Paul Verhoeven’s Robojesus

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PAUL VERHOEVEN'S ROBOJESUS

K.W. Rayhert

I.I. Mechnikov Odessa National University

In the film `RoboCop' (1987) Paul Verhoeven offers conceptual metaphor `RoboCop as an American Jesus Christ of the future' (`RoboJesus') as is a part of the satire on the apocalyptic sentiments of the Americans in the 1980s of Ronald Reagan era: RoboCop literally is a savior shaped as a cybernetic policeman who must save good people from bad people (criminals). With the metaphor Paul Verhoeven points to the hybrid nature of Jesus Christ: in the New Testament mythology Jesus Christ is a hybrid of god and a human being; probably, in the future Jesus Christ will be able to be a hybrid of a human being and a machine, a cyborg.

Key words: cyborg, hybrid, police, religion, science fiction.

У кінофільмі «Робот-поліцейський» Пауль Верхувен пропонує концептуальну метафору «Робот-поліцейський як американський Ісус Христос майбутнього» («Робот-Ісус») як частину соціальної сатири на апокаліптичні настрої американців в епоху президента Рональда Рейгана в 1980-ті роки: Робот-поліцейський буквально є Спасителем, втіленим в образі кібернетичного поліцейського, який мусить рятувати добрих людей від поганих (злочинців). Цією метафорою Пауль Верхувен вказує на гібридну природу Ісуса Христа: у міфології Нового Завіту Ісус Христос - це гібрид бога та людини; можливо, у майбутньому Ісус Христос буде гібридом людини та машини, кіборгом.

В кинофильме «Робот-полицейский» (1987) Пауль Верхувен предлагает концептуальную метафору «Робот-полицейский как американский Иисус Христос будущего» (Робот-Иисус») как часть социальной сатиры на апокалиптические настроения американцев в эпоху правления президента Рональда Рейгана в 1980-е годы: Робот-полицейский буквально является Спасителем, воплощённым в образе кибернетического полицейского, который должен спасать хороший людей от плохих (преступников). С помощью этой метафоры Пауль Верхувен указывает на гибридную природу Иисуса Христа: в новозаветной мифологии Иисус Христос - это гибрид бога и человека; возможно, в будущем Иисус Христос предстанет как гибрид человека и машины, как киборг.

In the interview given in 2010 Dutch auteur Paul Verhoeven said: “The point of `RoboCop', of course, is that it is a Christ story. It is about a guy that gets crucified after 50 minutes, then is resurrected in the next 50 minutes and then is like the super-cop of the world, but is also a Jesus figure as he walks over water at the end” [5]. The stated by Paul Verhoeven thought sets certain interpretative framework of perusal of the plot of `RoboCop', and that perusal is not so obvious to ordinary audience. As usual, Paul Verhoeven's `RoboCop' is experienced and interpreted as a social satire or a social commentary or a social criticism - this moment has already become a trite trope in the critical reviews of Paul Verhoeven's `RoboCop' since the publication of the review written by authoritative American film critic Roger Ebert [2]. Actually, it is correct: `RoboCop' might be rightfully considered as a social satire or a social commentary or a social criticism made by director Paul Verhoeven and screenwriters Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner on the subject of the capitalistic culture of the United States of America. At the same time, Paul Verhoeven's vision gives rise to metaphor `RoboCop as American Jesus Christ of the future' - or in short: `RoboJesus'. This study will analyze metaphor `RoboCop as American Jesus Christ of the future' (`RoboJesus').

