Limelight:
Jolly green giant
By
Lubna Abdel-Aziz
Comic book heroes sparked the imagination of the young and intrigued the old in 20th century lore. Visions of Superman, Batman, Spiderman, X-Men, Daredevil, Wonder Woman tell a tale of an alter-ego that surpasses the physical limitations of ordinary mortals. The evolution of the human, his emotional maturity, physical agility and mental ability were never enough. Throughout the great epic of his life he constantly sought to transcend his mortality, dreaming of the fantastical, reaching for the unreachable. He flew on magic carpets, and lived 20,000 leagues under the sea, always longing for strength beyond his own.
Extending on the expression of these dreams in the written word, the medium of film became the new mirror of his visions. The latest in this procession of super-mortals is the Hulk, a green giant monster who comes to the rescue when human powers fail. The Hulk first appeared as a character pitted against Giant Man in six episodes of Marvel Comics in 1962. Created by writer Stan Lee with the cooperation of artist Jack Kirby, he became so popular, he overtook The Giant in the whole book, and in a few short years he became the main hero, and until today he shows no signs of losing his grip on the minds of young and old. To recreate a monstrous human with all the horrors it takes may require nothing less than the pen of an ancient Greek dramatist, but writer Stan Lee assumed the task with audacity and pluck. Growing from his childhood fascination with Frankenstein and youthful attraction to Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Lee's pen created a super-hero who was at once an educated scientist and a green monster. Through the years the story line explores the dramatic search for scientist Bruce Banner's past, the mystery of his origin, the feud between the generations. The reasons for his internal conflict is the basis for this cautionary tale about the demons that we all have to come to terms with inside ourselves. The concept carries elements of a Shakespearian tragedy, no less horrific than Macbeth or King Lear.
His popularity inspired a successful CBS television series (1977-1982), The Incredible Hulk, starring Bill Bixby as scientist Bruce Banner, who turns into body builder Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk, after exposure to a blast of gamma rays. The great green gigantic monster known as The Hulk became the most popular series on television for five years. On cancellation fans were so outraged causing another network, NBC, to take over the franchise, producing three popular tele-films with plans for more until Bill Bixby's death from cancer in 1993 brought these plans to an end.
Mortals may die but dreams live on, and dreams to return the Hulk never died. Its concept -- its great visual potential -- captivated filmmakers for decades. Finally after 12 years in development the Hulk appeared on the big screen last month with all his verdant grassy grandeur. During these years the development of CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) has advanced enough to create a Hulk beyond what could have ever been imagined. Industrial Light and Magic Company (ILM) was able to create a Hulk based on the same actor depicting the scientist Bruce Banner. Called in to handle the gigantic task of directing such an extravagant spectacle was none other than Chinese Ang Lee, who last dazzled audiences in his martial arts masterpiece Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000).
Born in Taiwan in 1954, Lee moved to the US to study film at New York University in 1975. After several years of working on screenplays he debuted as a director in 1992 with Pushing Hands -- a comedy about cultural and generational gaps in a Taiwanese immigrant family in New York. He followed it with the very successful Wedding Banquet (1993) and Eat, Drink, Man, Woman (1994) dealing with the same subject of cultural and generational differences. Both films received numerous awards (Cannes and Berlin festivals), critical acclaim and commercial success. With his international reputation growing, Lee ventured into mainstream Hollywood filmmaking with Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility (1995), which thrilled millions and won an Oscar for Best Screenplay for Emma Thompson, who also starred. Best Director awards for Ang Lee included the prestigious National Board of Review, and The New York Film Critics Circle. In 2000 he gave us the lavish fantasy that became a phenomenal international hit and the highest grossing foreign language film ever released in the US. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon which earned 14 Oscar and 16 BAFTA (British Awards) nominations, taking home four of each.
Following the Tiger blockbuster Ang Lee chose the Hulk another splendid adventure of superhuman power. With cadences of the decline and fall of every man, a tale of the dramatic change of a scientist into a green monster is an epic in itself. It is the ultimate split personality conflict of two individuals tied in genetically, forced to live together "but they want to destroy each other and themselves at the same time". In all his films Ang Lee reveals a keen interest in the human soul. "He moves seamlessly among the different genres, never repeats himself and can handle anything" says Marvel Studio's CEO Avi Arad. "With Crouching Tiger you saw that he could deliver something that was rich and epic in scale, but at the core what really made the movie successful was that you cared about the characters." Add to this mix, his sense of humour, his profound sensitivity for family dynamics, and his talent to highlight complex emotions, giving the film that reality/ fantasy factor which stretches our imagination and our trust. Lee exerts considerable effort examining the symbiotic relationship between the repressed Dr Banner and the raging monster that shares his skin. He has the ability to take a popular genre like the martial art film and approach it with intelligence in a perfect combination of pop culture and realistic drama. "....While by nature these elements do not want to get along, I try to mix them." The tale is told in this Homeresque grand Odyssey-like scale with stunning visuals and mind-blowing surreal filmmaking. "It is like walking a constant tightrope, and that's a thrill for me."
A psychodrama in the guise of an action movie, the story is about a scientist, Bruce Banner, played by a comparative newcomer Australian Eric Bana, who in a split-second heroic decision saves a life but absorbs a deadly dose of gamma radiation. At first it seems to leave him unscathed but the presence of a stranger within, is soon manifested. His quiet life as a brilliant researcher working with cutting edge technology conceals a nearly forgotten and painful past. His girlfriend Betty Ross played by Oscar-winner Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind), is the only one who understands the link between the scientist and the dangerous shadowy figure of the Hulk within him. Ross believes the Hulk is his father (Nick Nolte) lurking in the background of his subconscious.
To add to the visual splendour are the many layers of the panoramic city of San Francisco with its shimmering Golden Gate Bridge, its picturesque Oakland Bay beneath the green rolling hills of Northern California, all serving as an amazingly romantic backdrop to the breathtaking spectacle.
Would that we all possessed a great big omnipotent alter-ego to protect and defend us when needed. But who believes in jolly green giants in this day! As powerful as man has become, limitations remain. His will is weak, his temper uncertain, his life short. As we muse over our history of different men and different dreams, of things terrestrial and things celestial, we should be proud to have turned thoughts into acts, and turned dreams into realities. One dream has eluded us so far -- to turn the human into a superhuman!
