Superman: The Movie
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Superman (as it was shown on-screen and in the movie poster--see illustration), also known as Superman: The Movie (as it was called in pre-release advertising), is a superhero movie, released by Warner Bros. in 1978, and based on the popular DC Comics character of the same name.
Christopher Reeve starred in the title role and that of Clark Kent, while top-billed Marlon Brando played Superman's father, Jor-El — for a record-setting salary at the time — of $4,700,000 for eight minutes of screen time; other prominent cast members were Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor, Margot Kidder as Lois Lane, Ned Beatty as Otis, Jackie Cooper as Perry White, Glenn Ford as Pa Kent, Valerie Perrine as Eve Teschmacher, Marc McClure as Jimmy Olsen, and Jeff East as the young Clark Kent. It was directed by Richard Donner and executive produced by Ilya Salkind, with music by John Williams.
Superman received a "Special Achievement" Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, in one of the years when there was no competition for the award. It was nominated for Best Film Editing, Best Music, Original Score and Best Sound.
The movie led to three theatrical sequels, Superman II (1980), Superman III (1983) and Superman IV: The Quest For Peace (1987) and inspired the Salkind-backed Supergirl (1984) and the syndicated Superboy television series in the late 1980s. The upcoming Superman Returns will be reportedly based on the continuity of the 1978 movie, and will include footage with Marlon Brando as Jor-El that was shot during Superman: The Movie's production that was to be used in Superman II.
Taglines:
- You'll Believe a Man Can Fly!
- The movie that makes a legend come to life.
Contents |
Production history
Although Warner Brothers had acquired DC Comics in the 1960s through a series of corporate mergers, there was little interest from the studio to exploit DC's most famous heroic character. The father-and-son producing team of Alexander and Ilya Salkind had enjoyed some success with European-based productions, and along with their longtime partner, producer Pierre Spengler, signed a negative pickup deal with Warners, under which they themselves would assume responsibility for fronting the production costs. 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. A relatively unknown Nick Nolte was signed for the part of Superman and a script was commissioned in 1976 to be written by Mario Puzo, with re-writes being assigned to Robert Benton and the husband-wife team of David Newman and Leslie Newman.
It was decided early in the process to shoot two films simultaneously. During the production of The Three Musketeers (1972), the Salkinds had realized that there was enough footage for two films and split the film in two, releasing The Four Musketeers a year later. The joint production of Superman and Superman II would mark the first time this process was used intentionally. All actors' contract have what is now known as the "Salkind Clause", which stipulates how many films are being made. All actors on Superman were contracually obligated to Superman II as well. However, in the case of Superman, most or all of the simultaneously-shot footage was reportedly scrapped when Richard Lester was brought in to finish Superman II.
The Salkinds' original choice for director, veteran British helmer Guy Hamilton, had to amicably leave the project, as the film, originally intended to have been shot at Cinecitta Studios in Rome, Italy, would now be shot at Pinewood Studios in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England; however, due to director Hamilton's status as a tax exile, he could not be involved in the filming. In the end, Alexander Salkind made a personal phone call to Richard Donner and offered him the Superman film, promising to pay Donner a fee of $1 million. Although the filming dates for both Brando and Hackman had already been set, Donner found that the existing screenplay was too 'campy' and did not want to use it; as a last resort, Donner brought in Tom Mankiewicz to re-write several key portions of the script (Mankiewicz ultimately ended up being credited as 'Creative Consultant'). With the delay in production, Nolte also left the Superman project.
Image:Sprmnmovie.jpg Image:Superman movie vid cap1.JPG A talent search was put on for the role of Lois Lane with most of the leading young actresses of the time being considered. An unknown stage actor named Christopher Reeve was hired to provide feedlines during auditions and it was Donner's wife who first pointed out that he was ideal for the role of Superman. The director and producers had originally thought a bodybuilder or athlete would be the first choice. In fact, people such as Charles Bronson, Kris Kristofferson, Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and even Ilya Salkind's then-wife's dentist, were among those tested for the role of Superman. But, in the end, Donner kept coming back to Reeve, who had only one other theatrical role and a television appearance in the soap opera Love of Life to his credit. Reeve was then hired to play Superman.
