SUPERMAN (1978) was SUPER AMAZING!!! - Movie Reaction - FIRST TIME WATCHING
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- Опубликовано: 11 сен 2024
- Hello Everybody!
I can’t believe the writer of the GODFATHER helped to write this film
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Starring:
Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Gene Hackman, Marlon Brando, Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, and Valerie Perrine
Written by:
Mario Puzo, Tom Mankiewicz, David Newman, Robert Benton, and Leslie Newman
Directed by:
Richard Donner
Hey everyone! What a super movie am I right!!! Also, I will be watching Superman 2 I have made up my mind. I'll be watching the Theatrical version as that would have been the version seen by audiences right after this film. I loved this movie from top to bottom and the effects blew me away!
Thanks for watching! Have a good day! :)
Once thing to know; this movie's tag line was, "You'll Believe a Man Can Fly". Which we all did when this movie came out. Some effects don't hold up as well as they use to, but overall, this a banger of a movie. And I'm not a Superman fan at all.
Superman 2 was original about this this movie, but the movie ran long, so the director made 2 films our of it. So yes; you need to watch the second one. As far as 3 and 4; they are just bad movies, and I would say avoid those one, you don't need to watch them. 2 deals with General Zod, and his minions, and we get more of Lex Luthor as well, although he is still more a minor villain in these movies.
The parents of young Lois (on the train) are the original Superman & Lois actors. You really should see the extended s
version of this movie sometime.
The first two were conceived as going together as two parts of a whole story, so you really have only seen half the story.
Parts 3 and 4 are quite dreadful though, just warning you!
Damn, you really should see the Richard Donner cut of "Superman 2". It's not that different.....except it is. You get the Brando scenes, which are great, as opposed to the cheesy ones with his mother, which are not. And you get an extra scene with Clark and Lois that is key. The theatrical version of "Superman 2" was disappointing to me, even as a kid. The "Donner" cut was the first time I ever liked "Superman 2". You should really reconsider. It's not like they totally changed "Superman 2", ala "Bladerunner" or "Apocalypse Now" re-cuts. They just make it the way the director who shot it intended it to be.
I suggest the Donner Cut of Superman II. The theatrical version just gets too silly for my tastes. The Donner Cut eliminates most of that.
It still amazes me how perfect Christopher Reeves pulls off being Superman. No fake suit with gimmicked up pectoral, traps, biceps, triceps. Just a 6'4" 215lb man in a full body leotard. That is as boss as boss gets.
So agree. Cavill pulls off the look well enough, but his suit has too many complex textures, accents, etc. The beauty of Reeve's suit is its simplicity and allows the actor underneath to convey the character's strength & power.
@@Raja1938 Cavill doesn't pull off ANYTHING because he doesn't HAVE THE LOOK. His suit IS PADDED, A LOT, he doesn't have ANY PECS, they JIGGLE FFS, that's called excess flab from too many steroids. His suit is an overstuffed onesy. Now Tom Welling pulls it off because he actually LOOKS LIKE THE CHARACTER without a stupid suit, he's ALL chest, plus he understood the character which is why he played the character for TEN YEARS and Cavill only played Bizarro (the opposite of Superman).
The beauty of Reeve's suit is that it IS THE SUPERMAN SUIT DIRECTLY FROM COMICS it's not some bloated chicken cosplay trash dipped in ugly gray paint. And in this case the actor underneath CAN act, unlike Cavill, because last I checked angry and constipated all the time ain't Superman.
@@radicalreactions1633 Welling looks nothing like Superman. Cavill does (John Byrne's artwork immediately comes to mind). As far as Cavill's characterization, his was taken from both the *Earth One* graphic novels and the post-Crisis comics. His Superman has precedent in the source material, just not YOUR pet stories.
Comments like yours are exactly why the Superman fandom has a deservedly horrible reputation. Every bit of it is pure fanboy entitlement, the exact kind that gets rightfully mocked and that's largely responsible for the ruination of this franchise is all media.
100%
Christopher Reeve wasn’t muscular when he got the role but he spent several months bodybuilding with David Prowse, the physical actor of Darth Vader.
This films tag line was "You will believe a man can fly." All these years later, I still believe. RIP Christopher Reeve: the one and only true Superman.
No one was ever born to play Superman more than Christopher Reeve
George Reeves was.
And Linda Carter as Wonder Woman.!!!!
@@brandonflorida1092 completely disagree but your opinion is your opinion you won't get any argument from me
@@sinnizster5038 I take it you've seen all the episodes.
Christopher Reeves was superman
!8:22 "I've got you" - Lois says. "You've got me, who's got you!" - Always loved that line, Margot Kidder was a great Lois Lane
The reason for the verisimilitude of how Superman flies was Reeve himself. He was a pilot, and knew about how a body would behave moving through air. He was the one who suggested using his arms to create the effect of "banking" the way a plane would. That's why he doesn't just hold his arms out straight all the time the way George Reeves (the original TV Superman) used to do.
verisimilitude ???
@@hifijohn "Verisimilitude" is actually a simple word for the complex feeling you get when something "feels" authentic in a profound way, both obvious and subtle. It doesn't just look right, it sounds right, acts right, even smells right. Director Richard Donner used the term verisimilitude to remind his crew that Superman, the movie had to feel true to the sense of its own mythology and its place in American culture in order to succeed, and it did in spades. Little things like the joke of Clark looking at a 1970s public telephone with slight annoyance - it refers to a once-popular conception of Superman changing outfits in convenient telephone booths, even though that was not really a thing from the comics and by 1978 telephone booths had already well begun to disappear from the American landscape.
Oh, you can't beat that classic John Williams Superman theme. Makes me smile every time.
Even as a kid, I could tell it was a re-write of the "Star Wars" theme. My guess he was so busy writing his greatest score (Close Encounters), he gave Superman short shrift! lol
@@TTM9691 With all due respect, and your point is fair, but you may well be the only person to ever refer to his Superman Score as “short shrift”.
