SUPERMAN SE DVD: The SUPERMAN Web Central Review--Take Two
by Bill Williams
April 17, 2001
The Man of Steel is back, looking and sounding better than ever, in the
newly expanded and remastered version of "Superman: The Movie". In the
years since its theatrical release in 1978, Richard Donner's classic
film has remained to this day the standard by which all film and
television adaptations of comic book stories must meet, and after
viewing the new DVD release I can say that it still remains the standard
that to this day has never been surpassed.
Of course, the main question that needs to be answered here is, how does
the new version of the film hold up against the original release? The
majority of the comments I have read prior to the DVD release have
ranged from excellent to not as good as the original, from the
differences in the sound quality to Donner's choices in restoring
certain scenes and not including others previously viewed in the various
extended television versions. This DVD serves as a compromise between
the purists wanting to protect the integrity of the original film and
the completists wanting the full package in their hands. And thanks to
the ever-expanding usage of DVD technology, this special edition of
"Superman" truly delivers in many areas.
The quality of the picture is, in a word, beautiful! Past home video and
television releases have varied from dark and murky to reddish, from
poorly panned-and-scanned versions (remember the very first VHS release
that looked as if it were recorded with a camcorder and time accelerated
to fit one tape?) to static editing that took the focus off Christopher
Reeve's character in many places, to the widescreen laserdisc release
from the early 90's with extremely tinny sound and almost washed out
flesh tones in areas, to sometimes washed out color in the television
versions. The print here is bright and colorful in all the right places,
thanks to digital technology. Little things I'd overlooked in the past I
could pick up this time around - the solar flares of Krypton's red sun,
the starfields in the galaxy, the smallest details in the cityscape of
Metropolis. The most noticeable changes can be seen in Superman's
costume itself. Once greenish due to inadequacies in matting and
blue-screen technology, it now shines in bright blue and red as it is
supposed to look. The majority of dirt and dust that was evident even in
the extended versions are gone, and I hardly noticed any dirt in the
film. The quality is that good.
The quality is especially noticeable in the inclusion of the eight extra
minutes of new footage selected for the SE. Until now the only way to
see these extra scenes have been in the various extended versions as
seen on ABC in 1982 and on KCOP in 1994. The details really come alive
as these scenes make their home video premiere in the SE. The choices
made by Donner and SE producer Michael Thau represent the scenes that
further the story and character development in the film. This is evident
in the inclusion of the additional scenes on Krypton, Lois Lane as a
child, Clark's first day on the job interacting with various people, and
in the two most notable inclusions of Superman speaking with the
interactive image of his father Jor-El (Marlon Brando) after his first
appearance and of Superman running the gauntlet of doom devised by Lex
Luthor (Gene Hackman). To see these scenes in their full widescreen
glory makes me wish that they had been in the initial film to begin
with. My only regret is that the SE did not contain the extended version
of the destruction of Krypton. The extended versions as seen on
television, with the additional footage and complete John Williams
musical cues in place, seems much more dramatic than in the theatrical
cut. There is a separate menu in which you can view these extra scenes
by themselves and determine their quality on their own merit apart from
the movie.
The most noticeable difference between this version and the original
version, other than the extended scenes, is in the sound. Even through
my two-speaker television the film sounds so much clearer and cleaner
than ever before. I could pick up so many new and subtle changes in the
sound, as well as the many all-new sound effects created for the SE. My
initial concern was that the film would wind up sounding like the
"digitally enhanced" version of the Fleischer Superman cartoons from
Winstar Home Video a few years back. Those fears went out the window
with this DVD. I didn't think the new sound mix detracted from the film
at all. In fact, for Donner to have signed off on this film meant that
he certainly approved of the new sound mix. And in today's digital age I
certainly don't want something sounding tinny, I want the quality to be
there. In this SE, it's there.
The DVD comes with an incredible assortment of extras that round out the
complete package. The audio commentary by Donner and Tom Mankiewicz is
very insightful, as they share their thoughts and love in making the
film, even in the jokes they share about the duration of filming
(Donner: "June 1938 - did we start filming that long ago?") to Brando's
lines ("That kid's diapers are worth a fortune") to Mankiewicz's rib
about the gauntlet scene ("How many days did you waste shooting this
stuff?"). This is one audio commentary that I did not want to see end.
On a separate audio channel is the John Williams score by itself. In
certain spots it's absolutely amazing to listen to the score in tandem
with the images on screen. However, the edit points in many places are
painfully evident, as the score was nipped and tucked in certain spots
and dialed out in other spots. One regret I've always felt is that in
many of Williams' scores for his films ("Superman" and "The Empire
Strikes Back" most notably) the dialouts of certain cues seem
unnecessary in places. It was a little jarring to listen to the
music-only channel and hear those dialouts very evident. I'm one who
prefers to hear the music intact in the film itself. Some of these
musical outtakes can be found in a separate menu on the DVD. Initially
believed to be even more alternate versions of certain cues, these cues
represent the complete musical cues as originally recorded by Williams.
There are very little new gems to be discovered here, as the majority of
the score can be found in last year's 2-CD release from Rhino Records.
The only cues that are new to this release are an unusual edit of the
Prologue (where you can hear the conductor's voices and the London
Symphony Orchestra's tuneup prior to the beginning of the selection)
crossfading into the End Titles to represent a "new" version of the Main
Theme, and a longer, previously unreleased disco version of the Love
Theme with Margot Kidder's vocals. Overall, while the sound quality of
the music on the DVD is a vast improvement over the original release,
the additional cues should have been remixed and included in context
with the film. Oh well, at least we have the Rhino CD to fall back on.
