This article is about the 1978 film
- For the 1948 serial see Superman (1948 serial).
- For the upcoming film see Superman (2025 film).
Superman (also known as Superman: The Movie) is a 1978 superhero film directed by Richard Donner and written by Mario Puzo, David Newman, Leslie Newman, and Robert Benton from a story by Puzo based on the DC Comics character of the same name. It is the first installment in the Superman film series. An international co-production between the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Panama and the United States,[3] the film stars an ensemble cast featuring Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Jeff East, Margot Kidder, Glenn Ford, Phyllis Thaxter, Jackie Cooper, Trevor Howard, Marc McClure, Terence Stamp, Valerie Perrine, Ned Beatty, Jack O'Halloran, Maria Schell, and Sarah Douglas. It depicts the origin of Superman (Reeve), including his infancy as Kal-El of Krypton, son of Jor-El (Brando) and his youthful years in the rural town of Smallville. Disguised as reporter Clark Kent, he adopts a mild-mannered disposition in Metropolis and develops a romance with Lois Lane (Kidder), while battling the villainous Lex Luthor (Hackman).
Plot[]
On the planet Krypton, Jor-El of the Kryptonian high council discovers the planet will soon be destroyed when its red supergiant sun goes supernova. Despite his eminence, he fails to convince the other council members. To save his infant son, Kal-El, Jor-El launches him in a spaceship to Earth, a planet with a suitable atmosphere where his dense molecular structure will give him superhuman powers. Shortly after the launch, Krypton's sun explodes, destroying the planet.
The ship crash lands on Earth near Smallville, Kansas. Kal-El, who is now three years old, is found by Jonathan and Martha Kent, who are astonished when he lifts their truck. They take him to their farm and raise him as their own, naming him Clark after Martha's maiden name.
At 18, soon after Jonathan's death from a heart attack, Clark hears a psychic "call" and discovers a glowing crystal in the remains of his spacecraft. It compels him to travel to the Arctic where it builds the Fortress of Solitude, resembling the architecture of Krypton. Inside, a hologram of Jor-El explains Clark's true origins, and after 12 further years of educating him on his powers and his reason for being sent to Earth, he leaves the Fortress wearing a blue and red suit with the House of El family crest emblazoned on his chest and becomes a reporter at the Daily Planet in Metropolis. He meets and develops an unrequited romantic attraction to coworker Lois Lane.
Lois becomes involved in a helicopter accident where conventional means of rescue are impossible, and Clark uses his powers in public for the first time to save her to the astonishment of the crowd gathered below. He then goes on to thwart a jewel thief attempting to scale the Solow Building, captures robbers fleeing police through the Fulton Market by depositing their cabin cruiser on Wall Street, and rescuing a girl's cat from a tree in Brooklyn Heights. He even saves Air Force One after a lightning strike destroys the port outboard engine, making the "caped wonder" an instant celebrity. Clark visits Lois at her penthouse apartment the next night and takes her for a flight over the city, allowing her to interview him for an article in which she names him "Superman".
Meanwhile, criminal genius Lex Luthor learns of a joint U.S. Army and U.S. Navy nuclear missile test. He then buys hundreds of acres of worthless desert land out west and reprograms the test's two 500 megaton missiles, one of which to detonate inside of California's largest fault line, the San Andreas Fault, which will cause everything west of the fault to sink into the Pacific Ocean and leave Lex's desert as the new West Coast.
Knowing Superman could stop his plan, Lex deduces that a meteorite found in Addis Ababa is actually part of Krypton and is radioactive to Superman, and after he and his accomplices Otis and Eve Teschmacher retrieve a piece of it, Lex lures Superman to his underground lair, reveals his plan and exposes him to a mineral from the meteor piece, Kryptonite, that weakens Superman greatly. Lex further taunts him by revealing the other missile is headed in the eastbound direction toward Hackensack, New Jersey. Teschmacher is horrified because her mother lives in Hackensack, but Lex does not care and leaves Superman to a slow death. Knowing his reputation for keeping his word, Teschmacher rescues Superman on the condition he will stop the eastbound missile first. Superman diverts the missile into outer space, consequently preventing him from reaching the other missile in time, and it explodes in the San Andreas Fault. Massive earthquakes erupt across California, damaging the Golden Gate Bridge and causing the Hollywood Sign and the Hoover Dam to collapse, endangering lives. Superman mitigates the effects of the explosion, getting rid of the fallout and buildings up the crumbling land in the fault line, preventing the collapse.
