He can also look completely different without glasses and a different hairstyle. His flying style has been copied by every Superman since, but for me, he'll always be the best.
When I first saw Superman, I thought Christopher Reeve was Superman, when I saw Superman Returns, I thought Brandon Routh was an actor playing Christopher Reeve playing Superman.
FUN FACT: The scene where Clark is running past the train. The little girl who sees him is Lois Lane. Her mother is played by Noel Neill, who played Lois in the 1950's TV show (and before that in the 1940's serials) and her father was played by Kirk Alyn, the original live action Superman from the 1940's serials!
Noel Neill was also in 2006's Superman Returns. She was the old lady on her deathbed in the beginning who was inexplicably married to Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) who got her to sign over all her worldly possessions to him right before she died
Reeve should have one an Oscar for this role. Because playing a straight Superman who is cheerful, positive, and charming, and then playing Kent as a Cary Grant like transformation will be hard to replicate. The other actors don't have his charm, his smile. Very underrated performance. I like it much more now than as a kid. It's such a lost feeling this movie evokes of an innocence of that era.
@@greigbutler4498 Straight as in cheerful, positive, not the angry, twisted, warped drug using, victim modernist approach to Superheroes. Not as in straight gay.:)
For a quick masterclass in acting... watch the scene in Lois' apartment when Clark wants to tell Lois who he is... His entire demeanor and posture changes - he stands up straight, he lifts his head, and grows himself 3 inches taller just with those changes... he exudes confidence. Even in the suit and tie, he's suddenly Superman. Then he slouches and starts stammering again... and he's Clark. It's brilliantly acted.
Yes, this is what Christopher Reeve such a great actor the little detail. they did the same thing in the cartoon version back in the day. In that case it was the voice. when he was clark he spoke in a soft gentle voice but when he became superman he went to a much deeper manly voice. Its the little things that make the character
One of my favourite behind the scenes anecdotes of film is the studio wanted to go to a gym and find a muscle guy to play Superman. The director and producer said.... Nope! Lets hire an actor and send him to the gym for a bit.
Christopher Reeve is the only actor to flawlessly play BOTH Superman and Clark Kent, and to keep them fully believable as separate yet interwoven characters. Christopher Reeve's 1950s predecessor, George Reeves, was a great Superman, but not even a little "mild-mannered" as Clark. The dude from the 1990's "Lois & Clark" was the coolest Clark Kent, but came across wooden as Superman. Other actors since have had strengths and weaknesses in the two roles. . But Christopher Reeve played Clark and Superman as two very different, but connected characters. Reeve's Clark is a humble, folksy, "aw-shucks" nerd, while Superman is a tough, determined, plain-spoken hero, yet Superman's tenderness saving a girl's cat from a tree, Superman's awful pun "bad vibrations" when a villain hits Superman with a tire iron, and Superman's carefully tactful "excuse me" to bystanders before flying to save Lois from the helicopter crash are all signs that Superman still has some folksy, nerdy and mild-mannered Clark at heart that no amount of superpowers will completely erase.
Don't care how much CGI has hit, what can be done nowadays etc etc, that final shot of Reeve as Supes in space breaking the fourth wall and smiling at the viewing audience is the greatest comic book film shot ever. He was, is, and always will be the greatest. What a Hero.
That's the Superman scene. Rising from the earth and that EPIC one arm bank towards us, the audience and then that smile. They did a similar scene in Superman Returns which was absolutely brilliant. I saw this movie as a boy, and his face will always be the Superman I think of. Other actors have played him on big and small screen. Once, Nicolas Cage was supposed to play him so I read somewhere. But I think that every man who plays the character will always be compared to Reeve. Right man, right part, right movie. Throw in a blinding score of epic proportion and you have a hit movie that will stand the test of time.
RIP Jackie Cooper (September 15, 1922 - May 3, 2011), aged 88 RIP Marlon Brando (April 3, 1924 - July 1, 2004), aged 80 RIP Richard Donner (April 24, 1930 - July 5, 2021), aged 91 RIP Ned Beatty (July 6, 1937 - June 13, 2021), aged 83 RIP Margot Kidder (October 17, 1948 - May 13, 2018), aged 69 RIP Christopher Reeve (September 25, 1952 - October 10, 2004), aged 52 You will be remembered as legends. And yes Gene Hackman is still alive, he turned 94 in January this year.
This is the 3rd movie my wife and I saw when we were dating in 1978. The next day at work a friend asked me “Well, do you believe a man can fly?” I said “after watching this movie, uh yeah!”. They made it look so real.
With all the dozens of superhero movies there are today, it’s important to remember that this was THE superhero movie. The one in which both the director and the star honoured the source material and treated it with the proper respect. The one that proved that it was possible to create a great film out of a comic book character.
while i agree they honored the source material, it's fair to say they played pretty fast and loose with his powers. The time rewind thing at first but it got way more out of control as the Reeves Superman movies went on. I won't name anything for spoiler reasons, but anyone who's seen them knows.
@Raylan Givens Arguably the Silver Age was still going at the time. At least at DC comics. Marvel was well beyond Silver Age and into "Bronze" age by 1978 or so. DC Comics first major "Universe Reboot" didn't come until 1986 in the form of "Crisis on Infinite Earths". That's when they toned down on Superman's vast array of powers. While keeping the core elements intact. Most people consider the 1990s through 2000s the "Iron Age". And 2010 until the current "Woke" collapse of comics is the "Rust" Age.
Just caught a bit of No Way Home on TV today...I think the Marvel movies are going to age very poorly. Superman came out in 1978 and we're still enjoying it. I think Marvel movies are going to be seen as extremely cheesy. They don't take anything seriously and every line is a joke.
When superman screams 'no!" And flies off to turn back time I get chills and tear up every time after so many years and so many watch through's. He will always be the best superman, period.
I’m the same way man. Love it! These were my favorite movies growing up. When I was 4 I jumped off my dads 1948 Ford thinking I was Superman and skinned my face bad, but I have no regrets. For a split second I was flying
The cheesiness in this movie is wonderful because it's *so* intensely sincere. That makes it believable. "Sends a check to his sweet gray hair old mother" "Actually she's silver haired". As natural as can be, no subterfuge, not meant to be mocking, just honest. There was love and care and respect in the characters. And Superman is as he's supposed to be. He's light, breezy even. Even when he's brooding or sad, you know there's a fundamentally good guy there who you care about. And he cares about you. *That* is Superman.
That is the best way I have ever seen this described. You are spot on. The sincerity and earnestness that Christopher Reeve displayed here was so amazing; it makes you believe.
