Superman (1978 Movie)

***Superman*** (otherwise known as ***Superman: The Movie***) is a 1978 superhero film based on the DC Comics of the same name. It is the first installment to the Christopher Reeve's *Superman* film franchise, and it was directed by Richard Donner and written by Mario Puzo, David Newman, Leslie Newman, and Robert Benton from a story by Puzo. the film stars Christopher Reeve, Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Jeff East, Margot Kidder, Glenn Ford, Phyllis Thaxter, Jackie Cooper, Trevor Howard, Marc McClure, Terence Stamp, Valerie Perrine, Ned Beatty, Jack O'Halloran, Maria Schell, and Sarah Douglas. In late 1973, Salkind had an idea of a *Superman* film, one year later, after a long, difficult process with DC Comics, the Superman film rights were purchased by Ilya, his father Alexander Salkind, and their partner Pierre Spengler. DC wanted a list of actors that were to be considered for Superman and approved the producer's choices of Muhammad Ali, Al Pacino, James Caan, Steve McQueen, Clint Eastwood, and Dustin Hoffman. **In March 1977, the film started its production and lasted until October 1978, and it was released on December 10 at he Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and it was released theatrically, and the 15th, 1978 across the United Kingdom and The United States by Warner Bros. Pictures, and it grossed over $300.5 million dollars against its $55 million budget. The film received almost critical acclaim from critics, audiences, and fans of the DC Comics and its television series from the 1950s series of the same name. *Superman* has been widely considered to be the greatest superhero film of all time. After the release, Warner Bros. released its VHS with a 127-minute cut, before DVDs were released with a theatrical cut, a 151-minute director's cut and as well on Blu Ray with the 3-hour cut and as well with television release throughout a few decades after the release. As of 2017, the film was selected for preservation by the Library of Congress's National Film Registry. A sequel, *Superman II* was released in December 1980, just two years after the release of the first film.**

***Superman*** (also known as ***Superman: The Movie***) is a 1978 superhero film directed by Richard Donner. It is based on the DC Comics character of the same name and stars Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Glenn Ford, Phyllis Thaxter, Jackie Cooper, Marc McClure, Valerie Perrine and Ned Beatty. **The film depicts Superman's origin, including his infancy as Kal-El of Krypton and his youthful years in the rural town of Smallville. Disguised as reporter Clark Kent, he adopts a mild-mannered disposition in Metropolis and develops a romance with Lois Lane, while battling the villainous Lex Luthor.** This version was conceived in 1973 by Ilya Salkind. Several directors, most notably Guy Hamilton, and screenwriters (Mario Puzo, David and Leslie Newman and Robert Benton) were associated with the project before Donner was hired to direct. Donner brought Tom Mankiewicz in to rewrite the script, feeling it was too campy. Mankiewicz was credited as creative consultant. It was decided to film both *Superman* and *Superman II* simultaneously. **Principal photography started in March 1977 and ended in October 1978. Tensions rose between Donner and the producers, and a decision was made to stop filming *Superman II* and finish the first film. Donner had already shot 75% of the planned sequel, eventually giving birth to *Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut*. *Superman* was released with critical acclaim and financial success. Reviewers noted parallels between the film's depiction of Superman and Jesus and particularly praised Reeve's performance.The film's legacy presaged the mainstream popularity of Hollywood's superhero film franchises.**

## Plot

The film begins in June 1938. The film opens to a child reading a comic book about the Daily Planet, the largest newspaper in the city of Metropolis. As the child reads, the shot dissolves to the real Daily Planet and up into the sky. The following title sequence moves through space and eventually reveals the planet Krypton, the home world of a highly-evolved race resembling humans and bearing a unique molecular density and structure, a result of the planet's gravitational strength and the radiation of its adjacent red sun. The planet is ruled by a Council of Elders, each representing a particular "clan" and bearing a crest of that particular House. The planet's greatest scientist, Jor-El, bears an S-shaped crest, the House of El. He is supervising the trial of three criminals caught attempting to overthrow the planet's government: General Zod, the planet's former defense chief; his henchman Non, a hulking killer unable to speak; and Ursa, a woman determined to exterminate men other than the man she loves: Zod. As the elders render a guilty verdict, Zod notes that the verdict must be unanimous, so Jor-El ultimately holds the key to their fate. Despite his disillusionment with the Council of Elders, Jor-El renders a conviction. The vast dome of the planet's capital city opens to the night, and a small extra-dimensional prison - the Phantom Zone - tumbles out of the sky and pulls the three criminals out of the trial room and into an eternity in dimensional limbo through space. While a frightened Ursa begs for forgiveness, Zod defiantly swears that he will have his vengeance on the House of El, even if it takes him a thousand years. However, Jor-El's more pressing concern lies in the orbital shift of Krypton; this shift is putting the planet into the fatal gravitational pull of its central star, a fact blithely ignored by the Council Of Elders. The leader of the Council forbids Jor-El from warning the larger populace or he will be imprisoned in the Phantom Zone himself. Jor-El promises to be silent and that he and his wife will not attempt to leave the planet. Jor-El chooses instead to construct a crystalline starship for his infant son Kal-El. Jor-El's wife Lara, however, is concerned, for the starship is programmed to take the child through a trans-galactic warp to a planet populated by primitive humans whose technological development is millennia behind Krypton, a planet that orbits a yellow sun, a planet called Earth. Jor-El, however, understands that the planet's yellow sun will give Kal-El superhuman powers, which will give him the advantage he needs to survive. Jor-El and Lara bid their child goodbye before Joe-El installs a green crystal into the ship, a crystal containing the very essence of himself and Lara as well as the knowledge of the entire universe. He then completes the assembly of the starship - just as the planet is pulled into a fatal plunge toward its red sun. The starship is launched and escapes the system scant minutes before the planet is torn open, collides with its central star, and both bodies are obliterated in a holocaust of fire and debris.

The tiny starship passes the Phantom Zone before accelerating on its journey to the planet Earth, with the voice of Jor-El providing the infant, who is aging as the ship proceeds, with knowledge. The ship finally reaches Earth in the year 1951 A.D. and plunges like a meteor into a vast wheat field near Smallville, Kansas - within sight of local farmers Jonathan and Martha Kent. Upon seeing the meteor the Kents discover the now-three-year-old Kal-El. Martha, believing the child is a gift from God, decides to adopt him. The child demonstrates that he is different when, as Jonathan is changing a tire on his truck and the jack slips, he innocently lifts the vehicle with his bare hands, saving his foster father's life. After the truck is thus repaired the Kents and their newly adopted son drive away, leaving the meteor behind - but as its energy fades out it is clear it will become significant to the Kents in due time. Some fifteen years pass and Clark, named for Martha's maiden name, is a student at Smallville High School. He is a water boy on the school's football team, and friends with cheerleader Lana Lang, but is frequently bulled by Lana's jock boyfriend, Brad Wilson. Clark knows of the vast power he possesses but is forbidden by his father from showing it - although, alone on a football field, he kicks a ball into orbit, then runs home by outrunning a speeding passenger train, and is seen by a young girl who tries to tell her parents; her mother, however, scolds young "Lois Lane" about telling tall tales. Clark returns home as Brad, Lana, and other students drive by, surprised that he arrived home so quickly. Jonathan, however, reassures Clark that he is on Earth for a reason and that he should not let others bother him. Clark thus feels better, but as he starts to play with the family dog, Jonathan suddenly stops, having lost feeling in his left arm. He then falls to the ground, victim of a heart attack. After Jonathan's burial the grieving Clark blames himself, "All those powers, and I couldn't even save him.". Some time later Clark is awakened early one morning by a mysterious noise, emanating from the barn. Clark enters the barn and finds the remains of the meteor, and with it the now-activated green crystal of Jor-El. Later that morning, Clark tells his mother that he must leave and head north. Martha, having known this day would come, urges her son to always remember her, and the tearful Clark vows to do just that as they embrace for one final time. Days later Clark reaches the North Pole, where he takes the green crystal and throws it miles into the distance, where it melts into the ice and begins construction of a gigantic crystalline fortress, a Fortress of Solitude. Inside Clark finds a matrix table of crystals; placing one into an aperture, he activates a dimensional communicator that reveals the preserved consciousness of Jor-El, his true father. Jor-El provides the youth with his true identity of Kal-El and takes his son on a journey through time and space to complete his maturation, educating him on the universe and on his purpose in life. When the journey ends, Kal-El has aged twelve years to the age of 30, although in the time-twisting of inter-dimensional travel the Earth has aged 22 years to the year 1978 A.D. The scene reveals the now fully matured Kal-El dressed in a red-and-blue costume with a long red cape and bearing his family symbol, ready to fulfill his purpose of protecting his new homeworld.