Close to $1 million of the budget had already been spent before Donner joined attempting to design a way for Superman to fly including animation and a remote control plane. As a tax break, shooting would, as noted, be headquartered at Pinewood Studios, with a second unit housed at nearby Shepperton Studios in Middlesex, England. Before long, the film had the good fortune of securing John Barry as production designer. It was Barry who designed the crystalline world of Krypton. New York-based optical effects house R/Greenberg Associates, who until then had done mostly advertising, was responsible for the opening credits sequence. Model effects were designed, directed and supervised by Thunderbirds stalwart Derek Meddings.
Image:Superman movie vid cap3.JPG Image:Superman movie vid cap2.JPG As production dragged on through 1977 the studio became concerned - by that time, Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope had proven to be a big hit and Warners were not convinced the Salkinds' film would be as big of a draw. Donner soon commissioned an early teaser trailer, also developed by R/Greenberg Associates, in which clouds raced by the viewer with the names of the all star cast literally blasting onto the screen, ending with the Superman shield exploding onto the screen (a visual effect re-used in the actual film's opening credits). This teaser trailer was released in the second half of 1977 on the back of Star Wars and garnered an enthusiastic audience reaction that did much to keep the production going. (The teaser trailer is available in the "specials" on the DVD).
Critical reaction
The critical reaction was largely enthusiastic with Christopher Reeve singled out for particular praise for his sincere performance (though not everyone was pleased with his portrayal of Clark Kent). The visual effects were also praised for their believable visuals in contrast to the typically low budget live action productions of this kind in the past, while John Williams added to his string of kudos for his film score which critics noted helped give an essential mythic grandeur to the story and character. (As with "Superman" scores past, the main theme centers on a musical triad that suggests the three syllables of the word "Superman"). While the critics were divided over their preference for the reverent origin sequence in the first part, or the more lively later sequence of Superman beginning his career, it has been considered one of the best superhero movies ever made.
The movie's legacy includes numerous television series, notably Superboy (produced, like the movie, by Alexander Salkind), Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Superman: The Animated Series, and the current prequel series, Smallville, which have all been influenced by the movie to some extent. A particular example of this influence is John Williams' Superman March, which is often played and parodied in movies and other popular media referencing superheroes or superstar athletes.
In addition, the success of film, which cost an enormous $55 million-- at the time, big-budget movies usually cost about $20-$30 million-- set a new standard for superhero movies which demanded similar production values and fidelity to the comics.
Synopsis
The following synopsis is based on the 2000 "special edition" restoration, and not upon any previous theatrical or television version of the film.
Introduction
The movie begins with a short introductory sequence that shows the Daily Planet during the midst of the Depression in 1938 (the year the first Superman comic book was published). Afterwards, the lengthy title sequence begins (set to John Williams' Grammy-winning main title march), which is shown as flying through space. (The "exploding" Superman shield and the "flying" title cards were first used in a theatrical "teaser" released many months before the film was released).
The main story moves forward (to 1948, as mentioned later in the film), into the Kryptonian star system. After the planet Krypton is seen, the capital city is shown, with the high dome of that city.
The viewer is taken inside the dome, where the trial of three criminals is underway. Jor-El, the father of the eventual Superman and a member of the council, is giving the closing arguments in a trial of three criminals (who were later to appear in Superman II): "This is no fantasy... no careless product of wild imagination. No, my good friends. These indictments that I have brought you today... specific charges listed herein against the individuals... their acts of treason, their ultimate aim of sedition. (Lifts up his crystal staff.) These are matters of undeniable fact. I ask you now to pronounce judgment on those accused: on this --- this mindless aberration, whose only means of expression are wanton violence and destruction; on the woman Ursa, whose perversions and unreasoning hatred of all mankind have threatened even the children of the planet Krypton... and finally, General Zod --- once trusted by this Council, charged with maintaining the defense of the planet Krypton itself --- chief architect of this intended revolution, and author of this insidious plot, to establish a 'New Order' amongst us --- with himself as absolute ruler! You have heard the evidence. The decision of the Council will now be heard.
Jor-El turns to the holographic image of the senior councilman. "Guilty," he proclaims. His fellow councilmen concur the verdict. Because the vote has to be unanimous, the final decision falls to Jor-El. He too casts his guilty vote, not orally but by illuminating his staff. At this, Zod swears revenge upon Jor-El and his family. After Jor-El leaves, the dome opens and the criminals are swept away into the Phantom Zone, which quickly leaves the planet.