The older I get, the more people I meet who are exactly as kind, thoughtful, and honest as Clark. Being a cynic doesn't make you wise, it just blinds you to people who are truly that good.
@@Treffaut Same here. Cynicism has become a modern disease, and in the young, a tragedy. It seems to me that whole generations never really have a youth, mind you, an innocent and happy youth.
The part when he was too late to save Lois and he had the flashback to when his father died. That was brutal. When he screams and takes off to reverse time in our theatre his scream echoed right through the auditorium. That scream still gives me chills to this day.
@@jaysonraphaelmurdock8812 Because - just for once - and just for a moment - he's not holding back. If he exerted his voice correctly, he could break windows for miles and burst human eardrums easily. But there IS no one else around for miles and miles luckily enough. After watching the movie enough times, I have my own interpretation of why his scream reverbs in that otherworldly way. You're hearing it from him - and from all the surfaces of the canyon around him reflecting it back an instant later. Reverb and reflection of sound. Or - I could just be overthinking this and nerding out. 😅
Fun Fact: Superman didn't reverse time... Only HE went back in time. The Earth didn't actually reverse it's spin. What we're seeing is time being reversed from his perspective. Since time slows as you approach the speed of light, going back in time would be theoretically valid if you actually could exceed the speed of light. This is what he's doing by circling the planet at high speed. For a long time this was a major plot hole for me... How could he make the Earth spin backwards and reverse time by just flying around it? That's not how it works, and its scientifically absurd... ...and if he chose to save Lois the second time, did all those other people die? Once I realized that ONLY Superman went back in time, it becomes possible for him to be in two places at once. It might have been less confusing if they had Superman slingshot around the sun instead, like they did in Star Trek IV.
When this movie first came out, no one had ever seen tubes-of-light titles like that before. Those titles, coupled with John Williams' Superman music blew everyone away. Also, Superman 2 continues the story, so you gotta watch.
interesting question. given the opening, it seems superman 1 and superman 2 were suppose to be a single movie (otherwise, you have a Chekhov's gun with no payoff), now if you were to stich the two into a single movie, I suppose you could have the rocket superman throws into space, be the trigger that gets things rolling in superman 2 (instead of what happens in the start of 2). was this the original plan for the movie, because it does kinda seem that way?
@@alexojideagu we will have to agree to disagree on that one. Especially given the majority of 2 was Donner’s with some extra bits spliced in from the new guy to get his name on the film. I’d rather have as close to the original concept than a mongrel with filler to tick the boxes for a director credit. But whatever floats your boat.
15:41 "Why can't she see that he's Clark?" In his autobiography, Roger Moore (who was making a James Bond movie in the same studios where they made "Superman") told of a time when he saw Christopher Reeve in line at the cafeteria for lunch. He was in full Superman costume with the cape and tights and the curly-q hair. The women around him were swooning and panting and you could almost hear their undergarments evaporating. The next day Reeve was in the same line at the same time but he was dressed as Clark Kent, with the full 3-piece suit and glasses, and NO ONE looked at him twice.
Henry Cavill did something similar in Times Square of going to see if anyone would recognise him in civilian clothing. The thing is, and this is what this itineration captures best, is that is more than the glasses, it's the personality. You see what you want, and who could expect the clumsy mild-mannered Clark Kent to be noticed as Superman?
There's the scene in Superman 2 where Clark is going to reveal his identity to Lois and Christopher Reeve physically transforms himself through his posture and body language. He literally gains about 3" in height. It's an astonishing performance. Look it up and you'll see what I mean.
Did people watch this in 1978 and say "This is amazing?" The answer is Yes. Yes we did. The tagline for this film was "You will believe a man can fly", and they delivered.
I was only four when this came out in the theater so my dad didn't take me to see it, but he made up for it by taking me to see Superman II.... twice.... in the theater. lol
People born after 1989 don't understand how hard it was to make special effects. Now people notice "bad cgi". Now everything is rushed through to produce content.
This is not a joke, but one of my teachers is related to him. I can’t remember exactly how, but it was something like 1st cousin once removed or something
And as fun fact: Reeve was an unknown actor that time, and to play the headrole nearto lots of Big Stars as small roles and cameos must be pressure...Reeve was catapultet to the top stars after this Movie. Sadly it was his only successful role.
The shot where he takes off from the roof after the helicopter rescue is still one of greatest in-camera effects in movies. Reeves truly made wire work look fluid.
Indeed. Reeve has said in interviews that his passion for flying (he was a certified glider pilot at the time) allowed him to convey the mechanics of flight on film.
@@dosgamer74 I believe he flew hang gliders. So he was already used to hanging in a harness and holding the proper position for "flying". And yes - he definitely SOLD the flying in a way no one else really has since. That's really HIM on wires with pre-filmed back projection film running behind him for most of the flying scenes!
The single greatest movie theme music ever composed, and the only actor who has EVER truly embodied Superman, and probably ever will. The "S" is not for Superman, it's the crest of the House of El, his family crest. Fun fact: The "slogan" for this movie was "You'll believe a man can fly"...a reference to the cutting edge (for the time) special effects, and for the absolute perfection Reeve brings to the role.
@@johnpaullogan1365 No. That was invented decades later, and then used most famously for the Man Of Steel movie. It did not mean hope at the time of this film (1978) nor for the rest of the 20th century.
@@burntvirtue You may be right about that, but who's to say in the comics that it always wasn't the symbol for hope? I can tell you one things. It's not an S. I doubt Krypton had the same alphabet as Earth.
Whatever the symbol means, the main thing is it isn't an "S." At the beginning of the film you can see all the Kryptonians have various symbols on their cloths, including the Jor-El who has the same symbol on his as Superman's outfit.
If I'm not mistaken, this movie introduced the idea that the "S" was a family crest (I suspect the creative consultant, Tom Mankiewicz, came up with the idea). Supposedly, comic writer Mark Waid came up with the idea that it means "hope" in the 2000's.
I was six years old when my whole family went to see this when it first came out. I was still trying to catch my breath from seeing Luke, Han, Darth, and Chewbacca for the first time....and now THIS MOVIE! What a magical time the late 70's were for us Gen X'ers!!!!
Believe me, we baby boomers loved it also! In the movie somewhere it says that he is 30 or that he was born in 1948. I don't remember which but that was my birth year so I thought, he's perfect for me!
I guess you could say they were one character - but two sides of one character. And I agree - Reeve was awesome at playing Kent / Superman. I don't think any other actor has done it quite as well.
