Taglines: You’ll believe a man can fly.
Superman movie storyline. Surviving the destruction of the planet Krypton, young Kal-El is sent by his father Jor-El to live among mankind on Earth. Under the parenting of Jonathan and Martha Kent, Clark Kent discovers that he was born with extraordinary powers and abilities beyond imagination. Now living in Metropolis, Clark takes up a job as a reporter for the Daily Planet and starts to fall head over heals for fellow reporter Lois Lane.
But then Clark is also using his powers to help the better of mankind as Superman, who the people of Metropolis start turning to for help. But in the shadows, criminal genius Lex Luthor launches a sinister plan to make himself known by detonating two missiles in different parts of the country with only Superman to oppose him. Will Superman save us? Or will Luthor’s plan succeed?
Superman (also known as Superman: The Movie) is a 1978 superhero film directed by Richard Donner and written by Mario Puzo, David Newman, Leslie Newman, and Robert Benton from a story by Puzo based on the DC Comics character of the same name. It is the first installment in the Superman film series. The film has an international co-production between the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Panama and the United States.
It stars an ensemble cast featuring Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Jeff East, Margot Kidder, Glenn Ford, Phyllis Thaxter, Jackie Cooper, Trevor Howard, Marc McClure, Terence Stamp, Valerie Perrine, Ned Beatty, Jack O’Halloran, Maria Schell, and Sarah Douglas. It depicts the origin of Superman (Reeve), including his infancy as Kal-El of Krypton, son of Jor-El (Brando) and his youthful years in the rural town of Smallville. Disguised as reporter Clark Kent, he adopts a mild-mannered disposition in Metropolis and develops a romance with Lois Lane (Kidder), while battling the villainous Lex Luthor (Hackman).
Several directors, most notably Guy Hamilton, and screenwriters (Mario Puzo, David and Leslie Newman, and Robert Benton), were associated with the project before Richard Donner was hired to direct. Tom Mankiewicz was drafted in to rewrite the script and was given a “creative consultant” credit. It was decided to film both Superman and its sequel Superman II (1980) simultaneously, with principal photography beginning in March 1977 and ending in October 1978. Tensions arose between Donner and the producers, and a decision was made to stop filming the sequel, of which 75 percent had already been completed, and finish the first film.
The most expensive film made up to that point, with a budget of $55 million, Superman was released in December 1978 to critical and financial success; its worldwide box office earnings of $300 million made it the second-highest-grossing release of the year. It received praise for Reeve’s performance and John Williams’ musical score, and was nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Film Editing, Best Music (Original Score), and Best Sound, and received a Special Achievement Academy Award for Visual Effects. Groundbreaking in its use of special effects and science fiction/fantasy storytelling, the film’s legacy presaged the mainstream popularity of Hollywood’s superhero film franchises. In 2017, Superman was selected for preservation by the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry.
Cast and Characters
Marlon Brando as Jor-El: Superman’s biological father on Krypton. He has a theory about the planet exploding, yet the Council refuses to listen. He dies as the planet explodes but successfully sends his infant son to Earth as a means to help the child. Brando sued the Salkinds and Warner Bros. for $50 million because he felt cheated out of his share of the box office profits. This stopped Brando’s footage from being used in Richard Lester’s version of Superman II.
Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor: A scientific genius and businessman who is Superman’s nemesis. It is he who discovers Superman’s weakness and hatches a plan that puts millions of people in danger.
Christopher Reeve as Superman / Clark Kent: Born on Krypton as Kal-El and raised on Earth, he is a being of immense power, strength and invulnerability who, after realizing his destiny to serve mankind, uses his powers to protect and save others. As a means to protect his identity, he works in Metropolis at the Daily Planet as mild-mannered newspaper reporter Clark Kent and changes his clothes into a red-blue red caped suit with an S shield on its chest and is dubbed “Superman” by Lois. Reeve was picked from over 200 actors who auditioned for the role.
Jeff East as the teenage Clark Kent: As a teenager, he is forced to hide his superhuman abilities, making him unpopular among his classmates and frustrating his efforts to gain the attention of classmate Lana Lang (Diane Sherry). Following the death of his adoptive father, he travels to the Arctic to discover his Kryptonian heritage. East’s dialogue in the film is redubbed by Christopher Reeve for the final cut.
Ned Beatty as Otis: Lex Luthor’s bumbling henchman.
Jackie Cooper as Perry White: Clark Kent’s hot-tempered boss at the Daily Planet. He assigns Lois to uncover the news of an unknown businessman purchasing a large amount of property in California. Keenan Wynn was originally cast, but dropped out shortly before filming because of heart disease. Cooper, who originally auditioned for Otis, was subsequently cast.
