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Wednesday, August 10, 2016

US Flag in Swamp Thing 1982


The US Flag appears in the cult classic movie Swamp Thing 1982.  When the helicopter lands in the swamp the pilot just happens to be wearing a US flag sticker on his helmet. 

Swamp Thing is a cult classic for several reasons.  It is the last of the great Man-in-Rubber-Suit B-movies.  More than just a monster fighting the people, this monster is ugly and also beautiful.  He or it, is the anti-hero who lives off an echo of love, to protect the ones who had shown kindness.  A hero that repays kindness with strength, a very strange exchange these days.

Swamp Thing has that 1950s sci-fi feel, and even has a learning lecture at the audience.  In the movie the lead scientist tells his new security agent that the ugly swamp is actually very beautiful, if you look closely.  He later compares the human body on a cellular level as an ugly swamp itself, working in harmony with the environment creating life.  True, since in many ways the swampy cellular nature of tissues and ugly guts connects itself in an almost magical and mysterious way. So never forget that your body too is an amazing, poweful, beautiful, and mysterious swampy environment of cells and materials that can bring healing into this world.  Here Swamp Thing is using swamp powers to heal an injured boy.

One of the major themes spoken and effectively presented in this film is that beauty can be found anywhere if you look hard enough.  You could reboot this movie, but hopefully the themes of love and beauty don't get lost.  It'd be nice to see one more Man-in-a-Rubber-Suit movie, without CGI. 




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