Metropolis, the greatest city in the world. At the skyscraper home of its largest newspaper, the Daily Planet, photographer Jimmy Olsen is shooting photos of a typically kinetic day in the life of the Planet, including ace reporter Lois Lane (who despite this status has a problem with spelling, frequently being corrected for misspelled words). Lois and Jimmy are introduced by the paper's grumpy editor, Perry White, to its newest member, a tall shy bespectacled news writer named Clark Kent. Lois is initially puzzled by the man's shyness and mild social clumsiness, and is particularly struck when the two of them are held up in a back alley by a gunman. Clark faints when the thug opens fire on Lois (the fainting is cover so Clark can catch the bullet in his bare hand, which causes the gunman to run), and in defending himself to Lois rattles off a listing of all the items in her purse. As Lois and Clark hail a taxi, walking past them is a white-dressed heavyset man munching on snacks and carrying a copy of the Planet. The man is tailed by Harry and Armis, two undercover cops, for he is Otis, an assistant for criminal genius Lex Luthor, and he is on his way to Luthor's secret hideout. The cops tail him to Metropolis Grand Central Station, where Harry sends Armis to get backup while he tails Otis onto subway Track 22 leading out of the station. Otis eventually finds an indentation in the underground tunnel and waits for a train to arrive. A doorway opens under the cover of the passing train, and after it is gone Harry goes to the doorway to try and figure out how to open it - a fatal mistake, for monitoring the scene from hidden security cameras is Luthor himself, who activates the doorway and violently pushes Harry into the path of another train. Luthor's moll, Eve Teschmacher, is appalled by the scene, but Luthor arrogantly and condescendingly reminds her that it is an inevitable by-product of his status as the greatest criminal mind of the latter 20th century, a status to which he takes egotistical delight. He tells her how his father (a cruel man who disowned Lex as a child), once told him that even if governments and economies collapse, people will still need land, and will do anything to get it. This has guided his criminal career ever since. When Otis arrives in their underground lair he is reminded of his clumsiness in allowing himself to be followed again. Thus he is given the unglamorous task of feeding "the babies," a group of unidentified unseen creatures in a vast pit used to dispatch intruders. Luthor's more pressing concern, however, lies in a story in the Planet that two nuclear cruise-type missiles with hypersonic speed are to be tested using live multi-megaton warheads soon. Luthor intends to use the missile test to fulfill the greatest real estate swindle in history.

Later that night, Lois Lane is scheduled to fly via Planet helicopter to Metropolis International Airport to greet Air Force One, but on the Planet's helipad she boards the chopper and when the chopper begins takeoff, a light cable breaks free of its bracket and in the updraft caused by the chopper snags its landing skids, breaks, and plunges the chopper out of control through the helipad's control shed and crashing onto the ledge. As police hustle panicking bystanders on the streets below to safety, Lois tries to crawl out of the chopper, but the ledge begins to crack and the chopper sags violently toward the street and Lois falls through, hanging on by a seat belt in the air. But amid the panic in the streets, Clark Kent emerges from the Planet and notices a yellow rain hat on the sidewalk. Upon recognizing it as one Lois was wearing, he sees the stricken chopper, and while those around him run for safey, Clark keeps his head, even while finding a suitable hiding place to change takes a bit of hunt in the vicinity. Running to another building down the street, Clark opens his shirt to reveal his emblem and then whirls through a revolving door at super speed to become effectively invisible and changes into Superman - to the awe and confusion of a nearby pimp. Superman takes off, just as Lois loses her grip on the seat belt and plunges towards the street below. Superman safely catches her and carries her upward. The chopper now breaks off the ledge and falls, but Superman safely snags it out of the air with one hand and carries it back to the Planet's helipad to the astonishment of the crowd below. When the awe-struck Lois asks who the stranger is, he merely replies, "A friend." She faints from pure exhaustion and disbelief. It is but the beginning, for Kal-El undertakes numerous feats of heroism - stopping a cat-burglar using gigantic magnets to scale the Solow Building, intercepting a boatload of bank-robbers, rescuing a cat from a tree, and rescuing Air Force One when a lighting strike shatters its portside engine and wing. It is but the beginning, for Kal-El undertakes numerous feats of heroism - stopping a cat-burglar using gigantic magnets to scale the Solow Building, intercepting a boatload of bank-robbers, rescuing a cat from a tree, and rescuing Air Force One when a lighting strike shatters its portside engine and wing. The next morning, he returns to the Fortress of Solitude and consults the spirit of Jor-El to convey the emotions he felt upon making his full power known. Jor-El urges him to be circumspect in his power and praises him for what he has learned so far. After that busy night, Superman dominates the news about this astounding man doing his good deeds with seemingly impossible abilities. Watching the news about the stranger, Lex Luthor sees his arrival as a natural challenge, considering that Superman would surely have the inclination and the power to interfere with his scheme, and the criminal mastermind vows to destroy all that the stranger represents. Perry White, for his part, makes discovering the red-and-blue stranger the #1 priority of the Planet and sends his entire staff scurrying to find any scrap of information about "this flying whatchamacallit." Lois, however, scoops everyone when she gets a note requesting a dinner date at her penthouse from "a friend." The dinner date takes place and as part of the interview, in which Superman astounds the cynical reporter with his sincerely kind, courteous and altruistic personality, Kal-El gives Lois a ride in the sky - a flight that becomes almost a romantic dance as the two begin falling in love. Kal-El returns Lois to her apartment and the two bid reluctant goodbye.

Lois quietly dubs him a true super man - and uses the term to identify the stranger in her subsequent front-page story. Luthor reads it and remembers a scientific theory; Superman's homeworld would be of a molecular construction that would be affected by the unique radiation of a yellow sun, and that meteors from Krypton upon landing on Earth would be affected to the point of emitting a radiation that would affect only Kryptonians. Such a meteorite was found in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Miss Tessmacher is skeptical, as even with "the rock," Superman could see them coming from miles away. But the interview hints at another weakness: Superman has difficulty seeing through lead. With their plan in place, they plan a trip to Ethiopia. Later, Luthor's gang go to work intercepting the two missile convoys used for the big upcoming test; using a variety of guises, they divert attention away from the effort to reprogram the missiles' directional vectors; Otis, however, misprograms one of the missiles, attributing this mistake to his arm not being long enough to write down the coordinates. Luthor violently attacks him for gross incompetence, but Miss Tessmacher calms him down while keeping the car they are in from crashing. The Planet learns that an unknown figure is buying up hundreds of acres of seemingly worthless desert in the southwest. Suspecting land fraud, Perry sends Lois and Jimmy to investigate. Had Clark showed more initiative and confidence, the assignment would have gone to him. As Perry shares a story about a "worthless meteorite" being stolen from an Ethiopian museum, Clark is struck by a piercing signal, a high pitched hum followed by the sound of every dog in Metropolis barking at once- it is Lex Luthor on a radio frequency only Superman (and the dogs) can hear. Luthor warns Superman that a poison gas pellet containing propane lithium compound is to be released into the air and kill the city's population unless Superman confronts him alone. Feigning a migraine, Clark sneaks away from his co-workers and jumps out a window, where he changes into Superman mid-flight and traces Luthor's signal to the street. He spins himself around and manages to drill through the ground and into Luthor's hideout, where he is attacked by the hideout's automated defense system - a wall of machine guns, then a wall of fire, finally a wall of liquid nitrogen that freezes the area. None has any effect on Superman, who casually walks through it all unharmed. Once inside the hideout, Superman demands knowledge of Luthor's gas pellet. Luthor lets the truth be known that it is a hoax, it was the only way to gain an audience with him. Luthor reveals his true plans for the stolen missiles; the first will destroy the San Andreas Fault, which will collapse the Western coastline of the US (namely California and its major cities) into the ocean and thus make the seemingly worthless desert of the west into multi-billion dollar windfalls. The second missile is designed to be a cover. Luthor boasts that nobody, not even Superman, can bring down both of them, and if necessary, he can detonate either warhead via remote.

