Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut [Blu-ray]

Richard Donner

Overview

Reconstructed using archival film and sound elements long thought to be extinct, this special cut of Superman II pieces together unseen footage shot by Richard Donner in order to present the most comprehensive version of what was to be the original cut of the blockbuster sequel. As initially planned, the first two films were to be filmed back-to-back using the same sets and actors to save on production costs. However, with a budget escalating out of control and Warner Bros. breathing down the producers' necks, the decision was made to drop any further filming on the sequel in order to finish the first movie and usher it into theaters. Of course, the first Superman was a wild success, so then it was just a matter of ramping up production again, though this time, Donner was not asked back. Instead, producers went with Richard Lester, who had served them well with his Three Musketeers films. Decisions were made to drop most of the key scenes that were already in the can, including all of the footage featuring Marlon Brando as Jor-El, the Man of Steel's father. After completion, the sequel found much success in theatrical and home-video box-office returns, though that didn't stop die-hard fans from speculating what Donner's cut would have looked like. Once the Internet was spawned, Warner Bros. saw interest grow more and more for this alternate version, even prompting the company to send cease and desist letters to individuals who had posted a re-edit of the film using deleted footage taken from an alternate TV version from the U.K. With the release of Superman Returns, the company saw this as a chance to finally deliver what people had wanted for years and enlisted Michael Thau to oversee the restoration process. Under the tutelage of Donner's notes, scripts, storyboards, and the director himself, the new version was delivered to home audiences in 2006, thereby not only giving people a look into what could have been, but giving a director an unprecedented chance to realize a vision long thought lost in the annals of movie history.

Product Details

Release Date:	11/28/2006
UPC:	0085391131045
Original Release:	2006
Rating:	PG
Source:	Warner Home Video
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:56:00

Special Features

Commentary by director Richard Donner and creative consultant Tom Mankiewicz; Introduction by director Richard Donner; New featurette Superman II: Restoring the Vision; Deleted scenes

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Christopher Reeve	Clark Kent/Superman
Gene Hackman	Lex Luthor
Margot Kidder	Lois Lane
Ned Beatty	Otis
Jackie Cooper	Perry White
Sarah Douglas	Ursa
Jack O'Halloran	Non
Valerie Perrine	Eve Teschmacher
Susannah York	Lara
Clifton James	Sheriff
E.G. Marshall	The President
Marc McClure	Jimmy Olsen
Terence Stamp	Gen. Zod
Leueen Willoughby	Leueen
Robin Pappas	Alice
Roger Kemp	Spokesman
Roger Brierley	Terrorist
Anthony Milner	Terrorist
Richard Griffiths	Terrorist
Melissa Wiltsie	Nun
Alain DeHay	Gendarme
Marc Boyle	CRS Man
Alan Stuart	Cab Driver
John Ratzenberger	Controller
Shane Rimmer	Controller
John Morton	Nate
Jim Dowdell	Boris
Angus MacInnes	Warden
Antony Sher	Bellboy
Elva May Hoover	Mother
Hadley Kay	Jason
Todd Woodcroft	Father
John Hollis	Krypton Elder
Gordon Rollings	Fisherman
Peter Whitman	Deputy
Bill Bailey	J.J.
Dinny Powell	Boog
Hal Galili	Man at Bar
Marcus D'Amico	Willie
Richard Parmentier	Reporter
Don Fellows	General
Michael Shannon	President's Aide
Tony Sibbald	Presidential Impostor
Tommy Duggan	Diner Owner
Pamela Mandell	Waitress
Pepper Martin	Rocky
Eugene Lipinski	News Vendor
Cleon Spencer	Kid
Carl Parris	Kid
Marlon Brando	Jor-El
John Williams	Composer

Technical Credits

Mario Puzo

Leslie Newman

David Newman

Richard Donner	Director
Richard Lester	Director
Colin Chilvers	Special Effects
Roy Field	Special Effects
Geoffrey Helman	Executive Producer
Zoran Perisic	Special Effects
Ilya Salkind	Executive Producer
Robert Simmonds	Executive Producer
Pierre Spengler	Producer
Mario Puzo	Screenwriter
Michael Thau	Producer
Leslie Newman	Screenwriter
David Newman	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

A relative rarity -- a sequel that's just as good as the original -- Superman II continues the Man of Steel's crusade against villainous Lex Luthor and pits him against Kryptonian supercriminals to boot. Terence Stamp, Sarah Douglas, and Jack O'Halloran play the mischievous miscreants who, imprisoned long ago in the "Phantom Zone" by Superman's father, finally escape and make their way to Earth to wreak vengeance on his son. Their alliance with Luthor (once again played with tongue in cheek by Gene Hackman) makes no end of trouble for Krypton's last son, whose final showdown with the superbad guys lays waste to midtown Metropolis. Christopher Reeve, seemingly more comfortable in the familiar red-and-blue costume, is solidly convincing in the title role, and Margot Kidder, Jackie Cooper, Ned Beatty, Valerie Perrine, and Marc McClure effectively reprise their roles from the first film. Picking up plot strings left dangling from Superman -- and using extra footage shot by Richard Donner -- director Richard Lester (The Three Musketeers) wastes no time getting to the action, and as a result the sequel has more comic book flavor than its predecessor. Colorful, extravagant, and fast moving, Superman II is considered the best of the series by some discriminating aficionados.