A lot of film critics saw in Paul Verhoeven's `RoboCop' (1987) the satire of the Reagan America with its growth of poverty and crimes and transfer of power to rich corporations. For instance, American film critic John Kenneth Muir wrote in his review of Paul Verhoeven's `RoboCop': “RoboCop was crafted in the mid- 1980s and it's important that we understand that history, that context, as we consider the film's satire. During that span, many big American cities were suffering. Crime was on the rise due to the crack cocaine epidemic. The crime rate peaked in the early 1990s. And government wasn't helping much to alleviate the suffering. Here are some statistics to back that up assertion: First, the budget for the Department of Housing and Urban Development was cut from 32.2 billion dollars in 1981 to 7.5 billion in 1987-1988, meaning that government aid was less available for the indigent. Secondly, the number of Americans living beneath the Federal poverty line rose from 24.5 million to over 32 million in the late eighties. Additionally, more than two million American citizens were homeless by the latter part of the decade. While the poor grew poorer, the rich grew richer, and often unethically so. Lest we forget, this was the era of Ivan Boesky, and Michael Milken, businessmen who stole millions of dollars through an unethical business practice: insider trading. In movies, these figures were synthesized as Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) in Oliver Stone's Wall Street (1987), a corporate raider who believed that “greed is good”. Meanwhile, the same politicians who cut budgets for social help programs in the 1980s cravenly exploited the average citizen's fear of increased violent crime to win high office, notably with the highly divisive (and highly-effective) Willie Horton TV advertisement in Campaign'88, which made note of a criminal African-American convict robbing, raping and killing a white woman during a prison furlough. First these candidates made life harder for the poor, and then they ran as “tough on crime” candidates, and imposed stiff sentences for first time drug offenders” [4].

All of these are there in Paul Verhoeven's `RoboCop'. Detroit has a high growing of unemployment, homelessness and especially number of crimes. Local television constantly reports about crimes. For example, it is reported that Clarence Boddicker killed 30 policemen. It plays right to the OCP hand. Megacorporation OCP offers to build a brand new city in the underprivileged areas of city, so called `Delta City', utopian city with no unemployment, homelessness and criminality. Since there is no hope of police (although OCP owns the Detroit's police, the policemen are going on strike) the organization men and engineers of OCP develop the project of robotic policemen. There is the remarkable scene in the movie that mocks nuts and bolts of mega-corporations: during the presentation of abilities of the first robotic policemen, so called `ED- 209', the robot shoots one of the employees of OCP to death; dead body of the killed employee, all in his blood, falls on the model of Delta City, in that way symbolizing the impracticability of the project of utopian city. The failure of ED- 209, the project of Vice-president Dick Jones, is made good use by executive director Robert Morton in a moment offering the President of OCP the project of `RoboCop' - and Morton succeeds. It is important that later Dick Jones strongly criticizes Robert Morton, citing the fact that, allegedly, OCP has already signed multibillion-dollar contracts with the US Department of Defense to supply ED- 209, and later - after the success of the project of `RoboCop' - sends Clarence Boddicker to kill Robert Morton, promising Clarence Boddicker a monopoly on the distribution of drugs in Delta City. Thus, the movie shows how megacorporations that concentrate power in their hands are connected with street crime and - in general - mega-corporation is nothing more than a form of organized crime.

The common desperate social situation in the United States of America released or intensified the apocalyptic grass-roots sentiments (sorry, but another big quotation): “America in the early span of the 1980s was enmeshed in a deep economic recession, locked in a Cold War with the Soviet Union, and our elected government saw Armageddon around every corner. On the campaign trail in 1980, candidate Ronald Reagan had noted (to televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Baker) that ours “might be the generation” that sees the Biblical Judgment Day. His belief was reinforced in a People Magazine interview in December 1983 when the Gipper noted that the eighties were “the first time in history” that so many Biblical prophecies were coming true. Even President Reagan's appointed Secretary of the Interior, James Watt, didn't believe the world was going to last. On February 5, 1981, he said that America's natural resources didn't necessarily have to be safeguarded by government because he did not know “how many more future generations” could be counted on before “the Lord Returns”. Again, these were elected government officials making claims about the pending end of the world. So throw in TV movies such as The Day After (1984), Reagan's joke about bombing Russia in “five minutes” and it is no wonder that America's pop culture (especially genre films) became virtually-obsessed with the End of Life as We Know it. It wasn't the Millennium yet, but the year 1999 wasn't that far away either, and many people wondered if humanity was going to make it to the next century. As a culture, we obsessed on death, on the end of civilization, on selfdestruction” [3]. The given quotations show the sentiments of the Americans in 1980s Ronald Reagan's era based on the issues of unemployment, homeless, economic crisis, and constant threat of atomic war. It is no wonder that the American cinematography reacted on the sentiments of the ordinary Americans with the apocalyptic plots, for example, in such films like John Carpenter's `The Thing' (1982), James Cameron's `The Terminator' (1984), Ivan Reitman's `Ghostbusters' (1984) or Paul Verhoeven's `RoboCop' (1987). In that historical situation the figure of Jesus Christ showed up naturally, and that figure was not the evangelical forgiving savior Jesus but Jesus from `The Book of Revelation' (`The Apocalypse of John') that describes the End of Days. This image of `Apocalyptic Jesus' in a symbolic aspect personifies in a number of films. For instance, in `The Terminator' the future savior of mankind from the `Robot Apocalypse' - John Connor has initials JC that are similar to the initials of Jesus Christ (JC). RoboCop is also Jesus, only RoboJesus. Literally he is a savior because he is a policeman who serves to save good people from bad people (criminals).