Superman notices a box made of lead which he assumes hides Luthor's detonator. But when he opens it he is struck by a massive weakness, for the box contains the Ethiopian meteorite - Kryptonite, fitted to a chain necklace that Luthor drapes around him. He takes great delight in reminding Superman that despite his aura of invincibility, a normal human has found a way to beat him. Superman asks if Luthor even cares about the second missile's target (the one misprogrammed by Otis) which is revealed to be Hackensack, NJ, before Luthor drops him into his pool to drown. Luthor, however, has made a fatal mistake, for due to Otis' misprogramming, Eve Teschmacher's mother lives in Hackensack. While Luthor and Otis monitor the errant missiles on their hypersonic flight, she pleads with Superman to stop the Hackensack missile first on his mission; he agrees and she frees him. Regaining his power, Superman blasts through the mammoth ceiling of the lair, into the sky, and on a direct course west. He tries to stop the first missile over Kansas but it dodges him, and he must overtake it and force it into space - just as the second missile detonates the San Andreas Fault, setting off an omnicidal quake that is like the destruction of Krypton all over again, a nightmare that doubly drives Superman as he flies underneath the Earth's crust to stabilize the land. However, the aftershocks prove no less deadly, and Superman flies all across the area rescuing people from the ensuing disasters. But amid his enormous feats of heroism, one person in particular needs help. Amid the aftershocks, Lois's car runs out of gas in the middle of a desert and is swallowed by a massive fissure, effectively burying her alive. Superman eventually senses she is in danger. He finds the car and pulls it out of the ground. He quickly takes Lois' body out of the car, but is too late. She has suffocated and died. Superman tearfully kisses her, and then lays her body down. He stands over it silently for several moments. Superman screams a thunderous roar of anguish and then rages into the sky. He hears the voice of Jor-El, which reminds him that he must not interfere with human history. Recalling his failure to save Jonathan ("All those powers and I couldn't even save him"), he becomes absolutely determined to save Lois. Pulling together all of his power and strength, Superman flies around Earth's perimeter faster and faster eventually reversing the planet's rotation and pulling time back with it. He soon fixes it back to its original direction and uses the extra time to get to Lois before her car is buried. Afterward, Superman delivers Luthor and Otis to a maximum-security prison to hold them pending trial. Once there, Superman, happy that his self-appointed neverending battle has had a satisfying beginning, looks to the audience with a wink and a smile as he flies off for more adventures.

On the planet Krypton, using evidence provided by scientist Jor-El, the Ruling Council sentences three attempted insurrectionists, General Zod, Ursa and Non, to "eternal living death" in thePhantom Zone. Despite his eminence, Jor-El is unable to convince the Council of his belief that Krypton will soon explode. To save his infant son Kal-El, Jor-El launches a spacecraft containing the child towards Earth, a distant planet with a suitable atmosphere, and where Kal-El's dense molecular structure will give him superhuman powers. Shortly after the launch, Krypton is destroyed.

Three years later, the ship lands near an American farming town, Smallville, where Kal-El is found by Jonathan and Martha Kent. The Kents take the child back to their farm and raised him as their own son, naming him Clark after Martha's maiden name. At age 18, soon after the death of Jonathan, Clark hears a psychic "call", discovering a glowing green crystal in the ship. It compels him to travel to the Arctic, where the crystal builds the Fortress of Solitude, resembling the architecture of Krypton. Inside, a vision of Jor-El explains Clark's origins, educating him in powers and responsibilities. After 12 years, with his powers fully developed, Clark leaves the Fortress with a colorful costume and becomes a reporter at the *Daily Planet* in Metropolis. He meets and develops a romantic attraction to coworker Lois Lane, but she sees him as awkward and unsophisticated.

Lois becomes involved in a helicopter accident where conventional means of rescue are impossible, requiring Clark to use his powers in public for the first time to save her. The rescue of Air Force One and other good deeds make the mysterious "caped wonder" a celebrity. The hero visits Lois at home, takes her for a flight over the city, and allows her to interview him for an article in which she names him "Superman." Meanwhile, criminal genius Lex Luthor has developed a cunning plan to make a fortune in real estate by buying large amounts of barren desert land and then diverting a nuclear missile test flight to the San Andreas Fault. The missile will sink California and leave Luthor's desert as the new West Coast of the United States, greatly increasing its value.

After his incompetent henchman Otis accidentally redirects the first rocket to the wrong place, Luthor's girlfriend Eve Teschmacher successfully changes the course of a second missile. Knowing Superman could stop his plan, Luthor lures him to his underground lair and exposes him to Kryptonite. As Superman weakens, Luthor taunts him by revealing that the first missile is headed to Hackensack, New Jersey, in the opposite direction, knowing that Superman cannot stop both impacts. Teschmacher is horrified because her mother lives in Hackensack, but Luthor does not care and leaves Superman to a slow death. Teschmacher rescues Superman on the condition that he will deal with the New Jersey missile first. He is thus too late to stop the second impact, causing a massive earthquake which he battles to correct.

While Superman is busy saving others, Lois's car falls into the ground due to an aftershock. It quickly fills with dirt and debris and she suffocates to death. Angered at the fact that he could not save Lois, Superman ignores Jor-El's warning not to interfere with human history, preferring to remember Jonathan Kent's advice that he must be on Earth for "a reason". He travels back in time in order to save Lois, altering history so that her car is never caught in the aftershock; he then delivers Luthor and Otis to prison and flies into the sunrise for further adventures.

## Cast

* Marlon Brando as Jor-El: Superman's biological father on Krypton. He has a theory about the planet exploding, though the Council refuses to listen. Jor-El dies as the planet explodes but successfully sends his infant son to Earth as a means to help the innocent. Brando sued the Salkinds and Warner Bros. for $50 million because he felt cheated out of his share of thebox office profits. This stopped Brando's footage from being used in Richard Lester's version of *Superman II*.
* Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor: An evil scientific genius armed with vast resources who would prove to be Superman's arch-nemesis. It is he who discovers Superman's weakness and hatches an evil plan that puts millions of people in danger.
* Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent / Superman: Born on Krypton as Kal-El and raised on Earth, Superman is a being of immense power, strength and invulnerability who after realizing his destiny to serve mankind uses his powers to protect and save others. As a means to protect his identity, he works in Metropolis at the *Daily Planet* as mild-mannered newspaper reporter Clark Kent. Reeve was picked from over 200 actors who auditioned for the role.
* Ned Beatty as Otis: Lex Luthor's bumbling henchman.
* Jackie Cooper as Perry White: Clark Kent's hot-tempered boss at the *Daily Planet*. He assigns Lois to uncover the news of an unknown businessman purchasing a large amount of property in California. Keenan Wynn was originally cast, but dropped out shortly before filming because of heart disease. Cooper, who originally auditioned for Otis, was subsequently cast.
* Glenn Ford as Jonathan Kent: Clark Kent's adoptive father in Smallville during his youth. Jonathan is a farmer who teaches Clark ideal skills that will help him in the future. He later suffers a fatal heart attack that changes Clark's outlook on his duty to others.
* Trevor Howard as the First Elder: Head of the Kryptonian Council, who does not believe Jor-El's claim that Krypton is doomed to its own destruction. He threatens Jor-El, "Any attempt by you to create a climate of fear and panic amongst the populace must be deemed by us an act of insurrection."
* Margot Kidder as Lois Lane: A reporter at the *Daily Planet* who becomes a romantic interest for Clark Kent. She is madly in love with Superman and often ignores Clark. Over 100 actresses were considered for the role. Margot Kidder(suggested by Stalmaster), Anne Archer, Susan Blakely, Lesley Ann Warren, Deborah Raffin and Stockard Channing screen tested from March through May 1977. The final decision was between Channing and Kidder, with Kidder winning the role.
* Jack O'Halloran as Non: The third of the Kryptonian villains who are sentenced to be isolated in the Phantom Zone.
* Valerie Perrine as Eve Teschmacher: Lex Luthor's girlfriend and accomplice. Already cynical of Luthor's increasing grandiosity and disturbed by his cruelty, she saves Superman's life after learning that Luthor has launched a nuclear missile toward her mother's hometown of Hackensack, New Jersey. She shows a romantic interest in Superman, implied by her fixing her hair before she makes her presence known to him, and then by kissing him before she saves his life.
* Maria Schell as Vond-Ah: Like Jor-El, a top Kryptonian scientist; but she too is not swayed by Jor-El's theories.
* Terence Stamp as General Zod: Evil leader of the three Kryptonian villains who swears vengeance against Jor-El when he is sentenced to the Phantom Zone.
* Phyllis Thaxter as Martha Kent (née Clark): Clark Kent's faithful adoptive mother. A kindly woman who dotes on her adoptive son and is fiercely devoted to her husband Jonathan. She is her son's emotional support after Clark is devastated by Jonathan's death. Thaxter was producer Ilya Salkind's mother-in-law.
* Susannah York as Lara: Superman's biological mother on Krypton. Lara, after learning of Krypton's fate, has apprehensions about sending her infant son to a strange planet alone.
* Jeff East as the teenage Clark Kent: As a teenager, Clark is forced to hide his superhuman abilities, making him unpopular among his classmates and frustrating his efforts to gain the attention of classmate Lana Lang. Following the death of his adoptive father, he travels to the Arctic to discover his Kryptonian heritage (All of East's dialogue in the film is dubbed over by Christopher Reeve).
* Marc McClure as Jimmy Olsen: A teenage photographer at the *Daily Planet*. Jeff East, who portrayed the teenage Clark Kent, originally auditioned for this role.
* Sarah Douglas as Ursa: General Zod's second in command and consort.
* Harry Andrews as the Second Elder: Council member, who compels Jor-El to be reasonable about his, Jor-El's, plans to save his planet.