"why can´t she see that he´s Clark?" Because that is proof of the amazing role play that Reeve did. It never was just the glasses. It´s the posture, the behavior, the voice, all...and Reeve did it in a way, that no one got close. He always will be...THE Superman
During shooting of the movie, Christopher Reeve would walk into craft service in full Superman costume and all the crew and other support staff would fawn over him. The women were basically drooling over him. Other days he would walk in with his full Clark Kent costume and no one would even look at him.
The best example is when he takes off his glasses and stands 3 inches taller and completely changes. But it's also that no one would expect Superman to have a secret identity and pretend to be a normal human. And also that she probably doesn't even see Superman clearly, she's practically fainting when she's looking at him, stars in her eyes, and Clark is just Clark.
Because it's not just the fact that he puts on glasses and the movie has the audience focusing on him all the time. It's the mannerisms and the alter ego personality that Clark puts on when he's not Superman. As the superhero, he stands tall, confident, and very inspirational. And as Clark, he shrinks down, acts the opposite, and blends in with the crowd rather than stand out as an inspirational individual. Not only is that great acting by Reeve, but it highlights how much we sometimes can overlook that celebrities and our favorite heroes can be normal too and we often miss them or overlook. Thinking of another example from Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Everyone missed Steve at the Smithsonian visiting his own exhibit with a baseball cap. The only one who technically recognized him was a kid who looked carefully and closely enough to spot his hero. Maybe it was just how it was filmed due to the camera shots, scene, and the angles. But the one part I remember is that despite being depicted as a super tall man, Steve kept his head down with the baseball cap on and that didn't draw too much attention from the general public.
It's most apparent in the scene in her apartment, dressed as Clark, he's about to tell Lois his secret but chickens out at the last moment. Reeves goes from Clark to Superman back to Clark seamlessly. He did this role the best.
I saw this as a kid when it came out in Glasgow, Scotland, and it still mesmerised me. RIP both Margot Kidder and Christopher Reeve; they were the best Lois and Clark xx
I love this movie, and it holds a special place in my heart. Growing up we were poor and didn't get to see a lot of movies, but we made a day of it when we saw this. Went to the budget theatre and I was amazed by this, and then we went to a Greek diner down the street and I got my first taste of gyros. My folks are together in the afterlife now, but I appreciate them for so many things, one of them being my love of movies. . When we saw this back in the 70's, we though the effects were great. And I love Gene Hackman, I'll watch him in almost anything. He's a national treasure. And I love my Superman like this, the big blue Boy Scout he's supposed to be, a symbol of hope.
When this film first came out, the tagline was "You'll believe a man can fly" because the flying effects were considered state of the art at the time. I think the cheesy villains thing is less annoying in this film because they were drawing on the original comics and 1940's serials. It was pretty much the first comic-book movie.
It was the first major big-budget feature film based on a DC character. But there were comic-book-based serials in the 1940s (Batman in '43, Captain America in '44 and Superman in '48). Donner's lavish treatment took Superman out of B-movie kid flix territory and made it entertainment for audience members of any age.
The chemistry between Reeve and Kidder was unsurpassed by any other Superman/Lois pairing. They were like a classic 1940s comedy movie, like Hepburn and Tracy.
No lies detected. I loved Man of Steel, but the Superman/Lois chemistry just wasn’t on this level, and that’s assuming it was there at all. Also, the portrayal of Clark in this movie was just chef’s kiss perfection.
I had just turned 9 years old the year this movie hit theaters and my dad, bless his heart, let me see it with him at the opening night midnight show (provided I took a nap that afternoon in preparation). I was still coming down off the OG Star Wars high that hit every young boy just 18 months before and didn't think anything could hit as hard as Star Wars, but GOOD LORD did this movie blow me away as a kid. A few years later my dad would take me to the single greatest double feature of all time: RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK at 12:30 pm followed by SUPERMAN II at 3:15 the same day. It'll never get any better than that.
Cassie, when we saw this film in 1978, we were completely blown away by the special effects in it. This was the first film that showed a man fly convincingly. It was glorious! I must've gone to see this film 8 or 9 times in its first cinematic run.
Just a year or two before this movie came out, there were the adventures of live-action superheroes Captain Marvel and Isis to watch on Saturday morning tv. They could both fly, but definitely not convincingly. Of course, in the case of the gorgeous Isis, it was easy to overlook the lack of a special effects budget.
@@Christobanistan No, they were 30-minute long live-action TV shows on Saturday mornings, as an alternative to Saturday morning cartoons. The show with Captain Marvel was called Shazam, IIRC, and the show with Isis was called The Adventures of Isis. I believe you can find clips or even entire episodes here on UA-cam.
I still remember the tag line for the movie, it was so heavily advertised. "You will believe a man can fly" The special effects in the theatre were mind blowing for the time.
@@flaggerify Do you realise how ridiculous you sound comparing a movie’s effect made in the late 70’s to 2001? Obviously it’s going to be more advanced. What they’re saying is that it’s held up remarkably well which is true. Edit: Misunderstood what 2001 was referencing
The great thing about this film is how wholesome and optimistic it is. It's just pure hearted in a way we don't see now, but speaks honestly to us, rather than seeming trite.
Hi I'm from Malaysia, without my parents knowledge, then 1978I went to watch Superman twice..FYI the dialogue was written by d best script writer Mario Puzo. He was also d script writer for Rambo first blood movie
Christopher Reeve showed every single actor to come after him exactly HOW to play a Superhero in a feature film. He was the first actor to ever take it seriously and who brought that special level of warmth, humanity , humor and reality to the genre. Every actor who has worked in the genre ever since owes him a real debt of gratitude. Because he showed them all how it’s done. For my generation - he will always be our Superman!
@@thedragonreborn9856 Not really. He was a carbon copy of Reeve. And he didn't even wear the suit. I found him bland and like an empty mannequin, strangely his face even looked like a mannequin at times. Christopher Reeve didn't copy George Reeves before him, George Reeves didn't copy Alyn before him, Dean Cain didn't copy Christopher Reeve before him, nobody copied the preceding actor; they just copied the comic book. Routh copies Christopher Reeve, technically not Routh but Bryan Singer did , to cast+ direct a carbon copy of Reeve. It looked like a movie about Christopher Reeve playing Superman rather than a movie of Superman
Marlon Brando's "Superman" deal was branded “unprecedented” at the time. He ultimately received $3.7m plus 11.75 percent on the backend for what amounted to less than 20 minutes on screen as Superman's Kryptonian father Jor-El. Cary Elwes (who played Wesley in "The Princess Bride") was sixteen and worked behind the scenes in "Superman". His job was to get Marlon out of his trailer. “Marlon had no incentive to be on time, because his agent had struck the most amazing deal for him,” Elwes said. “Every day that the picture went over, he got another million dollars." Elwes swiftly discovered that the best way to lure Brando out of his trailer was mainly with food. “Once you fed Marlon, he was in a much better mood,” the actor recalled. “So I tried to find delicacies that appealed to him, which were limited at Shepperton at the time. He mainly wanted desserts.”
