Reel Corner - July 2017

-The WONDER of WOMEN-

What woman wouldn’t want a Lasso of Truth?
Wonder Woman is one of those characters which are so iconic that the idea of her often outweighs the real thing. She’s got the crown, the Lasso of Truth, the bracelets, which ward off most dangers, the bustier and she is so damn strong. What woman wouldn’t want to be her? But there’s a lot more to her. With Wonder Woman showing in theaters, now is the perfect time to dive into her backstory.

1) William Moulton Marston, who created Wonder Woman, also invented the lie detector test. Lie detector tests appeared in early Wonder Woman stories, but more importantly, Wonder Woman’s Lasso of Truth was originally a type of lie detector—it compels those trapped in it to tell the truth.

2) Wonder Woman’s iconic bracelets were inspired by Marston’s domestic partner. After Olive Byrne moved in with Marston (they never married), she wore a bracelet on each wrist to symbolize their relationship. These bracelets became an important feature of the comic book heroine Wonder Woman.

3) In 1942, the National Organization for Decent Literature blacklisted Wonder Woman’s book Sensation Comics for not wearing enough clothes.

4) Wonder Woman was the first female member of the Justice Society, a precursor to the Justice League. Marston, however, did not write the Justice Society stories; a man named Gardner Fox did. Fox made Wonder Woman the secretary of the Society and always had her stay behind while the men flew off to fight the bad guys.

5) She was very nearly called Suprema. Editor Sheldon Mayer convinced Marston to just call her “Wonder Woman” instead.

6) The original Wonder Woman had pretty radical politics for her day. After World War II, Wonder Woman became much less powerful, but while Marston was in charge, he had her fight on behalf of striking textile workers and abused wives and families, who couldn’t afford milk for their children.

7) Dr. Psycho, one of Wonder Woman’s original nemeses, was inspired by a professor of Marston’s, who felt women shouldn’t be allowed to vote.

8) Wonder Woman’s homeland is an island where men aren’t allowed. Originally, this island was called—get ready—Paradise Island (it’s now called Themyscira). Diana’s mother, Hippolyta, brought the Amazons there after Hercules stole her magic girdle, and Aphrodite told them they would be safe as long as they wore bracelets and didn’t talk to men.

9) Wonder Woman covered the first issue of Ms. magazine. Radical feminists later attempted to use Gloria Steinem’s affection for Wonder Woman (a government operative herself) as evidence that she was a CIA operative, whose magazine was actually a capitalist attempt to destroy feminism from within.

10) Superman and Wonder Woman dated for a while in 2012. Wonder Woman’s traditional love interest is Steve Trevor, the army officer who crashes on Paradise Island/Themyscira and ruins the perfect matriarchal situation there, but in a 2012 issue of Justice League, Wonder Woman and Superman took things to the next level.

WONDER WOMAN
PG-13  |  Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright  |  Directed by Patty Jenkins
Before she was Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, Diana meets an American pilot (the incredibly handsome Chris Pine) who tells her about the massive conflict (WWI) that’s raging in the outside world. Convinced that she can stop the threat, Diana leaves her home for the first time. Fighting alongside men in a war to end all wars, she finally discovers her full powers and true destiny.
Wonder Woman is a beautifully directed superhero story, which digs into Diana’s transformation from naive warrior to inspiring hero.

Sources: NY Times; www.screenrant.com; www.imbd.com

Donne Paine, film enthusiast, once lived around the corner from the Orson Wells Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts where her strong interest in films, especially independent ones, began. Supporter of the arts­—especially films—she travels to local and national film festivals including Sundance, Toronto and Tribeca. There is nothing like seeing a film on the big screen. She encourages film goers to support Hilton Head local theaters—Coligny, Park Plaza and Northridge theaters. To support her habit of frequent movie going Donne is an executive recruiter and staff development consultant. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.