Jim Cliffe.Com - DC Super Heroes Interview

DC Super Heroes #16:

A TALE OF TOMORROW - By David Hontiveros

One of the inherent paradoxes in the life of a superhero is that his civilian identity (required so a certain healthy psychological balance is maintained) is structured on a bedrock of lies; its facade is exactly that, a mask woven from half-truths and deceit. And though all this is done for the greater good-- to protect the hero's loved ones, to ensure the hero can continue to fight the good fight without fear of compromise-- the base falsity of it is inescapable.

This is just one of the several points touched upon by Jim Cliffe in his masterful take on superhero mythology, Tomorrow's Memoir, a 27-minute short film which can also be seen as a skillfully-crafted look at the twilight of one of DC's icons.

Told in noirish voice-over, it's a melancholy tale of bitterness and regret, of the toll the life of the superhero can have on the individual, of the cost to one's self and soul.

Jim Cliffe graciously allowed himself to be interviewed for DC Heroes. Before you read this though, I really have to advise that you get on-line now, go to ifilm.com, and watch Tomorrow's Memoir.

DCSH: TM, much like M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable, approaches the superhero milieu in a realistic and grounded manner. How much realism do you think should be injected into a superhero story?

JC: I think there should be a fair amount of reality. We're asking the audience to believe in the character/story for the next two hours. If it's purely eye candy, a pop soundtrack with a shallow story and characters - it's pretty unsatisfying. Obviously some of those elements are important in a superhero film - for the studio and the movie itself - but it should have a healthy balance of all the necessary elements. And some reality that we as an audience can relate to is a very important factor.

DCSH: You seem to suggest in TM that the hero persona is the truth of the individual, while the civilian identity, though not precisely a lie, is at worst, a disguise, and at best, that part of himself he can give his loved one without having to be shared with the rest of the world. Is that a fair reading of the material?

JC: I'd say so. It would be a difficult thing to live those two very different lives, particularly when one is so extraordinary, and the other very low-key and intimate. You'd constantly be looking over your shoulder. You'd also have two sets of responsibilities that would often clash - one to the world, and the other to those you love.

DCSH: Though you never thought of TM as a "comic book fan film," that's generally the way it's looked upon now. How does that feel, given that that was never your original intent?

JC: Well, the original intent was to mislead the audience in what this mysterious character was all about until the very end - a superhero. In many ways, he's the classic, generic, stereotype superhero - not unlike Mr. Incredible - and I think there's some evidence to support that. At the same time, obviously other clues were created to steer a particular audience in another direction which has since definitely caught on.

I never thought of TM as a 'fan film' however, because of my own definition of what I've seen of other 'fan films'. I'd define a fan film as basically an all-out, unsanctioned, obvious use of an established character for one specific audience only - often using downloaded copy-written musical scores from the theatrical films themselves, their logos and trademarks, etc. Some of these shorts are very well done of course, but this was just never my intent. I wanted the film to have some fun coincidences that would work if you wanted to take the story in that specific direction - but still work for another audience unfamiliar with the subtle comic innuendos. The events in '63 and characters like Agent Wayne are not a part of any comic universe today for that matter - but certainly there are opportunities to connect the dots in an implied direction.

DCSH: Tomorrow's Memoir suggests Superman as the main protagonist of the piece. Is Superman one of your favorite comic book characters? What was it about the character that fascinated you as a child?

JC: Absolutely, he's a favorite. I was a young child when [Richard] Donner's film came out and it had a huge impact on me. My grandmother made my brother and I capes, and I also had the blue full-sleeved Superman shirt. I used to put on both and run around the yard. I really wanted to fly. I was also fascinated with the whole secret identity thing - this secret life that is way beyond cool, but you have to keep it to yourself.

I'll admit that once, without my mom knowing, I wore the cape and shirt under a sweater and pants to school one day in about first grade. Thankfully, I somehow pulled it off. At least, I think I did. I may not have fully recovered from that, otherwise. Superman was also my first introduction to superheroes in general.

DCSH: What is it about the character that continues to fascinate you as an adult?