At those stakes, I'd have set the trailer on fire. "Rise and shine, ham bone! Let's go! Get out, or we'll bring the marshmallows! What's the matter? I thought you liked the smell of burning ego in the morning! Mush! Mush! Oh, I forgot. You want your pancakes with or without cocaine on top?"
His deal makes more sense when you remember it was actually for the two films. His scenes were great in the Donner cut of the sequel, I'm glad they restored them.
He filmed scenes for superman 2. But he wanted even more money. As he learned that the scenes he filmed were for two movies not one. So the studio cut his scenes out for sups 2 and replaced them with sups mum. The Richard donner cut of sups 2 restores marlon Brando’s ditched scenes. I prefer the donner cut of sups 2. Feels more of a part 2 than the one the released
This was such an event, when I was a kid. The Superman movies (especially the first 2) were part of a great era, with the original star wars movies and Indiana jones.
I was 3 when they had Superman 1 & 2 back to back on HBO when I was a kid They are the first movies I can clearly remember watching and they kept my attention for 4 straight hours, left a big imprint on me
Don’t forget the First couple of Star Trek films! And Tron. And The Last Starfighter. Krull! Excalibur! Dragonslayer! And the original Battlestar Galactica was on TV. And Buck Rogers. Star Blazers (Space Battleship Yamato) premiered in the top 9 major TV markets in 1979. And then to the entire syndication market in 1980. It was an awesome time to grow up as a Sci-Fi/Fantasy/comic-book fan!! 👍😁
@@logandarklighter Well if we're going to include TV.... There was Doctor Who with the best Doctor, Tom Baker, and 1979/1980 there was Monkey. A British dubbed, Japanese show, about Chinese mythology, based on an Indian religion, where a gorgeous swimwear model played a boy priest. (and young people try to tell *us* about diversity)
The years between 1977 to around 1989, were AMAZING years to be a kid and teen, with respect to movies. Starting in 1977, we had Star Wars, Grease, Gremlins, Ghostbusters, Indiana Jones, Top Gun, Terminator, Stand By Me, Neverending Story, War Games, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Bill & Ted, Back To the Future, Beverly Hills Cop, Die Hard, Tron, Princess Bride, Beetlejuice...
Yes, best time of Hollywood ever, starts with Jaws 75 and then brings out lots of REAL Blockbusters and Megastars like Stallone, Ford, Willis, Schwarzenegger, Gibson, Glover etc...There was a time BEFORE Spielberg and after...Lucas, Cameron...
One of my favorite visual effects is when Clark takes off his glasses while standing in Lois' apartment after the "date with Superman" scene. Clark straightens up and looks different. Reeves was a tremendous actor and gave legitimacy to the idea of Clark's glasses working as a disguise.
What I'll always love about John Williams is that he never fails to make a movie standout with his memorable score...Star Wars, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Home Alone, Jaws, E.T., etc. Even though I'm a huge Batman fan, THIS Superman has THE GREATEST superhero theme song of all time. Christopher Reeve played him beautifully, RIP.
@@knoahbody69 Not Spielberg's, Bob Gale's or Zemeckis' finest film. BUT, I agree, great score for 1941! A great array of legendary actors in their younger years that I feel brought this fair comedy to cult status. Got to give the film some credit, at least it received 3 Oscar nominations.
I agree completely but the Danny Elfman,s Batman 89 theme is very iconic and brilliant too . For me this two scores are the best by far in superheroes type films.
I’ve heard a story that Kevin Fiege has screened this film before making marvel films for inspiration. Not sure if it’s true. I think he said it in a speech once.
If this had been anything other than a massive box office draw, that would have been the end of any Hollywood studio ever putting major money behind a superhero movie again. You're welcome MCU.
This movie made people believe Superman was real and could really fly lol. This movie, Citizen Kane, Star Wars, the first Jurassic Park, groundbreaking special effects for their times.
I saw this in the theater when I was 8 or 9. I still get chills every time I hear that Superman-music start up. Also, when Pa Kent falls over in the farmyard in that wide shot... that was the first time that I saw a person die. I still remember it. Very moving, especially because he was such a good guy.
My favorite thing, and just about the only thing I remember about the 2006 "Superman Returns," was the revival of the music and opening sequence. Now that I think about it, it was probably my first time experiencing that in the theater.
My earliest movie going experience I remember, was seeing this. Like 1978, I was aboyr 4. Was OBSESSED with Superman for years. Capes & Costumes. A lot of us were.
that quiet moment when he takes off the glasses and you see his complete change in posture from Clark to Superman shows just how great a performance Reeve put in here. you were dead on right about Tessmacher being 35 at the time of the movie. another little thing that helped was casting up all the smaller parts. aside from Marlon Brando playing Jor-El (and looking wildly different from the Godfather even though it was not too many years apart), Papa Kent was Glenn Ford who had been the lead actor in a bunch of westerns, the henchman Otis was Ned Beatty who was in big movies for decades (and voiced the stuffed bear Lotso in Toy Story 3)
21:25 This scene is why Christopher should have had an Oscar nomination. Look at the way his stature changes, the straightening of the shoulders. A physical transformation from Clark to Superman, all just by taking off his glasses. Even the sound of his voice changes. And then changing back when he backs out of revealing his true identity. Playing two different people in the same shot. Amazing acting.
when Cassie says "she doesn't see he is superman??" No, Loise sees a klutz of a man, nasaly voice, slightly bent over all the time and weird. That's the perfect disguise
@@joseanl Lois is in love with Superman while she likes Clark. Her mind is on Superman We in the audience know they are the same but if we put ourselves in lois’ place we can see that there is no reason, at least at first, to see them as the same person Other than that they sort of look like each other
Trivia: The mom in that scene on the train with the little girl (little Lois Lane in the extended version) is Lois Lane from "The Adventures of Superman" TV show from the 50's. I would love to see your (and Carly's) reaction to "Superman 2, 3, and 4". Awesome reaction! So glad you enjoyed this. I saw it in the movies as a kid and yes it was an awesome experience! Christopher Reeve IS Superman!