The new documentaries by Michael Thau and Jonathan Gaines offers new
insight into the production of the film and the creation of the visual
effects. Hosted and narrated by Marc McClure, each documentary presents
newly discovered information and behind the scenes footage, as well as
all-new interviews with Richard Donner, Tom Mankiewicz, Christopher
Reeve, Gene Hackman, and Margot Kidder among others. It's interesting to
see how the creative team and cast look back on their days of filming
with unabashed honesty and candor. The highlight of the first
documentary comes in the touching tribute to Christopher Reeve in the
years after his tragic 1995 paralysis injury. The heartfelt comments by
Donner, Kidder, and McClure echo throughout and can be best summed up
with Donner's ending words: "22 years ago Chris made me believe he could
fly. Now he's making me believe that he will walk again." The same words
can be said by many of us as well.
The other documentaries on the DVD reveal for the first time a look at
Guy Hamilton's test footage for the film. Hamilton, the veteran James
Bond director at the time, was initially tapped by the Salkinds to
direct the film, and it's interesting to view his unusual and sometimes
hilarious test footage. The scenes of Clark running and changing into
Superman look as though they were filmed on the backlot in Mayberry, and
the scenes of Superman communing with the Kryptonian elders at the
Fortress of Solitude appear as if they were filmed during the 1960's and
not 1976. Thankfully for us and for the film, Hamilton departed the
project when the Salkinds shifted the film from Italy to England.
Judging by the test footage, had Hamilton directed the final product, we
would have certainly seen a disaster on our hands.
In the final documentary we get a glimpse into the creation of the
special effects, specifically the most difficult effect of them all -
making Superman fly. The test scenes harken back to the Superman and
Captain Marvel serials of the 1940's, as they show a dummy being shot
from a cannon, a puppet on a wire, a remote-controlled flying Superman,
and an animated Superman flying through a real city. These test scenes
served as a guideline for Donner and his effects team to create a way to
make Chris Reeve fly convincingly throughout the movie, and the
documentary shows the various methods used in the film. The documentary
also reveals some of the test effects prepared for "Superman II"
including an unusual psychedelic scene of Superman losing his powers, as
well as other clips directed by Donner for the sequel. This is one area
I was hungry for, more information on Donner's involvement in and
departure from the sequel. Hopefully one day the full story will be
told, and the rest of Donner's footage from the sequel will be shown.
During the documentaries we get to see some of the screen tests of
various actors reading for Superman, including the hilarious test of
Ilya Salkind's wife's dentist reading against Judd Hirsch as Luthor. The
actors' screen tests are both a real treat to see and also a partial
delight in seeing some of the lost scenes from "Superman II". Casting
director Lynn Stalmaster reveals his thoughts on casting Christopher
Reeve as Superman and the process in selecting the right Lois Lane. The
two scenes represented during the actors' screen tests include Lois'
interview of Superman, which comes off for Reeve much drier and lacking
in any romantic interest he has for Lois, and in one of the lost scenes
from "Superman II", in which Lois tricks Clark into becoming Superman.
It's an interesting look to see some of the various choices for Lois -
Anne Archer (who would later become known for her role in the Jack Ryan
films of the 90's, "Patriot Games" and "Clear and Present Danger"),
Holly Palance ("The Omen"), Susan Blakely, Lesley Ann Warren
("Victor/Victoria"), Deborah Raffin, and Stockard Channing (her take on
Lois is very good in places, but for me she will forever be Rizzo from
"Grease"). It's clear through these tests why Margot Kidder was far and
away the best Lois. Also of interest are the screen tests for the
various actresses in the running for Ursa, as they read through a scene
in which a New York policeman attempts to arrest Ursa, another lost
scene from "Superman II".
Speaking of lost scenes, only two scenes are included on the DVD, both
of which center around Otis feeding Luthor's "babies". For the first
time we get to see these scenes presented in widescreen format, and the
sound and picture quality are quite good indeed. Both scenes, adding
another three minutes of running time, were selected as representatives
of scenes filmed that did not work as well in terms of pacing and humor
in the film and, like the other scenes in the extended versions, more of
a good thing.
The DVD also contains an 11-page textual commentary called "Superman:
The Legacy", an insightful look into the 60-plus year history of
Superman accompanied by rarely seen photographs from the film, tracing
its origins from the 1930's through the present.
Three separate theatrical, teaser, and television trailers are also
included on the DVD as well. I've always been a trailer buff, and the
inclusion of these preview trailers are a treat indeed. Surprisingly
absent from this section are the theatrical trailer featuring still
photographs of the cast members, with the narrator's ending tag "He has
come of age, our age! This Christmas Superman brings you the gift of
flight" and the recent theatrical re-release trailer. One reason I have
heard for the lack of inclusion of the still photograph trailer is the
obvious parallel to Christ present in the narration, as evidenced by the
narrator's tag line "Marlon Brando is Jor-El, who gave the world his
only son..." Still, the trailers are a welcome addition to the DVD.
The other minus with this DVD comes in Warner Home Video's decision to
place this DVD in a snap case. Many other high-quality special edition
DVD releases come in a nicer display package, some with booklet inserts.
Here all we get is a one-page foldout listing of the chapter titles. The
packaging is one area in which Warner Home Video should focus on
improving in the future.
The quality and care that went into the "Superman" Special Edition DVD
by Richard Donner, Michael Thau, and Jonathan Gaines makes this a DVD
worthy of repeat viewings and is a proud addition to my DVD library. A
well-done package overall.
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