While Superman is busy saving others, Lois's car ends up falling into a crevice from one of the aftershocks. It fills with dirt and debris and she suffocates. Angered at being unable to save her, Superman defies Jor-El's earlier warning not to manipulate human history, preferring to heed Jonathan's advice that he must be here for "a reason". He accelerates around Earth, rewinding time, to save Lois. After bringing Lex and Otis to prison, he flies into the sunrise for further adventures.
Cast[]
- Marlon Brando as Jor-El
- Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor
- Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent/Superman
- Jeff East as the teenage Clark Kent
- Ned Beatty as Otis
- Jackie Cooper as Perry White
- Glenn Ford as Jonathan Kent
- Trevor Howard as the First Elder
- Margot Kidder as Lois Lane
- Jack O'Halloran as Non:
- Valerie Perrine as Eve Teschmacher
- Maria Schell as Vond-Ah:
- Terence Stamp as General Zod
- Phyllis Thaxter as Martha Kent (née Clark)
- Susannah York as Lara
- Marc McClure as Jimmy Olsen
- Sarah Douglas as Ursa
- Harry Andrews as the Second Elder
Sequels[]
Superman spawned three sequels: Superman II (1980), Superman III (1983) and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987).
The Extended TV Version[]
While, by contract, Richard Donner had major editorial control over what was theatrically released, the Salkinds had editorial control on what was shown outside of theaters. This was the result of deals that had been made between the producers and the ABC television network prior to the film's release. Financially, the more footage that was restored for television, the more revenue that could be made for the broadcast (the producers charged by the minute for every bit of footage added back in). During production of the film, Alexander and Ilya Salkind had been relegated to having to sell more and more of their rights back to Warner Bros. in exchange for financial help, which is why Warner Bros. would have theatrical and home video distribution rights. So by 1981, when the television rights reverted to the Salkinds, the producers had already prepared a 3-hour-and-8-minute version that actually had been the first version of the film visually locked down prior to being re-edited for theatrical release. This extended cut, which would be utilized for worldwide television distribution, reincorporated some 45 minutes of footage and music deleted from the theatrical cut. Networks and stations could then re-edit their own version at their discretion. This edit is commonly known as the "Salkind International Television Cut".
ABC aired the broadcast television debut of Superman over two nights in February 1982, with a majority of the unused footage. The 182-minute network cut (which was slightly cut down for content) was repeated in November of that same year, this time in its entirety in one evening. The remaining two ABC broadcasts were presented in its original theatrical version.
When the TV rights reverted to Warner Bros. in 1985, CBS aired the film one last time on network television in its theatrical version. When the movie entered the syndication market in 1988 (following a play-out run on pay cable) TV stations were offered the extended cut or the theatrical cut. The stations that showed the extended cut edited the second half to add more advertising time and "previously on ..." cutback scenes just as ABC had done in 1982.
In 1994 (following a pay-cable reissue and its obligatory run on USA Network), Warner Bros. Television syndicated the full 188-minute international television version, most famously on Los Angeles station KCOP. The most notable additions unseen on U.S. television were two additional scenes never seen before, in addition to what had been previously reinstated. This version also surfaced outside of Los Angeles. For example, WJLA Channel 7, an ABC affiliate in Washington, D.C., aired the extended cut in July 1994. Because its first known airing was on the aforementioned KCOP, it is also known in fan circles as the "KCOP Version".
There were various extended TV versions each broadcast in various countries. Most of these are in pan and scan, as they were made in the 1980s, when films were not letterboxed to preserve the theatrical aspect ratio on old TVs.
