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Zod was a General (because he was in charge), Ursa was a Major (because she probably had an affinity for constellations) and Non was a grunt (because that's the only sound he could make). I don't know why most people believe that Superman made the world go backwards in time, when in reality, he's the one who went back in time.
I always thought lois's death was impactful to superman because not only did he have feelings for her, but as a part of mankind which he places under his protection she was also his responsibility. A responsibility he didn't put on himself when he was still in smallville, before he discovered who he is.
The shot of Clark taking off his glasses and straightening up, and then shrinking back down into Clark is still my favorite shot of any Superman media.
Without a doubt... I've said it so many times before, but just about anyone sufficiently handsome and well built can play Superman... Henry Cavill, Brandon Routh, Dean Cain... all handsome and heroic Supermen... but it takes someone special to play Clark Kent believably. To be able to in one second be bumbling fumbling meek Clark Kent and the very next, Superman just with the subtlest squaring of shoulders, or a wry grin and wink to camera... and you just believe that everyone can think they're two different people ! NO ONE else was able to believably pull that off...
YES! That shot, but also with the one of Clark fumbling his way through the revolving door of the Daily Planet building with Lois. Incredible. Reeve just KILLED it in this role. His performance here is one for the ages.
27:26 - 27:46 is my favorite Superman moment from any movie that's been made featuring that character. Christopher Reeve's acting is so perfect. The subtle transition from Clark to Superman and back to Clark is just so good.
Oh yeah... COMPLETELY agree ! I've said it so many times before, but just about anyone sufficiently handsome and well built can play Superman... Henry Cavill, Brandon Routh, Dean Cain... all handsome and heroic Supermen... but it takes someone special to play Clark Kent believably. To be able to in one second be bumbling fumbling meek Clark Kent and the very next, Superman just with the subtlest squaring of shoulders, or a wry grin and wink to camera... and you just believe that everyone can think they're two different people ! NO ONE else was able to believably pull that off...
@@RealBrianLeFevre not far off actually when first creating the mcu they took lots of inspiration of superman the movie as the directors considered it the perfect example of superhero origin movie
@@austin7630even most of the non-origin story mcu films seem to follow the same structure. I must have seen the climax sequence to this film a few dozen times over the last 2 decades, just with different set-dressing (and better CGI)
RIP, Richard Donner, Director RIP, Christopher Reeve, Superman RIP, Margot Kidder, Lois Lane RIP, Marlon Brando, Jor-El RIP, Ned Beatty, Otis. RIP, Jackie Cooper, Perry White.
Marlon Brando was a piece of trash. They gave him an academy award for his portrayal of Vito Corleone and he could even be bothered to show up for the award. Instead he sent a native American to accept the award and speak about the mistreatment of Native Americans by European Americans. So self righteous. If he truly felt that way then why did he take the big paychecks. He made so much money in this country he bought his own private island.
Don't forget Larry Hagman. Even though he was in a small part as an Army Major in Superman, he played Major Nelson in the TV show I Dream of Jeanie and JR Ewing in the TV show Dallas.
Seriously, when Superman flew for the first time in the Fortress of Solitude, the whole audience applauded. It literally WAS the first time a man flew convincingly in a movie and it was MAGICAL!
I adore this movie so much. The scene where Superman catches Lois and the helicopter is still one of the best Hero Moments in a superhero film, even all these decades later.
It's still my favourite superhero movie moment of all time. My hero announcing himself to the world Infront of a crowd that are not afraid of them, instead they celebrate him. I tear up every single time I watch it as the music kicks in at the pitch perfect moment when he catches the helicopter.
My college set design teacher worked on that scene! He worked with the team on matte painting the building in the helicopter scene. So all the shots of the building with the helicopter at the top of the screen, plus a few others. It was really cool to get his anecdotes and memories.
G'day it's Steven from Down Under Thank you for this trip down memory lane. I was just 9 years old when this movie was released and it played an important part of my life, I've learned so much from this movie ( and Star Wars ) about movie magic and also how to be a good human being. Certainly it's dated by today's standards but still stands up well, however I would like to see the full version again which is even longer than the one y'all have just viewed. I still get goosebumps watching this and John Williams score is genius. I also enjoy watching younger generations react and enjoy the experience too. As a boy I truly believed that a man could fly. RIP, Mr Christopher Reeve, the original and the best Superman. Fun facr, the teenage Clark Kent's voice was actually dubbed with Mr Christopher Reeve's vocals... listen closely.
In my opinion Christopher Reeve IS the BEST Superman hands down. He really captures the boy scout Superman from the comic books. With this movie Richard Donner proved comic books could be serious cinema.
I think Cavill's Superman is up there but the writing needed to show him doing more of what Superman was doing here. I do like Man of Steel as a coming of age/ alien invasion movie, but they really needed to follow it up with a Man of Steel 2 where he's doing what people will love him for. The Snyder stuff just skips all of that and we're suppose to feel that he's been accepted and loved by the world? Weak.
I think Tyler perfectly encapsulates that classic Superman mixed with the modern day superman. And Brandon proved in Crisis especially that he can continue that old school classic boy in blue thst Christopher Reeves did
Christopher Reeve is still one of the only actors to mail both Clark Kent and Superman ugh so good & the music is everything! He really captured the spirit of Superman
Have seen this movie more times than I can count. That scream ALWAYS gives me chills. He wasn’t just sad, he wasn’t just mad, he was in anguish and you felt it!!
Christopher Reeve said in an interview that his portrayal of clark kent was based off of Cary Grant's performance in Bringing up Baby (1938). Ironically, Grant said his performance in that movie was based off of silent screen legend Harold Lloyd. Many comic book historians say that superman's creators Siegel and Shuster based clark kent off of Harold Lloyd's screen persona.
Almost 50 years later, this is still THE greatest superman/CLARK bar none, the best superhero theme of all time, and this is coming from a die hard 89 batman fan, and not only one of the greatest comic book movies of all time, but greatest films in general. Utter... masterpiece
This is my favorite superhero movie. It's honest, warm, elegant and cheesy in the right proportions, and it's got one of the greatest scores by John Williams: not only the main theme, which is iconic, but the love theme too is one of his best compositions.
This is definitely one of the movies I wish I had experienced in the theater......I can only imagine what it was like....seeing the credits just on TV was a life changing experience for me as a kid
I saw this in the theater when it came out and the audience was actually gasping and oooing and awing the whole time. We all cheered out loud every time he flew or saved someone and people actually were crying when we thought Lois was dead. This may be dated now, but back then we were seeing something we'd never seen before. I kind of feel sorry for these new generations because though they do improve CGI and special effects today, there aren't the huge jumps in movie effects anymore where you go to the movies and see something so new and innovative that you are truly amazed. Seeing Superman fly...the chest burster busting out or the Things head sprouting legs and running away,...seeing live dinosaurs rampaging around the park...I'll never forget those first time experiences. You really must watch Superman II now...one of the few sequels that is better than the first.
Totally agree. I saw this on its opening night; I was in college and was afraid that the theater would be full of 10-year olds but it was 90+% young adults. Just amazed us as to how they could do those special effects back when c, g, and i were just three letters of the alphabet.
Modern audiences will never understand how amazing this movie was back then. You will believe a man can fly was one of the greatest taglines ever. This was the only movie of it's kind back then and it was groundbreaking and phenomenal .
I'm sure somebody else said it already, but when Superman flies around the Earth in the end, he's not making it spin backward, he's flying so fast that he's breaking the time-barrier and going back in time, that's why the Earth appears to be spinning backward. He then has the time to stop the earthquake by repairing the Fault before it gets too bad.
