Superman: The Movie

Superman (1978)

Produced by Warner Bros., Superman was the first full-color, wide-screen film adaptation of the Man of Steel. What can I say about the movie that hasn’t already been said? I remember seeing it in the theater for the first time like it was yesterday.

It was December 1978. I was a high school freshman, and my mom dropped me off at the Dayton Mall to see Superman. At the popcorn counter, I ran into a friend of mine who collected comic books with me in middle school. We bought our popcorn and drinks and sat together in the middle of the theater. We talked about comics until the lights went down, and when that big “S” flashed on the screen, we didn’t say two words to each other the entire movie.

The tag line for the film was, “You will believe a man can fly.” Although the special effects pale in comparison to what’s available today, we were amazed to watch Superman fly through the air with such realism. For me, that’s one of the great things about this movie. It was written and directed in a way that made the audience believe Superman could actually be real. The incredible score by John Williams gave the film legitimacy, proving it was not just a story for kids, but for anyone who loves movies.

Superman was directed by Richard Donner, who had made his mark in Hollywood directing detective TV shows in the early 70s, and The Omen in 1976. The screenplay was co-written by David Newman, Leslie Newman, Robert Benton, Tom Menkiewicz, and Mario Puzo (yes, the man who wrote the novel The Godfather). They started at the beginning: from escaping the dying planet of Krypton, landing in Kansas, and being adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent, to posing as a mild-mannered reporter, Clark Kent, for the Daily Planet in Metropolis, to finally becoming Superman and saving the world.

Christopher Reeve embodied the character of Superman AND Clark Kent. A theater student at Cornell University, he was one of two selected to study at the famous Juilliard School under John Houseman (Robin Williams was the other). In an interview, when asked what Superman means to people, Reeve said, “A Friend. And that’s what people really need most. They don’t need a one-man, strong-arm vigilante force. They need a friend.”

An all-star cast completed the roles of the familiar characters in Superman’s story: Marlon Brando played Jor-El, Superman’s Kryptonian father; Margot Kidder played Lois Lane; Gene Hackman as Superman’s arch nemesis, Lex Luthor; and Jackie Cooper as the editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet, Perry White. The incredible Glen Ford plays a small role as Jonathan Kent, Clark’s adoptive father.

Superman’s budget was $55 million, the most expensive movie ever made at that time. It was a critical and financial hit, earning $300 million worldwide. There were three sequels (Superman II, Superman III, and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace). Superman II was actually filmed along with Superman, but the Warner Bros. producers were afraid of losing millions of dollars, so they halted production. Roughly 75% of Superman II was in the can, and when Superman became a hit, they happily greenlit the sequel. Superman III & IV were mostly forgettable. In fact, when Superman Returns was produced in 2006, the movie was written as if Superman III & IV never existed. I’ll be covering Superman Returns in my next blog, but check out the iconic scene from the original Superman above, featuring the world’s first look at the Man of Steel in action.