Until 2017, it was thought the quality of the extended network TV version was inferior to any theatrical or previous home video release because it was mastered in 16mm (using the "film chain system") and a mono sound mix done, as by the time the extended cut was prepared in 1981, stereo was not available in television broadcasts (16 mm television prints were, in fact, made and mastered on NTSC Standard Definition video for the initial ABC network broadcasts). However, during an inventory of the Warner Bros. library, an IP master of the full 188-minute television version was discovered. This eighteen-reel master was not marked with an aspect ratio, but the print was inspected and, as it turned out, was in the proper 2.35:1 Panavision ratio. This was the source of the Warner Archive Collection Blu-Ray release of what would officially be called the "Superman: The Movie Extended Cut", issued on October 3, 2017. The video release was visually restored by WB's imaging department, and, other than the opening and end credits (which are in true stereo), the film is presented in an enhanced version of the mono TV sound mix. This particular release also includes another version discussed below.
Richard Donner was critical of this extended cut of the film. He called this version of the film "terrible," saying it "was nothing more than an assembly." He said he cut the bad material out of the movie and that the producers and Warner Bros. added it back in just "to make a buck."
Legacy[]
In 2007, the Visual Effects Society listed Superman as the 44th-most influential use of visual effects of all time. In 2008, Empire magazine named it the 174th-greatest film of all time on its list of 500. In 2009, Entertainment Weekly ranked Superman 3rd on their list of The All-Time Coolest Heroes in Pop Culture.
With the film's success, it was immediately decided to finish Superman II. Ilya and Alexander Salkind and Pierre Spengler did not ask Donner to return because Donner had criticized them during the film's publicity phase. Donner commented in January 1979, "I'd work with Spengler again, but only on my terms. As long as he has nothing to say as the producer, and is just liaison between Alexander Salkind and his money, that's fine. If they don't want it on those terms, then they need to go out and find another director, it sure as shit ain't gonna be me." Kidder, who portrayed Lois Lane, was dissatisfied by the producers' decision, and also criticized the Salkinds during publicity. Kidder said that as a result, she was only given a cameo appearance for Superman III, and not a main supporting role. Jack O'Halloran, who portrayed Non, stated, "It was great to work with Donner. Richard Lester was as big an asshole as the Salkinds." Two more films, Superman III (1983) and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987), were produced. Donner's vision for Superman II was eventually realized nearly three decades later, when he supervised the editing of Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, which was released in 2006. In the same year, Donner and writer Geoff Johns wrote "Last Son", a comic book story arc in Action Comics featuring Superman. Unused footage of Marlon Brando as Jor-El, discovered during the restoration of Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, was used in Superman Returns (2006).
Because Superman went into production prior to the releases of Star Wars (May 1977) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (November 1977), some observers credit the three films collectively for launching the reemergence of a large market for science fiction films in the 1980s. This is certainly the view of Superman producer Ilya Salkind and some who have interviewed him, as well as of film production assistant Brad Lohan. Other observers of film history tend to credit the resurgence of science fiction films simply to the Lucas and Spielberg productions, and see Superman as the first of the new cycle of films launched by the first two. Ilya Salkind denies any connection between Superman—which began filming in March 1977—and the other films, stating that "I did not know about 'Star Wars'; 'Star Wars' did not know about 'Superman'; 'Close Encounters' did not know about 'Superman.' It really was completely independent—nobody knew anything about anybody." Superman also established the superhero film genre as viable outside the production of low-budget Saturday matinee serials. Director Christopher Nolan cited Richard Donner's vision and scope of Superman when pitching the concept for Batman Begins to Warner Bros. in 2002.
In 2021, DC Comics revived the continuity of the 1978 film with their Superman '78 comic book series, emulating the look of the Christopher Reeve films. The series picks up where the first two films left off, thereby acting as a direct sequel.
The film inspired The Kinks' 1979 song "(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman", when the band's main songwriter, Ray Davies, watched the film in late 1978.
The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:
- 2003: AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains:
- Superman (Clark Kent) – #26 Hero
In December 2017, the film was selected for preservation by the United States Library of Congress National Film Registry, for being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant".
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- This is the first film in the Christopher Reeve Superman Series.
- This film along with its sequel Superman II where shot back to back.
- This is the first film in which Christopher Reeves portrays the title character.
- Richard Donner is the first director to direct a modern superhero film.
- Superman was nominated for three Academy Awards (Best Film Editing – (Stuart Baird), Best Original Score – (John Williams) and Best Sound – (Gordon K. McCallum, Graham V. Hartstone, Nicolas Le Messurier and Roy Charman))[87] and received a Special Achievement Academy Award for its visual effects.