@@TTM9691 It's in the same vein, but it's hardly the same theme.
@@oliverbrownlow5615 It's John Williams ripping off himself, I'm a musician and even as a 9 year old I thought it was lame that it sounded like the Star Wars theme, take your thumb out of your mouth, Oliver. This is hardly news, everyone says that about the Superman theme, so grow up. The whole opening credits is influenced by Star Wars as well. I love Superman, I'm not attacking it, but the theme is Star Wars rehash. Last year's theme, warmed over. Sorry you're butthurt about it. This is when John Williams started repeating himself ad infinitum.
@@TTM9691 It's not a rewrite of the Star Wars theme. That's disinformation. The Biden Ministry of Truth will be in contact soon!
You wouldn't have these movies today, had it not been for Superman the movie. It was groundbreaking, on every level.
Christopher Reeve does a wonderful job of making Kent and Superman feel like 2 different people. The distinct movements, speech and confidence levels of the two make it a a joy to watch his acting. Love him in Somewhere in Time (1980) too.
24:27 this scene is a masterclass in acting by Christopher Reeve and actually makes the Superman/Clark disguise seem plausible - in a moment we go from 'Clark Kent' (at least the bumbling public performance version), to 'Superman' and back to 'Clark'. It is never just the glasses it is the entire way he carries himself and speaks.
Exactly why Christopher Reeve will always be the best Superman. Cavill plays Clark exactly like Superman but in a suit and glasses.
In my opinion Christopher Reeve was the real Superman👍👍👍👍👍
Never moreso than after his accident.
I enjoyed your reaction and I do understand your dislikes at the end. The assumption that everyone else knows what you know is a mistake many people make, including myself. When I went overseas for college in 1978, I was shocked that there were countries that didn't have color television yet!
What you have to remember is that in 1978 the world was a very different place from the way it is now. There was no internet or home computers. This was even before answering machines and fax machines. So there was no reason for someone living in England, Spain or France or anywhere else in the world to know anything about Superman. He was an American superhero written for an American audience and supporting the American way of life.
So that first 45 minutes was necessary, not just because Americans at the time wanted to see the origin story on film, which had never been shown before, but for the overseas market as well.
Anyway, please don't take this wrong, the Superman films were not made for your generation, they were made for mine. And if they hadn't shown the first 45 minutes and just dumped us in the middle of the film, we probably would have walked out of the theater and told our friends it was a crap movie and don't bother going to see it. Different time, different expectations.
Completely agree with this. I think some reactors have a hard time placing themselves back in the time when the film came out, especially when they’ve seen many different adaptations that are readily available and more modern
Fun fact: 8:55 - The "mom" on the train was the actress who played Lois Lane in the Adventures of Superman TV show.
And the Father was Kirk Alyn, the first Superman from the serials of 1950....that Lois Lane was Noel Neil, and she played Lois in those serials too.
The airport operator talking to the airplane pilots was actually Christopher reeve
And the girl on the train was supposed to be Lois Lane.
This movie seems to have a lot of weird fun facts:
Christoper Reeves was trained in the weight room by David Prowse aka Darth Vader
The father was one of the first actor playing superman
You liked it. Now, imagine being a ten year-old watching this on the big screen for the first time. That was me in 1978. It was magical. I got chills just like you did watching it. I remember dreaming of flying the night after I saw it. It was the first big screen superhero movie--eleven years before Tim Burton's Batman.
But yes, please watch Superman II. I'd recommend the theatrical version. Donner's cut is more in-depth, but I think you should watch the version that we all saw originally. Superman III is okay. It's more comical because Richard Pryor is in it. It isn't horrible, but not the best. You can skip IV. It WAS horrible.
Part 2 was pretty exciting. Loved the opening in Paris. You should watch it. Part 3 lost the magic that’s the different directors fault he was Donner’s opposite. But Chris Reeve ♥️ is great in 3 and 4 regardless.
John Williams is a literal genius, you can't separate his music from any movie, superman, star wars, indiana jones, ET, Jurassic Park etc. You can hear a few notes from one of his themes, and the entire movie starts playing in your head.
The catch-phrase for the film was 'you'll believe a man can fly' - but the most striking thing is 'you'll believe that Superman can pass himself off as Clark Kent'. What a definitive performance.
Exactly.
The magnificent Christopher Reeve embodied the Superman/Clark Kent persona like no actor before or since. A true performance for the ages. Here's the thing:Reeve had the look, (it's not easy to look great in a Superman costume. ) Above all, the man could act. He actually became a different person in those Clark Kent scenes. No other actor has been able to completely pull that off since. Thank you, Mr. Reeve. May you be well in paradise. Through this role, you are immortalized.
the effects from 1978 might not hold up all that well, but you know what does? the score, the performances, the film making... what a masterpiece.
As you stated, the special effects may look dated, but the pure magic from the music, the magnificent performances and the overall craftsmanship are timeless.
I think a big difference between this and modern comic book movies is that this one actually makes you FEEL something. Newer ones dazzle you with their special effects and trick you with quick editing into thinking that you're watching something exciting, when really it's just a lot of CGI video game clobbering. Superman has moments of excitement and wonder and romance and HUMOR. It's really awful how so many superhero and adventure movies today are seemingly terrified to have any kind of humor in them for fear of seeming childish or not bad ass enough. So these movies trend towards the dark, moody, mostly humorless style that has become a bit overdone.
But then you consider Kevin Feige insisted people watch Superman to know what the perfect superhero movie looks like, and used it as the template for the MCU. You see a lot of that mix of comedy, drama, and humour from Superman in the MCU films.
WELL PUT! That is part of the reason I prefer to live in the past.
24:28 This scene really shows how good Christopher Reeve's portrayal was so good and also why Lois and others don't realise that Clark and Superman are the same person. He adopts a completely different demeanor and personality as Clark, than when he is as Superman.