33:13 "If you can't love me as Clark Kent, then you don't get to love me as Superman." That's not fair. Lois isn't seeing the Clark Kent that grew up in the beginning of this movie. She's seeing a nervous, bumbling, fake personality.
I have mentioned Somewhere in Time many times, promising Cassie she'd love the John Barry music, the story and the hotel. The good news is that Cassie was sent a Blu Ray DVD of Somewhere in Time and mentioned that she's heard of it. It's also Christopher Reeves' follow up movie to Superman, for what that's worth.
When I was a small kid and my father left us, I stumbled upon this movie probably 1979 or 1980. Even at that young age I said to myself Superman would never hurt his kids, he would never lie and he would always do the right thing. I started to look up to Supes as a role model. Then eventually I found out me and Christopher Reeve shared the same birthday and that completed my bond with the man of steel. I bawled like a baby when Chris Reeve died. RIP to the real Man of Steel
The real and only Superman, indeed, and also Richard Donner's magnum opus. Too bad no one has been able to replicate this level of respect for the character in any subsequent live-action adaptation.
i think the team behind smallville did a great job for clark kent. it was honestly too good which led to it lasting far too long for the rules the corporate overlords of wb dictated
Agreed. My mom took to me to see it for my 7th Birthday in 1978 and I've seen this film lord knows how many times since then and it does hold up pretty damn good 44 yrs later.
@@ct6852 - Sadly, I have been made aware of a distressingly common theme today : I am watching many reaction channels and over and over and over again people keep saying how surprised they are at how good these movies and effects are, and I just don't get it... why does everyone expect them to be bad? True there are some pretty bad movies in the past, but, there are also some pretty poor movies now - it isn't really about when it was made, it's probably more about effects budget coupled with talent level of cast, if you make a movie with a $500.00 budget and hire actors who have had maybe one or two (or none) roles worth of experience, yeah your movie will probably suck - doesn't matter when it was made. Also, I have noticed a similar trend with music reaction first time channels, people listen to 80s music or whatever and are like "Wow, I can't believe these people from "so long ago" could make such good music .... don't these fools know how long ago Elvis and the Beatles were? How about Beethoven? Nothing is bad because it's older, it's only bad if it was made will less quality.
@@lethaldose2000 - I am just throwing out a guess but from what I can tell, the running was actually real running, they just had the train moving extremely slowly, and he was running regularly then they probably just sped up the film speed is my guess, of course I don't know, never looked it up, but that's my theory.
Speaking from someone that was there in the theater. This experience was like watching the Matrix in "99" kinda, Groundbreaking. Seeing the kind, Superman scream the way he did when Lois died. My god, it f'ed up the entire theater! It's the first time you ever seen Superman angry/Pissed in any fashion.
Facts: Sometimes you get to see a 🎥 Film. That is absolutely ground breaking. Matrix, Jurassic Park, Star Wars, the Abyss, terminator 2 , LOTR and the thing. It's a shame because the Special Effects got 30 times better. However the wokness dumbed down all those story telling abilities. All of those franchises are dying today.
@@Slevencolevra There is good work being done today here and there, but mostly people are being fed junk food with high fructose corn syrup. Most of the younger viewers simply don't know any better because it's all they've seen. BTW, I totally agree about "The Thing." The 1951 original was pretty good too.
@ J Mack you just brought up a memory for me it's true i grew up with this SUPERMAN and it still is one of my favs that scene still sends chills down my spine when he screams at the sight of dead lois . Never mind rewinding the world didn't make sense it makes sense according to Superman logic 😉. love Cassie's reactions keep quality movies alive CHEERS.😃
I'm very good at suspended disbelief. When I saw Lois get buried the first time I saw this movie in the theater, I really thought she had died. I was devastated until he saved her.
Christopher Reeve should have been nominated and won the Oscar for this role!Yes even playing Superman a comic-book superhero.He brought so much to the role.His performance was off the charts!!!!
That is the truth, in-universe. In a meta sense, the "S" originated with with Superman's creators, Joel "S"iegel and Jerry "S"huster. They put the "S" on Superman's chest.
Even though I grew up on George Reeves as Superman, that was always my chief complaint about HIS portrayal. Outside of the very first episode where Reeves played Kent as mild-mannered and Superman as over-the-top macho, as the show progressed, the was absolutely no difference between Clark and Supes....as portrayed by Reeves. Christopher Reeve played them perfectly as two completely different people with different hairstyles, posture, mannerisms, and overall personalities. Reeve was masterful
@@darthfinality I read that George Reeves refused to play Clark Kent as meek and mild-mannered. He argued that in order for him to be believable as a good reporter, he would have to be more "hard-nosed".
@@williamrandolph1566 I kind of see the Lois and Clarke Daily Planet partnership more like Maxwell Smart and Agent 99. 99/Lois being the beauty and brains and Clarke/Maxwell being the tries-hard-but-often-fails comic relief - although Clarke purposely portrays that bumbling persona where for Smart it comes "naturally".
I was 7 years old when my father took me to see this in the Theaters! I can't help but to STILL see this movie through the experience of that 7 year old boy. It's one of the BEST memories I can remember sharing with my father! Amazing! Great Reaction!
Just a few things. Famous actors in this. Glen Ford plays Clarks father. The actress who played Lois Lane(Noel Neill) in the tv series is the woman riding on the train when clark runs by her window. The editor of the daily planet is Jackie Cooper a child actor fron early cinema. The symbol on supermans chest is not an S as we know it, it represents something from Krypton.
Reeve's charisma is off the charts in Superman. That's why it's so damn hard to cast another. Having the look is one thing, but the screen presence makes it work.
He played the role great, because the role was supposed to have a comedic flair. If they asked him to play a really serious dark Luthor, he would have been great at that too. It just wasn't what Donner was going for. He took Superman's side of the movie very seriously but he was more lighthearted with Luthor's.
When Superman came off of the pages of comic books and into "real life" on television (kids could recite the introduction verbatim), he was portrayed by George Reeves. When he came to the silver screen in 1978, those who remembered the TV show may have been a little skeptical that the Superman they knew could be portrayed to their satisfaction. The movie was a great success, even for those who remembered, and it was just a little spooky Superman was a guy named Christopher Reeve.
I knew you'd love Clark in this. And the score to this still gives me goosebumps. This movie is the best interpretation of Superman I've ever seen. He is infinitely powerful, humble, honest and just relentlessly good.
I remember when growing up, i'd have bad days, couldn't sleep, and late at night, i'd catch this movie, watch it until dawn, and feel better about whatever was bothering me at the time. The S is the symbol of Hope on Krypton. Superman is the ultimate symbol of Hope. My favorite parts of the Superman movies is the ending as he's circling the Earth, and just as he veers to go offscreen, Reeves breaks the 4th wall, looks at the camera and smiles. Thank you, Mr. Reeves.