As a kid, I thought he was affecting the rotation of the planet. Cracking the time barrier has been done by Supes many times in the comics (that’s what he’s doing), but the visual of the earth slowing down and reversing is great cinematic storytelling for 1978 on a giant screen. It still works for me!
No matter which way you possibly look at it and/or justify it, that scene is still complete scientific bullshit. There is no explanation at all which can possibly cause it to make sense or be reasonable. People are going to have to just accept that it's ridiculous and they just let it be in the movie because they didn't think very hard about it.
Lies, I was on earth at the time and we totally span backwards. I remember because I'd just done the dishes and then, when the whole planet changed direction, some of the plates fell off the rack and broke, which was a bummer, but THEN they all reversed up off the floor and repaired themselves again.
No, he literally reverses the rotation of the Earth to turn back time. There's no indication whatsoever that it's just visual metaphor, so you have to take it as it's seen. And there's nothing wrong with that. It's a magical fairy tale ending.
Also the whole thing with Jor El saying it had been thousands of years since the destruction of Krypton but Clark only spent 3 years travelling is proabably due to time dialation.
One of the greatest of the genre for sure, even almost 50 years later. So many films that stand the test of time came out of the 70s early 80s. It was a special time.
You gotta be shittin me.!!!!!! 😂 I've never known that in over 40yrs. I've seen this and Star wars so much I can't count and have never picked up on that. Thanks.
You mean the one where when he flew, he became a cartoon? It was okay but because of lack of technology it wasn't a convincing performance. And The next one was George Reeves who portrayed Clark Kent to macho
@@josephcasanova1975 If you base Kirk Alyn's entire performance on the limitations of flight effects in the '50s, then you are missing everything else. Alyn had a lot to live up to given that the at-the-time ads for the serial stated that he is the literal Superman as no actor could be found to portray him. I have yet to find a better serial; especially of the superhero variety. You may have found George Reeves' version 'to macho', but Reeves was heavily influenced by the '40s cartoon and it is extremely obvious by the way Reeves played Clark Kent. I prefer the more clever yet honest Clark Kent of yesteryears to today's often foolish lie who purposely makes clumsy mistakes for no reason beyond to make himself look incapable. Reeves' show was extremely weird given that Superman was going thru the phase where almost any power imaginable was something he could do. Think of some of the outlandish things Christopher Reeve's version did and dial it up to fifteen. Reeve is probably the pinnacle example of the Clark Kent effect with almost no actor ever coming close to the duality ever again. Routh's sorta sequel to Reeve's fit to ground the character to the traditional power set and despite the movie's many flaws, Superman never forgets any of his powers unlike the far more exciting Man of Steel where Cavill's seemingly forgets heat vision 90% of the time. Though both Routh and Cavill's performances do not work for me for reverse reasons: Routh's Clark is hopelessly boring while Cavill's Supes is apathetically dull. HBO's Superman, from what I've seen, utilizes his powers correctly but, and I don't think this is a fault of the actor, he tends to be weirdly dumb in decision making alongside his wife and children (he's way better in his own show than on Supergirl, just to be clear). Personally, I put Kirk Alyn in the same boat as Robert Lowery (the second live action Batman in the 1949 serial). You might wonder why not compare Alyn to Lewis G. Wilson (the first Batman in '43) and the reason is that both Alyn and Lowery had something to base their performance off of with the 1940s Superman cartoon and the previously mentioned serial The Batman (yes, 1943 & 2022 has the same name). Personally tho, I don't think Alyn's version is attempting to be the end all, be all of Superman's given that it was both the first and the serials were made to bring the comics to life. Keep in mind, Superman was only 12 years old when the '48 serial aired and 14 for the '50 one. That's a pretty big difference to Reeve's time where Superman comics are 42 years old! Or even today, which is 13 years short of a century. Comics certainly change in all that time.
I couldn't possibly tell you how many times I've watched this movie over the years, but I can tell you I first saw it in the movie theater when I was 6 and I have been in love with Superman ever since. Tall, dark, and handsome is still my type at 51! 😂 I can also tell you that after seeing Star Wars the year before and then this movie, I was also already in love with John Williams' music! ❤
For the "Can you read my mind" sequence, originally it was going to be a big song released with the movie. It is to the tune of the love theme by Williams. They wanted Margot Kidder to sing it and have that play with the film in that scene, but they got her in the studio to record and they decided against it. There is a recording of a contemporary artist singing the song out there, I can't remember her name. It's a good song.
I’m also pretty certain that this scene was a break in the action that allowed people to go to the bathroom and go to the concession stand; since exhibitors make most of their money on concessions, and not ticket sales, the National theater owners trade group often lobbies with studios to add breaks like this in the middle of blockbusters and action films, so that they can sell more popcorn; especially in a family movie where parents will be there with kids, bathroom breaks are essential…
I still remember seeing this in a London cinema back in the day and everyone cheering when he first flew. Fun fact - The actor who plays Jimmy Olsen played a cop at the Superman Memorial in the Justice League film. And the mugging scene was re-created in the WW film. Also, the army officer was JR himself.
Annette O'Toole (a huge Superman fan, played Lana in the movies and Martha Kent in Smallville) talked about meeting and working with Christopher Reeves. How his mannerisms changed between Superman and Clark Kent. Since the DCU have trouble getting their footing, I will continue recommending the animated movie! Superman/Batman: World's Finest, etc. All worth the binge! My only two gripes with Man Of Steel are how Jonathan and Zod's lives were ended.
So true what Eric said about "fast forward to the good stuff" as a kid. But now being older... you appreciate the "romantic" scenes more. Yes... I am a Dude. But the emotional side of Superman as we became more knowledgeable about his character and as we matured with age we came to see as a very important motivator for what he does and who he is. And thus, who we are too. Id also like to add, with how we give writers and such creative freedom and with how iconic Christopher Reeve is as Superman, I honestly dont really look at Superman reversing time as a bad thing anymore.. I view is as THIS superman has that POWER to do that. Thats what helps us define this superman to others. The early superman was only ever shown lifting trucks as a full grown man, Christopher's was doing that as a Toddler pretty much. And all the Comic supermen have their own levels of unique power. I think that They are of their own unique distinctions that it is not out of the realm of possibility of Superman actually having this power. Not to mention the call back to "The Scream heard around the world" Whenever Lois Lane dies.. Its always in Supermans arms.... and he always Screams then does something that breaks a reality or drastically changes the world. Its given us Injustice, Crisis events in comics. It changes the very world because it changes Supermans. And Superman as told by his Farther AND Jor-el, he can change the very world. Is it ridiculous? Yes absolutely. But so is the concept of a man faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive.
26:10 "How does that work?" Honestly that moment and many other illogical things Supes does has led me to believe that most of Superman's powers boil down to tactile telekinesis. It would explain his type of flight, his speed, his strength, his invulnerability and his ability to carry people and structures in ways that SHOULD fail. It wouldn't explain his heat vision, x-ray vision or his chill breath, but it covers just about everything else.
I mean, "tactile telekinesis" was literally the explanation offered for many of his powers by (legendary comics writer) John Byrne in his seminal post-crisis Superman run from the 80s so if that occurred to you independently then you're in great company :).
@@anonymes2884 Interesting to know. Aside from X-Men comics in the 90's, I didn't do much comic collecting, so there's a lot of little nuances I have missed, but it's cool to think that my deduction has some basis in the lore... was this mentioned in an interview situation or was it actually brought up in the pages of a comic?
@@Leekle2ManE This was in the comics. Specifically, Superman's body is enveloped by a force field and he controls that telekinetically, which is what gives him his flight, durability and strength. When he lifts something he expands the force field to cover the object. I think they've moved away from that in recent decades but in 1986 that was the stated reasoning behind most of his powers. Heat vision is him releasing the solar energy he's absorbed, while his freeze breath is him compressing air in his lungs to super chill it.