As the three criminals are being carried into interstellar space by the Phantom Zone, Jor-El attends a council meeting. He tries again, as he has in prior recent affairs, to convince the elders that the planet Krypton would explode within the space of 30 days, but the council again refuses to accept his findings, and threatens to have him also imprisoned in the Phantom Zone unless he remains silent. Jor-El relents, declaring that neither he or his wife will leave the planet. Jor-El returns home to his wife Lara, and assembles a spacecraft to take advantage of a loophole in the pact that he had made, which is that he is free to send his son, Kal-El, to Earth. Lara questions her husband's actions, but Jor-El feels that the environment and culture on Earth would give his son the advantage he would need to survive.
Later, the council members discover that Jor-El may be misusing energy, and begin to suspect that he could be violating the agreement he had made. The senior councilman orders a full-scale investigation. (That segment was in the expanded version of the film, not the original theatrical release). Meanwhile, joined by a tearful Lara, Jor-El utters his final farewell to their beloved son. Within moments, the spaceship is set to launch, even as the planet begins to fall apart under the influence of some sort of matter expelled from the sun. The crystal-like spaceship then crashes through the ceiling and begins its departure from Krypton. Soon afterwards, the planet explodes, destroying the entire Kryptonian civilization except for its "Last Son".
Baby Kal-El begins a three-year journey to Earth (presumably significantly above light-speed), during which the ethereal voice of his father instructs him on the history of the universe, and the philosophies and life sciences of 28 galaxies and how Krypton civilization began through interplanetary war (which is why Jor-El warns his son not to interfere in human history).
By the time the spaceship lands in a wheat field in Smallville, a rural town in Kansas, it is the year 1951. The boy is discovered by a childless couple in their late 40s or early 50s, Jonathan and Martha Kent, whose truck was knocked off the road as the spacecraft came down. They cover him with red and blue blankets they find in the spaceship. The truck falls off the jack, nearly injuring Jonathan, but the baby Kal-El easily raises the vehicle with his own hands. Surprised and dumbfounded, the Kents quickly size up the situation and realize the only way to keep him away from those who may ridicule him (or them) is to adopt him as their foster son, whom they name Clark (for Martha's middle name, or maiden name, in the movie).
Kal-El/Clark as a teen
The story moves forward to the fall of 1965. Teenage high school senior Clark Kent, after being ridiculed by his classmates, kicks a football in anger--the football travels farther than even he could imagine. Clark then races towards home and along the way outpaces a speeding train that has a young Lois Lane as a passenger who spots him, but cannot convince her parents of the feat. The little race concludes with a reckless jump at a crossing in which Clark barely avoids a collision with the train and then proceeds to continue home, beating his classmates by mere minutes. (The song playing on their car radio, "Rock Around the Clock", intending to convey the time period, is actually from about 10 years earlier). His foster father Jonathan has a talk with him about his importance on Earth, after which he dies after suffering a fatal heart attack. Days later, at the funeral, Clark realizes the fragility of human life... even with all his powers (and perhaps in the days before CPR techniques were well-known), he couldn't save his adoptive father.
Months later, in the summer of 1966, Clark is awakened by a high-pitched noise coming from the nearby barn, from within the old Kryptonian spacecraft hidden under the floorboards. There, he discovers a greenish, glowing crystal Jor-El sent with him. He realizes it is time for him to leave. Clark says an emotional goodbye to his foster mother Martha, part of the only family he ever knew.
Weeks pass, and Clark finishes a journey to the Arctic region with the green crystal. Upon arrival, he is compelled to throw it into the ice where it creates his crystalline Fortress of Solitude. Inside, Clark finds a console, including the green crystal, and is able to call up a hologram of his biological father, Jor-El, and there he learns (as it was in the comic books) that he is the only survivor of the doomed planet Krypton (and that he has attained the Earth age of 18, thus adulthood). For the next twelve years, he is instructed about his origins, everything there is to learn, and his intended role as his new home's champion by way of extensive recordings made by Jor-El. As his long education ends, he emerges from the Fortress as Superman, dressed in a red cape and blue suit (made from the blankets he was wrapped in originally) that bears his biological family's crest as a chest symbol which coincidentally resembles an "S" on a triangular shield.
Kal-El/Clark as a man, set-up of the plot
The setting changes to the big city of Metropolis, in the year 1978. The mood of the film changes also, from mostly very serious to a mostly lighter, more comic book-like approach. Clark Kent, having reached adulthood, takes a job as a reporter for the Daily Planet newspaper under editor-in-chief Perry White and alongside ace reporter Lois Lane and photographer Jimmy Olsen. As Clark goes through his first day on the job, Lois makes no secret of her disdain for her partner's naivete or the competition he represents. When they go out for lunch, Lois and Clark are held up by a crook whom Lois unwisely resists and nearly gets shot for her efforts but for Clark, secretly catching the bullet that would have struck her.
