Superman (Exclusive Series) (HBO Max)

Initial release date: December 15, 1978

Studio: Warner Brothers

Tagline: You'll believe a man can fly.

Plot: Just before the destruction of the planet Krypton, scientist Jor-El sends his infant son Kal-El on a spaceship to Earth. Raised by kindly farmers Jonathan and Martha Kent, young Clark discovers the source of his superhuman powers and moves to Metropolis to fight evil. As Superman, he battles the villainous Lex Luthor while, as novice reporter Clark Kent, he attempts to woo co-worker Lois Lane.

Cast

Marlon Brando - Jor-El

Gene Hackman - Lex Luthor

Christopher Reeve - Superman/Clark Kent

Ned Beatty - Otis

Jackie Cooper - Perry White

Glenn Ford - Pa Kent

Margot Kidder - Lois Lane

Valerie Perrine - Eve Teschmacher

Maria Schill - Vand-Ah

Terence Stamp - General Zod

Phyllis Thaxter - Ma Kent

Susannah York - Lara

Marc McClure - Jimmy Olsen

Sarah Douglas - Ursa

Writer(s): Mario Puzo (The Godfather Part III)

David Newman (Superman II and III)

Leslie Newsman (Superman II and III)

Robert Burton

Director: Richard Donner (Lethal Weapon movies; 16 Blocks; Timeline; The Goonies)

Rated PG for peril. some mild sensuality and language (143 minutes)

Warner Bros. and DC Comics just released 'Black Adam,' which is definitely one of the better films of the DC universe! And, with the mid-credit appearance of a certain Man of Steel (SPOILER ALERT!), I decided to start off the moth of November with a small DC slate and check out the original 'Superman' franchise plus the 2013 movie 'Man of Steel' (which I haven't seen since I initially reviewed it years ago) - the first movie featuring the current Superman Henry Cavill).

And, except for 'Man of Steel,' this will be the first time I will see all of the original movies. So, let's get started with 1978s 'Superman.'

The first 'Superman' is probably one of the best superhero films ever made. Unlike nowadays, making big superhero movies decades ago was quite a task and director Richard Donner really pulled it off.

For its time, the visual effects are really incredible and the film keeps you extremely entertained right until the very end. Christopher Reeve does an awesome job as the Man of Steel and Gene Hackman gives an iconic performance as Lex Luthor.

Everything about this film is iconic: the score, the characters, everything! If I remember right, this film was the first major superhero blockbuster to be released on the big screen (not counting the black and white serials from years ago) and can easily hold up for years to come. And, can't wait to check out the other three (even though I've read that the third and fourth aren't the best).

You can stream the original 'Superman' movies, along with 'Man of Steel' and 'Superman Returns' on the HBO Max streaming platform!

Here are SEVERAL interesting tidbits for 1978s 'Superman':

• To obtain the musculature to convincingly play Superman, Reeve underwent a bodybuilding regime supervised by David Prowse, the man who played Vader in the original 'Star Wars' trilogy.

• To achieve the shot of young Clark kicking a football into orbit, an air cannon was placed underground and the football fired from it.

• Brando was paid $3.7 million, plus a percentage of the gross, for twelve days of shooting. The payment also covered the sequel, which was shot at the same time. Brando didn't appear in the sequel, because he's sue 'Superman' producer Ilya Salkind, claiming Salkind hadn't paid him his percentage of the profits. He ultimately received about $14 million for ten minutes of screen-time. The footage shot for the sequel was used for 2006s 'Superman Returns.'

• Reeve was an unknown actor at the time. The credits and nearly every trailer for this film list Brando and Hackman before Reeve, who played the titular character.

• 'Superman' creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were both delighted with the results of this movie.

• For his portrayal of Clark Kent, Reeve based the performance on Cary Grant's character in 1946s 'Bringing Up Baby.'

• Richard Donner had effectively shot roughly 75% of 'Superman II' when he was fired by the Salkinds.

• In its initial run, the film topped the box office charts for thirteen consecutive weeks.

• Donner spent virtually a year working on the 2001 DVD release, reinstating some footage, and preparing several "Making Of" documentaries.

• Robert Redford, Clint Eastwood and James Caan were all offered the movie's title role. All three turned it down: Redford wanted too much money, Eastwood said he was too busy, and Caan said, "There's no way I'm getting into that silly suit."

• Christopher Lee had to turn down the role of General Zod. He had just moved to Hollywood as a tax exile, and didn't want to have to return to England.

• This was the second highest grossing film of 1978, behind 'Grease.'

• To obtain the "glowing" effect of the clothing on Krypton, the wardrobe department spent weeks sewing tiny glass balls on to each other's apparel. If the "material" was accidentally touched, the oils on the actor's hands would interfere with the lighting effect, leaving a dull patch on the costume.

• The filmmakers made it a priority to shoot all of Brando and Hackman's scenes first, as they were the most in-demand actors, and were committed to other projects right afterward.

• The search for an actor to play Superman began in 1975 and ended with a press announcement on February 23, 1977, just a mere 35 days before filming was due to begin.

• At one point it was planned that the film would end with a giant hologram of Superman flying out into theaters.

• The film was released in the year of Superman's 40th anniversary.

• First film collaboration between WB and DC Comics, since the two companies had come under the same ownership during the early 1970s. This wasn't the first project however, as 'Wonder Woman,' also produced and distributed through Warner, was launched in 1975.

• Producer Ilya Salkind had first conceived the idea for a Superman movie in late 1973. In November 1974, after a long difficult process with DC Comics, the Superman movie rights were purchased by Salkind.

• 'Superman' was originally scheduled to be released in June 1978, the 40th anniversary of "Action Comics 1," which first introduced Superman, but the problems during filming pushed the film back six months.

• The film set a new all-time US industry record for business during a pre-Christmas week with $12 million, and set new records for WB, for their best opening day ($2.8 million) and three day weekend ($7.5 million). In the week of December 22-28, it set an all-time US weekly record of $18.5 million.

• Including re-releases, it went on to gross $134.5 million domestically, and $166 million internationally, totaling $300.5 million worldwide.

• In 2007, the Visual Effects Society listed the film as the 44th most influential use of visual effects of all time.

• In 2008, 'Empire' magazine named it the 174th greatest film of all time on its list of 500. In 2009, Entertainment Weekly ranked Superman third on their list of "The All-Time Coolest Heroes in Pop Culture."

• In 2021, DC Comics revived the continuity of the 1978 film with their 'Superman '78' comic book series, emulating the look of the Christopher Reeve films. The series picks up where the first two films left off, thereby acting as a direct sequel.

• In December 2017, the film was selected for preservation by the US Library of Congress National Film Registry.

https://youtu.be/Bv17aj5GU1Y