Kirk Alyn and Noel Neill have cameo appearances as Lois Lane's father and mother. 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. Neill reprised her role in the 1950s *Adventures of Superman* TV series, and also appeared as Lex Luthor's elderly wife in the opening scene of the film *Superman Returns* (2006).

Larry Hagman and Rex Reed also cameo. Two unknowns also have cameos, Edward Finneran and Tim Hussey, who were the teenage boys who won "The Great Superman Movie Contest", appearing as football players (in gray) during the scene with Clark as the equipment manager of the Smallville football team. David Petrou, the author of the making-of book about the film also appears briefly in that scene.

## Production

### Development

Ilya Salkind had first conceived the idea for a Superman film in late 1973. In November 1974, after a long difficult process with DC Comics, the Superman film rights were purchased by Ilya, his father Alexander Salkind, and their partner Pierre Spengler. DC wanted a list of actors that were to be considered for Superman, and approved the producer's choices of Muhammad Ali, Al Pacino, James Caan, Steve McQueen, Clint Eastwood and Dustin Hoffman. The filmmakers felt it was best to film *Superman* and *Superman II* back-to-back, simultaneously, and to make a negative pickup deal with Warner Bros. William Goldman was approached to write the screenplay, while Leigh Brackett was considered. Ilya hired Alfred Bester, who began writing a film treatment. Alexander felt, however, that Bester was not famous enough, and so hired Mario Puzo (*The Godfather*) to write the screenplay at a $600,000 salary.  Francis Ford Coppola, William Friedkin, Richard Lester, Peter Yates, John Guillermin, Ronald Neame and Sam Peckinpah were in negotiations to direct. Peckinpah dropped out when he produced a gun during a meeting with Ilya. George Lucas turned down the offer because of his commitment to *Star Wars*.

Ilya wanted to hire Steven Spielberg to direct, but Alexander was skeptical, feeling it was best to "wait until [Spielberg's] big fish opens". *Jaws* was very successful, prompting the producers to offer Spielberg the position, but by then Spielberg had already committed to *Close Encounters of the Third Kind*. Guy Hamilton was hired as director, while Puzo delivered his 500-page script for *Superman* and *Superman II* in July 1975. Jax-Ur appeared as one of General Zod's henchman, with Clark Kent written as a television reporter. Dustin Hoffman, who was previously considered for Superman, turned down Lex Luthor.

In early 1975, Brando signed on as Jor-El with a salary of $3.7 million and 11.75% of the box office gross profits, totaling $19 million. He horrified Salkind by proposing in their first meeting that Jor-El appear as a suitcase or a greenbagel with Brando's voice, but Donner used flattery to persuade the actor to portray Jor-El himself. Brando hoped to use some of his salary for a proposed 13-part *Roots*-style miniseries on Native Americans in the United States.Brando had it in his contract to complete all of his scenes in 12 days. He also refused to memorize his dialog, so cue cards were compiled across the set. Fellow Oscar winner Hackman was cast as Lex Luthor days later. The filmmakers made it a priority to shoot all of Brando and Hackman's footage "because they would be committed to other films immediately".Though the Salkinds felt that Puzo had written a solid story for the two-part film, they deemed his scripts too long and so hired Robert Benton and David Newman for rewrite work. Benton became too busy directing *The Late Show* and David's wife Leslie was brought in to help her husband finish writing duties. George MacDonald Fraser was later hired to do some work on the script but he says he did little.

Their script was submitted in July 1976, and carried a camp tone, including a cameo appearance by Telly Savalas as his *Kojak* character. The scripts for *Superman* and *Superman II* were now at over 400-pages combined. Pre-production started in Rome, with sets starting construction and flying tests being unsuccessfully experimented. "In Italy," producer Ilya Salkind remembered, "we lost about $2 million [on flying tests]." Marlon Brando found out he couldn't film in Italy because of a warrant out for his arrest, a sexual obscenity charge from *Last Tango in Paris*. Production moved to England in late-1976, but Hamilton could not join because he was a tax exile.

Mark Robson was strongly considered in talks to direct, but after seeing *The Omen*, the producers hired Richard Donner. Donner had previously been planning *Damien: Omen II* when he was hired in January 1977 for $1 million to direct *Superman* and *Superman II*. Donner felt it was best to start from scratch. "They had prepared the picture for a year and not one bit was useful to me." Donner was dissatisfied with the campy script and brought Tom Mankiewicz to perform a rewrite. According to Mankiewicz "not a word from the Puzo script was used". "It was a well-written, but still a ridiculous script. It was 550 pages. I said, 'You can't shoot this screenplay because you'll be shooting for five years'," Donner continued. "That was literally a shooting script and they planned to shoot all 550 pages. You know, 110 pages is plenty for a script, so even for two features, that was way too much." Mankiewicz conceived having each Kryptonian family wear a crest resembling a different letter, justifying the 'S' on Superman's costume. The Writers Guild of America refused to credit Mankiewicz for his rewrites, so Donner gave him a creative consultant credit, much to the annoyance of the Guild.

#### Casting of Superman

It was initially decided to first sign an A-list actor for Superman before Richard Donner was hired as director. Robert Redford was offered a large sum, but felt he was too famous. Burt Reynolds also turned down the role, while Sylvester Stallone was interested, but nothing ever came of it. Paul Newman was offered his choice of roles as Superman, Lex Luthor or Jor-El for $4 million, turning down all three roles. When it was next decided to cast an unknown actor,casting director Lynn Stalmaster first suggested Christopher Reeve, but Donner and the producers felt he was too young and skinny. Over 200 unknown actors auditioned for Superman. Olympic champion Bruce Jenner had auditioned for the title role, while Patrick Wayne was cast, but dropped out when his father was diagnosed with stomach cancer, from which he died months after the film's 1979 release. Both Neil Diamond and Arnold Schwarzenegger lobbied hard for the role, but were ignored. James Caan, James Brolin, Lyle Waggoner, Christopher Walken, Nick Nolte, Jon Voight, and Perry King were approached. Kris Kristofferson and Charles Bronson were also considered for the title role."We found guys with fabulous physique who couldn't act or wonderful actors who did not look remotely like Superman," creative consultant Tom Mankiewicz remembered. The search became so desperate that producer Ilya Salkind's wife's dentist was screen tested.