My theory as a kid was that its the same as what Flash does that is he travels faster than the speed of light to go back in time. The reason he has to stop and reverse the earth is he went too far back in time since this was the first time he did this.
There’s something sweat about how gently he flys away, it’s probably because of the times but I’m so use to him blasting off and breaking the ground. This makes him seem so soft and caring
Fun Fact: When the movie came out, trivia about the movie, stated that when Clark Kent is running alongside the train in his hometown, the little girl who spots him through the window was actually young Lois Lane with her parents. Which, I suppose, sparked her interest in getting to the truth of any story, and thus the reporter in her was born.
@@batzilla3629even FUNNER fact across from her is the original Superman from the 1940s Kirk Alyn. In the extended cut they actually have a little conversation with the young Lois
LOL. That army scene was of it's time. But she is an excellent distraction and you can rely on the urges of men to depend on that. The captain was played by Larry Hagmen from I Dream of Jeannie.
The one thing that most people miss mostly because its seemless. The scene where he flies off the penthouse and then knocks on the door. Its all done in one shot, there is no edit and the camera follows her. Its brilliant filmaking and true movie magic.
You should also check out the expanded edition of this film. It's mostly the same but adds some really interesting scenes, like ones showcasing more of Superman's powers.
I have found childhood memories of this movie, saw it when it came out when I was 14, at the old Uptown theater in DC. It was the last of the old school movie theaters, but went under during Covid 😢I had all the fanzines and bubblegum cards ..back then we thought the special effects and flying were amazing! Fun fact: the lady in the hat on the train scene is no other than Noel Neal who played Lois Lane in the Adventures Of Superman series with George Reeves . Oh and the Daily News building in NY was used as the “Daily Planet” news offices.
This was my favourite film as a kid. It was the first real modern superhero film. Superman saving Lois for the first time is absolutely fabulous, and is one of my favourite scenes of any of the genre of "rescue scenes". The practical effects are great all the way through and Reeve's wire work is astonishing, his core strength must have been immense - he did train for months for the role. Reeve's and Kidder work so well together and there is a real chemistry and his acting between the two characters of CK and Supes is great. It isn't the glasses, CK just disappears into the background and no one notices him. CK is the alter ego, not Superman. Don't get me wrong, the film hasn't aged in parts, but Christopher Reeve is the absolute GOAT.
The classic Superman theme is epic! Also "Planet Krypton" is so amazing and reminds me of Smallville! Btw: never noticed Jonathans reaction when realizing he is having a heart attack😢
I was 16 when I saw this in the theater. This is back when it was a THRILL to see Superman comic cover with a real photo of people reacting on Broadway to a comics Superman flying over their heads. We had just suffered "Spider-Man" the TV show. The wire work was the key. We grew up watching reruns of George Reeves do that "jump" to fly. Production after production with visible wires helping the "movie and TV magic." Christopher Reeves just floating out of the "Fortress of Solitude" was just mind blowing.
I was a teenager when this movie came out, and my parents grew up reading the comic books. We all fell in love with this movie, and with Christopher Reeve in particular. Still one of the greatest comic book movies of all time.
This is still my definitive Superman movie & Christopher Reeve will always be Superman. That shot at the end of Christopher Reeve smiling at the audience. He looks like the definitive Superman right there. Gene Hackman is great as Lex Luthor & Marlon Brando is also fantastic as Jor-El. Then you add the John Williams score, this movie, for me, is perfect in every way.
This movie got so many things right with superman. The way Jonathon dies, even with all his power, he couldn't save him. A tornado is something he could have saved someone from. I love this movie.
Roger Moore wrote in his autobiography about seeing Christopher Reeve at Pinewood Studios. Moore was making a Bond film, and Superman was in the middle of filming then. Moore saw Reeve walk into the canteen at lunchtime one day, decked out in full Superman costume. Everyone took notice, especially women who swooned in his wake. The next day, Reeve came in again, then dressed as Clark Kent, and no one noticed him.
Still to this day, one of the best comic book movies ever made. It has amazing music, acting, and special effects (for its time). It was the movie that showed comics can be great movies
Fun Fact about the scene where Jor-El sends Kal-El to Earth. Goes a long with Brando phoning it in. Apparently they had to just put his lines on notes next to the baby for that scene, and if you look at his eye line you can really tell. He is looking right past that baby 😂
Some stories have it that his lines were on cards taped to the baby's diaper. When he's speaking to younger Clark in the Fortress of Solitude, he looks down a few times before speaking, likely looking at his cards. He was so damned gifted, though, it looked and sounded like gravitas rather than laziness.
You guys have to remember, you can't look at the special effects with 2023 eyes. In 1977-78 they had to figure out all those flying issues. It had never been done before to such a scale that would seem convincing to an audience of that time.
You can see the influence of this movie on future films of the genre. Iron Man flying the missile into outer space in Avengers 1. And the Joker in The Dark Knight has 2 people in danger and Batman goes to save one but his girl dies, like Lois. But in TDK she stays dead.
This is the greatest superhero film ever. It defined and legitimized the comicbook genre as film. It is the blueprint on how great superhero films are made. No casting in cinema history was better than Reeve as Superman.
There've been FEW *definitive* portrayals - but they ARE out there: Boris Karloff as Frankenstein's monster. Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable as Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler. Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes. Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins. Malcolm McDowell as Alexander DeLarge. Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones. Other people might portray these characters... but these performances are SEARED in the public consciousness.
The people briefly glimpsed in the train carriage are members of the 50s tv series.For some reason the teen Clark actor was completely dubbed by Christopher Reeve 🎩
What an incredibly great movie! First, saw this as a kid on HBO. The cinematography, musical score, acting was great! Christopher Reeve is Superman, always will be.
One of the writers of Superman & Lois said that Superman isn’t actually spinning the world in reverse, it’s just the movie’s depiction of showing the audience that he’s flying so fast that he went back in time. Whether or not it’s true, idk. But I thought I’d share!
The only problem with that is that he "fixes" the earths rotation after he reverses it. I tried looking up if there was supposed to be a consequence for him messing with time but couldn't find anything.
Still one of the best versions of Superman because of how "idealized" they were with the character. That and "nice little touches" by the crew to make Clark seem more "naive" while Superman is more "wishful" in his ideas.
8:23 - there's deleted scene that reveals that the little girl on the train is Lois Lane...also, the girl's mother is played by Noel Neill who played Lois Lane in the film serials and the TV show in the 1950's and the dad is Kirk Alyn, the first ever live-action Superman who played Superman in the movie serials.
YES!! Long, but brilliant. If they are watching from Max, as they say they are, they aren’t watching the 3 hour 8 minute version. Max only carries the original theatrical movie.
Superman might not hold up well… but it nails the tone of the character that it’s a gold standard of how to do a superhero film. Reeve is so good as both even though his Clark can be a little exaggerated. I adore this film for how wholesome it is and how much it screams what Superman should be. If Gunn channels the tone of this film through a modern lens… it could be the best Superman film to date.
As always, I like the live discussion between you guys. About superman changing history, remember: Jor-el is a scientist of an advanced civilization. He would have correctly predicted that his son is going to be able to alter human history by rewinding time thru his yellow sun-derived powers.
My first and only time in New York, I made sure I visited the building that was the Daily Planet. Went inside and saw the giant Globe in the floor. Being such a massive fan of this film and Chris Reeve, it truly was a special moment for me.
"Every galaxy has its own rules of time and space." You are the only other human being I've ever heard say this. Wow! Also, great video, I enjoy your reactions!