This is probably one of the most believable Superman and Clark Kent like he really does act like a completely different person you could actually believe just by putting on the glasses and that personality they wouldn’t think he’s Superman
Christopher Reeve was amazing casting. He was Superman right from the comics. During this period the casting of Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman in her series was also spot on casting. The two of them cross through time still as those characters.
Now THAT’S how to watch “Superman the Movie”!
This movie was made 6 years after The Godfather. Amazing how they made Brando look so old in The Godfather.
Lex Luthor is in fact the most famous, oldest, and most-utilized recurring villain in the entire Superman canon. In the Silver Age comics, General Zod was one of several Phantom Zone villains - the Phantom Zone being the desolate "mirror" dimension that the three Kryptonian villains were banished to at the beginning of the movie - who menaced Superman. The movie's General Zod is actually sort of a composite between comic book Zod and another Kryptonian villain, Jax-Ur.
Because of the lovely Terence Stamp's indelible performance here and in Superman II, Zod became a more popular villain in the comics as well as in other media, but Lex Luthor still remains his chief nemesis. I imagine the reason you're most familiar with Zod is because of Man of Steel, thanks to the incredible performance by Michael Shannon (hands down the best performance in that movie).
Geoffrey Unsworth (1914-1978) was the cinematographer for this movie. He passed before the release of the movie thus the dedication at the beginning of the film.
Hi Roly....Yeah, that whole Marlon Brando montage teaching Kal El who he is and Superman's first appearance on the dais of the Fortress of Solitude was amazing back in 1978. When he flew straight at the camera and banked off to the right, that was the first human flight sequence in a film that looked absolutely real. The entire audience applauded this scene.
You didn't miss a cut, Ollie. Superman on the right of the scene is a pre-filmed projection in the studio behind Lois. So Chris Reeve is ready as Clark on the left the whole time. It's really clever.
Hi. Great reaction. Chris Reeve set the bar high. He was such a good actor.
He and Margot Kidder bickered quite a lot during the making of the movie. He was a Juliard trained actor and stayed in character. Kidder told him to lighten up. The actress has said that she thought about Harrison Ford during the romantic scenes.
One of the first movies I saw with my late dad as a child. Believe it or not, one of those were Jaws. Ever since I had been fascinated by cinema. And this rendition of Superman had got me intrigued about space in general. And Christopher Reeves, what can I say. RIP to him. But he will forever be Superman in my mind.
I saw it at the theater with my Mother when it first came out. Needless to say, we were both blown away. Her first name was Lois and she was born in Metropolis, IL.
To me Chris Reeve is the real Superman 💛❤💙
And Yes, I am so glad you are watching Superman 2 😊👍
I always remember a great joke from one of the episodes of the old TV show WKRP In Cincinnati, from around 1979. It took place in a radio station, and in the scene, Arthur Carlson the Station Manager is visited by his wife who wants to tell him she's going to have a baby. They are a somewhat older couple who had not planned on any more kids, but are happy about the news.
The wife tries to figure out when exactly she got pregnant, and Arthur Carlson thinks back a few months, and says "....ah, I remember. The night we watched Superman.".
The greatest sitcom of all time!!
I remember that episode!
Now THIS is a TV series that I would love to watch millenial RUclipsrs react to. WKRP narrowly beats out Gilligan's Island as my favourite sitcom of all time, and I'd love to see another generation get the chance to enjoy it.
@@rttoonist4275 It's brilliant and was way ahead of its time on subjects covered.
Such a good movie! And the music takes it to another level.
It's not that he caught the bullet. It's that he didn't even drop what he was holding in his right hand, and instead reached over with his left hand to casually be there before the bullet, and then played "dead". My favorite Clark Kent moment in history.
Truth, Justice, & The American Way. Superman is an iconic film and one of the finest origin films ever presented. Despite its age the film still has a lot of effects that hold up which is impressive pre CGI era. Superb reaction!
Regarding how they did the long take on Lois’ apartment: Superman flying away was pre-recorded on a big screen which is positioned behind Lois. The main camera from the audiences point of view is behind Lois. This makes it look like Lois and Superman were both in the same scene when it fact its just Lois. Meanwhile Christoper Reeve/Clark Kent was already on the side waiting for Lois to let him inside her apartment.
And yes please react to Superman 2 THEATRICAL cut. Its super good.
Specifically, the background was projected from the front, through a beam splitter (a 50% silvered mirror) at 45 degrees to both projector and camera. The screen behind Superman was coated with the same 3M Scotchlite material we see as the white costumes in the Krypton scenes. The tiny glass beads in the Scotchlite send the incoming projected image exactly back where it came from, through the beam splitter and into the camera. Both projector and camera had electronically synched zoom lenses so the background wouldn't change its apparent size, while the flying actor would appear to fly towards or away from the camera. Finally, the whole projector/camera rig was mounted on an arm with three degrees of freedom, and the whole shebang could be manually or computer controlled with a MOS 6502 processor. Expensive, complicated, and the effect looks slick as hell.
@@AlanCanon2222 and it won them an Oscar for special effects
Awesome reaction! Always loved Christopher Reeve as Superman. Music got me so pumped that I used to jump around the living room wearing my superman pjs as a little kid. It really crushed me when I heard of his accident and saw him in the wheelchair. So glad that the Smallville TV show was able to pay tribute to him by bringing him in as a guest character before he died. His death also hit me hard but in a way I was relieved since he was no longer in any pain. RIP Mr. Reeve.
Great review. You asked, "How did they make that one take on her balcony?" I'm not sure if someone commented on this before but, here's how they did it. When Superman pulls away from her and is about to say good night, that is a screen she's talking too. They filmed the scene prior. You can see the slight color differential from the background and foreground, thus making it look like a seamless one take transaction. Movie magic!