JC: I like the history. Superman's so embedded in our culture that he's practically real. Everyone knows the story to some degree. They know Krypton. They know Smallville. They know Kryptonite. I mean, he made the cover of Time when he turned 50 in '88. His death in the '92 Doomsday series made global news. And besides that, who wouldn't want to fly?

DCSH: Is there another DC hero whose story you would like to tell (or suggest) in the short film format?

JC: Batman's definitely another favorite. I think there's a lot to explore cinematically that hasn't been fully realized. Although having said that, I think it's very unlikely that I'll make another superhero short.

But what I would always be interested in exploring in a superhero story is how one would find balance to lead a normal life - a balanced life that involves all the things that regular humans need and cope with in order to function - friendship, love, intimacy, mood swings, hobbies, downtime, career goals, etc. I like when writers raise these kinds of questions. I tried to touch on this a little with 'Tomorrow's Memoir'. There's also a hint that he may have obsessive compulsive tendencies that, from what I understand, affects 2-3 percent of the population.

DCSH: Name the best qualities each of these actors brought to their portrayal of Superman: Kirk Alyn, George Reeves, and Christopher Reeve.

JC: I've never actually seen the Kirk Alyn serials. I'd love to get my hands on those.

George Reeves was great, but admittedly I haven't seen too many. I think I need to get satellite. But going by the ones that I've seen, I really love the nostalgia that those episodes bring. When I watch them, I look past the poor effects and cliché characters and just enjoy the half-hour TV fantasy from a 50's perspective. George certainly had presence, and took the part seriously. For an entire generation he was Superman.

My friend and fellow animator Neil Hooson introduced me to the original Max Fleischer cartoons a few years back. Those are just incredible to watch. The stories, detail and realism of the animation itself is just amazing - especially considering the time they were made. I love those.

As far as Christopher Reeve, what can I say? To me - he was Superman. I grew up with him and he represented the epitome of how I see Supes. It's unfortunate that those movies went continually downhill, but the first was fantastic. I still watch it at least once a year. What Christopher brought to the role was sincerity in his performance. I loved his weak, bumbling approach to Clark Kent and his commanding strength as Superman.

He will be missed. And he'll be tough to beat on screen.

DCSH: Name your Top Three DC comic book stories.

JC: That's a good question. Off the top of my head, probably The Dark Knight Returns, Death in the Family, and The Death of Superman.

A Lonely Place for Dying was cool as well, introducing Tim Drake as the new Robin.

DCSH: What DC comics (if any) do you read at present?

JC: I used to be a pretty big collector, and I still have many bagged, full comic boxes. But I don't buy much anymore. I was really into all the Batman titles and collected them all. For whatever reason, I liked Shadow of the Bat and Legends of the Dark Knight. Some of the Tim Drake Robin mini-series were pretty cool. I also liked Man of Steel and the titles that followed Superman's re-birth - with the exception of his mullet.

DCSH: Who are the comic book writers whose work you admire?

JC: Alan Moore's great as well - A bit darker, more of an edge.

And Frank Miller, of course.

DCSH: Name the best 3 films you've seen recently.

JC: The Aviator. Hughes is such a fascinating character that you just couldn't create on your own - a more tragic Charles Foster Kane. Very epic and intriguing.

Collateral. I love Michael Mann and always appreciate his approach to story, mood, characters and camera. Cruise and Fox were both out of character and both equally fantastic.

Bubba Ho-Tep. Very fun movie. I'm an Elvis man. I thought it was both ridiculous and brilliant at the same time.

DCSH: With TM completed and garnering well-deserved attention, what's next for Jim Cliffe?

JC: At the moment I'm writing a feature script. It's a long process and a very complex story, but I'm very excited about it. I feel it's a pretty fresh concept and explores a subject that I've often pondered. I'm hoping to pitch it later this year. Other than that, I might do another short. My brother Jason's written a comedy that could be a lot of fun to do.

DCSH: And so we come to the end of our interview. We'd once again like to thank Jim Cliffe for taking the time out to answer our questions, and wish him all the best, particularly with his feature film pitch. Feel free to visit both jimcliffe.com, and tomorrowsmemoir.com, for more on Jim and his fantastic short film, Tomorrow's Memoir.