In Paul Verhoeven's film RoboCop is some kind of a moral authority who uses very violent means to protect average citizens. RoboCop used to be a human being, Irish (Roman) catholic, idealist and good family man Alexander James `Alex' Murphy (portrayed by Peter Weller). His idealistic views guided him to the police department of the Western district of Detroit where was the higher criminogenic situation. Together with his new partner, police Officer Anne Lewis (portrayed by Nancy Allen), he conflicted with the Clarence J. Boddicker's gang. Boddicker and his mates shot down Alex Murphy - this scene looks like a symbolic crucifixion referencing to the Christ nature of Alex Murphy. OCP took his almost living body and transformed Alex Murphy into the cyborg called `RoboCop'. This cyborg might be a substitute for the striking policemen and symbolizes utopic Delta city. According to the program embedded into the brain of ex-Alex Murphy RoboCop functionates as a police Officer.

Paul Verhoeven's film shows how RoboCop spectacularly and violently releases the hostages from the terrorist in the Detroit city hall, stops the shop robbery and saves the woman from the rapists.

In some way Paul Verhoeven offers an alternative variant of moving events after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The Gospels report that after his death on the cross Jesus resurrected, preached Kingdom of Heaven to his disciples (apostles) and ascended on the fortieth day. Paul Verhoeven emphasizes the violent death of Jesus (in this case - of RoboJesus). Within the Paul Verhoeven's interpretation resurrected Jesus keeps his traumatic memoirs of his own death that turns him into a vindictive entity making violence but not love for a neighbor. In other words, Paul Verhoeven shows what could be if the psychic trauma caused by the violent death on the cross prevailed over the Christian Jesus - maybe he decided to make just another genocide of mankind in the manner of the Old Testament

Christian Lord God. Not erased traumatized memoirs force RoboCop to investigate the death of Alex Murphy. He finds his murderers and sets the connection between Clarence J. Boddicker and Vice-president of OCP Dick Jones (portrayed by Ronnie Cox). It is possible that Dick Jones uses the Clarence J. Boddicker's gang to discredit the Detroit police in order to replace them with robotic policemen. RoboCop tries to arrest Dick Jones but the program embedded into his brain stops him. Dick Jones sends Clarence J. Boddicker and his gang mates to eliminate RoboCop (as a witness in some kind). RoboCop kills all of them.

Then he goes after Dick Jones. Now it is not the issue of revenge; it is a requital and punishment, a triumph of justice.

Why does Paul Verhoeven paint exactly this image of Jesus Christ? I suppose the following answer: in 1986 Paul Verhoeven joined to `Jesus Seminar', a group of the critical Biblical scholars and laymen [1]. This group is known for wanting to reconstruct the authentic historical figure of Jesus Christ. Paul Verhoeven planned to make a movie about real Jesus Christ but he could not find the financing of the budget of the movie. Eventually in 2008 Paul Verhoeven wrote book `Jezus van Nazaret' that represented Jesus Christ as a radical political activist (`Palestinian Ernesto “Che” Guevara') who was engaged in the Jewish rebellion against the Romans in the 1st century AD [6]. The image of Jesus the rebel is partly represented in RoboCop: RoboCop attempts to overkill one of his main directives that forbid him arresting or harming the heads of OCP in order to arrest Vice-president Dick Jones.