One thing that is overlooked in this movie is the foresight of Jor El to send his son in a ship that looks like shooting star or comet so no one fucks with the ship, instead of a conventional ship.
I was 6 years old in 1978 when I saw this in the theater. This is one of those films that is just a touchstone for me...my third movie going experience as a kid (my first was 'Star Wars'...how's that for a childhood?). For me, Christopher Reeve is Superman...and will always be.
- When Marlon Brando signed on to play Jor-El, he was the highest paid actor in the world. He made $3.7 million for what was 10 minutes of screen time, filmed in 12 days. Ultimately, he was paid for two films...but no footage of him was used in 'Superman II' (which was filming at the same time). However, footage of Brando as Jor-El did appear in 'Superman Returns' (2006) directed by Bryan Singer, with Brandon Routh as Clark Kent/Superman with the permission of his estate.
- Gene Hackman was a more serious actor prior to this, and he had very set dates for filming his scenes. This was intended to be an origin story only, so a "big bad" was not really needed for this film. However, the production was filming both 'Superman' and 'Superman II' at the same time. So...Hackman returns in a more substantial role in the next film, with a few other surprises...I'll just say, remember the Krypton scenes for a clue.
- 24:23 - It was a single take. You didn't miss a cut! When Superman is about to take off, they used a huge projection of Reeve flying off, while filming Margot Kidder (Lois) doing her lines and going to answer the door. The projections they used were also how they made Reeve fly in his closeups. He would be on wires (sometimes as high as 50 ft up) or a special gimbal built for the films and they would use projections of pre-shot footage for the background. The projections were either front or rear with special rigs as well. The process was called Zoptic, and was in use for a few other films for years after this. The film won a Special Acheivement Oscar for Visual Effects. The original tag line for the advertising, "You will believe that a man can fly!" We all did back in the day!
- During your criticisms of the film, you should remember...while Superman was generally known, it wasn't as well known as comic book heroes are known today. Comics in general were really looked down on, and while 'Superman' was the most well known...most people did not know the origin story. It was never covered in any previous film or television version of the story. It would be a valid argument today, but in 1976-77 as this was filming and before hand...no way! The fact the Salkinds even got the cast they got for this is, to put it simply, a miracle wrought by LOTS of money. Doing a full origin story was needed, and worked for that time! Which brings me to the producers. The Salkinds were, let's just say, pretty slippery characters who were not the greatest of people. Example...as they were filming both films, the money ran out. Donner was forced to finish the first one, and halt work on the second. The film opened to huge box office, great reviews and awards...and the Salkinds promptly FIRED Donner! They never gave him a set budget! They never told him to have a set schedule, other than the dates for Brando and Hackman! Donner later said he was sure that if the first had flopped they would have forced him to finish the second one. out of spite if nothing else. Instead, while the first was being finished, the Salkinds brought in another director to help out a bit named Richard Lester...who was hired for and is credited with directing 'Superman II', and who also directed 'Superman III'.
- Prior to getting Clark Kent/Superman, Christopher Reeve was trained at the Julliard School's Acting Program, and his dorm mate (and one of his best friends in the world until his death) was Robin Williams. Reeve was adamant that he play Clark and Superman differently. So, the slouching, parting his hair on the opposite side, and stammering were inspired a bit by Cary Grant and the confidence of Superman were intentional choices. This was his first starring role, he was mainly a theater actor at the time.
- As a die-hard Superman fan...please see 'Superman II' (and if you really like it in the theatrical cut as you said you are going to watch it, watch it again later with 'The Donner Cut' on your own). 'Superman III" is a lot of fun, but it's not really a 'Superman' movie...it's a Richard Pryor movie that has Superman in it. 'Superman IV: The Quest For Peace' is a nightmare that was bungled. The basic story was by Reeve, who wanted to say something about the times...but between the new producers and the inept director...if you decide to watch it, my advice is to start drinking before doing so...you'll have more fun. But...if you decide to bypass III & IV, I wholeheartedly suggest watching 'Superman Returns', which does serve as a sequel to 'Superman II'...besides Brandon Routh as Clark/Superman (who is actually REALLY good in the role), it also stars Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor, Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane, Frank Langella as Perry White, as well as Parker Posey and James Marsden. It has a really lovely scene that harkens back to this movie. I always wished Brandon Routh had been given another movie or two in the role. But, he did return as Superman in the CW's Arrowverse television series crossover event 'Crisis on Infinite Earths' for a few scenes (he was a regular on 'Legends of Tomorrow' as the DC hero Ray Palmer/ The Atom). The crossover was on episodes of 'The Flash', 'Batwoman', 'Supergirl', 'Legends of Tomorrow' and 'Arrow' in 2019.
Sorry for the long comment. I love the movie, and really enjoyed your reaction. My first time here. Keep up the great work!
I was 11 when this came out. The music is imbedded in my soul .. Christopher Reeves was an amazing man and really was Superman to me .. I cannot express enough how much I adore you and ur Uber authentic spot on reactions .. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️BTw!! I got hella chills in the same moments . Amazing Score
The Love Theme is gorgeous. Just sit through the full end credits
I love your reaction to this. I saw this in the cinema with my mum when I was 12 years old, and it totally blew my mind, I’m now 51, and it still blows my mind. I feel so emotional, because Christopher is gone now, and on hearing about his death in the news, just thought, he’s our Superman, always, and forever.♥️♥️♥️
The single shot of him lifting the fault back together says it all.........this is SUPERMAN!
Great scene.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Harrison Ford, Paul Newman, Warren Beatty, Ryan O'Neal, Dustin Hoffman, Martin Sheen, Robert DeNiro, Robert Redford, Bruce (Caitlyn) Jenner, Al Pacino, Kurt Russell, Sylvester Stallone, Charles Bronson, Steve McQueen, Kris Kristofferson, Neil Diamond, James Caan, James Garner, Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, Tommy Lee Jones, James Brolin, Jan Michael Vincent, David Soul, Robert Wagner, John Beck, Lionel Wagoner, Perry King, John Travolta, Christopher Walken, Muhammad Ali, Bill Murray Jeff Bridges, Nick Nolte, and Chevy Chase were all considered for the role of SUPERMAN.