Superman: The Movie and Superman 2 were filmed at the same time. However, to make the release date on time for the first movie, filming for part 2 was eventually put on hold. The original ending for part 1 would have shown the prison for Zod being broken, and the 3 Kryton criminals flying through space with Earth in the distance. In Part 2, Zod destroys Earth, and Superman has to time-travel to bring it back. With Part 2 being put on-hold, that ending was used for Part 1 instead; which might explain some of the wonkiness you guys talked about. It also meant that they would have to come up with a different ending for Part 2. That would only be a problem if the first film was a hit making it worthwhile to finish the sequel.
I saw this in a great theater when it first came out. There's so much I could say about it, including the fact that it's very much of its time - which is how I experienced it at the time. But you mentioned the scene in "Man of Steel" where Jonathan Kent sacrifices himself and it made me wonder if Snyder was responding to this film in doing that. And it's funny how you mention knowing Terence Stamp from the "Star Wars" prequels - I knew him from movies like "Billy Budd", "Far from the Madding Crowd", and "Modesty Blaise". Different generations!
In the pre-crisis comics Jonathan (and Martha IIRC) died in Clark's late teens-ish. So understandably more than one story from the movie's era and before uses Pa Kent's death as a formative event in Clark's life (sometimes it kind of presents a concrete, Earth based reason for the survivor's guilt that Kal-El has only in the abstract due to Krypton). Snyder may have just been riffing on that (or may indeed have been directly referencing this movie). (FWIW incidentally, I totally agree with Rick - the 'Man of Steel' death of Pa Kent is not great on a few levels IMO and the 'Superman: The Movie' approach is way better)
Title March is my personal favorite piece by John Williams. I think his overall soundtrack for Star Wars is his best work, but his Superman theme beats it all. Sweeping, triumphant, and hopeful. Masterpiece.
Even though i was born in 2002 i still grew up with the christopher reeves superman movies, also reeves' acting between clark and superman is great and john williams theme is unforgettable
I hope David Corenswet takes inspiration from Christopher Reeves for his take on Superman. James Gunn did say this movie is one of his favorite superhero movies so i think he will do a fantastic job making a modern day superman movie while staying faithful to the comic books.
The smiles at 19:35 say it all. This movie is perfection (apart from the time travel.) Superman 1978 is the standard for superman movies to aspire to be. God bless Christopher Reeve.
@@flaggerify it's perfection for me. First 40 minutes are the set up, then we shift to three different mini adventures. One with Clark, and two with Superman. The acting, score, effects are all top of the draw stuff for 1978. Easily my favourite superhero movie of all time. It very well might remain like that unless they get their act together with Superman movies these days.
@@TheDc007fan There's too much setting up. Superman doesn't appear for almost exactly an hour. Then we soon get a sequence of derring-do (yacht, planet etc.) that could have been abbreviated or cut.
@@flaggerify it's an origin done right. This is the definitive Superman story. You have to remember this was audiences first time that they would ever see the man of Steel on the big screen. They needed to connect and care for Clark, they needed to understand what Krypton was and why it's destruction is significant. When did the days end when people couldn't enjoy 40 minutes of an origin story set up? It's 40 minutes of brilliant and beautiful filmmaking, a whimsical soundtrack, emotional beats, and getting to know the character of Superman. It makes that moment, when we see his first save, feel earned.
@@flaggerify and that "derring-do" sequence. If you cut that then you cut a significant chunk of his character. He is a good guy who wants to do good. You clearly haven't a clue about Superman if you think the actual parts where he is Superman-ing should be cut.
3:27 I can’t remember where, but one writer had his hero/narrator comment that the Superman theme was the perfect music to make you want to go out and fight some evil.
I think the death of Jonathon, and he later says something like "with all these powers, and I couldn't do anything", then when Lois dies, it's kind of the same thing, it brings back the memory of his father, and now Lois. So I think his anger is the frustration of both, he's reliving that, all those powers and she still died.
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Zod was a General (because he was in charge), Ursa was a Major (because she probably had an affinity for constellations) and Non was a grunt (because that's the only sound he could make).
I don't know why most people believe that Superman made the world go backwards in time, when in reality, he's the one who went back in time.
Have you seen the 2003 Hulk movie
I always thought lois's death was impactful to superman because not only did he have feelings for her, but as a part of mankind which he places under his protection she was also his responsibility. A responsibility he didn't put on himself when he was still in smallville, before he discovered who he is.
Can you please do Superman II - The Donner Cut
@@GopherBaroque61- I totally agree with you, he went backward in time. Everything that we see going in reverse is from his perspective.
The shot of Clark taking off his glasses and straightening up, and then shrinking back down into Clark is still my favorite shot of any Superman media.
Brilliant acting❤
He's the best special effect in the movie!
Without a doubt... I've said it so many times before, but just about anyone sufficiently handsome and well built can play Superman... Henry Cavill, Brandon Routh, Dean Cain... all handsome and heroic Supermen... but it takes someone special to play Clark Kent believably. To be able to in one second be bumbling fumbling meek Clark Kent and the very next, Superman just with the subtlest squaring of shoulders, or a wry grin and wink to camera... and you just believe that everyone can think they're two different people ! NO ONE else was able to believably pull that off...
YES! That shot, but also with the one of Clark fumbling his way through the revolving door of the Daily Planet building with Lois. Incredible. Reeve just KILLED it in this role. His performance here is one for the ages.
That and his assertiveness when he talks as supes as oppose to unsure of himself tone when clark
27:26 - 27:46 is my favorite Superman moment from any movie that's been made featuring that character. Christopher Reeve's acting is so perfect. The subtle transition from Clark to Superman and back to Clark is just so good.
That’s what you get when you hire a Juilliard-trained actor to play a superhero.
Just show anyone who doesn't believe a secret identity could work those few seconds and they will believe.
Yep, this moment right here sold me that someone could be fooled by the Superman and Clark dual identity roles
It isn't just about the glasses. It's the acting. ❤
Oh yeah... COMPLETELY agree ! I've said it so many times before, but just about anyone sufficiently handsome and well built can play Superman... Henry Cavill, Brandon Routh, Dean Cain... all handsome and heroic Supermen... but it takes someone special to play Clark Kent believably. To be able to in one second be bumbling fumbling meek Clark Kent and the very next, Superman just with the subtlest squaring of shoulders, or a wry grin and wink to camera... and you just believe that everyone can think they're two different people ! NO ONE else was able to believably pull that off...
Still one of the golden standards for Superhero movies
I feel like every modern Hollywood superhero/sci-fi movie is trying to recreate this formula
Yep.
Was about 12 when this was released. I was old enough to know a man can’t fly, but Christie Reeves made me believe he WAS Superman.
@@RealBrianLeFevre not far off actually when first creating the mcu they took lots of inspiration of superman the movie as the directors considered it the perfect example of superhero origin movie
@@austin7630even most of the non-origin story mcu films seem to follow the same structure. I must have seen the climax sequence to this film a few dozen times over the last 2 decades, just with different set-dressing (and better CGI)
The grandfather, the don, the OG of it all. This started it.
RIP, Richard Donner, Director
RIP, Christopher Reeve, Superman
RIP, Margot Kidder, Lois Lane
RIP, Marlon Brando, Jor-El
RIP, Ned Beatty, Otis.
RIP, Jackie Cooper, Perry White.
Marlon Brando was a piece of trash. They gave him an academy award for his portrayal of Vito Corleone and he could even be bothered to show up for the award. Instead he sent a native American to accept the award and speak about the mistreatment of Native Americans by European Americans. So self righteous. If he truly felt that way then why did he take the big paychecks. He made so much money in this country he bought his own private island.
