Superman was a sort of miracle, because of what happened to Christopher Reeve later on: his paralysis, and his dogged fight to regain some small mobility. Everything about the human condition, about visions of heroism, about what fades and what endures, was visible on that story. Then, recently, they remade Superman. They added a chapter to a complete story, for money.
No artistic value can stand up to cash value, and no film icon is safe from being extended and diluted. Nothing that Hollywood gets hold of can keep its integrity. In fact, what happens to film makes it clear what integrity comes to: the preservation of borders, the rejection of sequels.
In five years, I expect to see in theaters Lord of the Rings VII: What the Elves Did When They Got to the Grey Havens. It's the automatic working out of a pernicious mechanism.
Posted by shea0017 at June 29, 2006 7:53 AM