This is still my favorite super hero film of all-time. It set the standard and got the ball rolling for the genre. Considering the time period, the special effects were pretty solid. The casting was pretty spot-on, too. And the score? Oh man, just another notch in John Williams' iconic belt. I'm so glad you're getting to see all these classic movies.
This is not only the greatest super hero movie ever made but it’s simply a great film period. What an incredible tour-de-force acting performance by Christopher Reeve.
It will never get this recognition but it's one of the most perfect castings there ever was, up there with Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch. If you think about anyone else in these tights, at this time, hanging on wires, it's just laughable. You think of all the options they were looking at. Clint Eastwood, laughable. Robert Redford, Paul Newman, laughable. Burt Reynolds, laughable. And then you think of how Reeve approached this as 2 characters and came at Clark Kent from a totally different angle. Nowadays they can sew muscles in your suit and make it look cooler, they can use CGI and visual effects to make you look more "super." But to put those pajama tights on and play Superman...no one else could have pulled it off.
@@2A.Freedom I thought Reeves appearance in Smallville was a fantastic association of the original actors to the legitimacy of Smallville, which as a series, fought tooth and nail to establish itself in an era when comic stories were not truly respected. It was a huge deal when he made his appearance.
This is my favorite movie of all time. I watched it so many times when I was a kid. I still remember crying the day Christopher Reeve died. This movie set the standard for every single superhero movie that was made after it and they all follow the same format and owe a great deal to the OG superhero movie.
Saw this at 10 years old when it came out. It was a mind blower and was impossible to leave the theater without a big smile on your face. It was a completely different world than all of this kind of stuff was brand new.
The scene after Lois meets Superman and they go for their flight, and then Clark arrives, watch the transition that Christopher Reeves goes through, when he thinks about telling her. He actually gets taller, and broader. it's actually an amazing feat of acting by Reeves
that's why they can never tell that Clark is Superman. Superman always looks and feels larger than live, while Clark always seems like a common man that nobody notice
2 things that has made this film a favorite of mine since I was like 3 years old: 1) Christopher Reeve as Superman was like my greatest hero when I was kid. He's just so perfect. I still don't think anyone has ever been better as a superhero in a movie. 2) John Williams' music. The whole score is amazing but his main theme for Superman may be my all time favorite theme Williams has ever done. And that is saying something. His music, the film as a whole, the tone of the film, the almost naive but reassuring goodness/innocence of Reeve's Superman and the film itself, and the wonderfully bombastic opening of the film had such an impact on me ever since I was very young. It's one of the things that made me realize how magical and incredible film can be and it gave me the idea of what a hero can be and how great it is to have a hero and how great it is to be aware that there are heroes like that. Not all of them can fly, but there're out there.
Christopher Reeve was a versatile and hardworking actor who deserved more recognition. A really sweet movie, which I think you'll enjoy, is "Somewhere In Time", with the beautiful Jane Seymour
Great film back in the day, one part that will always stick in my memory was the end when he patrolling earth, and just as he pulled away he looked straight at the camera and smiled, and thought he smiled just for me and no one else, it stuck with me even now I'm 63 ill never forget it ❤
All these movies, Superman, Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, back to the Future....all the original, all the best, all the best scores, all the best time in movies. Todays teens, 20 somethings will never experience a time when music, fashion, movies everything were at their peak. Creative magic and true originality was everywhere, no politics, no social justice warriors, the future was bright. After the mid-90s with the introduction of social media, internet, 24 hour news....the world was never the same.
So true. The CGI-laden crap of today just looks like a shit video game to me. That's another thing...I'm not a gamer, but what passes for video games nowadays look AWFUL. They all look the same and all seem to BE the same. Give me Nemesis, Bubble Bobble, Shinobi or Wonderboy in Monster Land at an arcade with proper joysticks over that shite any day!
This Movie is a Masterpiece! The skill and artistry required to make this Movie at that time was staggering, and there will only ever be one actor to play Superman, Christopher Reeve! R.I.P. Chris and Margot.
I was born in November 1974 I'll be 49 this year I've just found you on UA-cam and watching you watching my Childhood heroes growing up is brilliant watching you with your beautiful young eyes from a different generation perspective seeing your reactions is just brilliant. Take care Phil from London England 🏴⚘
I love all the naughty innuendo running through this film - it marks it as a product of the 70's. Lois's sly questions, Superman's knowing grins, it's all so delicious and playful. None of that would be possible in a Batman film with its dark characters and unrelenting bitterness. Superman is all about positivity and striving to be better, so his story has room for lightness now and then. And Chris Reeve was so perfect. He was also the lead in what is, in my opinion, the most lovely romance movie ever made, "Somewhere in Time". Oh, he was so wonderful in that. You MUST watch it, I guarantee you'll love it. * sigh * By the way, the reason no one sees that he's Clark is because he _can't_ be Clark. Kal-El crafted his cover identity very carefully to make sure of that. It's why Clark is shy, weak, why he stutters and is scared so easily. He can't show any strength because that ensures that no one will ever _expect_ any, and thus it'll be nearly impossible for anyone to realize they're the same person. (It's also why he wears glasses, as through most of the 20th century, glasses were associated with weakness and timidity.)
This is and always will be the best superhero movie. The acting, the production, the direction, the music, the story…. I saw this in the theater. I was blown away. Please know the effects didn’t even exist at the time. They had to invent them. Thank you for watching it.
This movie was made before digital effects which first came out a year later in Disney's The Black Hole. They refused to give that film that an Oscar because they considered digital effects basically cheating.
As someone who grew up in the era, we all thought the running scene was… not good. But, the flying scenes, the score, and the overall translation of the material was incredible.
I almost suspect the running scene was intentionally made to look bad so people would expect less from the flying scenes and when those came people were more blown away.
@@nivekian Yeah - flying? Sure. But running requires much closer interaction with the ground and surfaces of all sorts. You can "fudge" flying a bit. You have to be PERFECT to show superspeed running! I think the first few seasons of The Flash TV series with Grant Gustin in the lead nailed it. Weirdly - the Ezra Miller Flash in Justice League and the Snyder Cut... DIDN'T. Not for me at least.
