of Anglo-Saxon period and chivalries till now, the history of heroism is as long as the history of literature. No matter how different of the ways to present the heroism, four important elements existing in the heroism culture are concluded in this paper. They are: the theme of the justice victory; the enemy of strong but always lose in the end; the spirit of optimism and bravery; the plot

References: [1] http://www.supermansupersite.com/coaster6.html. [2] Belton,John,American Cinema/American Culture[M].New York: McGraw-Hill,1994. [3] Berson,Robin Kadison.Marching to A Different Drummer: Unrecognized Heroes of American History[M].Westport,Connecticut:Greenwood Press,1994. [4] Sklar,Robert,Movie -Made America:A Cultural History of American Movies[M].New York: Vintage Books,1994. ： 375