Stalmaster convinced Donner and Ilya to have Reeve screen test in February 1977. Reeve stunned the director and producers, but he was told to wear a "muscle suit" to produce the desired muscular physique. Reeve refused,undertaking a strict physical exercise regime headed by David Prowse. Prowse had wanted to portray Superman, but was denied an audition by the filmmakers because he was not American. Prowse also auditioned for Non. Reeve went from 170 to 212 pounds during pre-production and filming. Many have felt Reeve was typecast in the role during his career. However, Reeve felt, "'Superman' brought me many opportunities, rather than closing a door in my face." Jeff East portrays teenage Clark Kent. East had his voice overdubbed by Reeve. "I was not happy about it because the producers never told me what they had in mind," East commented. "It was done without my permission but it turned out to be okay. Chris did a good job but it caused tension between us. We resolved our issues with each other years later." East also tore several thigh muscles when performing the stunt of racing alongside the train. He applied 3 to 4 hours of prosthetic makeup daily to facially resemble Reeve.

### Filming

Principal photography began on March 24, 1977 at Pinewood Studios for Krypton scenes, budgeted as the most expensive film ever made at that point. Since *Superman* was being shot simultaneously with *Superman II*, filming lasted for 19 months, until October 1978. Filming was originally scheduled to last between seven and eight months, but problems rose during production. John Barry served as production designer, while Stuart Craig and Norman Reynolds worked as art directors. Derek Meddings and Les Bowie were credited as visual effects supervisors. Stuart Freeborn was the make-up artist, while Barry, David Tomblin, John Glen, David Lane, Robert Lynn and an uncredited Peter Duffell andAndré de Toth directed second unit scenes. Vic Armstrong was hired as the stunt coordinator and Reeve's stunt double, his wife Wendy Leech was Kidder's double. *Superman* was also the final complete film by cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth, who died during post-production while working on *Tess* for director Roman Polanski. The Fortress of Solitude was constructed at Shepperton Studios and at Pinewood's 007 Stage.Upon viewing the footage of Krypton, Warner Bros. decided to distribute in not only North America, but also in foreign countries. Due to complications and problems during filming, Warner Bros. also supplied $20 million and acquired television rights.

New York City doubled for Metropolis, while the *New York Daily News* Building served as the location for the offices of the *Daily Planet*. Brooklyn Heights was also used.Filming in New York lasted five weeks, during the time of theNew York City blackout of 1977. Production moved to Alberta, Canada for scenes set in Smallville, with the cemetery scene filmed in the canyon of Beynon, Alberta, the high school football scenes at Barons, Alberta, and the Kent farm constructed at Blackie, Alberta.Brief filming also took place in Gallup, New Mexico, Lake Mead and Grand Central Terminal. Director Donner had tensions with the Salkinds and Spengler concerning the escalating production budget and the shooting schedule. Creative consultant Tom Mankiewicz reflected, "Donner never got a budget or a schedule. He was constantly told he was way over schedule and budget. At one point he said, 'Why don't you just schedule the film for the next two days, and then I'll be nine months over?'."Richard Lester, who worked with the Salkinds on *The Three Musketeers* and *The Four Musketeers*, was then brought in as a temporary co-producer to mediate the relationship between Donner and the Salkinds,who by now were refusing to talk to each other.With his relationship with Spengler, Donner remarked, "At one time if I'd seen him, I would have killed him."

Lester was offered producing credit but refused, going uncredited for his work.Salkind felt that bringing a second director onto the set meant there would be someone ready in the event that Donner couldn't fulfill his directing duties. "Being there all the time meant he [Lester] could take over," Salkind admitted. "[Donner] couldn't make up his mind on stuff."On Lester, Donner reflected, "He'd been suing the Salkinds for his money on *Three* and *Four Musketeers*, which he'd never gotten. He won a lot of his lawsuits, but each time he sued the Salkinds in one country, they'd move to another, from Costa Rica to Panama to Switzerland. When I was hired, Lester told me, 'Don't do it. Don't work for them. I was told not to, but I did it. Now I'm telling you not to, but you'll probably do it and end up telling the next guy.' Lester came in as a 'go-between'. I didn't trust Lester, and I told him. He said, 'Believe me, I'm only doing it because they're paying me the money that they owe me from the lawsuit. I'll never come onto your set unless you ask me; I'll never go to your dailies. If I can help you in any way, call me."

It was decided to stop shooting *Superman II* and focus on finishing *Superman*. Donner had already completed 80% of the sequel.The filmmakers took a risk: if *Superman* was a box office bomb, they would not finish *Superman II*. The original climax for *Superman II* had General Zod, Ursa and Non destroying the planet, with Superman time traveling to fix the damage. In the original ending for *Superman*, the nuclear missile that Superman pushed into outer spacehappens to strike the Phantom Zone, freeing the three Kryptonian supervillains. The final shot was originally going to be General Zod, Non, and Ursa all flying towards earth, in an ominous sequel hook moment. The sequence can be seen in its entirety at the beginning of Donner's edit of *Superman II* where it was fully restored.

Donner commented, "I decided if *Superman* is a success, they're going to do a sequel. If it ain't a success, a cliffhanger ain't gonna bring them to see *Superman II*."

### Effects

[1]Publicity still emulating screen shot.[2]Actual screen shot for comparison. Suit has greenish hue, for use with blue-screen effects.*Superman* is well known for its large-scale visual effects sequences, all of which were created before the digital age. The Golden Gate Bridge scale model stood 70 feet long and 20 feet wide. Other miniatures included the Krypton Council Dome and the Hoover Dam. Slow motion was used to simulate the vast amount of water for the Hoover Dam destruction. The Fortress of Solitude was a combination of a full-scale set and matte paintings. Young Clark Kent's long-distance football punt was executed with a wooden football loaded into an air blaster placed in the ground. The Superman costume was to be a much darker blue, but the use of blue screen made it transparent.

The first test for the flying sequences involved simply catapulting a crash test dummy out of a cannon. Another technique had a remote control cast of Superman flying around. Both were discarded due to lack of movement. High quality, realistic-looking animation was tried, with speed trails added to make the effect more convincing.

As detailed in the *Superman: The Movie* DVD special effects documentary 'The Magic Behind The Cape', presented by optical effects supervisor Roy Field, in the end, three techniques were used to achieve the flying effects.

For landings and take-offs, wire flying riggings were devised and used. On location, these were suspended from tower cranes, whereas in the studio elaborate rigs were suspended from the studio ceilings. Some of the wire-flying work was quite audacious considering computer controlled rigs were not then available — the penultimate shot where Superman flies out of the prison yard for example. Although stuntmen were used, Reeve did much of the work himself, and was suspended as high as 50 ft in the air. Counterweights and pulleys were typically used to achieve flying movement rather than electronic or motorized devices.

For shots where the camera is stationary and Superman is seen flying towards or away from the camera in the frame, blue screen matte shots were used. Reeve would be photographed against a blue screen. While a special device made his cape flap to give the illusion of movement, the actor himself would remain stationary. Instead, the camera would use a mixture of long zoom-ins and zoom-outs to cause him to become larger or smaller in the frame. The blue background would then be photochemically removed and Reeve's isolated image would then be 'inserted' in to a matted area of a background plate shot. The zoom-ins or zoom-outs would give the appearance of flying away or towards the contents of the background plate. The disparity in lighting and colour between the matted image and the background plate, the occasional presence of black matte lines (where the matte area and the matted image — in the case Superman — don't exactly match-up) and the slightly unconvincing impression of movement achieved through the use of long zoom lenses is characteristic of these shots.

For shots where the camera is tracking with Superman as he flies (such as in the Superman and Lois Metropolis flying sequence) front projection was used. This involved photographing the actors suspended in front of a background image dimly projected from the front on to a special screen made by 3M that would reflect light back at many times the original intensity directly in to a combined camera/projector. The result was a very clear and intense photographic reproduction of both the actors and the background plate with far less of the image deterioration or lighting problems than occur with rear projection.

