Superman: The Movie on TCM now!

THE best superhero movie.

$55,000,000 budget.

3 Oscars.

According to Ben Mankiewicz.

Is Hackman the only one of the main cast still alive?

I really love the beginning of the movie, how they switch from the opening in black and white, to the super futuristic planet of Krypton.

Valerie Perrine.

Opening credits: Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, Glenn Ford, Trevor Howard, Margot Kidder, Jack O'Halloran, Valerie Perrine, Maria Schell, Terence Stamp, Phyllis Thaxter, Susannah York + others who received lesser billing.

Story and Screenplay by Mario Puzo???

What???

Wow, not so special special effects.

I would think it's a screenplay based on source material; they did the Krypton blowing up, Smallville, Ma and Pa Kent with Pa dying. The Daily Planet with Lois, Perry and Jimmy...

R8 for 1978, the SFX were huge; that helicopter was going DOWN!

Lost in Space had better special effects.

Why were the science council on Krypton SOOOO sure that Jor-El was off his rocker about the planet exploding?

Like, THEY KNEW. THEY JUST KNEW HE WAS WRONG.

Only, he wasn't! He wasn't Blanche-El.

It is an amazing movie.

R8 r12

r13

Best supervillain lair EVAH.

I was baked off my ass on weed when I saw it at the theatre in 1978.

Those opening credits blue letters coming at me Freaked. Me. Out.

It's quite a fucking mess in terms of the script, the direction, and the editing. But Reeve is perfect for the part, and the special effects were very good for the day -- some of them, anyway.

How was it a mess?

Great film! Christopher Reeve was perfect as Superman. There will never be anybody else who is so perfect for the role.

[quote]Starring Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, and Gene Hackman, with Marlon Brando as Kal-El.

Marlon Brando played Jor-El, the father of the infant Kal-El who grew up to become Superman.

He had approximately 10 minutes of screen time and made $5 million, an unheard of amount in the mid 1970s. But it was a wise investment by that Salkinds because it sent the message they were serious about doing this superhero movie and were willing to spend the money to on a big name actor like Marlon Brando. Once Brando was in place, securing financing and getting other actors to sign up became much easier.

So dumb to have Jor-El wearing the big S; that insignia should not have shown up until we saw it on Superman's costume.

Okay, so Superman just changed the Earth's rotation after Lois Lane died.

But how did that make time go in reverse?

Reversing the rotation of the Earth won't make you go back in time. It'll just reverse the rotation of the Earth.

Who played Jimmy Olsen?

He's cute.

[quote]How was it a mess?

If you have seen the movie, I can't believe you need me to explain to you what a mess it is. See R22 for just one example of how ridiculous most of the script is. And don't get me started on the three villains. The editing is scandalously bad, and I seem to remember that some of the characters' hairstyles change from one scene to the next, I think including both Lex Luthor and Jimmy Olsen. Oh, and though Jeff East was pretty hot as young Clark, he bears no remote resemblance to Christopher Reeve whatsoever.

R24, no but I found East and Reeve's voices to be nearly identical.

R25, I never noticed that, but they looked so much unalike that it didn't matter to me. Honestly, in the whole world the couldn't find some young actor who looked more like Reeve?

I will say that Margot Kidder's 'performance' of Can You Read My Mind was bizarre. Better to have had Maureen McGovern sing it.

Margot's reading of the lyrics was up there with Ann Reinking dancing to Against All the (she actually sang 'the') Odds in 1985 at the Oscars.

[quote]I will say that Margot Kidder's 'performance' of Can You Read My Mind was bizarre.

Yet another incredibly strange moment in this mess of movie. I will say, the main title credit sequence is great, but thereafter, there are only fairly brief moments of excellence amidst much confusion and nonsense.

I agree, it was a mess. The scenes of Superman rescuing Lois, flying with her, being Superman fighting crime, etc., were great but there was waaaay too much Lex Luther in this movie. And who thought it would be a good idea to have Lois die a horrible death being buried alive ?!

Of course Christopher Reeve was gorgeous. But he looked younger than the actor who played Clark as a teen, who would have been just as good as Superman.

I could never understand what Superman saw in this Lois Lane either. Margot Kidder was so miscast, I could never understand THAT.

I agree.

Lex was played for laughs in a way given his scenes with Otis and to a lesser degree, Miss Tessmacher.

If Lex was so smart why did he hang out with Otis?

When the stealing of the Kryptonite was referenced, I believe it was mentioned that two guards were killed when taking it.

Really? Murder, Lex?

Seemed an unnecessary reference.