Luke Evans Rebecca Hall Bella Heath Connie Britton J. J. Field
Professor William Moulton Marston was an
unusual figure in the 1930’s; he was a psychologist, inventor (one product
being the forerunner of the current lie detector test), author of books on
psychology, and a comic book writer.
He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard, earning a B.A., L.L.B., and
Ph.D., then went on to further his education at American University, Tufts, and
Universal Studios in California.
The fact that he created the super-hero(ine) Wonder Woman may seem odd,
but she is based on his belief in the moral superiority of women, given that
men (as he saw it) are more anarchic and violent. To him, peace in the world rested on the leadership of women
whose allure of love would lead men into submission to loving authority. He said, “The only hope for
civilization is the greater freedom, development and equality of women in all
fields of human activity…Frankly, Wonder Woman is psychological propaganda for
the new type of woman who should, I believe, rule the world” (Jill Lepore, “The
Last Amazon: Wonder Woman
Returns”, The New Yorker, 9/22/14). Bravo!
Marston (played by Evans) was significantly
influenced by the principles of the suffragette movement at the time and by his
wife, Elizabeth (Hall), and Olive Byrne (Heath), a niece of the suffragette
Margaret Sanger. Elizabeth is very
frustrated, because she is not given tenure at Mt. Holyoke (sister school of
male only Harvard), simply because she is female. When Olive comes to work in the Marston’s laboratory, it is
apparent that Marston is attracted to her as well as to his wife, and although
Elizabeth is ambivalent at first, they eventually enter into a three-way
personal relationship.
The film focuses primarily on this period of
time, with the three main characters working through the complex
arrangement. Although some actual
biographical elements are included—such as Marston’s dismissal from academic
appointments, encouraging him to pursue comics with Universal Studios—and
Elizabeth supporting the family financially, while Olive becomes their four
children’s caretaker, we see mostly the relationships among the three main
characters.
Cuts are frequently made of Marston facing some
kind of “decency committee” headed by a children’s author, Josette Frank
(played by Connie Brittain), who is inserted into the drama by the filmmakers
to represent those who objected vociferously to aspects of the Wonder Woman
image—bondage, sexual allure, attire, large breasts, etc. These sessions are extremely
frustrating for Marston who uses reason and logic that don’t come through to a
religious woman with fundamental beliefs.
She was not alone, however, in that society in general forced the trio
to keep their true relationships quiet.
This would be my primary criticism of the
film—too much of a focus on sexual nonconformity with less emphasis on the
production of the Wonder Woman comic books and Marston’s work with Max Gaines
and his two companies that would eventually merge to form DC Comics. On its fiftieth anniversary, DC Comics
named Marston one of the Fifty Who Made
DC Great. This would have been
much more interesting to me than so much emphasis on unconventional
relationships that should remain personal. It was gratifying, however, to see how the arrangements
among the three were discussed beforehand, with all three voicing their
opinions.
Luke Evans embodies the complexities of the
Marston personality very well, and the two women are a match for him in this
regard, especially Rebecca Hall.
She keeps the dialog interesting with her ideas and snappy with her
humor.
An unconventional background story
showing how the superheroine Wonder Woman was carefully considered and based on
sound principles.
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