26:52 Mark! Margot and Valerie both had celebrity guest star photo-spreads in "Playboy Magazine" because of this movie with their admirers making a competition out of which issue sold the most copies and was the most popular! VP was in more than one issues because she did enough movies with nude scenes compared to MK. So, this character would be in the younger option range! My favorite character of hers is still as "Montana Wildhack" in "Slaughterhouse Five"! That character is a zoo specimen representing us on Planet Tralfamidore! 😊
My uncle took me to see this when I was 5 years old and I 100% remember the experience being one of the happiest of my life. I immediately got my mom to buy me Superman Underoos and I'd run around the house pretending to fly.
We didn't have Superman Underoos, but my brother did have Superman pajamas that looked kinda like long johns. I remember him tucking in a red-orange bath towel at the neck and pretending to be Superman! It was when this movie and Superman II came out that my Mom had to explain to us kids that some things we saw in movies were only pretend and that the actors and actresses weren't really doing those things, they were just pretending. I seem to remember she explained that Superman and Lois Lane only looked like they were flying because they had wires holding them up. I think she told us that so that we wouldn't really try to fly!
I had a Superman beach towel that you could wear like a poncho. It had a hole in the middle, and when you draped it over yourself, it had his "body," front and back, on either side.
As a Superman fan I can’t even tell you how amazing it was to see this in 1978 on the big screen. Christopher Reeve was incredible and this film was ground breaking in the effects and for flying.
I was 8 when I saw this in the theater and I can say that I have never seen a crowd go more insane for a movie than this one. The first time you see him in his Fortress of Solitude in his suit and he flies towards the camera, the crowd went berserk and everyone was on their feet cheering and hooting. I never felt something so amazing in the vibe of a movie audience before... or since... and this is after having the magical experience of seeing Star Wars in the theater the year before. This movie was the perfect movie for someone my age back then... but I can promise you that all of those cheering adults in the theater that day felt the magic too. :-) I doubt I'll ever have a theatrical experience like that again... it gives me chills just thinking back to it.
YES!!! You told my story exactly as I remember it when I was 8 years old! I still remember the magic, and still reeling from Star Wars the year before was so EPIC. I don't think ANYTHING will ever compare to those experiences in 1977/78!
Thoroughly enjoyed the reaction ( especially the running)..! I was nine years old when I first saw this film and I can’t overstate just what an impact it had, not just on me but tens of millions of people. The effects at the time were revolutionary, in fact the tag line for the movie was ‘You’ll believe a man can fly’. It contains the scene that to this day has never been equalled in terms of crowd response: the helicopter rescue. When this happened the entire cinema just went crazy with applause and cheering. It’s also forgotten how impressive the cast is. Don’t forget, this movie was an enormous risk. The very first big screen, massive budget comic book film. To have Brando, Hackman, Glen Ford, Ned Beatty, Terence Stamp, Trevor Howard, Suzanna York was unprecedented. At the centre of it all though, is the great Christopher Reeve. A complete unknown before this, his casting as Superman / Clarke must go down as one of, if not the, greatest casting decisions in cinema history. He is pitch perfect and has set the bar at an impossible to reach level for all other interpretations of the character. The movie retains its magic and has a spirit and quality that has been very rarely matched. Todays CGI offerings, while occasionally impressive visually have none of the charm and warmth on display here and John Williams immortal theme and in fact, the whole soundtrack would be amongst his very best. Sure, the effects are dated by today’s standards, but that’s not the point…. It’s the heart and for me it captures a moment in time, before the internet, before social media, before mobile phones, when people came together to experience something magical and innocent. When everything seemed possible and there was nothing that couldn’t be done. That times long gone, but luckily we have movies like this to remind us.
You mention how great the casting was and of course it was! So much so that I actually watched the credits and paid attention to who the casting person was, Lynn Stalmaster. For years I thought that was a lady but I guess it is a man. After that I would always look to see who did the casting and inevitably when the casting was good, it was Lynn Stalmaster. From that time forward I have always read the credits at the end of the movies!
I saw this movie when I was 5 with my dad, back in 96. To this day, the tag line reads true. I believe a man can fly. Super Man is my #1 super hero and Mr. Reeve is my Super Man, forever and always. Thank you for this reaction 💚
This was a really great reaction, Cassie. If you are looking for another film starring Christopher Reeve, I highly recommend Somewhere in Time. It was made in 1980 and is a wonderfully filmed and acted romantic drama. Reeve chose it because he was concerned about being type cast as the Superman character. He stars in it with Jayne Seymour as his love interest and there is lots of chemistry between them on screen. I can’t say enough good things about the film.
Christopher Reeves did the best job out of any actor I've seen so far in playing Clark and Superman so much differently. It's so much more than the glasses. His speech patterns, clumsiness, posture (he probably looks 2-3 inches shorter as Clark), and everything else makes it so difficult to imagine Clark as Superman... well, if you're not good with faces ;)
Christopher Reeve was truly an amazing actor, pulling off both Clark Kent and Superman so brilliantly. He and Margot Kidder had terrific chemistry together as well. If you enjoyed the romance in this movie, you will definitely want to watch (and react) to Superman II, Superman II completes the story which begins in this movie. Thank you for the great reaction!
One trick that was used to slightly differentiate between Superman and Clark was the hair style. If you look closely Clark parts his hair on the right side and Superman parts his hair on the left side. It makes more difference than you would think.
Yep - Reeve's Superman knew exactly who he was and why he did what he did. Tom Welling and Henry Cavill's Superman would probably respond to "Who are you?" with a "I DON'T KNOW!" and fly away crying dramatically.
First real superhero movie. She is rhyming while flying because a song version was made. And never used. So good to see someone watching this for the first time!
"Without John Williams, bikes don't really fly, nor do brooms in Quidditch matches, nor do men in red capes. There is no Force, dinosaurs do not walk the Earth, we do not wonder, we do not weep, we do not believe." Steven Spielberg
Not just the main theme but the love theme, I think it's called. That's the one that I've always thought is super underrated. If you watch the full end credits, the way it just swells up at the end with that love theme, it's one of his best compositions.
The effects at the time were ground-breaking. In fact, the tag line on the poster is, "You'll believe a man can fly." I want to address the whole, how does Loos not recognize Clark as Superman. This is a thing that people have poked fun at for decades. The idea is that no one is looking for Superman in Clark. Clark acts in a way and carries himself in a way that no kne is trying to put 2 and 2 together when it comes to him and Superman. This theory was proven to work by Henry Cavill. When his Superman movie ce out, Cavill wore glasses and a blue Superman tshirt. He stood in Times Square under a poster of him as Superman for 20 minutes. One person approached him and all they did was ask for directions. No one recognized him because no one was looking for Henry Cavill. No one was expecting to find him there...so no one did. Clark is able to keep his identity secret because no one is trying to see him as Superman. He is easily dismissed as Clark Kent.
