New Smallville video--Gethsemane

[capnzebbie]

Song: Gethsemane from "Jesus Christ, Superstar"
Character: Clark
Summary: Clark must choose: Is he willing to sacrifice his own life to save the world by becoming Superman?

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20MB



There were three things that led to this video. First, I just happened to see Jesus Christ, Superstar on the Sundance channel a few months ago.

Second, I remembered a comment I read from one of the PTBs at Smallville. He said that one of differences between the Superman movies and Smallville is that in the movies, Superman is the real person and Clark Kent is a disguise he puts on, whereas in Smallville, Clark is the real person.

Third, I remembered the episode with the kid who could see how people would die when he touched them. When he touched Clark, all he saw was the Superman cape fluttering in the wind. Some people said that meant that Clark would never die because he's Superman. I thought, perhaps it means that Clark Kent has give up his life in order for Superman to live.

This video goes along with canon. I've used clips from Smallville and from the various Superman movies.

Thanks to my wonderful betas, mkitty_03, euphony_m and talitha78. Your comments, suggestions and support help me to be a better vidder. *hugs*

I hope you enjoy it!

Comments

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

Wow! What an interesting vid. I love the ground you've covered--it's such a different take on Clark's journey--and the integration of the Superman movie images worked really well.

I thought, perhaps it means that Clark Kent has give up his life in order for Superman to live.
I'm really glad you wrote about the inspiration for the vid, particularly this quote. It's actually a reading of SV that works really well, since Jor-El seems to have been telling Clark that's exactly what he DOES have to do. And the journey from Mortal on indicates this is true. But this vid really taps into Clark's uncertainty about that--and at the same time his hope. I really liked, for example, the use of the images from the caves, and it helped me to recall just how fascinated Clark was by his heritage back then. He has a cycle of attraction-regression with understanding his true nature. This song was a great choice to capture BOTH of those emotions.

I'll definitely be watching this vid again, and I'm sure there's even more to get out of it--what a great journey.

And to return to the cloke image--I had never thought of that interpretation, but it's quite chilling. He loses not only the ones he loves but the person he is himself. Makes me wonder where SV is going with that...

[capnzebbie.livejournal.com]

Thanks for all the great feedback, bob_radar! I'm so glad you enjoyed the vid! (I'm also glad you were able to download it) I did want to show Clark's ambivalence about his heritage--he started out being so curious, just needing to know, but now, the more he finds out the more isolated he feels.

And to return to the cloke image--I had never thought of that interpretation, but it's quite chilling. He loses not only the ones he loves but the person he is himself.

Cool! That's such a great comment! *ggg*

I commented once on sv_live that it seemed to me that the SV PTBs have a hard time distinguishing between science and religion. (I was talking about the "Mortal" ep, I think, with all the stuff about balance--a life for a life). The SV portrayal of Jor-El often reminds me of the Old Testament God, speaking to Clark from the burning bush (spaceship), leaving cryptic messages on cave walls, testing Clark, making impossible demands on him and then punishing him when he falls short. I hope some of that imagery came through in the vid.

It seems different to me from the way he is presented to us in the movies--there, he seems more benevolent and loving, although still stern. It also seems to me that the impetus behind Jor-El's actions is to serparate Clark from the humanity he learned from the Kents, to make him be outside of humanity, so that he can be an impartial judge of it, and an even-handed dispenser of justice.

That leaves him with no chance of companionship, no chance of a normal, human life. And this is something that he struggles with in Smallville, in all of the movies and even in the comics. He keeps having to make this choice every day.

Anyway, I'm rambling on here, but these are the sort of things I was thinking about while I made the vid.

Again, thanks so much! *hugs*
(Reply to this)(Parent)

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

SV PTBs have a hard time distinguishing between science and religion. (I was talking about the "Mortal" ep, I think, with all the stuff about balance--a life for a life).
Yes, that's an interesting idea! I guess they're really exploring the idea the the Kryptonians resemble Gods in a human world.

The SV portrayal of Jor-El often reminds me of the Old Testament God, speaking to Clark from the burning bush (spaceship), leaving cryptic messages on cave walls, testing Clark, making impossible demands on him and then punishing him when he falls short. I hope some of that imagery came through in the vid.
Yeah, definitely! I agree that he does function this way and he does seem different from the benevolent, loving Jor-El of the movies. However, I think they're two sides of the same figure--I've always seen Jor-El as a patriarchal God figure. I guess that's one reason why SV often reads as very Freudian or Jungian--it plays so well with archetypes.

the impetus behind Jor-El's actions is to serparate Clark from the humanity he learned from the Kents, to make him be outside of humanity, so that he can be an impartial judge of it, and an even-handed dispenser of justice
I agree. I think in SV they really focus on how scarring and difficult that is for Clark. Whereas, in the Supes movies there's far more of a focus on how good it is for Earth. One of the reasons I like SV and find their interpretation of Jor-El interesting is that the simplicity of the patriarchal God-like figure who dispenses justice is not one that sits so comfortably in today's world. So SV's exploration of just how problematic this sort of parenting, approach and hierarchy is makes for a more interesting show for a modern audience.

The question you pose in your vid: is the sacrifice worth it? is one that SV prompts not only Clark but the viewers to decide for themselves. It's a tragedy--AlMiles have said that--but it's also one that will benefit so many. It's interesting that Clark fights Lex's 'the ends justify the means' approach, because ultimately he's going to end up reconciling himself to the fact that Jor-El's 'means' are justified by the 'end': Superman.

Very interesting! Thanks for the discussion!

[capnzebbie.livejournal.com]

Thank you too! I enjoyed it!

in SV they really focus on how scarring and difficult that is for Clark. Whereas, in the Supes movies there's far more of a focus on how good it is for Earth

That's one of the things I like about SV, that they focus on Clark's struggle to reconcile himself with both his alien heritage and his destiny, and the feeling that he is obliged to use his powers to help rather than for his own advantage as some people might do.

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

Yeah, me too!