Glenn Ford as Jonathan Kent: Clark Kent’s adoptive father in Smallville during his youth. He is a farmer who teaches Clark skills that will help him in the future. He later suffers a fatal heart attack that changes Clark’s outlook on his duty to others.
Trevor Howard as the First Elder: Head of the Kryptonian Council, who does not believe Jor-El’s claim that Krypton is doomed. He warns Jor-El: “Any attempt by you to create a climate of fear and panic amongst the populace must be deemed by us an act of insurrection.”
Margot Kidder as Lois Lane: A reporter at the Daily Planet, who becomes a romantic interest to Clark Kent. The producers and director had a very specific concept for Lois: liberated, hard-nosed, witty and attractive. Kidder was cast because her performance had a certain spark and vitality, and because of her strong interaction with Christopher Reeve. Over 100 actresses were considered for the role. Margot Kidder (suggested by Stalmaster), Anne Archer, Susan Blakely, Lesley Ann Warren, Deborah Raffin and Stockard Channing screen tested from March through May 1977. The final decision was between Channing and Kidder, with the latter winning the role.
Jack O’Halloran as Non: Large and mute, the third of the Kryptonian villains who are sentenced to be isolated in the Phantom Zone.
Valerie Perrine as Eve Teschmacher: Lex Luthor’s girlfriend and accomplice. Already cynical of his increasing grandiosity and disturbed by his cruelty, she saves Superman’s life after learning that Luthor has launched a nuclear missile toward her mother’s hometown of Hackensack, New Jersey. She shows a romantic interest in Superman, implied by her fixing her hair before she makes her presence known to him, and then by kissing him before she saves his life.
Maria Schell as Vond-Ah: Like Jor-El, a top Kryptonian scientist; but she too is not swayed by Jor-El’s theories.
Terence Stamp as General Zod: Evil leader of the three Kryptonian criminals who swears vengeance against Jor-El when he is sentenced to the Phantom Zone.
Phyllis Thaxter as Martha Kent (née Clark): Clark Kent’s faithful adoptive mother. A kindly woman who dotes on her adoptive son and is fiercely devoted to her husband, Jonathan. She is her son’s emotional support after Clark is devastated by Jonathan’s death. Thaxter was producer Ilya Salkind’s mother-in-law.
Susannah York as Lara: Superman’s biological mother on Krypton. She, after learning of Krypton’s fate, has apprehensions about sending her infant son to a strange planet alone.
Marc McClure as Jimmy Olsen: A teenage photographer at the Daily Planet. Jeff East, who portrayed the teenage Clark Kent, originally auditioned for this role, but outranked following his portrayal of the teen Clark.
Sarah Douglas as Ursa: General Zod’s second in command and consort, sentenced to the Phantom Zone for her unethical scientific experiments.
Harry Andrews as the Second Elder: Council member, who urges Jor-El to be reasonable about plans to save Krypton.
Kirk Alyn and Noel Neill have cameo appearances as Lois Lane’s father and mother in a deleted scene that was restored in later home media releases. Alyn and Neill portrayed Superman and Lois Lane in the film serials Superman (1948) and Atom Man vs. Superman (1950), and were the first actors to portray the characters onscreen in a live-action format. Neill reprised her role in the 1950s Adventures of Superman TV series.
Larry Hagman and Rex Reed also make cameos; Hagman plays an army major in charge of a convoy that is transporting one of the missiles, and Reed plays himself as he meets Lois and Clark outside the Daily Planet headquarters.
Superman (1978)
Directed by: Richard Donner
Starring: Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, Glenn Ford, Trevor Howard, Margot Kidder, Valerie Perrine, Maria Schell, Terence Stamp, Susannah York
Screenplay by: Mario Puzo, David Newman, Leslie Newman, Robert Benton
Production Design by: John Barry
Cinematography by: Geoffrey Unsworth
Film Editing by: Stuart Baird, Michael Ellis
Costume Design by: Yvonne Blake
Set Decoration by: Peter Howitt
Art Direction by: Ernest Archer, Philip Bennet, Stuart Craig, Leslie Dilley, Norman Dorme, Tony Reading, Norman Reynolds
Music by: John Williams
MPAA Rating: PG for peril, some mild sensuality and language.
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures (United States), Columbia – EMI – Warner Distributors (United Kingdom)
Release Date: December 10, 1978 (Kennedy Center), December 14, 1978 (United Kingdom), December 15, 1978 (United States)
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