The score earned John Williams an Academy Award nomination, but he lost to Giorgio Moroder's score for Midnight Express. The first segment, set on Krypton, is meant to be typical of science fiction films, but also lays the groundwork for an analogy that emerges in the relationship between Jor-El and Kal-El. This version was re-released to video in 1986. Later, he is unable to convince the Kryptonian elders about Krypton's impending doom and promises them that neither he nor his wife, Lara, will attempt to leave the planet. Batman 1.3. This deal was consummated primarily on the basis that the film would potentially star Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman, two of the biggest marquee names of the mid-seventies — but in the early days of the project's development, no one was actually sure as to what part either actor would play. [17] Shuster was "delighted to see Superman on the screen. "[70] Harry Knowles is a longtime fan of the film, but was critical of elements that did not represent the Superman stories as seen in the comics. The deal agreed upon was that Newman and Benton would write a first draft and then a revised draft, and if subsequent revisions were deemed necessary, David's wife Leslie Newman would assist her husband with further rewrites. [citation needed] In 2007, the Visual Effects Society listed Superman as the 44th-most influential use of visual effects of all time. Model effects were designed, directed and supervised by Thunderbirds stalwart Derek Meddings. But as Jonathan Kent reminds him, Clark was put on Earth "for a reason... (and) it's not to score touchdowns." However, WB issued the theatrical cut for the first time on DVD as part of the studio's 14-disc box set, The Ultimate Superman Collection, on November 28 2006. This so-called "Salkind International Edit" runs 188 minutes. in 1979, although the song did not appear on the film soundtrack. [13][19] Kris Kristofferson and Charles Bronson were also considered for the title role. Lois Lane (First appearance) 5. "[67] Gary Arnold of The Washington Post wrote in a positive review, "Despite a lull here and a lapse there, this superproduction turns out to be prodigiously inventive and enjoyable, doubly blessed by sophisticated illusionists behind the cameras and a brilliant new stellar personality in front of the cameras—Christopher Reeve, a young actor at once handsome and astute enough to rationalize the preposterous fancy of a comic-book superhero in the flesh. He displays one of his powers, X-ray vision, when he warns her about the dangers of tobacco, but reassures her there is still time to quit as he sees she has healthy lungs. The original climax for Superman II had General Zod, Ursa, and Non destroying the planet, with Superman time traveling to fix the damage. After Jonathan's death from a heart attack, 18-year-old Clark hears a psychic "call" and discovers a glowing green crystal in the remains of his spacecraft. Perhaps most heartening of all, however, is the message at the end of the credits announcing the impending arrival of Superman II. Through the popularity of his Superman alter ego, the personality, concept, and name of Clark Kent have become ingrained in popular culture as well, becoming synonymous with secret identities and innocuous fronts for ulterior moti… Vera Webster (Single appearance) (Apparent Death) 3. The visual effects were also praised for their believability in contrast to those of previous low-budget productions of a similar genre. The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists: In December 2017, the film was selected for preservation by the United States Library of Congress National Film Registry, for being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant". Reeve went from 188 to 212 pounds during pre-production and filming. Clark returns to civilization, arriving in the city of Metropolis, although now attired in a brown suit and horn-rimmed glasses. Explore Wikis; Community Central; Start a Wiki; Search This wiki This wiki All wikis | Sign In Don't have an account? Luthor intends to cause a major earthquake in California by using the missiles, one of which he has programmed to hit the San Andreas Fault. Since Hackman still wouldn't shave his head (with the exception of one scene at the end where he wore a skull cap), screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz devised the notion of Luthor wearing several different wigs throughout the film. Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut also was released in 2006. While, by contract, Richard Donner had major editorial control over what was theatrically released, the Salkinds had editorial control on what was shown outside of theaters. "[80] It was followed by a box set release in the same month, containing "bare bones" editions of Superman II, Superman III, and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. Superman II is a 1980 superhero film directed by Richard Lester and written by Mario Puzo and David and Leslie Newman from a story by Puzo based on the DC Comics character Superman. Thau determined that some of the extra footage could not be added because of poor visual effects. [9] Groundbreaking in its use of special effects and science fiction/fantasy storytelling, the film's legacy presaged the mainstream popularity of Hollywood's superhero film franchises. They decide to raise him as their own, naming him Clark after Martha's maiden name. Brad Wilson (Final appearance) 2. Meanwhile, John Williams added to his string of kudos for his score, which critics