A technique was developed that combined the front projection effect with specially designed zoom lenses.The illusion of movement was created by zooming in on Reeve while making the front projected image appear to recede. For scenes where Superman interacts with other people or objects while in flight, Reeve and actors were put in a variety of rigging equipment with careful lighting and photography. This also led to the creation of the Zoptic system.

The highly reflective costumes worn by the Kryptonians were the result of an accident during Superman flying tests. "We noticed the material lit up on its own," Donner explained. "We tore the material into tiny pieces and glued it on the costumes, designing a front projection effect for each camera. There was a little light on each camera, and it would project into a mirror, bounce out in front of the lens, hit the costume, [and] millions of little glass heads would light up and bring the image back into the camera."

### Music

Jerry Goldsmith, who scored Donner's *The Omen*, was originally set to compose *Superman*. Portions of Goldsmith's work from *Capricorn One* were used in *Superman'*s teaser trailer. He dropped out over scheduling conflicts and John Williams was hired. Williams conducted the London Symphony Orchestra to record the soundtrack. The music was one of the last pieces to come into place. Williams liked that the film did not take itself too seriously and that it had a theatrical camp feel to it. Kidder was supposed to sing "Can You Read My Mind?," the lyrics to which were written by Leslie Bricusse, but Donner disliked it and changed it to a composition accompanied by a voiceover. Maureen McGovern eventually recorded the single, "Can You Read My Mind?," in 1979, although the song did not appear on the film soundtrack. It became a mid-chart hit on the *Billboard* Hot 100 that year.

## Themes

See also: Christ figure
"You will travel far, my little Kal-El. But we will never leave you, even in the face of our deaths. The richness of our lives shall be yours. All that I have, all that I've learned, everything I feel—all this and more I bequeath you, my son. You will carry me inside you all the days of your life. You will make my strength your own, and see my life through your eyes, as your life will be seen through mine. The son becomes the father, the father the son. This is all I can send you, Kal-El."
— Jor-El*Superman* is divided into three basic sections, each having a distinct theme and visual style. The first segment, set on Krypton, is meant to be typical of science fiction films, but also lays the groundwork for analogy that emerges in the relationship between Jor-El and Kal-El. The second segment, set in Smallville, is reminiscent of 1950s films, and its small-town atmosphere is meant to evoke a Norman Rockwell painting. The third (and largest) segment was an attempt to present the superhero story with as much realism as possible (what Donner called "verisimilitude"), relying on traditional cinematic drama and using only subtle humor instead of a campy approach.

Donner, Tom Mankiewicz and Ilya Salkind have commented on the use of Christian references to discuss the themes of *Superman*. Mankiewicz deliberately fostered analogies with Jor-El (God) and Kal-El (Jesus). Donner is somewhat skeptical of Mankiewicz' actions, joking "I got enough death threats because of that." **Several concepts and items of imagery have been used in Biblical comparisons. Jor-El casts out General Zod from Krypton, a parallel to the casting out of Satan fromHeaven. The spacecraft that brings Kal-El to Earth is in the form of a star (Star of Bethlehem). Kal-El comes to Jonathan and Martha Kent, who are unable to have children. 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.** 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. Jor-El says, "Live as one of them, Kal-El, to discover where your strength and power are needed. But always hold in your heart the pride of your special heritage. They can be a great people, Kal-El, and they wish to be. They lack only the light to show the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you, my only son." The theme resembles the Biblical account of God sending his only son Jesus to Earth in hope for the good of mankind. More were seen when Donner was able to complete *Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut*, featuring the fall, resurrection and his battle with evil. Another vision was that of *The Creation of Adam.* **The Christian imagery in the Reeve films has provoked comment on the Jewish origins of Superman. Rabbi Simcha Weinstein's book *Up, Up and Oy Vey: How Jewish History, Culture and Values Shaped the Comic Book Superhero*, says that Superman is both a pillar of society and one whose cape conceals a "nebbish", saying "He's a bumbling, nebbish Jewish stereotype. He's Woody Allen." Ironically, it is also in the Reeve films that Clark Kent's persona has the greatest resemblance to Woody Allen, though his conscious model was Cary Grant's character in *Bringing up Baby*. This same theme is pursued about 1940s superheroes generally in *Disguised as Clark Kent: Jews, Comics, and the Creation of the Superhero* by Danny Fingeroth.** In the scene where Lois Lane interviews Superman on the balcony, Superman replies, "I never lie." Salkind felt this was an important point in the film, since Superman, living under his secret identity as Clark Kent, is "telling the biggest lie of all time." His romance with Lois also leads him to contradict Jor-El's orders to avoid altering human history, time traveling to save her from dying. Superman instead takes the advice of Jonathan Kent, his father on Earth.

## Release

*Superman* was originally scheduled to be released in June 1978, but the problems during filming pushed the film back by six months. Editor Stuart Baird reflected, "Filming was finished in October 1978 and it is a miracle we had the film released three months later. Big-budgeted films today tend to take six to eight months."Donner, for his part, wished that he'd "had another six months; I would have perfected a lot of things. But at some point, you've gotta turn the picture over." Warner Bros. spent $7 million to market and promote the film. ***Superman* premiered at the Kennedy Centre in Washington DC on December 10, 1978. Three days later on December 13, it had a European Royal Charity Premiere at the Empire, Leicester Square in London in the presence of HM Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Andrew. It went on to gross $134.22 million in North America and $166 million internationally, totaling $300.22 million worldwide.*Superman* was the second highest-grossing film of 1978 (behind only *Grease*), and became the sixth-highest grossing film of all time after its theatrical run. It was also Warner Bros.' most successful film at the time.Based on 53 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, 94% of reviewers enjoyed*Superman*, with the consensus "*Superman* deftly blends humor and gravitas, taking advantage of the perfectly cast Reeve to craft a loving, nostalgic tribute to an American pop culture icon." By comparison, Metacritic collected an average score of 88, resulting in "universal acclaim", based on 12 reviews.The film was widely regarded as one of top 10 films of 1978.*Superman* creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster gave a positive reaction.Shuster was "delighted to see Superman on the screen. I got chills. Chris Reeve has just the right touch of humor. He really is Superman".** Roger Ebert gave a largely positive review. "*Superman* is a pure delight, a wondrous combination of all the old-fashioned things we never really get tired of: adventure and romance, heroes and villains, earthshaking special effects and wit. Reeve is perfectly cast in the role. Any poor choice would have ruined the film".Ebert placed the film on his 10 best list of 1978.He would later go on to place it on his "Great Movies" list. James Berardinelli believed "there's no doubt that it's a flawed movie, but it's one of the most wonderfully entertaining flawed movies made during the 1970s. It's exactly what comic book fans hoped it would be. Perhaps most heartening of all, however, is the message at the end of the credits announcing the impending arrival of *Superman II*."Harry Knowles is a longtime fan of the film, but was critical of elements that didn't represent the Superman stories as seen in the comics. Dave Kehr felt "the tone, style, and point of view change almost from shot to shot. This is the definitive corporate film. It is best when it takes itself seriously, worst when it takes the easy way out in giggly camp, When Lex Luthor enters the action, Hackman plays the arch-villain like a hairdresser left over from a TV skit."

