One thing Marvel has proved since it moved into the moviemaking arena is that it never likes to cover the same ground twice. Captain America’s second solo outing on the big screen is radically different from his first, replacing World War II-set action with modern day political intrigue, as Cap realises that 1940s values don’t necessarily apply in the 21st century.
“Watergate was probably the seminal moment for American politics where people realised that the government had specious motives that and that you couldn’t always trust your politicians,” Captain America: The Winter Soldier co-director Joe Russo tells SFX. “It pulled a layer away that could never be replaced. And I think with Snowden and Wikileaks… to reach back to the ‘70s thrillers seemed very logical. A political thriller cannot be considered a political thriller without some sort of relevancy to what’s currently happening. If the times aren’t tumultuous, it’s not a great backdrop for a political thriller. But we are in a very tumultuous period, and we felt that even though it was a superhero film there were certain themes we could explore that were more complicated and, again, relevant.”
As for where the boy scout-ish Cap fits into all that, Chris Evans says of his character’s arc that, “It’s about trying to come to terms with the definition of what right and wrong is. That is an emotional arc in my opinion.”
***
The latest issue of SFX leads with an exclusive look at Captain America – The Winter Soldier. We interview directors Joe and Anthony Russo, who tell us how they brought the star-spangled icon into a darker century – a journey that called for a brand new look for Cap, one that ditches the familiar red, white and blue for an altogether stealthier number.
“It was about a real world grounding approach to the character, in the spirit of Ed Brubaker’s book, which is postmodern and deconstructionist and a grounded thriller,” Joe Russo tells SFX. “We wanted to put Cap in a space where he’s a special forces operative for SHIELD who goes on missions around the world that are clandestine and sometimes require a certain level of anonymity or stealth. We wanted to use his Super Soldier outfit from the comic books as a way to represent, thematically, his place in the world of SHIELD and the difference between working for SHIELD and being Captain America. That’s something that gets explored on a very concrete level in terms of what outfits are used in the film. We didn’t feel like we were messing with the icon. People can say that they’re fans of the books if they’re only loyal to the ‘60s and ‘70s version of the character – well, then you’re a fan of that version of the character, but if you’ve been reading the books till the current runs then this is a journey that the character goes on and it’s a pretty explicit journey. We just felt like we were being faithful to the more recent issues of the books. The movie has a very thematic component in terms of the use of costumes. When you come to see the film I think you’ll understand why we made the choice we made.”
***
On Captain America's old friend/new foe
Brubaker’s tale resurrected Cap’s wartime sidekick Bucky Barnes, long believed dead but in truth an amnesiac assassin, assigned by the Soviet Union on black-ops missions. Just like the comic, the movie pits the shield-hurling Avenger against his comrade-in-arms, with all the fratricidal shiver that brings.
"The complexity of that relationship is so exciting to us on a character level," Anthony Russo tell us. "To have a friend who is also your enemy is just really mythical, in the Star Wars sense of Darth Vader being Luke’s father. It’s a very complex emotional relationship and that excites us, because we are very character-based in how we approach our storytelling.
One of the challenging things with Captain America is that his moral code is so strong and so clear and his strength so intense, so in order to tell a good story about a character like that you really have to find ways to threaten and undermine that character. The Winter Soldier is a great way to do that because not only on a superficial level is he a badass and equal to Cap in terms of strength, but he also has the ability to emotionally undermine Cap, and that’s really threatening. That was a fun thing to play with, to find a way for Cap to deal with that and resolve that.”
On 70s movie influences
"That chase sequence in The French Connection was one of the more visceral things ever put on film up to that point and it inspired a lot of people and changed the way that epeople thought about action moving forward. The other thing about 70s films is there's a certain verite to the action, and a narrative, but it's extended action. There's a walk chase in The French Connection that goes on for six or seven minutes, with very little dialogue, but you're following a very compelling narrative. It's an art form that De Palma used to execute brilliantly but hasn't been in movies recently. We thought it was a great opportunity to exploit that, so we have a really protracted car chase sequence that goes on for almost 10 minutes."
On Cap adjusting to the present day
"He's doing well with it," laughs Joe Russo. "It was really important to us early on - we talked about this with Chris and with Marvel - that we did not want to do the caveman lawyer from Saturday Night Live, who says 'How do I work this cellhone?' I think the conflict of the film is that some of the values he's trying to bring forward from the greatest generation are in complete conflict with the Miley Cyrus generation. And this movie is really about 'Is he going to be able to pull those values in the present or not?'"
On real world parallels
"The morality of drone technology is at the heart of this movie and also the concept of whistleblowing," says Joe Russo. "And the concept of pre-emptive strikes is in there," adds Anthony. "And a lot of the most complex moral issues in terms of the state of the world and the state of the security of the world. These are things that challenge Cap in a very strong way, especially as he's coming from a place in time when things were very black and white, Nazis vs. Allies." It sounds refreshingly bold for a blockbuster franchise, lobbing its steadfast 40s icon into the era of Assange and NSA surveillance scandals.
scans from the magazine here
1 2 3
No comments:
Post a Comment