Starting from `Jesus Seminar' wanting to reconstruct the authentic historical figure of Jesus Christ Paul Verhoeven rejects the supernatural essence of mythological Christian Jesus and advances beyond, appealing to real and possible facilities of bioengineering. The Paul Verhoeven picturing of Jesus Christ as a cyborg, that is, a machine-human being hybrid, doesn't look like as something miraculous and supernatural but quite possible and probable. Paul Verhoeven's Jesus Christ as a cyborg unexpectedly points to a hybridity of Jesus Christ in the Christian mythology: Jesus Christ is a hybrid of god and human being, half-god and half-man, Godman. Paul Verhoeven reveals this hybrid nature of mythological Jesus Christ replacing the God's nature onto artificial, technical one. Moreover, representing Jesus Christ as a cyborg Paul Verhoeven tells us that in reality god does not create human being but human being creates god thereby he points out that in fact religion is just an invention of mankind. Thus, Paul Verhoeven's film is a criticism of religion.

Conclusions. Metaphor `RoboCop as American Jesus Christ of the future' (`RoboJesus') offered by Paul Verhoeven is a part of the satire on the apocalyptic sentiments of the Americans in 1980s Ronald Reagan era: RoboCop literally is a savior shaped as a cybernetic policeman who must save good people from bad people (criminals). RoboCop is a moral authority who uses very violent means to protect average citizens. With the metaphor Paul Verhoeven points to the hybrid nature of Jesus Christ: in the New Testament mythology Jesus Christ is a hybrid of god and human being; probably, in the future Jesus Christ will be able to be a hybrid of human being and machine, a cyborg. The Paul Verhoeven's picturing of Jesus Christ as RoboCop is an indication of human being as a founder of religion and god but not vice versa. Paul Verhoeven offers the alternative version of moving events after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ showing that resurrected and traumatized by his own death on the cross Jesus Christ wouldn't preach the Kingdom of Heaven coming or love to a neighbor but try to genocide all mankind in the style of the Old Testament God.

Paul Verhoeven's `RoboCop' (1987) is a case in point of how pop-culture intrudes into the domain of religious. Paul Verhoeven's movie shows how the popular image of cyborg can be applied to the religious or historical image of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, Paul Verhoeven's movie points out that basically there are no limits for conceptualization of the image of Jesus Christ through the images of pop-culture: if it's allowable to imagine Jesus Christ as a cyborg than it's allowable to imagine him as a rebel (terrorist or revolutionary) or as a living dead (zombie or even vampire) or as a necromancer (warlock or magicians) etc.

robocop pop culture

REFERENCES

1. Craig Detweiler Reviews Paul Verhoeven's “Jesus of Nazareth” [Electronic Resource] - Mode Access: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/takeandread/ 2010/07/craig-detweiler-reviews-paul-verhoevens-jesus-of-nazareth/

2. Ebert R. Robocop / Roger Ebert. - [Electronic Resource] - Mode Access: http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/robocop-1987 (accessed 31.05.2017)

3. Muir J.K. Cult-Movie Review: Highlander (1986) / John Kenneth Muir. - [Electronic Resource] - Mode Access: http://reflectionsonfilmandtelevision .blogspot.com/2010/04/cult-movie-review-highlander-1986.html

4. Muir J.K. Cult-Movie Review: RoboCop (1987) / John Kenneth Muir. - [Electronic Resource] - Mode Access: http://reflectionsonfilmandtelevision .blogspot.com/2015/01/cult-movie-review-robocop-1987.html

5. Rosenberg A. EXCLUSIVE: Paul Verhoeven Calls RoboCop 'The American Jesus,' Is Unexcited By Remake Plans / Adam Rosenberg. - [Electronic Resourse] - Mode Access: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2010/04/14/paul- verhoeven-robocop-christ-story-remake-update/ (accessed 31.05.2017)

6. Verhoeven P., Van Scheers R. Jezus Van Nazaret een realistisch portret / Paul Verhoeven, Rob Van Scheers. - Amsterdam, 2008. - 287 p.

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