Are there screen tests?
Just can't imagine anyone but Reeve from that era in that role. Al Pacino? Wow!
This had the most interesting, longest, rousing credit sequence I've ever seen. With Mr. Williams' musical thunder and all these space graphics, it really conveyed a sense of traveling through deep space at high speed. And plenty of magical moments - like Superman rescuing Lois Lane from the helicopter accident, that scene gave me the chills. I remember first seeing this when I was about 6 years old on HBO. So you can imagine the intense impression it had on a little kid at the time.
Great reaction. I'm gonna watch it again rite now! Uh yes on 2. Mr Reeve also great in Somewhere in Time
Superman 2 definitely, don't worry about the others.
I gotta say one and two are the best but part three the part where he fights Clark Kent that was epic
Of all the Superman films from the 1940's serial cliffhangers with Kirk Alyn, to the 1950'S TV Superman George Reeves, or any of the many others . Christopher Reeve had the most flawless interpretation of them all. True SUPER CLASSIC!
As an 80s baby this is definitely my Superman, wholesome and exciting and it feels like you're watching a comic
Red Light? A Red Sun being one of Superman's few weaknesses makes that an interesting Choice.
At least he didn't go green.
Superman II is a must-see. As some others have pointed out, there are two versions available: The original theatrical version, and a recut that came out in 2001. The story is Richard Donner, the director of Superman, was tasked with filming the first two movies simultaneously (the same way Peter Jackson filmed the Lord of the Rings trilogy all at the same time), but when they ran into scheduling and budgeting difficulties, the producers told Donner to concentrate on the first film, and they would pick up shooting on the sequel later, although Donner had shot about 70% of it already.
Long story short, Donner and the producers had a falling out and he was replaced on Part II by Richard Lester (director of The Beatles comedy musical A Hard Day's Night and a popular 1970s version of The Three Musketeers), who ended up reshooting scenes Donner had already completed, as well as other new scenes on the order of the producers, with the result being that Lester got sole directorial credit.
For decades fans clamored for a Donner cut, which turned out to be remarkably difficult to achieve. Some odd compromises were made. Opinions on the theatrical cut versus the Donner cut are mixed. Personally, I prefer the Donner cut because it feels closer to the original Silver Age comic books upon which the story was based, and has much less of Richard Lester's rather clubfooted idea of comic book humor. Your mileage, of course, will vary.
P.S. - Be prepared to meet an old "friend' from the Bond series.
The Donner cut is interesting for fans, but I think it's confusing for first timers to see the earth spinning backwards again, since that was only supposed to happen once at the end of part 2, but was moved to the end of part 1. Also, some of the re-inserted scenes are from audition footage and really stand out from the rest of the footage. It really is just there to give us an IDEA of what the original concept was, not to really replace the existing scenes.
Also, the editing in the middle is quite lackluster, and that section moves along a lot better in the theatrical version.
I think it's an interesting experiment, and should be seen as a comparison to the theatrical cut, but the theatrical cut flows better from the first film from a story perspective.
I recommend watching the original version. The Donner version is too rough patched together.
@@oneironaut420 Yes, the integration of Superman turning the planet back again was a losing gambit, since it suggested that he could do this anytime something happened that he didn't want to happen, and, thus, severely lessened its impact. But Superman's mother suddenly taking over for his father at the Fortress of Solitude made no sense -- nor did him sleeping with Lois before becoming mortal. I will say, though, that the 'screen test' scene of Lois discovering Clark and Superman are one and the same is a lot better than what we got in the theatrical cut. As a result, a definitive cut of this movie can never truly be assembled with what footage is available as one could with, say, Star Wars Episodes IV-VI or "Apocalypse Now."
@@ComeOnIsSuchAJoy Ooooh, spoilers!!!
And Superman III is, er, not particularly necessary after S2, since it tried to be more of an all-out comedy, with 80's Richard Pryor as a poor shlub ending up as the villain's reluctant henchman. But so far, apart from the occasional Silver Streak, I don't think we've seen ANY Richard Pryor, good or bad, 70's or 80's, in the Reactor-verse, so if it helps start something...
And Superman IV was from Masters of the Universe-era 80's Golan/Globus. 'NUFF. SAID.
Superman doesn't actually literally spin the world backwards. He is flying so fast that HE is going back in time. This is 78 special effects and that's the best they could do. Which is pretty artsy for its day.
There's a fun story about Gene Hackman, who didn't want to shave his mustache for the Lex Luthor role, so Richard Donner told him that he would shave his mustache if Gene would. Gene shaved his mustache and demanded Richard shave. Donner laughed, and pulled off the fake mustache he'd had the makeup department put on him.
Speaking of John Williams' score, actor Lawrence Oliver once said about acting, "never start out by showing your top, the audence will know you have no place left to go". John Williams was judicious wiith his score and only sparingly showed us his musical top, when it really counted! Once again, great reaction today! I can't wait for your future reactions! ❤
its so amazing how the younger generation love christopher reeve
It was actually a front-projection screen which showed Superman taking off from Lois' roof, allowing Reeve's Clark Kent to be at the apartment door in the same take. And the greatest "special effect" in the whole movie is Reeve standing up straight and tensing his jaw to transform from Clark Kent into Superman without costume or camera tricks.
The thing about him not being able to see through lead with his x-ray vision comes down to a rare instance of them obeying science.