Meanwhile, a bumbling simpleton named Otis is delivering the new issue of the Daily Planet to arch criminal Lex Luthor at his hideout under Metropolis' train station, "60 feet below Park Avenue", unaware he is being followed again by federal agents. To elude pursuit, Luthor murders the shadowing agent just after he discerns where the hideout entrance is, and his partners lose sight of Otis. Luthor's frustration at Otis' carelessness is alleviated at the paper's headline of two ICBMs being readied for transport to their respective test launches. Luthor, along with cohort Miss Teschmacher (first name Eve, though that is never referenced in the movie), plans the "greatest real estate swindle of all time" with the aid of the U.S. Government using those missiles.
Superman's first public appearance
One week later, on assignment to interview the President of the United States. As the helicopter is about to depart the roof of the Daily Planet, a freak accident occurs (the chopper hooks a loose electric cable in its struts) that sends the helicopter in a tailspin, finally crashing on the edge of the Daily Planet building and threatening to fall. It is at this point that Clark first appears publicly as Superman, rescuing Lois and saving the helicopter (and people watching below) from certain doom. Superman has a busy first night where he stops crime all over the city and performs spectacular rescues, including Air Force One which was hit by lightning (a scientifically questionable premise) and lost an engine. After all this, Superman returns to the Fortress of Solitude and talks to the spirit form of his father. Jor-El warns his son that while enjoying his work is permissible, he is not to reveal his secret identity, and not to use his powers excessively. (This return to the Fortress is only in the extended version of the movie).
Superman's escapades are making headlines on every television network in the world. Lex Luthor, having seen one of the newscasts, realizes that Superman is obviously a powerful alien who poses a threat to his scheme should he, as seems likely, interfere. The next day, Perry White gathers the headlines of Superman's heroics from every metropolitan newspaper, notes that it happened under their own noses, and demands an up-close interview with Superman himself. Lois finds a note from Superman telling her he intends to visit her home that night. Sure enough, the superhero arrives and agrees to an interview which includes a romantic demonstration of his flight power by taking her on an aerial trip above the city. Upon the conclusion of the interview/date, Superman leaves and quickly returns as Clark for his own date with Lois, barely resisting the temptation of revealing his secret identity to her. (This scene also illustrates, in quick juxtaposition, the difference in how Kal-El plays his "Clark" persona, vs. his "Superman" persona, which are part of the disguise).
Although Superman had cracked to Lois that, "I don't drink when I fly", he clearly talked too much. From the published story, Luthor, Otis and Eve learn of Superman's weaknesses (he is unable to see through lead), and that his origin is the destroyed planet Krypton. Lex infers that fragments may have landed on Earth, scientifically reasons that such meteorite fragments (which he dubs "Kryptonite") would be deadly to Superman, and finds out that a meteorite of the needed mineral is available at Addis Ababa. After stealing the rock, they travel to California under a series of disguises and reprogram the two missiles which are being conveyed by Army and Navy caravans. Luthor seems well-prepared for a foul-up, and when Otis fouls up the first reprogramming (diversion: Eve laying on the road near an overturned car), Luthor springs the second diversion (wide motorhome meets missile convoy at a narrow bridge).
Luthor and Superman
Days later, Perry White comments briefly about a strange robbery in Addis Ababa, in which two museum guards are killed and the only thing stolen is a "worthless piece of meteorite", before advising Clark on his need for more self-confidence. But just then, the young reporter hears a high-screeched noise that only he and the entire canine population of the city can hear. It comes from Lex Luthor, who threatens that "in approximately 5 minutes, a poison gas pellet containing a propane lithium compound will be released through thousand of air ducts in the city, effectively annihilating half the population of Metropolis." Clark jumps from a 100-story window and transforms into Superman to track down the noise (the last time Clark appears in the film), eventually reaching an underground section of downtown. Lex attempts to do away with Superman by trying to kill him with bullets, fire, and ice (via a tunnel leading to Luthor's lair), but to no avail. (Those attempts are only in the extended version of the film. In the theatrical release, he lands at the underground section and then immediately steps to the steel door of Luthor's lair).