noted helped give an essential mythic grandeur to the story and character. The thin wires used to suspend Reeve were typically removed from the film in post-production using rotoscope techniques, although this wasn't necessary in all shots (in certain lighting conditions or when Superman is very distant in the frame, the wires were more or less imperceptible). Clark becomes immediately infatuated with Lois, but is unable to properly gain her affection while in the bumbling guise of Clark Kent. [8], Just as little is known about Jesus during his middle years, Clark travels into the wilderness to find out who he is and what he has to do. [13][19], Ilya wanted to hire Steven Spielberg to direct, but Alexander was skeptical, feeling it was best to "wait until [Spielberg's] big fish opens." [21][35], New York City doubled for Metropolis, while the New York Daily News Building served as the location for the offices of the Daily Planet. The story begins when the pl… [61] Ebert placed the film on his ten best list of 1978. "[26] Mankiewicz conceived having each Kryptonian family wear a crest resembling a different letter, justifying the 'S' on Superman's costume. This was the source of the Warner Archive Collection Blu-Ray release of what would officially be called the "Superman: The Movie Extended Cut", issued on October 3, 2017. Superman is a movie that was played as a double feature with the film Batman in Central City. The result was a very clear and intense photographic reproduction of both the actors and the background plate, with far less image deterioration or lighting problems than occur with rear projection. [4] Superman was the highest-grossing film of 1978 in North America, and became the sixth-highest-grossing film of all time after its theatrical run. A particular example of this influence is John Williams' main title composition, which is often played and parodied in movies and other popular media referring to superheroes or superstar athletes. Disobeying his father, Superman flies around the Earth until he is moving faster than the speed of light, thus traveling back in time. Featured Characters: 1. John Barry served as production designer, while Stuart Craig and Norman Reynolds worked as art directors. Jor-El had tried many times to convince the bureaucratic Kryptonian Council that they needed to create an escape progr… At the funeral of Jonathan Kent, Clark feels guilty for not knowing what to do (despite the sudden quickness of the death), lamenting "all that power and I could not save him!". Aquaman 1.2. This extended cut, which would be utilized for worldwide television distribution, reincorporated some 45 minutes of footage and music deleted from the theatrical cut. [8], The Christian imagery in the Reeve films has provoked comment on the Jewish origins of Superman. Chris did a good job but it caused tension between us. 1 History 2 Crew 3 Cast 4 Appearances 4.1 The Flash 5 Behind the scenes The movie Superman was released sometime before 1990 and was directed by Richard Donner and presented by Alexander Salkind. Superman Returns recreated the shot with lead actor Brandon Routh. Lex Luthor 3.1. Arnold, Gary (December 15, 1978). [46], Superman is divided into three basic sections, each having a distinct theme and visual style. Labs for analysis. Benton became too busy directing The Late Show, so David's wife Leslie was brought in to help her husband finish writing duties. Also, Donner selected eight of the 45-plus minutes that had been used for the television release to be incorporated into this new cut. This is especially evident with the opening credits, Fortress of Solitude, musical references and even the use of Marlon Brando as Jor-El. "[26] Kidder, who portrayed Lois Lane, was dissatisfied by the producers' decision,[35] and also criticized the Salkinds during publicity. "[33] Jeff East portrays teenage Clark Kent. The Golden Gate Bridge scale model stood 70 feet long and 20 feet wide. [citation needed], Because Superman went into production prior to the releases of Star Wars (May 1977) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (November 1977), some observers credit the three films collectively for launching the reemergence of a large market for science fiction films The release included making-of documentaries directed by Thau and eight minutes of restored footage. Knowing he always keeps his word, Teschmacher helps Superman on the condition he will stop the eastbound missile first. Williams conducted the London Symphony Orchestra to record the soundtrack. The father-and-son producing team of Alexander and Ilya Salkind had enjoyed some success with European-based productions, and along with their long-time partner, producer Pierre Spengler, signed a negative pickup deal with Warners, under which they themselves would assume responsibility for fronting the production costs. Lois Lane 4. After Jor-El discovered that the planet was doomed to destruction, he attempted to escape with his family into the Phantom Zone but was repelled by the criminals who had been imprisoned there. [23], Their script was submitted in July 1976,[15] and carried a camp tone, including a cameo appearance by Telly Savalas as his Kojak character. Martha Kent states, "All these years how we've prayed and prayed that the good Lord would see fit to give us a child", which was compared to the Virgin Mary. The Fortress of Solitude was constructed at Shepperton Studios and at Pinewood's 007 Stage. Donner, Tom Mankiewicz and Ilya Salkind have commented on the use of Christian references