### Beyond theatrical release

The Salkinds prepared a three-hour-plus version for worldwide television reincorporating some 45 minutes of footage and music deleted from the theatrical cut, and specially prepared so that networks and stations can re-edit their own version at their discretion. American Broadcasting Company aired the broadcast television debut of *Superman* in 1982, with a majority of the unused footage. A syndicated version of the film aired in local television stations in Los Angeles, California and Washington, D.C. in the 1990s included two additional scenes never seen before, in addition to what had been previously reinstated.When Michael Thau and Warner Home Video started working on a film restoration in 2000, some of the extra footage was not added because of poor visual effects. Thau felt "the pace of the film's storyline would be adversely affected. This included timing problems with John William's musical score. The cut of the movie shown on TV was put together to make the movie longer when shown on TV because ABC paid per minute to air the movie. The special edition cut is designed for the best viewing experience in the true spirit of movie making." There was a special test screening of the Special Edition in 2001 in Austin, Texas, on March 23 with plans for a possible wider theatrical release later that year, which did not occur.In May 2001, Warner Home Video released the special edition on DVD. Director Donner also assisted, working slightly over a year on the project. The release included making-of documentaries directed by Thau and eight minutes of restored footage. **Thau explained, "I worked on *Ladyhawke* and that's how I met Donner and Tom Mankiewicz. I used to hear those wonderful stories in the cutting room that Tom, Donner and Stuart would tell about *Superman* and that's how I kind of got the ideas for the plots of *Taking Flight* and *Making Superman*. Donner commented, "There were a few shots where the Superman costume looked green. We went in and cleaned that up, bringing the color back to where it should be."Thau wanted to make the film shorter, "I wanted to take out the damn flying sequence where Lois is reciting a poem ["Can You Read My Mind"] when they're flying around. I also wanted to take out where it was just generic action. It was like a two-minute car chase. Donner protested and the stuff stayed in."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*. In November 2006, a four-disc special edition was released, followed by a HD DVD release and Blu-ray.Also available (with other films) is the nine-disc "Christopher Reeve Superman Collection" and the 14-disc "Superman Ultimate Collector's Edition".**

### Broadcast television version details

When the rights to the first *Superman* film reverted to the Salkinds in 1981, it was their intention to prepare a television cut longer than what was released theatrically, for the aforementioned reasons. The so-called "Salkind International Extended Cut", which ended up running 3 hours, 8 minutes, was shown internationally on television, and it is from this cut that later domestic TV versions were derived. **The first network American television broadcast of *Superman: The Movie* took place in February 1982 on ABC. The principal sponsor for the telecasts was Atari. At the time, ABC had a contract with Alexander Salkind for the television rights to his films. ABC's 3 hour-2 minute cut of *Superman* was broadcast over the course of two nights. On the first night it premiered, the film stopped when Lois Lane was falling from the helicopter (the picture froze, creating a cliffhanger-type of ending for part one). The next evening, there was naturally a recap before the film continued.This expanded version was repeated in November of the same year,only this time, shown in one night.The next two ABC showings after that were the original theatrical version. Apparently, in their contract with ABC, the Salkinds were able to get money for every minute of footage shown on TV. So as a result, they crammed in as much footage as possible for the TV networks in order to maximize their revenues. During production of the film, Alexander and Ilya had been relegated to having to sell more and more of their rights back to Warner Bros. in exchange for financial help. Director Richard Donner was not consultedon any of the extended versions. However, due to a clause in his contract, Donner's name remains in the credits.**
Also as previously mentioned, some 40 minutes of footage were reinstated for the initial ABC-TV telecasts of the film. Among the highlighted moments:

* A subplot of an Executioner (a Kryptonian security officer) being sent by the council to hunt down and capture Jor-El (while the beginning of the scene is shown in the 2000 director's cut restoration, the "payoff" [with him getting killed] is not in the latter version).
* When Superman is trying to get to Lex Luthor's underground hideout, he is subjected to machine gun fire, a giant blow torch, and is frozen in ice. A tiny fraction of this footage was used in the theatrical version *Superman II* (directed by Richard Lester), in the scene where Superman's powers are stripped away by the molecule chamber in the Fortress of Solitude.
* Lex Luthor plays the piano in several scenes; when he has Otis drop Eve Teschmacher into the lions' den at the end he is singing *You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby*.
* After Superman saves Lois at the end and flies off, he's seen rescuing Eve Teschmacher from the lions' den, in which Lex had previously dropped her; he pointedly notes for Luthor to hear, "By the way, Miss Teschmacher, your mother sends her love," a reference to Luthor's boast about Hackensack, NJ.
* The little girl who sees the teenage Clark Kent running faster than the train is revealed to be Lois Lane, a fact revealed when her parents talk to her by name. This revelation scene is not present in the shorter theatrical release. Only in the ABC version are young Lois Lane and her father seen in the train. Also in the ABC version, Otis' walk down the street is longer.
* Nearly all of John Williams' score is restored (some of which was dialed out of the theatrical cut).

However, at least one noticeable removal occurred: the recording of "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley & His Comets, heard in the original film in the minutes before the death of Glenn Ford's character, is replaced with a generic piece of instrumental music in the ABC cut. **When the rights reverted to Warner Bros. in 1985, CBS aired the film one last time on network television in its theatrical version. When *Superman: The Movie* entered the syndication market in 1988 (following a play-out run on pay cable) TV stations were offered the extended cut or the theatrical cut. The stations that showed the extended cut edited the second half to squeeze in commercials and 'What happened yesterday flashbacks'.** In May 1994 (following a pay cable reissue and obligatory run on USA Network), Warner Bros. offered the aforementioned "Salkind International Extended Cut" (a 3-hour, 8-minute version, prepared by the Salkinds, and from which the ABC version was derived), which was shown in Los Angeles on KCOP. This version also surfaced outside of Los Angeles. For example, WJLA Channel 7, an ABC affiliate out of Washington, D.C. aired the "Salkind International Extended Cut" on Saturday, July 23, 1994. Part one aired from 9:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. before breaking for 30 minutes of news. Part two was then aired from 12:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. **The extended version of *Superman: The Movie* has never been broadcast in the United Kingdom. The first showing of the theatrical version on UK-TV appeared on January 4, 1983 on ITV. In 1985, Ireland's RTE television aired the extended versions of *Superman: The Movie* and *Superman II* in one night. The films ran from roughly 3:00 until 9:00 including the odd commercial and a break for the 6:00 news.** The quality of the extended network TV version is inferior to any theatrical or current home video release because it was mastered in 16mm (using the "film chain system") and a mono sound mix done as by the time the extended cut was prepared in 1981, stereo was not available in television broadcasts. Eight of the 45 minutes of extended scenes that were used in the later 2000 director's cut restoration were taken from restored elements. **There are various extended TV versions each broadcast in various countries. Most of these are in pan and scan, as they were made in the 1980s, when films were not letterboxed to preserve the theatrical aspect ratio on old TVs. None of the various extended versions have ever been made available officially on home video/DVD, although they have been widely bootlegged.**

## Legacy

*Superman* was nominated for three Academy Awards (Best Film Editing - (Stuart Baird), Best Music (Original Score) - (John Williams) and Best Sound Mixing - (Gordon K. McCallum, Graham V. Hartstone, Nicolas Le Messurier andRoy Charman)), and received a Special Achievement Academy Award for its visual effects. Donner publicly expressed disgust that production designer John Barry and cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth had not been recognized. ***Superman* was successful at the 32nd British Academy Film Awards. Reeve won Best Newcomer, while Hackman, Unsworth, Barry and the sound designers earned nominations. The film won the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation. At the Saturn Awards, Kidder, Barry, John Williams and the visual effects department received awards, and the film won Best Science Fiction Film. Reeve, Hackman, Donner, Valerie Perrine and costume designer Yvonne Blake were nominated for their work as well. In addition, Williams was nominated for the 36th Golden Globe Awards and won the Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media.In 2007, the Visual Effects Society listed *Superman* as the 44th most influential use of visual effects of all time.In 2008, *Empire* magazine named it the #174 greatest film of all-time on its list of 500. The film also received recognition from the American Film Institute. Superman was selected as the 26th greatest film hero of all time. The film was considered for the AFI's *100 Years... 100 Cheers* list, but didn't make it past the ballot. In 2009, *Entertainment Weekly* ranked Superman 3rd on their list of *The All-Time Coolest Heroes in Pop Culture*.** With the film's success, it was immediately decided to finish *Superman II*. Ilya and Alexander Salkind and Pierre Spengler did not ask Donner to return because Donner had criticized them during the film's publicity phase.Donner commented in January 1979, "I'd work with Spengler again, but only on my terms. As long as he has nothing to say as the producer, and is just liaison between Alexander Salkind and his money, that's fine. If they don't want it on those terms, then they need to go out and find another director, it sure as shit ain't gonna be me."Kidder, who portrayed Lois Lane, was dissatisfied by the producers' decision,and also criticized the Salkinds during publicity. As a result, Kidder was only given a cameo appearance for *Superman III*, and not a main supporting role.Jack O'Halloran, who portrayed Non, stated, "It was great to work with Donner. Richard Lester was as big an asshole as the Salkinds."Two more films, *Superman III* (1983) and *Superman IV: The Quest for Peace* (1987), were produced. *Superman Returns* was released in 2006. Director Bryan Singer credited *Superman: The Movie* as an influence for*Superman Returns*, and even used restored footage of Brando as Jor-El. *Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut* also was released in 2006. **The film's final sequence, which features Superman flying high above the Earth at sunrise, and breaking the fourth wall to smile briefly at the camera, featured at the end of every Superman film starring Reeve, and was re-shot withBrandon Routh for *Superman Returns*.** Because *Superman* went into production prior to *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 forscience fiction films in the 1980s. This is certainly the view of *Superman* producer Ilya Salkind and some who have interviewed him,as well as of film production assistant Brad Lohan.Other observers of film history tend to credit the resurgence of science fiction films simply to the Lucas and Spielberg productions, and see *Superman* as the first of the new cycle of films launched by the first two. Ilya Salkind denies any connection between *Superman*—which began filming in March 1977—and the other films, stating that "I did not know about 'Star Wars'; 'Star Wars' did not know about 'Superman'; 'Close Encounters' did not know about 'Superman.' It really was completely independent — nobody knew anything about anybody." *Superman* also established the superhero film genre as viable outside the world of Saturday matinee serials, although it was a decade before the comparable success of the *Batman* series and two decades before that of *X-Men* and *Spider-Man*.