Damn. Almost the entire main cast is gone.😢
Don't forget Larry Hagman. Even though he was in a small part as an Army Major in Superman, he played Major Nelson in the TV show I Dream of Jeanie and JR Ewing in the TV show Dallas.
Also Susannah York
Seriously, when Superman flew for the first time in the Fortress of Solitude, the whole audience applauded. It literally WAS the first time a man flew convincingly in a movie and it was MAGICAL!
I saw this in the theater four times within the first month of its release and the audience applauded thunderously each and every time!
Still tear up watching Christopher Reeve...he will always be my Superman
Always❤…
Christopher Reeve will live forever as the Man of Steel, but also as the real Superhero he was.
The best.
The 80s-90s comics used his image for the comic version.
I adore this movie so much. The scene where Superman catches Lois and the helicopter is still one of the best Hero Moments in a superhero film, even all these decades later.
The first person to see Superman is a pimp. That's literally how he's listed in the credits: "Pimp."
"You've got me? Whose got you?" Still makes me crack a smile every rewatch
"Say Jim whoa, that's a bad outfit...."
It's still my favourite superhero movie moment of all time. My hero announcing himself to the world Infront of a crowd that are not afraid of them, instead they celebrate him. I tear up every single time I watch it as the music kicks in at the pitch perfect moment when he catches the helicopter.
@@RedHeadKevinThe actor w went on to be one of the main cast in Hill Street Blues.
I tell you, that helicopter rescue scene… that’s the stuff that dreams are made of. Pure movie magic, even by today’s standards.
My college set design teacher worked on that scene! He worked with the team on matte painting the building in the helicopter scene. So all the shots of the building with the helicopter at the top of the screen, plus a few others. It was really cool to get his anecdotes and memories.
G'day it's Steven from Down Under
Thank you for this trip down memory lane.
I was just 9 years old when this movie was released and it played an important part of my life, I've learned so much from this movie ( and Star Wars ) about movie magic and also how to be a good human being.
Certainly it's dated by today's standards but still stands up well, however I would like to see the full version again which is even longer than the one y'all have just viewed.
I still get goosebumps watching this and John Williams score is genius.
I also enjoy watching younger generations react and enjoy the experience too.
As a boy I truly believed that a man could fly.
RIP, Mr Christopher Reeve, the original and the best Superman.
Fun facr, the teenage Clark Kent's voice was actually dubbed with Mr Christopher Reeve's vocals... listen closely.
In my opinion Christopher Reeve IS the BEST Superman hands down. He really captures the boy scout Superman from the comic books. With this movie Richard Donner proved comic books could be serious cinema.
I think Cavill's Superman is up there but the writing needed to show him doing more of what Superman was doing here. I do like Man of Steel as a coming of age/ alien invasion movie, but they really needed to follow it up with a Man of Steel 2 where he's doing what people will love him for. The Snyder stuff just skips all of that and we're suppose to feel that he's been accepted and loved by the world? Weak.
I think Tyler perfectly encapsulates that classic Superman mixed with the modern day superman. And Brandon proved in Crisis especially that he can continue that old school classic boy in blue thst Christopher Reeves did
@@artboymoycavil is the worst stop embarssing ur self
Hes the superman .after this they never got anything right
There’s a reason everyone goes back to this film for inspiration. I love how some scenes is Smallville are just recreating scenes from this movie.
When I think Superman all I see is Christopher Reeve. What a legend, RIP 💔
Same, he Reeve will always be MY Superman!
He died of cardiac arrest in 2004.
Christopher Reeve is still one of the only actors to mail both Clark Kent and Superman ugh so good & the music is everything! He really captured the spirit of Superman
It is truly beautiful how he does it. Makes the glasses disguise 100% believable
Brandon Routh is the other one.
Tyler and Brandon are very close but not many others
Where did he mail them to?
No he didn't, Clark is not the bumbling klutz he's made out to be in this movie.
Have seen this movie more times than I can count.
That scream ALWAYS gives me chills. He wasn’t just sad, he wasn’t just mad, he was in anguish and you felt it!!
That scream is both _painful_ and _terrifying._
My favorite superhero movie of all time. Thank you for reacting to it.
Christopher Reeve said in an interview that his portrayal of clark kent was based off of Cary Grant's performance in Bringing up Baby (1938). Ironically, Grant said his performance in that movie was based off of silent screen legend Harold Lloyd. Many comic book historians say that superman's creators Siegel and Shuster based clark kent off of Harold Lloyd's screen persona.
Almost 50 years later, this is still THE greatest superman/CLARK bar none, the best superhero theme of all time, and this is coming from a die hard 89 batman fan, and not only one of the greatest comic book movies of all time, but greatest films in general. Utter... masterpiece
Superman stands the test of time
Symbolism is EPIC
Storytelling a Masterpiece
This is my favorite superhero movie. It's honest, warm, elegant and cheesy in the right proportions, and it's got one of the greatest scores by John Williams: not only the main theme, which is iconic, but the love theme too is one of his best compositions.
Henry Caville has gone on record saying he did not play superman, he always conceived the character to himself of him playing Reeve playing Superman.
Love that the part in his hair changes sides depending on whether he is Clark or Superman. ❤️ Such a tiny amusing detail!
This was the first movie I saw in a theater by myself. Seeing those credits on a giant screen at age 10 was a life-changing experience.
This is definitely one of the movies I wish I had experienced in the theater......I can only imagine what it was like....seeing the credits just on TV was a life changing experience for me as a kid
I saw this in the theater when it came out and the audience was actually gasping and oooing and awing the whole time. We all cheered out loud every time he flew or saved someone and people actually were crying when we thought Lois was dead. This may be dated now, but back then we were seeing something we'd never seen before. I kind of feel sorry for these new generations because though they do improve CGI and special effects today, there aren't the huge jumps in movie effects anymore where you go to the movies and see something so new and innovative that you are truly amazed. Seeing Superman fly...the chest burster busting out or the Things head sprouting legs and running away,...seeing live dinosaurs rampaging around the park...I'll never forget those first time experiences. You really must watch Superman II now...one of the few sequels that is better than the first.
Totally agree. I saw this on its opening night; I was in college and was afraid that the theater would be full of 10-year olds but it was 90+% young adults. Just amazed us as to how they could do those special effects back when c, g, and i were just three letters of the alphabet.
Modern audiences will never understand how amazing this movie was back then. You will believe a man can fly was one of the greatest taglines ever. This was the only movie of it's kind back then and it was groundbreaking and phenomenal .
I'm sure somebody else said it already, but when Superman flies around the Earth in the end, he's not making it spin backward, he's flying so fast that he's breaking the time-barrier and going back in time, that's why the Earth appears to be spinning backward. He then has the time to stop the earthquake by repairing the Fault before it gets too bad.
As a kid, I thought he was affecting the rotation of the planet. Cracking the time barrier has been done by Supes many times in the comics (that’s what he’s doing), but the visual of the earth slowing down and reversing is great cinematic storytelling for 1978 on a giant screen. It still works for me!
No matter which way you possibly look at it and/or justify it, that scene is still complete scientific bullshit. There is no explanation at all which can possibly cause it to make sense or be reasonable. People are going to have to just accept that it's ridiculous and they just let it be in the movie because they didn't think very hard about it.
Lies, I was on earth at the time and we totally span backwards.
I remember because I'd just done the dishes and then, when the whole planet changed direction, some of the plates fell off the rack and broke, which was a bummer, but THEN they all reversed up off the floor and repaired themselves again.
No, he literally reverses the rotation of the Earth to turn back time. There's no indication whatsoever that it's just visual metaphor, so you have to take it as it's seen. And there's nothing wrong with that. It's a magical fairy tale ending.
