The Politics of "Super Mario Bros."

[Serum]

With election day just a few months away, I thought now would be a good time to bring up the political themes of "Super Mario Bros."

In the games, Koopa is referred to as a "King," however, in his portrayal by Dennis Hopper (a lifetime Republican) he is "President Koopa." Now, we know little about Koopa's rise to power, other than that it was brief and violent. He overthrew the King and Queen of the Mushroom Kingdom and rebuilt the city in his image. According to various sources and things I have read, there are scenes that were cut out of the film where when Koopa is chasing Daisy around 1973 Brooklyn, he looks around at the urban milieu and becomes inspired to build his own World Trade Center and other various projects that parallel the mammal's dimension.

This could be a comment on capitalism, or even communism, which is slightly closer to the state that the Mushroom Kingdom is in by the time the Mario Brothers finally arrive there. The way I see it, it's a "democratic communist state," not unlike Hong Kong, where the rich stay rich and the poor are left to suffer in high-tech squalor.

Could they have been saying that by Koopa becoming the "President" he overthrew a peaceful monarchy (socialist?) and capitalized on it so much that he became in essence a very Nixon-esque villain? As we all know, Richard Nixon was trying to modify the United States Constitution so he could be re-elected over and over again and basically become president for life-- something Koopa seems to have accomplished in a mere twenty years between the opening scene of the movie and the first time we meet the Marios.

Now, I don't know anything about Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel's personal beliefs, but I believe Annabel is British, as were some of the writers of the earlier scripts, which had strong political undertones. Could it be that in 1992, when George H.W. Bush was president they were trying to make a comment on the so-called corruption of the war in the Middle East which parallels Koopa's desire to invade the human dimension and overthrow the mammals, much as we have overthrown the government of Iraq?

As far as Mario goes, here's what Bob Hoskins has to say about politics...

In a recent interview for The Guardian, Hoskins spoke of his regret at appearing in the film Super Mario Bros., which at the time received mixed reviews. When asked which individual he most despised, Hoskins said former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, stating that "he's done even more damage than Thatcher".

...Could Mario represent an almost "V" like liberator? A terrorist with a heart of gold? A revolutionary? And what does Luigi represent in all of this, but the innocence of the children who are caught in the middle of a political nightmare. Daisy represents the last hope between peace and tyranny and Toad is the conspiracy theorist who knows the truth behind the lies. Maybe I'm digging too deep, or maybe there's more to the movie than meets the eye...

[1upmushroom]

From what I remember there was supposedly a deleted scene which featured Koopa and political marketing advisor. Apparently, the entire scene revealed that the public would get to vote different "sides" of Koopa but would still end up voting for Koopa. Though that's just a vague that possibly isn't real.

Though, it is a nice piece of political satire, no?

[Serum]

From what I remember there was supposedly a deleted scene which featured Koopa and political marketing advisor. Apparently, the entire scene revealed that the public would get to vote different "sides" of Koopa but would still end up voting for Koopa. Though that's just a vague that possibly isn't real.

I always thought that the script was implying that those different sides of Koopa were parts of a multiple personality disorder. Or, they could be a comment on the fact that no matter who you vote for, you're screwed.

[1upmushroom]

Maybe a jab at hinduism with multiple personalities of the same god which is there to fool you into beleiving it's a polythesistic religion?

Or maybe I'm just reading too much into that.

[Redstar]

Could they have been saying that by Koopa becoming the "President" he overthrew a peaceful monarchy (socialist?) and capitalized on it so much that he became in essence a very Nixon-esque villain? As we all know, Richard Nixon was trying to modify the United States Constitution so he could be re-elected over and over again and basically become president for life-- something Koopa seems to have accomplished in a mere twenty years between the opening scene of the movie and the first time we meet the Marios.

You know what, I think you're very accurate in this particular examination. Not too long ago David L. Snyder provided us with set photos that haven't been seen before, including different parts of Brooklyn that would have presumably been seen during Koopa's extended chase sequence. In one of these photos you can plainly see campaign posters for Nixon.

From what I remember there was supposedly a deleted scene which featured Koopa and political marketing advisor. Apparently, the entire scene revealed that the public would get to vote different "sides" of Koopa but would still end up voting for Koopa. Though that's just a vague that possibly isn't real.

This was indeed a running theme in the earlier scripts in which citizens could "vote" for different persona of Koopa who would inevitably rule the same regardless. The scene you mention may or may not have been filmed, though in the end it seems like one of the few examples of cut footage that truly was unnecessary.

[Serum]

This was indeed a running theme in the earlier scripts in which citizens could "vote" for different persona of Koopa who would inevitably rule the same regardless. The scene you mention may or may not have been filmed, though in the end it seems like one of the few examples of cut footage that truly was unnecessary.

It is strange that they would keep the multiple sides of Koopa if they didn't intend to use it as a plot device in the film itself, which to me implies that there might have been a very brief scene somewhere in the original cut that explained it, presumably by Toad.

[1upmushroom]

You know, I actually never thought about all this political subtext before. I can see why Bob Hoskins and Dennis Hopper were lured into the project in the first place.

[Redstar]

You know, I actually never thought about all this political subtext before. I can see why Bob Hoskins and Dennis Hopper were lured into the project in the first place.

The Dick Clement & Ian la Frenais script was all about politics. Rocky and Annabel, being British, were very passionate about government and had quite a lot to say about both democracy and monarchy and how either could easily turn towards fascism. I'd highly recommend giving their take a read.

The film as it stands cut the political theme down until it was nothing more than implication in setting.

[Serum]

The Dick Clement & Ian la Frenais script was all about politics. Rocky and Annabel, being British, were very passionate about government and had quite a lot to say about both democracy and monarchy and how either could easily turn towards fascism. I'd highly recommend giving their take a read.

If I'm not mistaken Dick Clement and Ian la Francis were writers for some of the "Monty Python" sketches, were they not? We all know that John Cleese is a very political person.

[Prime Evil]

As we all know, Richard Nixon was trying to modify the United States Constitution so he could be re-elected over and over again and basically become president for life-- something Koopa seems to have accomplished in a mere twenty years between the opening scene of the movie and the first time we meet the Marios.

Could we get a source on that one, please? Sounds chilling, and it would be an unsettling precedent...