#### **American Film Institute Lists**

* AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains:
	+ Superman - #26 Hero
	+ Lex Luthor — Nominated Villain
* AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs:
	+ Can You Read My Mind — Nominated
* AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes:
	+ "I'm here to fight for truth, justice, and the American way." - Nominated
* AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores - Nominated
* AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers - Nominated
* AFI's 10 Top 10 - Nominated Fantasy Film

### Comic Book-Continuity Details

Many elements of the Superman mythos which were once unique to the film have since been incorporated into the regular continuity of the DC Comics universe:

* the crystalline-based technology of the planet Krypton
* Superman's "S" logo originates as the El family crest
* Ursa and Non—characters created specifically for the film—are imprisoned in the Phantom Zone with General Zod
* A computer-generated simulacrum of Jor-El survives in the Fortress of Solitude to advise his adult son Kal-El
* Clark Kent commences his public superhero career as the adult Superman, rather than the teenage Superboy
* Lois Lane first meets Superman when he rescues her as she falls from a disabled helicopter in Metropolis
* In one version of this encounter, the characters greet each other using the same dialogue from this scene in the film (Superman: "Easy, Miss, I've got you." Lois: "You've got me ... who's got you?")
* Lois is the one who first names the hero "Superman"
* Jonathan Kent dies of a heart attack, but Martha survives as his widow
* Although she is an excellent reporter, Lois frequently misspells words

## Why It Rocks

Christopher Reeve's portrayed as Superman is one of the great examples.

1. To start with, It is *widely* considered to be one of the fantastic ways to start the superhero movie genre in the late-1970s, In addition, it is the kickstart of the live-action Superman movies that is managed to be faithful to the source material from the comic books. There are more reasons down below.
2. In addition, this is one of the first successful superhero films to date, before the release of *X-Men* in 2000.
3. ***The opening scene.*** The film begins with a comic book and it starts off a fantastic and exciting theme song that was composed by John Williams, and we see that Kal-El is sent to outer space, leaving all of the Krypton's population falls to their deaths and explodes is an exciting way to start the whole film.
4. Christopher Reeve was very good a Superman after all for many reasons:
5. The soundtrack that was composed by John Williams is one of the best parts in the *entire* movie.
6. Even though it is meant to be an action superhero film, it takes a break and has a nice romantic theme film.
7. The story is amazing, as it does follow the movie of how Clark Kent became Superman and become love interest with Lois Lane.
8. Superman who is played by Christopher Reeve is very likable and memorable.
9. Richard Donner who is a director of *The Omen* did a fantastic job directing the movie. He knows how to follow the source material from the comic books and sometimes the television series of the same name.
10. The special effects are pretty good, even in late 1970s standards.
11. Gene Hackman did an amazing job portraying a villain named Lex Luthor.
12. The film has a great, mix of humor, action, and suspense, which is very accessible for the superhero film.
13. The movie has very memorable scenes, such as the scene where Superman and Lois Lane fly in the sky, a massive earthquake all over the West Coast scene, and even Superman's scream at the end.
14. The ending is great, Superman delivers Luthor and Otis to prison before flying into the sunrise for further adventures, with a nice space shot during the credits.

## Reception

### Critical response

**The film was widely acclaimed by critics, audiences, and fans of the *Superman* series, and it is considered to be the greatest superhero film in 1978. It film holds a 94% rating with a "Certified Fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 68 reviews, with an average rating of 8.08/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Superman deftly blends humor and gravitas, taking advantage of the perfectly cast Reeve to craft a loving, nostalgic tribute to an American pop culture icon." On Metacritic, it has an 80/100 resulting in "generally favorable reviews", based on 19 reviews.** Roger Ebert gave the film four out of four stars. Although describing the Krypton scenes as "ponderous" ("Brando was allegedly paid $3 million for his role, or, judging by his dialogue, $500,000 a cliché"), Ebert wrote that "Superman is a pure delight, a wondrous combination of all the old-fashioned things we never really get tired of: adventure and romance, heroes and villains, earthshaking special effects, and -- you know what else? Wit". He praised Reeve, stating that he "sells the role; wrong casting here would have sunk everything", and concluded that the film "works so well because of its wit and its special effects". Ebert placed the film on his ten best list of 1978. He would later go on to place it on his "Great Movies" list.

## Trivia

* The movie was filming in New York City on the night of the 1977 blackout. The New York Daily News was able to publish despite the blackout, because the film company let the newspaper use their generators. Richard Donner humorously remembers that Geoffrey Unsworth believed he was the cause of it all, due to the number of equipment he was using.
* Gene Hackman flatly refused to shave his head or wear a "bald cap" to play Lex Luthor. To get around this issue, Hackman's own natural hair was styled differently from scene to scene to give the appearance of him having changed hairpieces. Numerous hairpieces are visible in his underground complex. Hackman relented and wore a skullcap in one scene, when he is taken to prison by Superman. It is visible when he angrily rips off his hairpiece to address the prison's warden, who questions who he is. Hackman was also forced to shave off his mustache, which he was keen on keeping at the time.
* Originally, the helicopter scene was simply going to have Superman save Lois from falling. Later, Richard Donner decided to have the helicopter drop and the modified scene was called "The Double Jeopardy Scene".
* The film was planned in three years, and shot in two. At the height of filming, over one thousand full-time crew on eleven units were spread over three studios and eight countries. Over one million feet of film was used, and it had the highest production budget of any film at the time.
* The helicopter scene was intended to be shot on the top of the then Pan Am building, until a real-life accident on the heliport killed several passengers as well as a pedestrian from a falling helicopter blade on May 16, 1977.
* This was the second highest grossing film of 1978, behind "*Grease*" (1978).
* The highest grossing "Warner Brothers" movie of the 1970s. The next decade, the highest grossing movie for "Warner Brothers" would be another "DC Comics" hero, "Batman (1989)."
* In October 2017, decades after the Extended Television Cut last aired - a version with a running time at 3 hours - this version was prepared by Warners and released to Blu-Ray. This version has over 40 minutes of new footage, scene extensions, alternate music cues and much more screen time between Lex Luthor, Miss Teschmacher and Otis. This version was prepared by the producers who were able to negotiate payment for running time, rather than a flat fee, hence their decision to include much that Richard Donner had cut out from its theatrical cut.
* Steve McQueen was considered for the lead role. He was ultimately rejected for being out of shape.
* The search for an actor to play Superman began in 1975 and ended with a press announcement on February 23, 1977, just thirty-five days before filming was due to begin.
* Jerry Goldsmith, who scored *The Omen* (1976), was originally set to score the film. Portions of Goldsmith's work from *Capricorn One* (1977) were used in the teaser trailer. He dropped out over scheduling conflicts, and John Williams was hired.
* Carrie Fisher, fresh off the success of *Star Wars* (1977), was considered for Lois Lane.