Also the whole thing with Jor El saying it had been thousands of years since the destruction of Krypton but Clark only spent 3 years travelling is proabably due to time dialation.
One of the greatest of the genre for sure, even almost 50 years later.
So many films that stand the test of time came out of the 70s early 80s.
It was a special time.
Now THATS Superman! The best of the best imo.
My Uncle took me to see this in the theaters when I was a kid. It was the most amazing thing I had ever seen.
The lady on the train in the white pillbox hat was the actress that played Lois Lane in the old tv series.
the music in this movie is so damn good!!
Fun Fact: The chest Luthor keeps the Kryptonite in is the EXACT chest Obi-Wan kept Anakin’s lightsaber in when he gives it to Luke in A New Hope!
You gotta be shittin me.!!!!!! 😂 I've never known that in over 40yrs. I've seen this and Star wars so much I can't count and have never picked up on that. Thanks.
They will never find another Superman like Chris Reeves. Perfectly cast.
Yes. Of course the only Reeve Superman movie that Rick has seen is IV. Of course it is lmfao.
Fun fact: Kirk Alyn is uncredited in this movie. He was the 1948 and 1950 serial Superman - the first live action Superman in film.
Him as well as the original Lois Lane, Noel Neil, on the train
You mean the one where when he flew, he became a cartoon? It was okay but because of lack of technology it wasn't a convincing performance. And The next one was George Reeves who portrayed Clark Kent to macho
@@josephcasanova1975 If you base Kirk Alyn's entire performance on the limitations of flight effects in the '50s, then you are missing everything else. Alyn had a lot to live up to given that the at-the-time ads for the serial stated that he is the literal Superman as no actor could be found to portray him. I have yet to find a better serial; especially of the superhero variety.
You may have found George Reeves' version 'to macho', but Reeves was heavily influenced by the '40s cartoon and it is extremely obvious by the way Reeves played Clark Kent. I prefer the more clever yet honest Clark Kent of yesteryears to today's often foolish lie who purposely makes clumsy mistakes for no reason beyond to make himself look incapable.
Reeves' show was extremely weird given that Superman was going thru the phase where almost any power imaginable was something he could do. Think of some of the outlandish things Christopher Reeve's version did and dial it up to fifteen. Reeve is probably the pinnacle example of the Clark Kent effect with almost no actor ever coming close to the duality ever again. Routh's sorta sequel to Reeve's fit to ground the character to the traditional power set and despite the movie's many flaws, Superman never forgets any of his powers unlike the far more exciting Man of Steel where Cavill's seemingly forgets heat vision 90% of the time. Though both Routh and Cavill's performances do not work for me for reverse reasons: Routh's Clark is hopelessly boring while Cavill's Supes is apathetically dull. HBO's Superman, from what I've seen, utilizes his powers correctly but, and I don't think this is a fault of the actor, he tends to be weirdly dumb in decision making alongside his wife and children (he's way better in his own show than on Supergirl, just to be clear).
Personally, I put Kirk Alyn in the same boat as Robert Lowery (the second live action Batman in the 1949 serial). You might wonder why not compare Alyn to Lewis G. Wilson (the first Batman in '43) and the reason is that both Alyn and Lowery had something to base their performance off of with the 1940s Superman cartoon and the previously mentioned serial The Batman (yes, 1943 & 2022 has the same name). Personally tho, I don't think Alyn's version is attempting to be the end all, be all of Superman's given that it was both the first and the serials were made to bring the comics to life. Keep in mind, Superman was only 12 years old when the '48 serial aired and 14 for the '50 one. That's a pretty big difference to Reeve's time where Superman comics are 42 years old! Or even today, which is 13 years short of a century. Comics certainly change in all that time.
I couldn't possibly tell you how many times I've watched this movie over the years, but I can tell you I first saw it in the movie theater when I was 6 and I have been in love with Superman ever since. Tall, dark, and handsome is still my type at 51! 😂
I can also tell you that after seeing Star Wars the year before and then this movie, I was also already in love with John Williams' music! ❤
This one has a special place in my heart
For the "Can you read my mind" sequence, originally it was going to be a big song released with the movie. It is to the tune of the love theme by Williams. They wanted Margot Kidder to sing it and have that play with the film in that scene, but they got her in the studio to record and they decided against it. There is a recording of a contemporary artist singing the song out there, I can't remember her name. It's a good song.
I think it was Maureen McGovern...
I’m also pretty certain that this scene was a break in the action that allowed people to go to the bathroom and go to the concession stand; since exhibitors make most of their money on concessions, and not ticket sales, the National theater owners trade group often lobbies with studios to add breaks like this in the middle of blockbusters and action films, so that they can sell more popcorn; especially in a family movie where parents will be there with kids, bathroom breaks are essential…
I still remember seeing this in a London cinema back in the day and everyone cheering when he first flew. Fun fact - The actor who plays Jimmy Olsen played a cop at the Superman Memorial in the Justice League film. And the mugging scene was re-created in the WW film. Also, the army officer was JR himself.
Such a great movie, it’s a cult classic. A thing I love about Smallville the series is that it takes all of the elements from this movie.
Annette O'Toole (a huge Superman fan, played Lana in the movies and Martha Kent in Smallville) talked about meeting and working with Christopher Reeves. How his mannerisms changed between Superman and Clark Kent.
Since the DCU have trouble getting their footing, I will continue recommending the animated movie!
Superman/Batman: World's Finest, etc. All worth the binge!
My only two gripes with Man Of Steel are how Jonathan and Zod's lives were ended.
So true what Eric said about "fast forward to the good stuff" as a kid. But now being older... you appreciate the "romantic" scenes more. Yes... I am a Dude.
But the emotional side of Superman as we became more knowledgeable about his character and as we matured with age we came to see as a very important motivator for what he does and who he is. And thus, who we are too.
Id also like to add, with how we give writers and such creative freedom and with how iconic Christopher Reeve is as Superman, I honestly dont really look at Superman reversing time as a bad thing anymore.. I view is as THIS superman has that POWER to do that. Thats what helps us define this superman to others.
The early superman was only ever shown lifting trucks as a full grown man, Christopher's was doing that as a Toddler pretty much. And all the Comic supermen have their own levels of unique power. I think that They are of their own unique distinctions that it is not out of the realm of possibility of Superman actually having this power. Not to mention the call back to "The Scream heard around the world" Whenever Lois Lane dies.. Its always in Supermans arms.... and he always Screams then does something that breaks a reality or drastically changes the world.
Its given us Injustice, Crisis events in comics. It changes the very world because it changes Supermans. And Superman as told by his Farther AND Jor-el, he can change the very world.
Is it ridiculous? Yes absolutely. But so is the concept of a man faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive.
26:10 "How does that work?" Honestly that moment and many other illogical things Supes does has led me to believe that most of Superman's powers boil down to tactile telekinesis. It would explain his type of flight, his speed, his strength, his invulnerability and his ability to carry people and structures in ways that SHOULD fail. It wouldn't explain his heat vision, x-ray vision or his chill breath, but it covers just about everything else.
I mean, "tactile telekinesis" was literally the explanation offered for many of his powers by (legendary comics writer) John Byrne in his seminal post-crisis Superman run from the 80s so if that occurred to you independently then you're in great company :).
Was just thinking that!😂 this is in my top 5 super hero movies.
@@anonymes2884 Interesting to know. Aside from X-Men comics in the 90's, I didn't do much comic collecting, so there's a lot of little nuances I have missed, but it's cool to think that my deduction has some basis in the lore... was this mentioned in an interview situation or was it actually brought up in the pages of a comic?
