Superman

It wasn't until university that I started to like this movie. Having said that, the impact of "Superman" on the comic book film genre is comparable to the impact of "Star Wars" on the science fiction genre. Before "Superman", comic book movies were campy and comedic. "Batman: The Movie" is an example of this but that film was released in the 1960's and was unapologetic fun. By the 1970's, it was time for a change in not only for movies in general but in this specific genre as well. "Superman" does have camp but what makes it special is that it has dramatic subtext. Also in the second half of the movie, the campy moments are balanced with drama. The filmmakers, particularly director Richard Donner, set out to reinvent the genre and they did it. All comic book or superhero films owe something to this film.

The opening credit sequence by way of the music establishes clearly the fact that this movie is not going to be staring Adam West and Burt Ward. The musical theme is so powerful that we can't wait for the film itself to get going. Another way that "Superman" sets itself apart from other comic book films of the past are the first lines of Jor-El: "This is no fantasy. No careless product of wild imagination." It is the antithesis of the opening text introduction of "Batman: The Movie". The movie is designed to be more realistic than audiences might be expecting. One story characteristic of "Superman" that I find quite fascinating is that it feels like three movies combined into one. Normally it doesn't work on screen because of a lack of continuity but in this case it does work. The first two acts contribute to the story and give subtext to the second half of the movie. The first act takes place on Krypton where the dialogue is dignified like in a Shakespearean play. The set design and color scheme are also massively different from every other setting in the film except for the Fortress of Solitude. The cinematography also differs from the rest of the movie because the Krypton scenes appear misty. This first act establishes story allegories with that of Moses or even Christ. The second act in Smallville furthers these story similarities in that Kal-El is found & adapted by the Kents. He also gets the new name of Clark Kent. Jonathon Kent dies and Clark leaves his adoptive mother in order that he might learn his destiny. Clark is depicted as different from everyone else and unpopular. We must pity and sympathize with Clark for the rest of the movie to work in terms of story and drama. Smallville is very different from the first act because of its strong sense of Americana. We see a 1950's style high school and ideal farms. Ironically, Smallville was not filmed in Midwest USA but rather in my home province of Alberta, Canada. The view from the wheat field with the mountains in the distance looks almost exactly like the view from the house that I grew up in by the way. Superman has always had a Canadian connection because his co-creator, Joe Shuster, is Canadian. Finally, Margot Kidder (Lois Lane) is from Canada. It isn't until we get to Metropolis that the audience gets the camp that they are used to in this genre. As mentioned however, the filmmakers balance the camp with good storytelling. In addition, the previous acts add subtext to the scenes in Metropolis. Richard Donner really milks the helicopter crash. Every time I watch that scene I ask myself, "What is taking Superman so long?" That is some nice directing. The public telephone gag was thought up on set when the filmmakers saw it on the street. They had never planned on Superman changing in a telephone booth but they couldn't have Clark Kent pass it without acknowledging the fact that it wasn't a booth that he could change inside. The shot of Clark opening his suit to reveal the logo accompanied by the musical cue has become ironic. I also enjoy the flying sequence with Lois but not just because it is romantic. The shots in the clouds really sell the idea that they are flying. Another great element of the movie is the surprise appearance of the kryptonite. It is subtlety revealed that Luthor has the kryptonite but we are deceived into forgetting that. I also like the long shots of Superman and Lois after Lois dies. The music is perfect during this brief montage. This sets up Superman's explosive moment of anguish very well. When Superman turns back time, he has chosen to "interfere with human history". This is where the Christian allegory stops because Superman has chosen earth as his new home. The last two shots of this movie were reused or recreated for every Superman movie until "Man of Steel".

In order to make this film legitimate, the filmmakers cast Oscar winners Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman. Brando is a "screen legend" according to the American Film Institute and it shows in this movie. Dustin Hoffman turned down the role of Lex but that would have been interesting. Some famous directors that were considered to make this movie were Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. The latter two could not accept the offer for obvious reasons. Then Richard Donner agreed to direct but he felt the script was way too campy. He brought in Tom Mankiewicz and the result was this great balance between camp and drama. As a side note, when Clark and Lois go through the revolving door of the Daily Planet, Donner can be seen in the reflection. Donner also has a cameo with Clark Kent in front of TV's showing the news. Some big names like Schwarzenegger and Stallone wanted to play Superman but Donner insisted on an unknown for the role. Even David Prowse, who played Darth Vader on screen, wanted the role but he ended up as Christopher Reeve's personal trainer. Reeve did so well in that his performance as Kent was so different from his performance as Superman. I love how he smiles at the audience at the very end of the show. Thanks to Reeve's performance, you forget about the wires when he flies. The way he moves his body up in the air sells the illusion. The advertizing surrounding the movie contained the promise "You'll believe a man can fly". Reeve did his part and groundbreaking special effects that later won a special achievement Oscar did the rest. I liked seeing other actors in "Superman" that I was familiar with at that time in my life such as Ned Beatty, Terence Stamp and Marc McClure. The actors playing Lois' parents performed Superman and Lois Lane in the 40's and 50's by the way. Production designer John Barry had won an Oscar on "Star Wars" but what I like is that for "Superman", he went in the opposite direction and portrayed Krypton as perfect and pristine. As was the case with "Jaws" and "Star Wars", John Williams did so much to make "Superman" the movie it is today. The musical theme for Superman is so powerful and recognizable that you almost can't use any other music in its stead to accompany this superhero. That seems to be the case for any movie that John Williams has scored. This music is one of my top twenty film scores.

The first trailer for this movie got people very excited and thankfully, the movie was able to deliver. "Superman" received three Oscar nominations for Best Musical Score, Editing and Sound. The title character himself is on the American Film Institute's list of heroes at #26. Personally, "Superman" is my favorite movie from 1978 and is my fourth favorite comic book film. The 1980's belonged to Superman in terms of the superhero genre because Tim Burton's "Batman" didn't come along until 1989. The comic book/superhero genre owes so much to this film because serious storytelling was employed with campy humor. In my opinion, the quintessential depiction of Superman is this one.

4.5 Stars