Published via Ecency

(source:tmdb.org)

Big-budget superhero films appear to be the only noticeable thing that Hollywood can or wants to put on the silver screen these days. It is increasingly difficult to imagine the world when those films didn't exist and the idea of creating them looked ridiculous. However, someone took that brave, difficult and risky first step resulting in Superman, the 1978 epic directed by Richard Donner, known not only as the first modern superhero film, but also as one of the most successful blockbusters of its time and the best film about the best-known superhero.

The film's premiere was supposed to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the first comic book featuring Superman. This is referenced in a prologue which briefly begins on Earth 1938 and then quickly switches to Krypton, a distant planet whose top scientist Jor-El (played by Marlon Brando), aware that his world is facing immediate destruction, decides to send a spaceship with his baby son Kal-El to Earth. The spaceship lands in Kansas where the boy is adopted by farmers Mr and Mrs Kent (played by Glenn Ford and Phyllis Thaxter) who name him Clark and, despite being aware of his superhuman strength and other abilities, raise him as a normal human being. Only later, teenage Clark (played by Jeff East) learns about his true origin and the mission his father wanted him to continue on Earth. Adult Clark Kent (played by Christopher Reeve) goes to Metropolis where he gets a job as a reporter for the newspaper Daily Planet, which is just a cover for his real identity as Superman – a heroic figure who uses his strength, flying ability and other superhuman powers to fight crime and help people in need. This mysterious figure intrigues Clark's colleague, reporter Lois Lane (played by Margot Kidder), while criminal genius Lex Luthor (played by Gene Hackman) sees Superman as an obstacle to his own sinister plans involving real estate, tectonic plates and nuclear weapons.

When faced with the task of introducing the most iconic comic book character on the silver screen, the creators of Superman had to make many difficult choices. Thankfully, the most important proved to be correct. The title role, rejected as too silly and childish by many prominent 1970s Hollywood stars, was given to unknown actor Christopher Reeve. He took it very seriously and after intense physical preparation delivered a truly impressive performance in which he demonstrated strong athletic abilities, a charismatic look and great acting talent. In his role, he effortlessly glides between the superhuman protagonist and his comical human alter ego. Reeve's performance is so strong even today, and despite many prominent actors having played the role before and after, Reeve remains the ultimate screen Superman.

Reeve's efforts were helped by a large, diverse and talented cast. Margot Kidder, until that time known mostly as one of the muses of New Hollywood, is perfectly cast as the female reporter and has excellent chemistry with Reeve. Gene Hackman, who was one of the leading men of the 1970s, relishes the opportunity to play the first (and arguably the best-known) role as a major villain in his career. Both of them are better than Brando who, while solid, still sparks debate whether the outlandish salary for his relatively short presence on screen was justified. For the producers, it apparently was, but they did not spare expenses when it really mattered, as in the case of visual effects. Filmmakers, despite not being aided by CGI like today's filmmakers, used some innovative techniques – like Zoptic, developed by Zoran Perisic as an improvement on blue screen, which allowed Superman's character to fly convincingly. Those efforts were aided by the excellent cinematography of Geoffrey Unsworth, which convincingly switches tone and creates images equally impressive whether portraying Krypton, Kansas, the Arctic or bustling Metropolis. John Williams, then at the peak of his creative powers, wrote another memorable soundtrack that added to the film's magic.

All those talents helped deliver the best possible combination of epic drama, romance, humour and spectacular but family-friendly action with some pathos thrown in for good measure. This was exactly what the audience wanted and needed at the time of its premiere, and Superman became a box-office behemoth, easily paving the way for the first major superhero film series in history. Those achievements are even more impressive in light of an extremely long and troubled production, which was marked by constant quarrels between producers, director Richard Donner, a mostly uncredited team of screenwriters and, last but not least, Brando providing all of them with one of the worst prima donna experiences of his career. Those problems, sadly, are reflected in the film, depriving it of perfection, including the very obvious fact that it looks unfinished. Originally devised to be shot back-to-back and distributed in two parts (as modern blockbuster series do), Superman begins with an unresolved plot that would be properly used only later, in its vastly inferior 1980 sequel. Nevertheless, despite this, it provides the audience with an immense dose of entertainment and it is obvious why Superman, for better or worse, played such a crucial part in the creation of today's Hollywood.

RATING: 8/10 (+++)