@@Leekle2ManE This was in the comics. Specifically, Superman's body is enveloped by a force field and he controls that telekinetically, which is what gives him his flight, durability and strength. When he lifts something he expands the force field to cover the object. I think they've moved away from that in recent decades but in 1986 that was the stated reasoning behind most of his powers. Heat vision is him releasing the solar energy he's absorbed, while his freeze breath is him compressing air in his lungs to super chill it.
My theory as a kid was that its the same as what Flash does that is he travels faster than the speed of light to go back in time. The reason he has to stop and reverse the earth is he went too far back in time since this was the first time he did this.
There’s something sweat about how gently he flys away, it’s probably because of the times but I’m so use to him blasting off and breaking the ground. This makes him seem so soft and caring
When he simply takes off the glasses and stands tall shows why no one will ever duplicate what Christopher Reeves did as Clark/Superman.
Fun Fact: When the movie came out, trivia about the movie, stated that when Clark Kent is running alongside the train in his hometown, the little girl who spots him through the window was actually young Lois Lane with her parents. Which, I suppose, sparked her interest in getting to the truth of any story, and thus the reporter in her was born.
Funner Fact: The lady next to her is Noel Neill who played Lois Lane in the TV show, The Adventures of Superman.
And who just happens to be playing her mother Ella Lane? None other than Noel Neill. We got double the Lois.
@@batzilla3629even FUNNER fact across from her is the original Superman from the 1940s Kirk Alyn. In the extended cut they actually have a little conversation with the young Lois
"trivia" about the movie stated?
@@Tao_TologyYes. An object can still state something. The sign stated, the report stated.
Oh man this is one of the best Soundtracks from John Williams and Chris Reeve simply IS Superman. A classic!
LOL. That army scene was of it's time. But she is an excellent distraction and you can rely on the urges of men to depend on that. The captain was played by Larry Hagmen from I Dream of Jeannie.
The one thing that most people miss mostly because its seemless. The scene where he flies off the penthouse and then knocks on the door. Its all done in one shot, there is no edit and the camera follows her. Its brilliant filmaking and true movie magic.
Shoutout to the OG. Reeve's Superman was definitely a comfort character of mine as a kid.
You should also check out the expanded edition of this film. It's mostly the same but adds some really interesting scenes, like ones showcasing more of Superman's powers.
Agreed. Also the extended Superman 2 with the arctic paddy wagon carting off the phantom zone villains. Then, of course, the Donner cut.
I have found childhood memories of this movie, saw it when it came out when I was 14, at the old Uptown theater in DC. It was the last of the old school movie theaters, but went under during Covid 😢I had all the fanzines and bubblegum cards ..back then we thought the special effects and flying were amazing! Fun fact: the lady in the hat on the train scene is no other than Noel Neal who played Lois Lane in the Adventures Of Superman series with George Reeves . Oh and the Daily News building in NY was used as the “Daily Planet” news offices.
This was my favourite film as a kid. It was the first real modern superhero film. Superman saving Lois for the first time is absolutely fabulous, and is one of my favourite scenes of any of the genre of "rescue scenes". The practical effects are great all the way through and Reeve's wire work is astonishing, his core strength must have been immense - he did train for months for the role. Reeve's and Kidder work so well together and there is a real chemistry and his acting between the two characters of CK and Supes is great. It isn't the glasses, CK just disappears into the background and no one notices him. CK is the alter ego, not Superman.
Don't get me wrong, the film hasn't aged in parts, but Christopher Reeve is the absolute GOAT.
The classic Superman theme is epic! Also "Planet Krypton" is so amazing and reminds me of Smallville!
Btw: never noticed Jonathans reaction when realizing he is having a heart attack😢
I was 16 when I saw this in the theater. This is back when it was a THRILL to see Superman comic cover with a real photo of people reacting on Broadway to a comics Superman flying over their heads. We had just suffered "Spider-Man" the TV show. The wire work was the key. We grew up watching reruns of George Reeves do that "jump" to fly. Production after production with visible wires helping the "movie and TV magic." Christopher Reeves just floating out of the "Fortress of Solitude" was just mind blowing.
How old are u now ? 😭
@@burstig5732 Just out of curiosity... you need me to do the math?
@@chrispittman8854 nah just asking
@@burstig5732 Thank you. 60. Now THAT'S how a friendship begins 😁 I'm here for all your Golden age comic questions.
Reeve
The mother sitting with her kid on the train played Lois in the Superman series in the 50s starring George Reeves.
Sitting across is original Superman Kirk Alyn from the Superman Serial
I was a teenager when this movie came out, and my parents grew up reading the comic books. We all fell in love with this movie, and with Christopher Reeve in particular. Still one of the greatest comic book movies of all time.
This is still my definitive Superman movie & Christopher Reeve will always be Superman. That shot at the end of Christopher Reeve smiling at the audience. He looks like the definitive Superman right there. Gene Hackman is great as Lex Luthor & Marlon Brando is also fantastic as Jor-El. Then you add the John Williams score, this movie, for me, is perfect in every way.
This movie got so many things right with superman. The way Jonathon dies, even with all his power, he couldn't save him. A tornado is something he could have saved someone from. I love this movie.
Christopher Reeve is the real Superman for me.
Roger Moore wrote in his autobiography about seeing Christopher Reeve at Pinewood Studios. Moore was making a Bond film, and Superman was in the middle of filming then. Moore saw Reeve walk into the canteen at lunchtime one day, decked out in full Superman costume. Everyone took notice, especially women who swooned in his wake. The next day, Reeve came in again, then dressed as Clark Kent, and no one noticed him.
Still to this day, one of the best comic book movies ever made. It has amazing music, acting, and special effects (for its time). It was the movie that showed comics can be great movies
Still one of the coolest bad guy hideouts ever. Love the pool. This movie will always be my favorite.
Fun Fact about the scene where Jor-El sends Kal-El to Earth. Goes a long with Brando phoning it in. Apparently they had to just put his lines on notes next to the baby for that scene, and if you look at his eye line you can really tell. He is looking right past that baby 😂
Some stories have it that his lines were on cards taped to the baby's diaper. When he's speaking to younger Clark in the Fortress of Solitude, he looks down a few times before speaking, likely looking at his cards. He was so damned gifted, though, it looked and sounded like gravitas rather than laziness.
I love the fact that smallville referenced so much from this and the second movie
Whenever i watch an old superman movie it makes me wana go back and watch all of them as well smallville
Actually christopher reeves portrayal of superman made a man believe he could fly, john williams music is still *chefs kiss*
Quite likely the best superhero movie ever made. It's just a joy
Terence Stamp also provided Jor-El's voice in Smallville.
Terence Stamp doesn't just chew scenery, he swallows it and then chases it with a shot of whiskey.
The movie that proved superheroes were filmable.
You guys have to remember, you can't look at the special effects with 2023 eyes. In 1977-78 they had to figure out all those flying issues. It had never been done before to such a scale that would seem convincing to an audience of that time.
You can see the influence of this movie on future films of the genre. Iron Man flying the missile into outer space in Avengers 1. And the Joker in The Dark Knight has 2 people in danger and Batman goes to save one but his girl dies, like Lois. But in TDK she stays dead.
This is the greatest superhero film ever. It defined and legitimized the comicbook genre as film. It is the blueprint on how great superhero films are made. No casting in cinema history was better than Reeve as Superman.
There've been FEW *definitive* portrayals - but they ARE out there:
Boris Karloff as Frankenstein's monster.
Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable as Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler.
Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes.
Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins.
Malcolm McDowell as Alexander DeLarge.
Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka.
Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones.
Other people might portray these characters... but these performances are SEARED in the public consciousness.