Eventually, Superman finds Luthor, and the archvillain explains the motive behind his "crime of the century". Luthor's objective: to make the West Coast of California "more valuable between the time you buy it and the time you sell it." To accomplish that, Lex hopes to set up a major earthquake in California by using the two missiles, one of which he has programmed as a diversion, the other to hit the San Andreas Fault. That in turn would cause most of the state to slide into the ocean, killing millions of people while simultaneously making the vast tracts of worthless desert land that he had quietly purchased skyrocket in value when it becomes the new West Coast of the United States.
Luthor tricks the incensed Superman into opening a lead container holding the Kryptonite, to which Luthor has affixed a loop of chain; the lethal effects of the emerald rock instantly incapacitate him. Placing the rock "necklace" on Superman, Luthor drops the man of steel into the indoor pool for him to drown while leaving to monitor the missiles' progress. However, Superman escapes with the help of Luthor's girlfriend, Miss Teschmacher, who makes him promise to first stop the missile directed to Hackensack, New Jersey, where her mother lives (a serious tactical mistake made by the self-styled "greatest criminal mind of our time", Lex Luthor). Superman fulfills his promise, steering the Hackensack missile off course into the sky, only to see the nuclear explosion from the California missile trigger a severe earthquake.
Doing what only he can, Superman stops the earthquake, saves a crowded schoolbus from falling off the damaged Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, rights some collapsing buildings in the hilly city (a segment only seen in the extended version), repairs a crumbling railroad line, rescues Jimmy Olsen from the collapsing Hoover Dam and stops the ensuing flood. Lois Lane, in California on the "worthless land" story for the Daily Planet, becomes a victim of the quake when she is drawn into a crevice created by the quake and tries in vain to escape. (During that segment, her car radio is playing, "Give a Little Bit", a contemporary hit by Supertramp). After stopping the flow of the collapsed dam from reaching other territories, Superman then realizes he has forgotten Lois. He flies at lightning speed to try and save her, but it is too late. He finds her dead, her body crushed by the impact of the dirt.
Denouement
Fraught with grief over Lois' death, Superman flies towards the clouds and hears the voices of his Kryptonian father, Jor-El (warning him not to interfere in human history), and his Earth father Jonathan Kent (remembering the conversation he had with his foster son before his death, "You are here for a reason."). Finally, Superman makes the decision to defy Jor-El's orders, turning back time by flying around the earth repeatedly at super-light-speed, reversing history to the point where the earthquake began. He then returns to a point in time where finds Lois Lane alive, trying to start her car. Lois grumbles: "That's the problem with men of steel -- there's never one around when you want one! Ya know what happened to me while you were off flying around? I'm almost in an earthquake, I have this gas station blow up beside my car, there's telephone poles falling all over the road, I'm almost killed -- and to top the whole thing off, this stupid car runs outta gas!" "Well, sorry about that, Lois, but I've been kinda busy for a while," says Superman. Just as they start to kiss, Jimmy enters the scene, thanking Superman for saving him. Superman realizes there's one more thing he has to do, and flies off. Jimmy wishes Clark was around to see what has happened, but Lois becomes skeptical about how Clark isn't around when Superman is. She dismisses her thoughts as the "silliest idea", and realizes Superman does care about her. But she also knows the day will come when Superman will return to Lois, "someday, maybe, if he's lucky".
The story concludes at Metropolis prison, where Superman arrives with Lex and Otis (effectively a "citizen's arrest") where they will "be safe until they can get a fair trial". Lex takes off his hairpiece to reveal his true, bald-headed identity. As the two criminals are led away, arguing with each other, the warden declares, "This country is safe again, Superman, thanks to you." Superman replies, "No, sir! Don't thank me, Warden. We're all part of the same team. Good night." Then, as he circles "up, up and away" around the globe for another patrol, Superman smiles into the camera and then sails offscreen (all four of the Reeve films end with this clip).
Score
Main article: Superman music
Different versions
Superman was originally released to theatres in December, 1978 with a running time of 143 minutes, edited from Richard Donner's original three-hour director's rough cut. In 1981, the rights to the movie reverted from Warner Bros. to Alexander Salkind, which allowed him to re-edit the film for international television distribution, including over 45 minutes of previously deleted footage and even some of John Williams' original score that had been left out of the theatrical cut, both elements restored to the film. This so-called "Salkind International Edit" runs 188 minutes. Due to a clause in director Donner's contract, Donner himself was excluded from the re-editing process. It was expanded in an attempt by the Salkinds to charge by the minute for television rights. ABC, which had U.S. broadcast rights to the Salkinds' library, first aired Superman domestically in February, 1982 as a two-night event. ABC's 182-minute edit, which deleted a few short scenes deemed inappropriate for television, aired again in November of 1982. The ABC version was derived from the Salkind edit. Subsequently, both the theatrical and television versions were distributed in syndication by Warner Bros., which regained control of the film in 1985, but until 2001 only the theatrical version was issued on home video.