This movie along with part 2 were shot as 1. but it ran so long and there was so much story to tell that they split it into two. But there was a problem when it finally came time to do part 2. they still needed to film more of the movie and Richard Donner had his own vision for the movie. But the studio meddled and got someone else to direct and finish the film. It wasn't until many years ago that they finally released the Richard Donner cut. So you have two choices to choose from. The one every one grew up with and knowing as the actual movie or the version Donner intended to release. so even though most of the movie is directed by Donner, the rest is someone else and you can tell.
They were intended to be two films. Filmed together to save money. It didn't work out. Production got excessive and they stopped filming and reworked things. They then resumed filming the rest of two. It wasn't the studio that ousted Donner, it was the producers / rights holders.
This is one instance where the Directors cut was NOT the best one. I'm absolutely grateful that version was not the one I saw as a kid. It was absolutely terrible. The special effects were just the worst. The original version was 100X better. It reinforced the idea that LESS is sometimes MORE.
Superman 2 is definitely a must watch. It's not the masterpiece that Superman 1 is, but still a crowd pleaser. You can pass on the others, although Superman 3 does have a famous scene. But it is interesting from a filmmaking point of view how they went wrong.
A lot of work went into this movie. The one shot with Clark knocking on the door after flying was done with the flying part being a recorded video projected on a screen in the back.
Also interesting is the scene where Superman catches the thief that falls from the side of the building. The shot of the guy working inside of the building almost seeing Superman flying down was filmed sideways and the guy at the desk is holding himself up sideways and all the furniture and stuff on the desk is glued together to a wall that looks like a floor. If you pay attention you can see the guy straining to look normal even though he's sideways.
They put a lot of work into this film because everybody knew it was a big deal.
OK. I LOVE how you noticed the single shot balcony scene that pans from Supes to Clark. So. How they did change from Supes to Clark was ... when we see Supes say goodnight and fly away, THAT is actually an in-camera rear projection shot filmed earlier. Margot Kidder stood in front of it and said goodnight to a projection. Then the actual Chrisopher Reeve was simply waiting behind the door to come in. Pretty cool, eh?
This was such a treat! Superman is my 3rd favorite movie of all time (right after Rocky and Back to the Future).
I was 3 years old when Superman came out, yet I have a memory of going to the theater and my dad really wanting to see Superman, so my mom and dad went to see that and my grandmother took me to see Disney's Pinocchio which had been re-released to theaters at that time and I really wanted to see that. Because it was a lot shorter, Pinocchio finished first and I remember going into the theater showing Superman to find my dad and tell him we would be in the lobby when his movie was over. Funny how some memories just stick with you.
About 4 years later Superman was going to be shown for the first time on network TV and ABC wanted to make it an event so they added a whole bunch of deleted scenes to make the movie 4 hours long (with commercials) and showed it over 2 nights. The point where Lois completely falls out of the helicopter but before Superman catches her is where part 1 stops on a freeze frame and you get told to "tune in tomorrow for the conclusion". We had a Betamax vcr at the time and we recorded both parts on 2 different tapes. I watched that movie over and over and over so many times as a kid. Only, back then I found the Krypton scene to go on way too long and most of the origin stuff in part 1 to be boring so I ended up mostly just watching the second tape that started at the good part as far as I was concerned. I also hated the credits, how they just go on and on, and was happy I could fast forward through them.
Now though, I love the first part of the film! Some of my favorite scenes are there. And I love the credits! The way they come across the screen in 3D with John Williams' amazing score playing...it's a wonderful experience to take it all in. Also, as I got older I began to catch Superman on cable or I'd rent the VHS after our Betamax was no longer hooked up. It perplexed and vexed me that scenes I absolutely remembered were cut out of these versions. I didn't realize until years later that it was because the version I grew up watching was the edited for television version with all the extra scenes and footage added.
For example, sometimes it was footage that just added to a scene like when teenage Clark was running faster than the train, the little girl that sees him out the window is Lois Lane as a child. Not only that, but the actress playing her mother was Noel Neil who played Lois Lane in the George Reeves Superman TV series from the 50's.
Other times it was completely cut bits from the story. Like Lex Luthor kept some kind of pets in a pit in his lair. Lex would order Otis to "feed the babies" and Otis would plead with Luthor not to have to do it, that it was Miss Tessmacher's turn but Lex made him do it. You never saw the animals but you heard growls that sounded like it could be lions or tigers or something like that and they would completely devour in seconds the raw meat Otis would lower down to them. Then at the end of the movie, after Superman saves everyone from the missiles, the earthquake, and had spun himself around the Earth into a time warp to save Lois Lane...Lex has Miss Tessmacher tied up and ready to lower to "the babies" because he knows it was her that freed Superman from the Kryptonite. Lex has Otis lowering her down while he plays "You must have been a beautiful baby" on piano. Otis is crying and blubbering but doing what he's told. But then Superman crashes in, saves Miss Tessmacher and grabs Lex and Otis to bring them to that prison.
Eventually I hooked the old Betamax back up to transfer a lot of those old tapes to VHS, then in the 2000's I transferred a bunch of the VHS tapes to DVD. That 1982 recording of Superman made it through all the transfers and I still have it, I'm pleased to say.
They filmed Superman 1 and 2 mostly simultaneously, the three Kryptonians in the beginning are being set up for the sequel. The leader of the criminals is General Zod and the mirror prison thing Jor-El put them in is the Phamtom Zone. During filming the closer they got to the release date the more of a concern having the first film finished became, so Richard Donner concentrated on completing Superman 1 as time became a constraint.
Then Donner had a falling out with the producers and was replaced by Richard Lester as director for Superman II. However, Donner had already filmed close to 80% of Superman II and there is a rule that for a director to be credited as the director of a movie he has to have shot at least 51% of the movie. So new scenes were written for Lester to shoot as he completed the movie and when Superman II was theatrically released it was 51% the new scenes written plus the remaining scenes Donner hadn't completed all directed by Lester and 49% Donner's footage.