The people briefly glimpsed in the train carriage are members of the 50s tv series.For some reason the teen Clark actor was completely dubbed by Christopher Reeve 🎩
What an incredibly great movie! First, saw this as a kid on HBO. The cinematography, musical score, acting was great! Christopher Reeve is Superman, always will be.
One of the writers of Superman & Lois said that Superman isn’t actually spinning the world in reverse, it’s just the movie’s depiction of showing the audience that he’s flying so fast that he went back in time. Whether or not it’s true, idk. But I thought I’d share!
then why does he have to jump start the earth’s spin the right direction 😂😂😂
@@wavehellhole 😂😂 no clue. I’m just sharing what I’ve heard. Heard it from Kevin Smith and Ralph Garman as well on their podcast.
The only problem with that is that he "fixes" the earths rotation after he reverses it. I tried looking up if there was supposed to be a consequence for him messing with time but couldn't find anything.
He's not fixing the Earth's spin, he's going forward in time.
Still one of the best versions of Superman because of how "idealized" they were with the character.
That and "nice little touches" by the crew to make Clark seem more "naive" while Superman is more "wishful" in his ideas.
8:23 - there's deleted scene that reveals that the little girl on the train is Lois Lane...also, the girl's mother is played by Noel Neill who played Lois Lane in the film serials and the TV show in the 1950's and the dad is Kirk Alyn, the first ever live-action Superman who played Superman in the movie serials.
I've seen it many times, and that theme gives me goosebumps every single time.
The Superman of my childhood! Christopher Reeve was fantastic !
As much as a Star Wars fan I am and all the other great scores that Williams has graced us with, he knocked this one so far, it’s in orbit.
Dude, it's the same theme.
One of my favorite pieces that Williams ever wrote is the Leaving Home. theme. The arrangement is beautiful.
The best version of this movie is the complete 3 hour extended tv cut. Absolute masterpiece.
From the looks of it, that seems to be the version they’re watching!
YES!! Long, but brilliant. If they are watching from Max, as they say they are, they aren’t watching the 3 hour 8 minute version. Max only carries the original theatrical movie.
Superman might not hold up well… but it nails the tone of the character that it’s a gold standard of how to do a superhero film. Reeve is so good as both even though his Clark can be a little exaggerated. I adore this film for how wholesome it is and how much it screams what Superman should be. If Gunn channels the tone of this film through a modern lens… it could be the best Superman film to date.
Dude this introduction gives me chills. I was born around the time this move came out. Superman 1 and 2 Richard Donner was amazing.
As always, I like the live discussion between you guys. About superman changing history, remember: Jor-el is a scientist of an advanced civilization. He would have correctly predicted that his son is going to be able to alter human history by rewinding time thru his yellow sun-derived powers.
My first and only time in New York, I made sure I visited the building that was the Daily Planet. Went inside and saw the giant Globe in the floor. Being such a massive fan of this film and Chris Reeve, it truly was a special moment for me.
“I tell you Krypton is simply shifting its orbit” HOW IS THAT BETTER!!! (LOL)
Christopher Reeves and Kevin Conroy best Superman and Batman of all time rest in peace our heroes
"Every galaxy has its own rules of time and space."
You are the only other human being I've ever heard say this. Wow!
Also, great video, I enjoy your reactions!
Superman: The Movie and Superman 2 were filmed at the same time. However, to make the release date on time for the first movie, filming for part 2 was eventually put on hold. The original ending for part 1 would have shown the prison for Zod being broken, and the 3 Kryton criminals flying through space with Earth in the distance. In Part 2, Zod destroys Earth, and Superman has to time-travel to bring it back. With Part 2 being put on-hold, that ending was used for Part 1 instead; which might explain some of the wonkiness you guys talked about. It also meant that they would have to come up with a different ending for Part 2. That would only be a problem if the first film was a hit making it worthwhile to finish the sequel.
I also had Pirated VHS copies, my dad used to record movies off HBO lol
I saw this in a great theater when it first came out. There's so much I could say about it, including the fact that it's very much of its time - which is how I experienced it at the time. But you mentioned the scene in "Man of Steel" where Jonathan Kent sacrifices himself and it made me wonder if Snyder was responding to this film in doing that.
And it's funny how you mention knowing Terence Stamp from the "Star Wars" prequels - I knew him from movies like "Billy Budd", "Far from the Madding Crowd", and "Modesty Blaise". Different generations!
In the pre-crisis comics Jonathan (and Martha IIRC) died in Clark's late teens-ish. So understandably more than one story from the movie's era and before uses Pa Kent's death as a formative event in Clark's life (sometimes it kind of presents a concrete, Earth based reason for the survivor's guilt that Kal-El has only in the abstract due to Krypton). Snyder may have just been riffing on that (or may indeed have been directly referencing this movie).
(FWIW incidentally, I totally agree with Rick - the 'Man of Steel' death of Pa Kent is not great on a few levels IMO and the 'Superman: The Movie' approach is way better)
Don’t forget “The Collector” 😂
Title March is my personal favorite piece by John Williams. I think his overall soundtrack for Star Wars is his best work, but his Superman theme beats it all. Sweeping, triumphant, and hopeful. Masterpiece.
It’s a piece of music that holds its chin up confidently, and looks to the sky, but without seeming too aloof.
Even though i was born in 2002 i still grew up with the christopher reeves superman movies, also reeves' acting between clark and superman is great and john williams theme is unforgettable
Gene Hackman and Ned Beatty are such an underrated comedy duo.
I hope David Corenswet takes inspiration from Christopher Reeves for his take on Superman. James Gunn did say this movie is one of his favorite superhero movies so i think he will do a fantastic job making a modern day superman movie while staying faithful to the comic books.
Reeve
This, and “Superman vs The Elite” are the quintessential Superman films. Always good to see it again.
19:36 The moment that music swells you just can’t help but smiles and tear up. So straightforward and non ironic.
I love this movie so much. Thanks for watching it. Love you guys- representing from Cleveland where Sman was created.❤
The smiles at 19:35 say it all. This movie is perfection (apart from the time travel.) Superman 1978 is the standard for superman movies to aspire to be. God bless Christopher Reeve.
It's fun but far from perfection. The story is a mess.
@@flaggerify it's perfection for me. First 40 minutes are the set up, then we shift to three different mini adventures. One with Clark, and two with Superman. The acting, score, effects are all top of the draw stuff for 1978. Easily my favourite superhero movie of all time. It very well might remain like that unless they get their act together with Superman movies these days.
@@TheDc007fan There's too much setting up. Superman doesn't appear for almost exactly an hour. Then we soon get a sequence of derring-do (yacht, planet etc.) that could have been abbreviated or cut.
@@flaggerify it's an origin done right. This is the definitive Superman story. You have to remember this was audiences first time that they would ever see the man of Steel on the big screen. They needed to connect and care for Clark, they needed to understand what Krypton was and why it's destruction is significant. When did the days end when people couldn't enjoy 40 minutes of an origin story set up? It's 40 minutes of brilliant and beautiful filmmaking, a whimsical soundtrack, emotional beats, and getting to know the character of Superman. It makes that moment, when we see his first save, feel earned.
@@flaggerify and that "derring-do" sequence. If you cut that then you cut a significant chunk of his character. He is a good guy who wants to do good. You clearly haven't a clue about Superman if you think the actual parts where he is Superman-ing should be cut.
3:27 I can’t remember where, but one writer had his hero/narrator comment that the Superman theme was the perfect music to make you want to go out and fight some evil.
I think the death of Jonathon, and he later says something like "with all these powers, and I couldn't do anything", then when Lois dies, it's kind of the same thing, it brings back the memory of his father, and now Lois. So I think his anger is the frustration of both, he's reliving that, all those powers and she still died.
Hooray!!!! A movie fave. This is my Superman. ❤