to discuss the themes of Superman. In the end, Donner kept coming back to Reeve, who had only one other cinematic role (a supporting role in the 1978 disaster film Gray Lady Down) and a television appearance in the soap opera Love of Life to his credit. In the words of Warner Bros. President Alan F. Horn, "I thought Superman Returns (2006) was a very successful movie, but I think it should have done $500 million worldwide. Now I'm telling you not to, but you'll probably do it and end up telling the next guy.' Lara El 3. It is best when it takes itself seriously, worst when it takes the easy way out in giggly camp. He applied 3 to 4 hours of prosthetic makeup daily to facially resemble Reeve. However, in this case, most of the simultaneously-shot footage was reportedly scrapped when Richard Lester was brought in to finish Superman II. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Superman: Red Son is a 2020 American direct-to-video animated superhero film focusing on the DC Comics character Superman, and the 37th installment in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies series. The film would not be available in an uncompressed form until 1983, when Warner Bros. finally issued such a version on home video. The story begins when the planet Krypton is in danger of imminent destruction. In an interview with the Daily Planet’s ace reporter Lois Lane, Superman presents the rocket that brought him to Earth from Krypton and its bir… [63] Gene Siskel gave the film three stars out of four, calling it "a delightful mess. The Fortress of Solitude was a combination of a full-scale set and matte paintings. Instead, the camera would use a mixture of long zoom-ins and zoom-outs and dolly in/dolly outs to cause him to become larger or smaller in the frame. Superman Wiki. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a 2016 American superhero film based on the DC Comics characters Batman and Superman. Comic book writer Mark Millar planned a trilogy of films, running to eight hours, which would chronicle the life story of Superman. When Michael Thau and Warner Home Video started working on a film restoration in 2000, only eight minutes of the added footage that had been used in the TV cut could be considered restored into a version that director Richard Donner now calls his preferred version of the film. Reeve steadfastly refused to wear a padded suit and undertook a strenuous exercise regimen under British bodybuilder David Prowse, who would soon become famous for playing the physical form of Darth Vader in Star Wars. [18] Alyn and Neill portrayed Superman and Lois Lane in the film serials Superman (1948) and Atom Man vs. Superman (1950), and were the first actors to portray the characters onscreen in a live-action format. A technique was developed that combined the front projection effect with specially designed zoom lenses. [35], According to Rotten Tomatoes, 94% of 68 critics gave Superman a positive review, with an average rating of 8.08/10. Ursa (Final appearance; dies) 7. Superman received a "Special Achievement" Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, in one of the years when there was no such competition for the award. [52] In the week of December 22–28, it set an all-time U.S. weekly record of $18,517,515. [35] Salkind felt that bringing a second director onto the set meant there would be someone ready in the event that Donner could not fulfill his directing duties. : The Return of Black Adam, https://superman.fandom.com/wiki/Superman:_The_Movie?oldid=33562. The joint production of Superman and Superman II would mark the first time this process was used intentionally. Prowse also auditioned for Non. Thau felt "the pace of the film's storyline would be adversely affected [and there were] timing problems matching [footage] with John Williams' musical score, etc… The cut of the movie shown on KCOP was put together to make the movie longer when shown on TV as the Television Station paid per minute to air the movie. It received praise for Reeve's performance and John Williams' musical score,[8] and was nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Film Editing, Best Music (Original Score), and Best Sound, and received a Special Achievement Academy Award for Visual Effects. Hackman responded, "You mean. [79] Director Donner also assisted, working slightly over a year on the project. Stuart Freeborn was the make-up artist, while Barry, David Tomblin, John Glen, David Lane, Robert Lynn and an uncredited Peter Duffell and André de Toth[34] directed second unit scenes. However, Superman effects an escape with the help of Luthor's assistant Eve Teschmacher...who is both attracted to Superman and frightened for the fate of her mother, who happens to live in Hackensack. The quake will cause most of California to slide into the ocean, killing millions of people while simultaneously making the vast tracts of worthless desert land that Luthor had quietly purchased skyrocket in value when it becomes the new West Coast of the United States. Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut was not included in this set. : The Return of Black Adam, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Characters. Paul Newman was offered his choice of roles as Superman, Lex Luthor or Jor-El for $4 million, turning down all three roles. Wikis. As he builds a natural dam from rocks and boulders to stop the flooding caused by the breaching of the Hoover Dam, Superman realizes that he has forgotten about Lois. 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