- Marlon Brando was paid $3.7 million, plus a percentage of the gross, for twelve days of shooting. The payment also covered the sequel, which was shot at the same time. Brando did not appear in the sequel, because he'd sued Ilya Salkind, claiming Salkind had not paid him his percentage of the profits. He ultimately received about $14 million for ten minutes of screentime. The footage shot for the sequel was used in Superman Returns (2006).
- Christopher Reeve was an unknown actor at the time. The credits and nearly every trailer for this film list Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman before Reeve, who played Superman.
- Steven Spielberg was offered the chance to direct this film. Producers balked at the salary he asked for. They decided to see how Jaws (1975), which he had just completed, did at the box office. That movie was a huge success, and Spielberg went on to other projects. This year he directed Close Encounters, and the year after he directed 1941; both which we're bested by Superman at the box office; so it looks like Richard Donner won this round; but Spielberg caught up later!
- Marlon Brando sued the Salkinds and Warner Brothers for $50 million, because he felt cheated out of the film's considerable box-office profits. This is the main reason why footage of Brando does not appear in Superman II (1980).
- Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were both delighted with the results of this movie.
- For his portrayal of Clark Kent, Christopher Reeve based the performance on Cary Grant's character in Bringing Up Baby (1938).
- In its initial run, the film topped the box-office charts for thirteen consecutive weeks.
- Richard Donner has a cameo in the movie as the skeptical man who talks to Clark Kent in front of the televisions, right after the first appearance of Superman.
- Robert Redford, Clint Eastwood and James Caan were all offered the movie's title role. All three turned it down: Redford wanted too much money, Eastwood said he was too busy, and Caan said, "There's no way I'm getting into that silly suit."
- The end titles sequence is more than seven minutes long, a record at the time of the film's release in 1978.
- This was the second highest grossing film of 1978, behind Grease (1978).
- Richard Donner first asked Jerry Goldsmith to do the score, and he agreed. However, a schedule conflict came about, and John Williams eagerly replaced Goldsmith who, six years later, would write the music for Supergirl (1984).
- Gene Hackman was initially reluctant to take the part of Lex Luthor, as he felt it would have damaged his reputation as a serious actor.
- Much of the footage for what would become Superman II (1980) was written and shot simultaneously with the original. Before shooting was complete for the sequel, however, Richard Donner was fired, and replaced with Richard Lester, who re-shot most of the footage directed by Donner.
- Dustin Hoffman turned down the part of Lex Luthor.
- The highest grossing Warner Brothers movie of the 1970s. The next decade, the highest grossing movie for Warner Brothers would be another DC comics hero, Batman (1989).
- Among the actresses who screen tested for the role of Lois Lane were: Anne Archer, Lesley Ann Warren, Deborah Raffin, Susan Blakely, Stockard Channing, and April Byron. One of the reasons Margot Kidder was chosen over them was the fact that she was the only one who saw the humor in the line, "What color underwear am I wearing?
- George Kennedy, Jack Nicholson, and Gene Wilder were considered for the role of Lex Luthor. Nicholson, who went on to play The Joker in Batman (1989), was considered to play Luthor in a "Superman" film project in the 1990s that was ultimately shelved.
- Charlton Heston was considered for the role of Jor-El.
- The film was released in the year of Superman's 40th anniversary.
- At the time of its release, this was the sixth highest-grossing film of all time.
- The word "Superman" is not heard until 1 hour and 33 minutes into the film.
- The characters of Non and Eve Teschmacher were not featured in the comics at the time of production and were created by Mario Puzo for this film. They are also featured in Supergirl (2015).
- Edward Asner, Martin Balsam, Walter Matthau, Jason Robards, Jr., Lawrence Tierney, and Eli Wallach were considered for the role of Perry White.
| Superman |
|---|
| Superman (1948), Atom Man vs. Superman (1950), Superman and the Mole Men (1951), Superman (1978), Superman II (1980), Superman III (1983), Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987), Superman Returns (2006), Man of Steel (2013), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Justice League (2017), Man of Steel 2, Justice League: Part Two |