Then in the early 2000's Warner Bros. allowed Donner and assistants to release a Donner Cut of Superman II. Because so much time had passed, the actors had aged, and Christopher Reeve had then had his accident that paralyzed him, it was impossible to shoot the remaining footage they needed to finish Donner's version. So they used test footage and some of Lester's footage when they had to and did the best they could to get the movie as close as they could to the way Donner had originally envisioned he wanted Superman II to look.
Now I like both versions Superman II a lot, but I like The Donner Cut the most by far. However, my recommendation for anyone who has never seen any version of Superman II is to watch the theatrical version first. That way you will have seen the completely finished, polished, and produced film first. Then after you've given given yourself some time to digest the movie, go and watch The Donner Cut and that way you'll get the best idea of what they were trying to do.
But whatever version you decide to watch, I highly highly recommend watching Superman II. It's a bit more silly and corny and nonsensical, but there are some really great things in it too!
Superman III, I have a controversial opinion on...I love it! Not nearly as much as the first two, but I still love it. A couple of my favorite Superman moments of the entire franchise are in this movie. The thing is...they, or Richard Lester rather, who was back to direct, made it into a comedy... actually it is really like they made two movies...a Superman movie and a comedy movie starring Richard Pryor and then smashed them together. But I say if you can put yourself in the mindset that this movie is trying to be a whacky comedy and just go with it, it can be a lot of fun.
Supergirl is a terrible movie that makes no sense but I personally still like it. It's a guilty pleasure for me. The best part of the movie is the music. Jerry Goldsmith this time is doing the score and he does almost as wonderful a job for Supergirl as John Williams did for Superman. Mainly I like this movie for the music and because it shares continuity with the Christopher Reeve films. But it really is a bad movie. If you decide to watch it don't go in expecting it to be anything else.
_Sigh_ Superman IV: The Quest for Peace is absolutely the bottom of the barrel. It is terrible! But guess what? I still like it. I've been in love with seeing Christopher Reeve as Superman almost all my life. This was his last time in the suit and I can't not like any performance of Reeve as Superman. No matter what, it feels like a privilege to see him in the role. But the movie itself is horrendous.
Sorry for the long comment, I have a lot of history with this movie.
Best Regards!
I absolutely LOVED your reaction of this film! It made my whole week! Why, you ask? Because you allowed yourself to experience the sheer joy of this film. You reacted just like everyone who watched it on the big screen back in 1978! You are my favorite reactor because you get it! You don't judge, you simply let yourself enjoy! Keep up the good work!
some trivia
The end titles sequence is more than seven minutes long, a record at the time of the film's release in 1978.
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.
That wheat feild scene when clark leaves always chokes me up .
I was psyched to come here because you're one of the only reactors to let us see the magnificent opening credits. Watched it other places and it's not there!
a new camera device was invented for this movie, they got some award for it
Superman III is worth watching. Christopher Reeves is great in it.
The movies opening was always one of my favorite parts And I memorized the theme song by heart ever since I was a little kid. Christopher Reeve is one of those actors where you can't help but feel inspired by and he was my childhood hero. Superman the movie was a very same movie that helped put the superhero genre on the movie maps. The movie that made me *believe that a man could fly.* 😎
My older brother took me to see this film in the cinema back in 1978 and during the opening sequence where Marlon Brando first appears with the S emblem on his chest someone in the audience shouted; 'It's Superdad.'
For decades Superman the Movie and Superman II set a very high standard in how to do a comic-book movie that in my opinion was never eclipsed until they made Spiderman 2 in 2004. Up to that point comic-book movies were few and far between and when they did make them, they were very hit and miss, mostly miss but the first two Superman movies got it right. Having said that I've always loved 1980's Flash Gordon. That movie has become a bit of a cult favourite over the decades. I think you should definitely watch Superman II. By watching Superman the Movie but not watching Superman II, it's kind of like you've only seen half the story.
Jonathan Kent is played by veteran star Glen Ford, who was in many, many very good movies. Among others, he was in "Teahouse of the August Moon", which also featured Marlon Brando.
This is my favorite movie of all times. So glad you did it!!!! Please do Superman 2!!!
"She's dead. And she's already buried. You don't have to pay for the funeral." LOL
These movies were made to be fun and right out of the comic books/newspapers, and short live films from years earlier. Today's film audiences look forward to 'realism', and critical if they don't get it. Does take a lot of the fun and fascination out of it. Who cares if Superman is on wires?!
There is a good reason the tag for this movie was, "You'll believe a man can fly"
I wasn’t into Superman either. Then I saw CHRISTOPHER REEVE. What a beautiful man.
He restricted the time thing to ONLY stopping the crack that came to Lois' car. He knew the slippery slope and dangers of changing history so he did the very minimum.
Edward Asner, Martin Balsam, Laurence Tierney, Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Jason Robards, Eli Wallach, And Charlton Heston were considered for Perry White.
And little Jackie Cooper beat them all!
The cinematography during filming in Canada capturing the landscapes of Alberta from the prairies to the Rockies in the Smallville scenes, coupled with Williams’ glorious score, doesn’t get enough praise IMHO.
As to that long take, you're assuming the two of them really were on a balcony. They weren't. It was just a set. Superman moves up, the camera follows Lois. While it does that, Reeve is lowered to the ground, and he moves behind the scenery while doing a quick change (removing his cape and pulling on a tearaway suit and donning his glasses). He gets to the apartment door just as she opens it. It just takes rehearsal. :)
The making of it said it was a filmed scene of Superman on a rear projection screen with Lois on set.
the way they did that was rear projection, you see, they had footage of Christopher Reeve on the projection screen, then they had Margot Kidder (Lois Lane) walked over to the door where the real Christopher Reeve was knocking.
This movie set the template for 'origin' stories AND superhero movies. We've gotten so far from it now days that it's still a groundbreaking breath of fresh air. Superhero's are an American concept. Before superhero's the only people with special powers in or abilities in lore were always royalty and such.
