[no image in epub file]
17
Chapter 1:
The Legend of Superman
BEHIND THE SCENES: A BIRD, A PLANE, A MAN OF STEEL
BENNY
To begin, I think having a bit of background about the first movie within the franchise might help us understand the journey the Superman franchise has taken. Here is a collection of the production notes from the first movie in the series.
The first major big-budget superhero feature film, Superman, had the challenges of making flying believable, creating special effects without digital animation, and preserving Superman’s masculinity while he’s wearing tights. But it succeeded, in a big way.
The film rights for Superman, based on the DC Comics character introduced in 1938, were bought in 1974 by Pierre Spengler, and Ilya and Alexander Salkind. This team struck a deal with Warner Brothers, originally just for distribution of the film. They decided to film both Superman and Superman II simultaneously, which proved both exhausting and costly in the long run. Mario Puzo (author of The Godfather) wrote both screenplays and delivered them in 1975, but they were considered too long and not a good fit.
Various writing teams were brought in for rewrites until the final version was delivered about a year later. Richard Donner (The Omen) became the director. Robert Redford, Burt Reynolds, James Caan, Paul Newman, and several others turned down the Superman role.
After more than 200 auditions, they opted for an unknown actor: Christopher Reeve. Reeve was skinny but determined
[no image in epub file]
20
to build up his body for the part instead of using the muscle suit they designed. David Prowse, who played Darth Vader in the original Star Wars, led Reeve’s bodybuilding program. Some big name actors were part of the production, including Marlon Brando as Jor-El and Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor. Marlon Brando didn’t memorize his movie lines. Instead, he read them off cue cards while filming. In one scene, Brando read from baby Superman’s diaper.
Production took 19 months: an estimated year overrun. Superman was filmed at Pinewood Studios and Shepperton Studios in the U.K., plus on-location in Canada, New York, and other U.S. cities. While the film never received an official budget or a timeline, it cost about $55 million to make. The set designs, led by John Barry (known for his production design work on Star Wars) and created by over 350 construction workers, were some of the most intricate and expensive of the time. Superman is especially known for its special and visual effects. Completed before the digital age, full-scale models and perfect miniatures were created with elaborate detail.
New filming techniques of the time, like precise and automatic zoom lenses, special camera cranes, and electronic consoles to remotely control filming were used. The opening credits sequence alone cost more than many films at the time.
The biggest challenge was to make the audience believe Superman could fly. No one had flown on screen before without looking silly and obviously fake. Cables and blue and green background screens were used. But it was Christopher Reeve who made it look real. He used his arms in a fluid way and even “banked” around bends during flight. It was a critical part of the story and important for the audience to accept.
[no image in epub file]
21
The tagline for the movie promotion was simply, “You’ll believe a man can fly.”
Although production went on (and on), and costs were growing (and growing), Warner Brothers liked what they saw. They added studio money to help fund costs in return for exclusive rights for TV and worldwide distribution. The movie opened during the lucrative Christmas season on December 15, 1978, and went on to gross over $300 million worldwide. The movie was nominated for four Academy Awards, winning for visual effects. Superman stayed #1 at the box office for 13 weeks.
[no image in epub file]
22
[no image in epub file]
23
The First Movie
BENNY
Superman as a movie had a lot to live up to as the first big budget superhero film. This being the first Superman film only added to the problems they needed to prepare for. A lot of this was taken into consideration when making the first Superman movie, along with the face that not everyone is fully aware of this character.
The dedication of the intro in the movie to the origin and background story was a huge help in establishing the character of Superman. This was an incredible decision, as it set up the entire franchise with the opening series of events. We knew who Superman was and why he was here. So future movies never needed to touch on these simple facts. We never needed to question things.
This introduction sequence was similar to the Big Bang for the universe. By this I mean, with the explosion of Krypton, big budget superhero movies had begun. No longer were they joke movies, or a movie serial; they were in fact a success.
Looking at the original movie from a more opinion/review standpoint, they had a few challenges in front of them. How do you show destruction on a massive scale and not add a campy look to the film? Their use of miniatures only cemented the destruction of Krypton as a physical tangible explosion.
[no image in epub file]
25
Too many things are lost to the world of computer animation these days, and seeing the destruction of an entire planet placed on a realistic scale really hammered home its effects after seeing some really good back story which answered some honest to god questions Superman fans have wondered for a while; such as dealing with things such as vanity and pride.
We move to the first appearance of Clark Kent, and Christopher Reeve does an amazing job of separating Clark Kent. He slouches his posture, brings his voice up a few octaves and combs his hair in such a way that the glasses are only the final touch, not the focal point of his transformation.
This is something fans have asked for generations: