BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE

AMAZING GRACE

Cut to outside, looking at the farm from above the field of corn. The guests and Martha are following the horse-drawn carriage carrying Clark’s body towards the cornfield, concluding the horse motif by leading Clark’s funeral. Ahead of the horses marches a piper playing Amazing Grace on his bagpipes.

Low-angle wide shot of the hill as the procession enters the field, possibly foreshadowed by the brigade of soldiers on their horses in Nairomi. This shot is a likely reference to the Akira Kurosawa Japanese historical epic Seven Samurai (1954), which served as one of Snyder’s inspirations on Justice League. The shot resembles a similar wide shot of hills where a group of bandits on horseback approach over the horizon, from the tail end of the funeral scene for Heihachi Hayashida, a kindly and charming moral centre among the titular seven warriors who gave his life to save others. The comparison here is obvious.

It is also a possible reference to the Dance Macabre from the ending of Ingmar Bergman’s famous Swedish film The Seventh Seal (1957), where the protagonist and his companions hold hands as Death drags them away with his scythe and hourglass, which were seen in Zack Snyder’s depiction of his five-film plan, so it may also be foreshadowing to uncertain future events involving Superman. The Seventh Seal may even have been referencing Seven Samurai with this shot.

Bagpipes continue. Low-angle shot on an M101 Howitzer cannon firing in slow-motion, exuding a jet of fire and smoke. Its muffled boom transitions to the roar of a jet engine.

Low-angle shot of the cloudy sky as a squadron of five Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets flies above. Pan down to see a far more extravagant military funeral marching ahead into Arlington National Cemetery, watched by the mourning public behind barricades. The squadron performs the missing man formation, whereby one jet breaks from the wing to represent the absence of the deceased. This aerial salute is performed at funerals and memorial events. As we descend beside the procession, Superman’s coffin comes into view, wrapped in the flag of the United States.

“Also, in both funerals, the official and unofficial horses lead the way.”

Zack Snyder, Vero

Behind the Scene

Among the bagpipe players in the Washington procession is Tyler Mulville, who tweeted this image on the film’s sixth anniversary.

Bagpipes continue. Crane shot over the cornfield, watching the Smallville funeral move through a path between the stalks. Ascend to see the cemetery in the distance beyond the field. This shot has similar symmetry to the first shot of the film, likely one of many visual ties between the two scenes.

Shoulder shot behind Martha and Lois following the carriage, arms locked together.

Reverse shot affixed to the interior of the carriage beside the coffin, showing us Martha looks utterly miserable.

Bagpipes continue. Cut to another M101 Howitzer in Washington as an officer in the background signals in slow-motion, and the cannon fires off another round.

Side shot to see the multitude of cannons having done the same. Amazing Grace continues.

Normal speed. Dolly right across the faces of saluting officers and sombre onlookers viewing the Washington funeral, all looking sad in mourning of the fallen Superman.

Side shot on Carrie Farris and Calvin Swanwick walking in the parade, the blurred onlookers passing by in the background with the Potomac River beyond.

Bagpipes continue. Shoulder shot close-up on the Smallville piper’s bagpipes.

Wide shot of the procession entering the cemetery through some trees, moving left across the scene.

Waist-level shot on Superman’s black coffin in Washington as the officers lift the US flag over it, stretching it out between them. This display is performed often for military funerals and was also seen in Zack Snyder’s Watchmen (2009) during the Comedian’s funeral, possibly making it a reference.

Low-angle shot on three Howitzers, now slow-motion. The furthest left fires off a third a final round. This scene, tying back to the murder of the Waynes, almost certainly uses a third shot to represent the third death of the cyclical dual-funeral opening and ending of the movie. Two shots for the Waynes, one one more for Superman.

Elevating waist-level shot between the officers over Superman’s coffin, folding the red-white-and-blue flag in their hands in ceremonial tradition.

Top-down shot on Superman’s coffin. The officers step aside, moving the folded flag to reveal the silver Superman shield emblazoned on the shiny black surface, foreshadowing Superman’s return in a black and silver version of his suit for Zack Snyder’s Justice League.

Waist-level shot above the coffin to see Calvin being handed the folded flag. The officer before him steps back and salutes, yet Calvin remains stoic as the others turn and march away. Push on Calvin beside Farris, turning to watch the event proceed, respectfully treasuring the flag in his gloves.

