Superman: The Movie

Director: Richard Donner

Overview

Richard Donner's big-budget blockbuster Superman: The Movie is an immensely entertaining recounting of the origin of the famous comic book character. Opening on Krypton (where Marlon Brando plays Superman's father), the film follows the Man of Steel (Christopher Reeve) as he's sent to Earth where he develops his alter-ego Clark Kent and is raised by a Midwestern family. In no time, the movie has run through his teenage years, and Clark gets a job at the Daily Planet, where he is a news reporter. It's there that he falls in love with Lois Lane (Margot Kidder), who is already in love with Superman. But the love story is quickly sidetracked once the villainous Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) launches a diabolical plan to conquer the world and kill Superman. Superman: The Movie is filled with action, special effects and a surprising amount of humor.

Product Details

Release Date:	11/03/2009
UPC:	0883929091720
Original Release:	1978
Rating:	PG
Source:	Warner Home Video
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound]
Time:	2:23:00
Sales rank:	3,470

Special Features

Closed Caption; Commentary by producer Pierre Spangler and executive producer Ilya Salkind; Theatrical trailers; TV spot

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Marlon Brando	Jor-El
Gene Hackman	Lex Luthor
Christopher Reeve	Clark Kent/Superman
Margot Kidder	Lois Lane
Ned Beatty	Otis
John Cooper	Perry White
Glenn Ford	Jonathan Kent
Trevor Howard	First Elder
Jack O'Halloran	Non
Valerie Perrine	Eve Teschmacher
Maria Schell	Vond-Ah
Terence Stamp	Gen. Zod
Susannah York	Lara
Jeff East	Young Clark Kent
Marc McClure	Jimmy Olsen
Sarah Douglas	Ursa
Harry Andrews	Second Elder
Lee Quigley	Baby Kal-El
Aaron Smolinski	Baby Clark Kent
Ben Feitelson	Actor
Michael Gover	Actor
Noel Neill	Couple on Train
Phyllis Thaxter	Maftha Kent
Leueen Willoughby	Actor
Robert Dahdah	Newspaper Customer
Paul Avery	Actor
Keith Alexander	Actor
Mark Wynter	Actor
Vass Anderson	3rd Elder
John Hollis	4th Elder
David Neal	7th Elder
William Russell	8th Elder
Penelope Lee	9th Elder
John Stuart	10th Elder
Diane Sherry	Lana Lang
Billy Mitchell	1st Editor
Robert Henderson	2nd Editor
Larry Lamb	1st Reporter
John Cassady	3rd Reporter
Antony Scott	5th Reporter
Ray Evans	6th Reporter
Vincent Marzello	1st Copy Boy
Lise Hilboldt	1st Secretary
Rex Reed	Himself
Weston Gavin	Mugger
Stephen Kahan	Officer 1
Ray Hassett	Officer 2
Randy Jurgensen	Officer
Matt Russo	News Vendor
Colin Skeaping	Pilot
Bo Rucker	Pimp
David Baxt	Burglar
John Cording	2nd Hood
Rex Everhart	Desk Sergeant
Jayne Tottman	Little Girl
Brian Protheroe	Co-Pilot
Lawrence Trimble	1st Crewman
Robert Whelan	2nd Crewman
David Calder	3rd Crewman
Norwich Duff	Newscaster
Michael Ensign	Newscaster
Larry Hagman	Major
Paul Tuerpé	Sgt. Hayley
David Yorston	Petty Officer
Robert O'Neill	Admiral
Robert MacLeod	General
John Ratzenberger	1st Controller
Alan Tilvern	2nd Controller
Phil Brown	State Senator
Bill Bailey	State Senator
Burnell Tucker	Agent
Norman Warwick	Superchief Driver
Chuck Julian	Assistant
Kirk Alyn	Young Lois Lane's father (on train)
Graham McPherson	Lieutenant
Roy Stevens	Warden

Technical Credits

Richard Donner	Director
Ernest Archer	Art Director
Stuart Baird	Editor
John Barry	Production Designer
Robert Benton	Screenwriter
Yvonne Blake	Costumes/Costume Designer
Les Bowie	Special Effects
Leslie Bricusse	Songwriter
Bill Brodie	Art Director
Jamie Brown	Makeup
Colin Chilvers	Special Effects
Denys Coop	Special Effects
Stuart Craig	Art Director
Sylvia Croft	Makeup
Leslie Dilley	Production Designer
Norman Dorme	Art Director
Roy Field	Special Effects
Maurice Fowler	Art Director
Graham Freeborn	Makeup
Kay Freeborn	Makeup
George Gibbs	Special Effects
Graham Hartstone	Sound/Sound Designer
Peter Howitt	Set Decoration/Design
Louis Lane	Makeup
Nick Maley	Makeup
Tom Mankiewicz	Consultant/advisor
Derek Meddings	Special Effects
Nicolas Le Messurier	Sound/Sound Designer
Angela Morley	Musical Arrangement
Basil Newall	Makeup
Leslie Newman	Screenwriter
David Newman	Screenwriter
Zoran Perisic	Special Effects
Mario Puzo	Original Story,Screenwriter
Tony Reading	Art Director
Connie Reeve	Makeup
Norman Reynolds	Art Director
Philip Rhodes	Makeup
Gene Rudolf	Production Designer
Ilya Salkind	Executive Producer
Alexander Salkind	Producer
Pierre Spengler	Producer
Geoffrey Unsworth	Cinematographer
Fred C. Weiler	Set Decoration/Design
John Williams [composer]	Score Composer