This movie is 1000% what the American spirit is all about.
Thank You My friend. Excellent movie and excellent reaction. The Best Superman. God bless You.
I am SO glad I discovered your channel tonight! You were a sheer joy to watch! Its so enthralling to see you enjoying this classic film. 😄
Your reaction perfectly captures my feelings when I first saw this movie when I was 5. That opening credits with John Williams score got me so pumped I'd be walking around with my fists out as if I was flying for weeks! That opening credit sequence is something I have to watch on full blast at least once a year! You can see the Mario Puzo influence to the DNA of the story with the theme of "not letting your father down" which really adds a great dimension to the character, especially when he DEFIES his father and saves the world because "it is forbidden to interfere with human history". (like an inverse Michael Corleone who defies his fathers wishes to "save the family") Great reaction homie!
Christopher Reeve will forever be my favorite and the definitive incarnation of Superman.
Thank you for your wonderful reaction to this film. It really brings me so much hope to see a young person appreciate older movies and recognize them as classics.
The little girl who sees Clark running past the train was a young Lois Lane. Her parents were played by Noel Neill (Lois Lane in the original TV show) and Kirk Alyn (Superman in the 1940's serials)
And Noel Neill wore one of her outfits from the show.
I forgot that Mario Puzo helped write this, thanks for reminding me!!!! I knew you'd like this!!! Now you understand why ever superhero movie is about the origin story, lol. After this movie, we thought we'd get a string of Superman movies; not that they'd just want to tell the origin story over and over again! lol. The "origin story" in all these superhero movies is a direct result of this movie. When I sat in the theater, I remember being surprised we were getting Superman's back story, as opposed to just getting into it, ala a Batman or Spiderman episode, where the superheroes didn't need any explaining, they simply "were", lol.
If you watch the sequel, I recommend watching the original theatrical version. There is a "Richard Donner Director's Cut" that some people prefer, but in my opinion, that's a case where the director's cut is inferior.
Well, some things are definitely better (namely the continued interaction with Jor-El at the Fortress of Solitude, as opposed to the sudden shift to Superman's mother), but, alas, thanks to the Salkinds fucking things up again as they did with the "Musketeers" movies, there'll never be a truly definitive cut of the second movie. Even so, it's still head and shoulders above anything that comes after it.
AGREE The original theatrical version is much better.
@@ComeOnIsSuchAJoy you are one of the few that I have seen mention the musketeers also. He told the actors it was one film,then made 2 while not having to pay them. That led to a lawsuit and the salkind clause in hollywood. Every argument has 2 sides,but no one will ever convince me that any problems Richard Donner (a genuis)had during this production were ALL BECAUSE of the Salkinds. If they had just left him alone a d direct the movies he was hired to do, he would have made 2 incredibly awesome movies.
Didn't care for the Donner cut because the most iconic scene with the inspirational music as the newspaper was flying was taken out along with the iconic line. There were some added scenes in there that were nice but I still can't get by that part. The ending is the same. The music just took me out of it in the Donner cut whereas I got chills from the original ending.
@@brockbaby If I could change anything in that original, the weird roller skate dude and the fool continuing to talk in the phone booth as it was being blown away would go in an instant. Way too goofy.
Robert Benton and David Newman originated this as a stage musical called "It's A Bird...It's A Plane..." They co-wrote Bonnie and Clyde!
To me THIS is Superman. Christopher Reeve was such an amazing actor. A pair of glasses, a change in posture, attitude and tone of voice and he literally makes it believable that no one knows Clark and Superman are the same person.
The woman on the train with the little girl when Clark was running beside it played Lois Lane in the old b&w Superman tv show with George Reeves playing Superman.
Don't forget that people my age don't often think about going to those sites like IMDB and rating movies we've been watching for decades.
Superman 2 is definitely worth watching. I like all 4 but have to admit that 3 & 4 are nowhere near as good as the first 2 movies.
Cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth had previously filmed Kubrick's 2001: a Space Odyssey, and made Margot Kidder feel pretty (she was self conscious) by calling for complete silence on set while he was setting her lights: "QUIET! I'm lighting the Lady!"
Christopher Reeve will always be Superman to me. John Williams is a genius! I'm glad you liked Lex Luthor because Gene Hackman is a brilliant actor (check out Mississippi Burning and Hoosiers)
Check our Christopher Reeve in "Street Smart" with Morgan Freeman.
Still the best opening credits in Movie history
Thank you for your watch reaction. I was 10 when this was released and have always loved this movie. First watch the making of Superman. You will find several youtube videos about the making of it. Then watch Part 2 the Richard Lester directed version. Donner made his own his own directors cut later because he was fired halfway through the make of 2.
Superman II is definitely worth watching and is often considered to be better than the first film. Superman III and IV, on the other hand...
When cub reporter Jimmy Olsen was saved from falling into the dam, wouldn't the kid wonder why Superman, a stranger, said his name: "Hang on, Jim"?
The reflective costumes on Kryptonite were made from movie screen that was gray until hit with a bright light. Under the fault line when Superman repaired the crack, that set was made of aluminum foil.
"You'll believe a man can fly," was the movie's tagline. They spent a year shooting the flying scenes. The film cost $50 million (224 million in today's dollars).
Jor-El & Krypton had been gone for thousands of years because of relativistic space travel. The baby was traveling at a minimum close to the speed of light, so the trip was only baby-to-toddler for him.
First you should know that Christopher Reeves‘ personal trainer for the part was David Prowse, the bodybuilder who played Darth Vader in the original trilogy!
The reason they introduced Zod was simply that he was going to be the villain in part II and they shot both parts at once, without even knowing if the first one was going to be a success. Today they wouldn‘t even finance something like that…unless your Peter Jackson I guess…
He goes through the "Speed Force" to go back in time.