In 1979, WCI Home Video (now Warner Home Video) issued Superman on VHS and Betamax. However, the film was truncated to a length of 127 minutes, by way of time compression, in most scenes without dialogue were sped up, and deleting a majority of the film's closing credits, instead replacing them with a truncated version consisting of the copyright notice, and a chyron of the credits taken from an 8mm release of selected scenes from the film. This time compression was necessary because of the technological limitations of videocassettes at the time and the unavailbility of long-playing cassettes. The film would not be available in an uncompressed form until 1983, when Warner Bros. finally issued such a version on home video.
In 1994, Los Angeles television station KCOP (at the time an independent station) aired the first U.S. broadcast of the complete Salkind edit (it has been believed to have been broadcast outside of the U.S. prior to 1994 since this cut was originally prepared in 1981 before ABC's original telecast). The full expanded cut has unofficially been circulated on video among fans throughout the bootleg community, at conventions and, most recently, via Internet forums.
The restoration
In 2000, director Richard Donner and film restoration producer Michael Thau prepared a new 151-minute "Special Edition" originally for theatrical re-release. Working from original film elements (which were beginning to deteriorate), the film went through a six-month restoration, with both color and sound rejuvenated, and dirt that had been built in the film over twenty years cleaned. Also, Donner selected eight of the 45-plus minutes that had been used for television release to be incorporated into this new cut of the film. This version was slated for worldwide theatrical reissue, but was instead released to video and, for the first time ever, on DVD, in the summer of 2001. This version has been seen on cable television and in revival film houses.
A remastered version of the 143-minute theatrical cut was also prepared, and although this version has not been released on DVD, it has been seen on cable television. However, WB has confirmed that the theatrical cut will be issued for the first time on DVD as part of the studio's planned 14-disc Superman box set in mid-2006.
Trivia
It was Marlon Brando's own idea for Jor-El to wear the recognizable "S" symbol in the scenes on Krypton. The establishment of the "S" emblem as the El family crest was a departure from the first three eras (Golden, Silver, Modern) of official DC Comics continuity, in which the "S" emblem and costume were both created by Martha Kent (Mary Kent in the Golden Age) after Clark chose his hero name. However, in the 2003 series Superman: Birthright, the "S" symbol has been changed to represent a universal symbol of the planet Krypton, adorning their flags and millitary uniforms in holographic projections Clark finds contained in a device that came with him from Krypton. He chooses to wear the symbol to honor his Kryptonion heritage, and the name "Superman" is given to him by the newspapers.
Christopher Reeve reported this anecdote in his autobiography: The idealistic young actor Reeve asked the seasoned veteran Hackman what his "motivation" was in playing the role of Luthor. Hackman responded, "You mean, besides the million dollars?"
As was his habit, Brando did not learn his lines and they were read from cue cards spread around the sets.
Gene Hackman would not wear a bald cap for the part of Lex Luthor (except for one small scene at the end of the film), so Mankiewicz devised the notion of Luthor wearing several different wigs throughout the film.
External links
- {{{2|{{{title|Superman: The Movie}}}}}} at The Internet Movie Database
- The Superman Sourcebook, at The Thunder Child
- Family Movie Review for Superman
- Superman-V.com
- SupermanIV.com
- SupermanIII.com
- SupermanII.com
- Superman-the-movie.com
- Superman movies
- Superman Cinema (comprehensive authority for all the Superman movies)
- THE PRODUCTION
- MISCELLANOUS
- Movie Reviews (Christopher Reeve Homepage) - Superman: The Movie
- Why You Should Respect Christopher Reeve by Alan Kistler - A retrospective on Christopher Reeve's performance in the SUPERMAN movie by comic book historian Alan Kistler of www.MonitorDuty.com.
- MovieTourGuide.com - Maps and Directions to Superman: The Movie Filming Locations
- Special Edition Superman DVDs on the Way
- Superman Homepage: Superman: The Movie - Synopsis/Review/Critique
- SupermanTV.Net Movies
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