Scene Index

Disc #1, Side A -- Superman: The Movie
1. Intergalactic Credits
2. Verdict on Krypton
3. The Phantom Zone
4. Jor-El's Warning
5. A Father's Farewell
6. Blastoff to Safety
7. Krypton's End
8. Education En Route
9. Help With a Flat
10. Unbelievable Lois
11. Another Father's Farewell
12. Time to Leave
13. Fortress of 13 Solitude
14. Twelve Years Tutelage
15. The Daily Planet
16. Faster Than a Bullet
17. Dead-End Trail
18. Luthor's Lair
19. It's Not a Date
20. Helicopter Emergency
21. "Who's Got You?!?"
22. Crooks to Cats
23. Air Force One
24. Fatherly Advice
25. Story of the 25 Century
26. Vital Statistics
27. Test Flight
28. Can You Read My Mind?
29. "That's Clark, Nice"
30. Deducting His Weakness
31. Diversionary Tactic #1
32. Diversionary Tactic #2
33. Luthor's Challenge
34. The Gauntlet
35. Luthor's Land Grab
36. Kryptonite Necklace
37. Unlikely Rescuer
38. Disasters Galore
39. Rescues Galore
40. Damming the Dam
41. Too Late for Lois
42. As the World (re)turns
43. Prison Break0in
44. End Credits

Menu

Disc #1, Side A -- Superman: The Movie
   Play Movie
   Scene Selections
   Special Features
      Commentary by Director Richard Donner and Creative Consultant Tom Mankiewicz
      Music-Only Track
      Superman - The Legacy
      Cast & Crew
      Added Scenes
         Jor-El and the Council
         Security Council Meeting
         Baby Kal-El's Starship
         Young Lois With Parents on Train
         Mrs. Kent Opens up House
         Clark and Jimmy
         Jor-El and Superman
         Pedestrians and Clark
         Fire and Ice
         Hollywood Sign Falls
      Awards
      Theatrical Trailer
   Languages
      Soundtracks
         English
      Subtitles
         English
         Français
         Español
         Português
         Off
      Commentary
      Music Only Track
      Continue
Disc #1, Side B -- Superman: The Movie
   Documentaries
      Taking Flight: The Development of Superman
      Making Superman: Filming the Legend
      The Magic Behind the Cape
   Additional Scenes
      Screen Tests
         Superman
         Lois Lane
         With Commentary
         Ursa
      Deleted Scenes
      Teaser Trailer
      TV Spot
      Additional Music Cues
         Main Titles
         Alt. Main Titles
         The Council's Desision
         The Krypton Quake
         More Mugger / Introducing Otis
         Air Force One
         Chasing Rockets
         Can You Read My Mind / Pop Version

Editorial Reviews

Nowadays moviegoers don't raise an eyebrow when Hollywood announces the imminent arrival of a big-budget, blockbusting action film based on a comic strip. But back in 1978 -- before Batman, Spawn, and X-Men -- director Richard Donner took the cinema world by storm, ducking into a phone booth a mild-manned moviemaker, and emerging an industry darling, with what would become the mother of all superhero epics. Superman: The Movie set standards for comic book adventures to follow. It's star, newcomer Christopher Reeve, was jaw-droppingly handsome -- not to mention the spitting image of the original pen-and-ink incarnation. The plot was basic -- alien baby escapes doomed home planet, arrives on Earth, is adopted by midwestern farmers, develops superpowers, and becomes a crime-fighting "Man of Steel" -- and true to the original. Equally important, since such movies must compete with powerful, preconceptions, the special effects defined the cutting-edge of their day. This was arguably the first film of the modern era in which the flying didn't look hokey and faked -- nearly delivering on the marketing tag of "You will believe a man can fly." To ensure the film's success, Donner assembled a letter-perfect cast of costars, including Gene Hackman as the deliciously wicked Lex Luthor, Margot Kidder as sassy Daily Planet reporter and Mrs. Superman wannabe Lois Lane; and Marlon Brando, in his much ballyhooed, million-dollar return to the screen, as the caped hero's dad. Few superhero flicks before or since have come anywhere near this film's creative punch.

Barnes & Noble - Bruce Kluger

A rousing big-budget spectacle of the highest order, 1978's Superman succeeds thanks to its snappy pace, a witty script and a slew of memorable performances. Director Richard Donner wanted an unknown for the tricky title role; Christopher Reeve fits the bill with a finely nuanced performance, poking fun at the Superman mystique without diminishing its power. The reliable Gene Hackman steals just about every scene he's in as smarmy archenemy Lex Luthor. In a smaller but no less memorable role, Marlon Brando was reportedly paid close to $4 million dollars for his ten-minute cameo as The Man of Steel's father. Superman proved to be another hit for Donner, following 1976's The Omen; the film would inspire three sequels of descending quality (though many argue that the second installment is in fact superior to this one).

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