Musical Geopolitics: Masculinity, Nationhood, and the Scoring of Superman (1978–2006)

Abstract

This article explores the potential for the field of popular geopolitics of close attention to the form and structure of instrumental film music. Specifically, it analyses the film scores for Superman (1978) and Superman Returns (2006), showing how these, in conjunction with the films' visual components, communicate a series of geopolitical logics and ideas about gender and nationhood. In so doing, this article extends existing concerns in popular geopolitics with music, principally lyrical popular music, contributing to a new research agenda that offers detailed readings of musical scores and notation, informed by semiotic perspectives. It advocates an interdisciplinary approach to the analysis of film music, drawing on research in the rich and expanding field of film music studies. It supplements the close reading of the scores here with an analysis of audience reviews.

Landings: The moor and the ecological therapeutic practice of Richard Skelton

“…The intersection of music and geography has continued to evolve. Kirby (2019) and Kirby (2023) considers the geopolitics of instrumental music, emphasising its importance in conveying geopolitical concepts. Marshall (2011) explores the deep connection between British composers and the landscapes they were associated with, emphasising the profound influence of birthplaces or where composers had chosen to live.…”