superman

THE FLICKS: It really isn’t possible to overstate the importance of Superman as a model for the modern blockbuster. It was packaged, sold and marketed as a high-concept event movie, the epitome of Hollywood’s effects-heavy summer movie season today. With one big name star with a big paycheck (Marlon Brando), the actual weight of the film rested in the hands of behind the camera talents like Mario Puzo and director Richard Donner. Christopher Reeve, for all the genuine charm he brought to the role, was almost irrelevant to the equation, as well This was “Superman,” dammit! And it seemed almost destined to succeed. Of course, it wasn’t. But the amazing thing is how effortless the production appears. Richard Donner, hot off the success of The Omen (and at the height of his career artistically) seems to intuitively grasp the American mythos behind the character, expressing this on film with a mix of wide-open naturalistic photography and classic Hollywood sets. He juggles cornball humor, comic-book villains and a lead actor wearing tights with the aplomb of a Shakespearean play; never once taking the easy way out or mocking the material. He gets a big assist from Puzo’s script, which provides a sweeping and faithful origin story peppered with the weight of a Greek tragedy. Not to mention the Bond-size production design by ? whose vision of Krypton and the Fortress of Solitude has that monumental scale which has rarely graced the screen sense. Anyone up on their recent film history knows that Superman II was filmed concurrently with the original, but creative differences found Richard Donner replaced and much of the footage reshot. And while Donner has finally seen his own cut restored on DVD, the 1981 version directed by Richard Lester still survives as the better film of the two. With a focus on comic book action that the original lacked – pitting Superman against a trio of escaped Kryptonians with powers equal to his own – the sequel is a more obvious crowd-pleaser. Indeed, the all-out battle showcased in the film’s finale, with General Zod (Terrance Stamp) tossed against a neon Coke sign, was the standard by which all other comic book smackdowns would be measured until the era of Bryan Singer’s X-Men. If the first film’s challenge was “You will believe a man can fly,” Superman II sets out to prove “You will believe a hero will kick some ass!” THE FEATURES: Each film is available separately or as part of various Superman collections released by Warner Brothers. But if you prefer to cherry-pick, let’s go through some of the special features. Superman: The Movie is packaged as a 4-disc special edition, including both the 1978 theatrical production and the 2000 expanded edition. Both get a commentary. Donner’s is a repeat on the 2000 film while producers Ilya Salking and Pierre Spengler’s track on the original is a new feature. Once you get past all the back-slapping and credit-grabbing of the first few minutes, the boys provide some good background on the film including Brando’s refusal to memorize lines (they had to hide cue cards all over the set). Disc Three is essentially a repeat of the old special edition DVD, with three excellent documentaries on the making of the film, including screen tests music cues. Disc Four, though, is all-new, including the vintage TV special The Making of Superman plus the 1951 movie Superman and the Mole-Men starring George Reeves in which the Man of Steel must protect a pair of misshapen radioactive freaks who climb out of an oil well. Reeves looks a bit frumpy in the supersuit but the film is still good nostalgic fun. Even better is the collection nine 1940s Fleischer Studios Superman cartoons. Predating the darkly fluid style of the ‘90s animated Batman by a good 50 years, these are ‘toons that approach Disney quality with an original nourish edge. Superman II comes with another Salkind/Spengler commentary plus a rather embarrassing deleted scene called Superman’s Souffle. Disc Two piles on another vintage Making Of and a “you gotta see it to believe it” 50th Anniversary Special starring Dana Carvey (billed as “Chief Historian of the Junior Supermen of America”) and a cast of washed up comedians in some moronic TV executive’s idea of entertainment. But once again, the most notable extra are the eight Superman Cartoons along with a featurette, First Flight: The Fleischer Superman Series.