Richard Donner’s Superman remains one of the best superhero movies

A LOOK BACK AT

Eever made. To celebrate its 45th anniversary, Ernie Magnotta looks back at its making and interviews two of its stars, Jeff East and Valerie Perrine... ver since his first appearance in the June 1938 issue of Action Comics #1, Superman, perhaps the greatest superhero of them all, has been the subject of movie serials, weekly television shows, animated features, Saturday morning cartoons and, of course, live action films. When it comes to the Man of Steel, I can’t think of an incarnation that I didn’t enjoy at least somewhat, but, for me, one version still stands tall above the rest; 1978’s Superman: The Movie aka Superman. As we reach its 45th anniversary, I am amazed that this film has not only dated very little, but that it is probably the most believable version produced so far, as well as the one made with the most heart.

The latter part of the 1970s was a fun time for lovers of science fiction, fantasy and adventure. In 1977, George Lucas’ immortal space opera Star Wars was released and the blockbuster film forever changed the way movies were made. Later that year, Steven Spielberg followed up his 1975 masterwork, Jaws, with Close Encounters of the Third Kind; an unforgettable and incredibly successful tale of benign aliens. But as early as 1973, before these two amazing films were even in pre-production, the process of bringing the last son of Krypton to the silver screen had already begun.

In 1974, after almost a year of negotiations, DC Comics finally sold the Superman film rights to producing team Alexander Salkind (The Trial), his son Ilya (The Four Musketeers), and their partner Pierre Spengler (1977’s The Prince and the Pauper) who in turn struck a deal with major Hollywood studio, Warner Bros.

Although screen-writing legend Leigh Brackett (Rio Bravo) was considered for scriptwriting duties, the job ultimately went to Mario Puzo (The Godfather). The original idea was to film Superman and Superman II back-to-back, so Puzo wound up submitting a 550 page script. Rewrites were done by David Newman (Bonnie and Clyde), Robert Benton (What’s Up, Doc?), and Newman’s wife, Leslie (Santa Claus: The Movie).

Many Hollywood heavyweights such as Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather), Sam Peckinpah (The Wild Bunch), Guy Hamilton (Goldfinger) and William Friedkin (The Exorcist) were considered to direct, but, after viewing the highly successful 1976 film The Omen, the producers gave the job to its talented director Richard Donner (Lethal Weapon).