Slow-motion ground-level shot on a cannon shell hitting the gravel, which Snyder confirmed parallels the imagery of the falling bullet casing when Thomas and Martha Wayne were murdered. As the shell falls, we hear Father Leone say, “The dead shall live,” as if confirming the foreshadowing of Superman’s resurrection, or referencing how Superman’s sacrifice resurrected the innocent Bruce Wayne who fell with his parents all those years ago.

SCENE OVERVIEW

Twin funeral processions are held in Smallville and Washington, one a lavish national ceremony honouring the symbol of Superman, the other a humble country tradition honouring the man underneath.

SCENE ANALYSIS

The sequence in Washington is a reference to President John F Kennedy’s funeral procession, and the last of our JFK references. The Smallville funeral was inspired by the funeral of the wife of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. It is not clear who specifically.

“Some of the Washington funeral, of course, is based on the JFK funeral, and [the Smallville funeral] was based on the funeral of Frank Lloyd Wright’s wife.”

Zack Snyder, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Director’s Commentary, 2021, 2:45:40

Note the contrast here. Superman has two funerals, but the coffin being carried in Washington is empty. What the world sees in Superman is merely an image of a god-like messiah. The real Superman is the kindly farmer from Kansas who is buried beside his father. The real Superman is a humble man with a humble funeral.

This scene, partly due to the expanded IMAX format, has an occasional “vignette” effect. The inconsistency of this effect suggests that it was unintentional, as the black corners of the frame were most likely never meant to be seen in the expanded aspect ratio. However, the resulting image — especially during the Smallville funeral sequences — has an especially “artsy” quality, an almost “old world” feel adding another layer of visual character to Clark Kent’s hometown. It looks and feels like a much older movie.

Musical analysis coming soon.

BEHIND THE SCENES

Superman’s Washington funeral in Arlington Cemetery was partly filmed near the location used for LexCorp, 2011 Centerpoint Parkway, Pontiac, Michigan. In recreating Arlington, real Howitzers were used for the scene. The sequence was shot in June or July 2014 when the crew were filming in Pontiac. To maintain the secrecy of Superman’s death, the extras filming the scene were told that it was the president’s funeral, and Henry Cavill was brought to the set dressed as Clark Kent, as if covering the event. The deception proved effective when one anonymous extra leaked details of the scene to Superman Homepage with no mention of Superman’s death, and even noted Henry Cavill on set.

“We also built the cemetery on the hill there. You’ll see at the end of the movie there’s a shot of the General saluting on this monument, and the hill with the stones on it, that was all done on just on this grassy hill on the back of that industrial park.”

Zack Snyder, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Director’s Commentary, 1:22:27

“When we did the Howitzers, we had gone to Arlington to see the real ones and how they fired them, and it was really moving and amazing. I had asked to use real Howitzers because they use these ceremonial ones that are amazing and they certainly honour the people that they are being fired for, but I think for the movie I was like, let’s use real Howitzers. I didn’t realise what I was asking for, because when you fire those things, it’s legit. It’s incredible.”

Zack Snyder, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Director’s Commentary, 2021, 2:46:11

Smallville cemetery was shot at NaAuSay Cemetery, 8280 Grove Road, Yorkville, Illinois. It is only a short walk from the Kent Farm location. The site was confirmed for filming in December 2013. The sequences were shot on the 3rd and 4th of November 2014. Base camp was set up at the Whitetail Ridge Golf Club during filming. While there, set costumer Kate Abraham posted this photo of the funeral horses on the 3rd. The next day, set photographer Clay Enos photographed this atmospheric tree and director of photography Larry Fong recorded Snyder throwing corn at his camera. Heather Westmoreland took photos of the filming and tents while WaJaWanKenobi and Luis Gomez got video footage. Even Ben Affleck was sighted at the set, the first hints that Superman would die. At the time, one resident claimed she was unable to reach her local polling place to cast her vote on election day due to road closures for filming.

“The cool thing about the actual cemetery here is, if you look in the distance, the actual Kent farm is right… Well, it would be screen left. 500 yards away you can see it. In BvS when we walked from the Kent farm and they took the wagon through the cornfields, you do the real walk from the Kent farm to the cemetery, so for all of us on the crew, and having been through these sequences, it was cool to go back to the Kent farm and then do that walk with Superman. It was very emotional for all of us.”

Zack Snyder, Man of Steel Watch Party, 20 May 2020

Presumably in the Winter of late 2013 or early 2014, the crew conducted a handheld IMAX camera test for viability with Amy Adams in the snow, likely intended to resemble the funeral sequence considering Adams’ attire. Larry Fong has two photos of the test.