In reality, there's not much use for a secret identity. Sure, the guy in the witness protection program and the undercover cop who put him there might have an argument in favor, but for most of the world, we are who we are.
Still, there are times when we would all like to don a pair of glasses and, like Clark Kent, become someone new.
It's probably why the idea of a secret identity, a second persona slipped on and off like a comfortable coat, is so appealing to film fans. Be it the Lone Ranger hiding out behind his black mask or Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis donning heels and hose in Some Like It Hot, the invented persona, as a plot device, seems endlessly entertaining. Here are a few favorites:
WARNING: Some plot twists might be revealed below.
THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980): Not only is Darth Vader an Imperial baddy bedecked in black but it also seems he has a paternal claim on the star-hopping (or Skywalking) heroes of the Star Wars universe. One of the greatest revelations in film history, it elevated the early trilogy from Saturday morning serial to family melodrama with a sentence: "Luke, I am your father."
Bummer for the Skywalker clan, cool for the rest of us.
THE PRINCESS BRIDE (1987): It's understandable that a swashbuckler who goes by the name Dread Pirate Roberts might not want the fact that he's a farm boy named, of all things, Wesley, leaking out. Not only would it put a quick end to his lucrative booty business but it might also make the final sunset ending of this wry fairy tale a little less satisfying.
THE MARK OF ZORRO (1940): This early incarnation of Spanish noble Don Diego Vega and his black-clad alter ego Zorro is often cited as the fictitious inspiration who transformed a grieving Bruce Wayne into Batman. Clearly, there are parallels between the two characters. Although there's a real reverence for Zorro in the recent Antonio Banderas films, it's this classic, starring Tyrone Power as the man in black, that established, and maintains, the real magic of Zorro.
ROMAN HOLIDAY (1953): According to the movies, journalists can be a shifty lot. Clark Kent keeps a change of clothing beneath his button-up, but Gregory Peck's enterprising reporter in this romantic comedy finds life easier when his true identity is withheld. This timeless film features Mr. Peck and a young Audrey Hepburn as the princess who steals his heart.
THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO (1934): With a cinematic history that reaches back to the silent era, the classic tale of secret identity and revenge was most fully realized in the 1934 version starring Robert Donat as the vengeance-seeking "count." The film is beautifully shot and features the sort of practical stunts that made adventure movies from this era so appealing.
Reach Steven Uhles at (706) 823-3626 or steven.uhles@augustachronicle.com.
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