It could be. I wouldn't dismiss the idea out of hand. But I think, it terms of it being the central racial conflict of the movie, I think it would be an odd choice. It'd make more sense to me if it was discussed as part of a wider criticism of racism and/or racist attitudes.
That's what I was thinking. One of many themes in the film
Uh...what? It's when the Civil Rights Movement happened.
Of the course the 60s was a major milestone in Black history. But I'm more referring to the character's history, Superman's. What the 30s means for him.
It's no secret that before the news was announced that they'd be going with Black actor, I was partial to the idea of a Superman film set in the 1930s. Instead of trying to find a way to make him "relevant", why not just embrace Superman's roots, and take him back to the time he was conceived; rediscover what made him such an Icon
And I think doing that with a Black actor makes it even more worth exploring, as a deconstruction of the themes and values that define the character; a deconstruction of America. Imagine a movie set in the middle of, or at the very end of the great depression... But with a Black Superman. The possibilities are endless
Plus the 30s haven't explored in a tentpole blockbuster in awhile. It gives this film a unique feel
Incorrect. It just doesn't make sense to me to go that far back because, unless the movie decides to operate on fantasy logic (which is perfectly fine, but makes the time period irrelevant) or makes Superman a Killmonger who isn't stopped, Clark is very unlikely to be able to change anything for decades. It's actually more likely that he'd make things infinitely worse.
I respect that. I feel the opposite.
Especially since you know that Superman wouldn't stand idly by if he saw White Americans "accepting" him begrudgingly, but continue to mistreat other Black citizens. He'd call out the hypocrisy.
I can't agree with the idea that the 50's-60's would be a "less racist" time period to put Kal-El in. Especially when we had J Edgar Hoover targeting and assassinating men like Fred Hampton even after the Civil Rights Movement, in the fear of a "Black Messiah" coming up and uniting people of all ethnicities together to support his cause. A Black Superman in that time frame would immediately be seen as a potential target by Hoover IMO.
I think it really depends on the type of message Coates wants the film to have. I think a micro message of hope and perseverance would make sense for a 30s-set film. Even though society as a whole is racist against Clark, there would be individuals like Lois, and Jimmy, and even groups of people, who give Clark the fuel he needs to keep fighting.
I know Shinobi raised concerns about the film being about white acceptance, but I don't think the message has to be framed like that. It can be more about the strength & perseverance of the Black community; how we've been put through so much ****, how we've been burned, beaten, enslaved... But yet, we're still here. We've persevered through all of that (not without great sacrifices ofc), and we
still fight.
Clark is constantly beaten down by society... Yet he stands, and keeps fighting no matter what. Because he has to. I think it's fresh way to tie into that theme of hope that feels relevent
The fight for justice is neverending, even for Supeman.