Week of June 7 – 13, 2020
For my penultimate choice of a delightful, uplifting movie to help keep spirits up, I’m turning to a science fiction-based superhero movie that begins with the imprisonment of a trio of villains and the destruction of a noble civilization. Inspiring, eh? Yes, for once Kal-El reaches Earth in his glass-tube-ringed spaceship (which surely doesn’t seem safe for a baby about to fly through space and crash on another world, even if he is endowed with superpowers), all the decency and wisdom and honor of his parents imparted to him through those tubes and crystals will be embodied in perhaps the most heroic character ever created: Superman!
Superman: The Movie (it’s just Superman in the credits, but most of its advertising carried the addendum, and I have always thought of it with the addendum) follows the general path of the original Jerry Siegel-Joe Schuster comic book, but updates the story (first published in 1938) for modern audiences. That’s the greatest aspect of this blockbuster; it wonderfully mixes the old-fashioned, occasionally cornball, very square, “swell” version of nostalgic America with a clever, satirical, affectionate view of cynical, fast-paced modern life. That mix is both audacious and comforting, and spectacularly entertaining. Thanks to scriptwriters Mario Puzo (yes, the guy who penned “The Godfather”!), David Newman and Robert Benton (the guys who penned “Bonnie and Clyde”!), Leslie Newman (David Newman’s wife) and (uncredited) Tom Mankiewicz (who helped write a trio of James Bond adventures), the result is a popular film that honors its origins and creates a definitive vision of one of the most recognizable characters in modern history.
Richard Donner’s film, lavishly produced by Ilya and Alexander Salkind, hits just the right tone most of the time. I love its strong parental figures. Not only do Jor-El (Marlon Brando) and Lara (Susannah York) save their son from the destruction of Krypton, but Jor-El guides the young man on Earth, thanks to all the tubes that retain his wisdom, personality and guidance (imagine spending twelve years in the Fortress of Solitude, listening to Marlon Brando pontificate about life in the twenty-eight known galaxies!). Pa and Ma Kent (Glenn Ford, Phyllis Thaxter) raise the boy as their own, and instill him with the same honorable values. Sadly, Pa Kent only has two scenes before he, like the Kryptonians, must shuffle off this mortal coil, but within those scenes we see that Clark Kent (Jeff East as a teenager, later Christopher Reeve) is in good hands.
The film’s lengthy prologue postpones our acquaintance with Clark Kent / Superman, but it is necessary to fill in the backstory, set up the villains who run amok in Superman II, filmed concurrently, and establish the wistful tone which informs virtually everything Clark Kent / Superman feels as an adult. Indeed, these early scenes are breathtakingly photographed by Geoffrey Unsworth, a master cinematographer who died soon after filming completed and to whom the film is dedicated, and wonderfully scored by the greatest composer of the modern era, John Williams. Some viewers don’t care for the Krypton material, which is admittedly weird, but I think it is intriguing and love Marlon Brando’s gravitas as an otherworldly leader. Once the story leads into Clark’s teenage years (sensitively portrayed by Jeff East, who was made up to more closely resemble Christopher Reeve, and then dubbed by Reeve), it really hits the mark. I still get emotional watching the scenes between Clark and his adoptive parents as he strives to understand his place in the world.
Superman is introduced to the world in a magnificent sequence that finds him rescuing Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) from a helicopter hanging off the edge of the Daily Planet’s roof; in short order, he captures a jewel thief, a boatload of robbers and rescues Frisky the cat, stuck in a tree. He tells Lois that he stands for truth, justice and the American way, which she ridicules in her cynical modern way. But he convinces her of his sincerity by answering her reporter questions and taking her for a quick flight over Metropolis, in a wonderfully lyrical and romantic sequence, highlighted by John Williams’ fabulous music (this is my favorite of all Williams’ scores).
All of this is perfectly attuned to the myth, the legend that is Superman, as well as the widely-known “Adventures of Superman” television series from the 1950s, which it homages from time to time. A myth as American as baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Ford automobiles. Interestingly, Jor-El never mentions America during his guidance; he tells his son to watch over the Earth’s populace as a whole. “They can be a great people, Kal-El, they wish to be.” But it sounds as though he is talking about us, Americans, specifically. Superman is a boon to the world, but he is also purely an American patriot; at film’s end, he carries a large American flag into space! I’ve often wondered what would have happened if the meteor from Krypton had landed in Siberia, or somewhere in South America or Africa. Would Superman have become a Communist hero? Would he have kept the same humanistic values? Would he still be Super?
No matter; Superman is ours, and we love him. How could we not? As embodied by Christopher Reeve, in his first meaningful movie role, Clark Kent / Superman is tall, strong, handsome and trustworthy. Reeve is an inspired choice to play the Man of Steel; his anonymity allowed him to slip convincingly into character (s) in a manner that would simply not have been possible had one of the many famous actors who were being considered could have (try to imagine Robert Redford, Nick Nolte, Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds, James Caan, Christopher Walken, Bruce Jenner, Paul Newman, Warren Beatty, Charles Bronson, John Beck, David Soul, Jan-Michael Vincent, Robert Wagner, Al Pacino, Ryan O’Neal, Sam Elliott, Kris Kristofferson, Jeff Bridges, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jon Voight, Lyle Waggoner, James Brolin, Sylvester Stallone, Perry King, Steve McQueen, John Travolta, Patrick Wayne, Harrison Ford, Neil Diamond or even Muhammad Ali wearing the red cape; all of whom were considered or actively lobbied for the part). His marvelous performance in the dual role made Christopher Reeve a star, and no one before or since has, in my own opinion, been better.
The Salkind brothers who produced the film insured their investment by casting the film with top talent; the cast includes two Oscar winners and six other Oscar nominees. Everyone is well cast and delivers smart, knowing performances. The surprise for me is Gene Hackman, who imbues sinister Lex Luthor with great wit and unexpected humor. His repartee with clumsy henchman Otis (Ned Beatty) and gorgeous henchwoman Eve Teschmacher (Valerie Perrine) is classic stuff. “Otisburg” cracks me up every time I see it.
Actually, the humor in the piece leavens the sanctimony inherent in the “white savior” structure, as well as the (downplayed) disaster and death aspects of the story. That Superman is modeled after Jesus Christ is not a coincidence, and various characters and situations echo those in Biblical mythology if one cares to look beyond entertainment value. That’s one of the reasons this story is so resonant. Siegel and Schuster knew exactly what they were creating with the Superman mythos, while Donner and the many screenwriters took great care to keep the structure intact.
The one aspect of the film which has always bugged me is the ending, the flying-around-the-world-to-turn-back-time dodge. I hate it; I have always hated it. But even this ridiculous event (if Superman could turn back time, why couldn’t he have caught both rockets?) cannot spoil the rest of the fun generated by this wonderful superhero chronicle. With respect to Iron Man and the Avengers, for me Superman: The Movie remains the all-time best superhero movie, one that will probably never be topped. I first saw this movie during its initial run at the then-single screen Oakbrook Theater, at a packed midnight show. I remember emerging from the theater at nearly 3:00 in the morning completely energized, immediately recognizing that I had just seen a classic motion picture. It remains so even now. You will believe that a man can fly! ☆ ☆ ☆ 1/2. Backdated to June 7, 2020.
Superman: The Movie is available on DVD, either alone or with its three increasingly bad sequels, and it can be found on streaming services as well.
Similar titles include Superman II (1980), Iron Man (2008) and any other superhero movie that floats your boat.