Here is another reason. This is the same person in both pictures: external-preview.redd.it/4AvcV1O-BidvK7GMufUNbrhXtwYPxG6mN9cQyLoQal4.jpg?auto=webp&s=e8a16f2dd1442927ffa0451643c6219a8069c132
Christopher Reeves ate at a dinner across the street from Warner Brothers for 18 years. Whenever he was dressed as Clark Kent, no one asked him for an autograph, or bothered him, or recognized him except his waitress. When he was in costume as Superman or some other role for shows or movies he was in, people talked to him and wanted his autograph.
Cavill's "experiment" makes the Superman legacy that much more powerful. IMHO, he's the best Supes since Reeve. I hope to see Henry play Superman more.
You have to remember this: for its time yes these special effects were revolutionary, just like in the same way Star Wars which was only released the year before also created its own milestone for special effects that had never even been attempted before on the big screen. People actually did believe from how convincing it looked and with for example no obvious sign of wires holding him up, that whilst watching this in the cinemas they were seeing superman fly which up until then had never been done to that standard. The actual wirework rear projection and stunts they did to achieve it took over a year to complete in that alone, it also helped in that area of Reeve in the lead role who had physique capable of coping with the physicality all of that took. Again to invoke Star Wars, that very opening of the vessel appearing on screen and literally seemingly going on and on filling the entire screen that kind of effect in same way to Superman was nothing ever seen before and received equally rapturous reception in cinemas. Both films made a seismic impact in that decade to degree they created the blueprint for their respective film genres of superhero movies and sci-fi fantasy/ sci fi opera even as Star Wars also defined. The amount of creative people involved would go on in so many other great films and without doubt these people and Superman/ Star Wars itself gave a huge boost and helped advance the craft of special effects in the many years that were to come.
@Mel Goodrose Drives me nuts when i hear young people apply CGI to anything before 1989. Everything is so easy now in film making they just push a button. Back then everything was done on set in camera. Artist like George Lucas and Richard Donner do not exist anymore. Everyone who worked on the first Star Wars had no idea what was going on, it was all in Lucas's head. Even the effects people who wasted most of the budget got nothing done, Lucas had to come in and show them what he wanted. All these movies that are pop culture icons were so very hard to make back then. Films are not inspiring anymore.
You can count Close Encounters of the Third Kind in this group as well. I remember people giving it a standing ovation at the end. It was the first time Aliens were put on film in a realistic way.
@@reesebn38 Yes very true that one also. The 70's really was the start of a revolution in special effects but with, the story the actors the director s (i.e Lucas and Spielberg who made their mark), was there with it. And that could be argued isn't there as universally today - for all the even greater advancement of technology/cgi etc. if it is all about the effects and the rest of it is a non starter it is an epic failure. Independence Day Resurgence...wow such a disappointment l had to struggle to stop myself from falling asleep or walking out of that one!
I actually met Margo Kidder once and had a very nice conversation with her. She detailed how difficult and exhausting the flying sequences were. She said she would cry from the cramping. Also, once they were in the harnesses, they couldn't come out of them until the day's shooting was over. Even for the bathroom. She had nothing but good things to say about Christopher Reeve. She was a very, very nice lady and it pains me to no end to think that both of them are gone now.
The part where she is rhyming during the flying scene was supposed to be a song sung by someone else. It did not work. Then Margo sung it but that did not work. So Donner felt it was better to have her just saying it as it is what she is thinking to herself inn her head.. The S on his suit. in these films is the same S on his Dad's clothing onKrypton. It is not an S. It is the symbol for the house of El, which is his family as his real name is Kal-El. It just happens to look like an S on Earth. Luthor was telling Superman his plans to stall him to give the missiles enough time to be far enough away where even if Superman did get out of there he would not be able to stop both.
Even after 40+ years and despite the dodgy special effects, wirework and some hammy performances, I still get chills when that theme kicks in as Clark runs to save Lois in the helicopter.
You say dodgy special effects but for its time these special effects were cutting edge - okay I'll grant you some of them are obviously not so special anymore and may be dated but, it is always a mistake to compare something of its special effects and critique it against all of todays technology that it can do which back in 1978 would have been just a dream. Hammy performances - where and who do you say is hammy just curious. For me obviously certain parts of the movie are comedic but hammy...hmm. But yeah in general I think despite this was made so long ago all elements together it still holds up, people still easily mostly love this the very first one over the sequels.
To answer your question, yes, this was mega amazing for audiences back when this came out! I saw it in the movie theater when I was 10 and it was an epic experience for us all. I still can’t believe how good the film looks even today. So glad to see you watching this! You will love the sequel!
In my opinion Christopher Reeve IS the BEST Superman hands down. He captures the boy scout Superman from the comic books.
The man embodied Kal-El more than anyone has currently in my opinion.
Superman could also be a stone-cold douche in the earlier comics.
You most be and older dude because henry cavill is the best superman hands down of this generation no disrespect to reeves he was good for his time
He can also look completely different without glasses and a different hairstyle. His flying style has been copied by every Superman since, but for me, he'll always be the best.
@@Cbriggs502 I didn't know you did stand up comedy
_"You'll believe a man can fly."_
And we did.
Christopher Reeve IS Superman.
Till the end and beyond
OP speaking facts.
Maybe one day they'll make a movie about Christopher Reeve, but only person you could hire to play him is Superman.
When I first saw Superman, I thought Christopher Reeve was Superman, when I saw Superman Returns, I thought Brandon Routh was an actor playing Christopher Reeve playing Superman.
@@shawnlopez2317 He was a Super Guy, took his life in stride. Even acted on Smallville in his wheelchair.
FUN FACT: The scene where Clark is running past the train. The little girl who sees him is Lois Lane. Her mother is played by Noel Neill, who played Lois in the 1950's TV show (and before that in the 1940's serials) and her father was played by Kirk Alyn, the original live action Superman from the 1940's serials!
Noel Neill was also in 2006's Superman Returns. She was the old lady on her deathbed in the beginning who was inexplicably married to Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) who got her to sign over all her worldly possessions to him right before she died
That’s awesome 👏🏻
Was JUST going to comment this same thing.
Also the girl that plays Lana also plays as Martha Kent Clark’s mom in Smallville the tv show.
@@Val1Zod that's Superman 3.
Reeve should have one an Oscar for this role. Because playing a straight Superman who is cheerful, positive, and charming, and then playing Kent as a Cary Grant like transformation will be hard to replicate. The other actors don't have his charm, his smile. Very underrated performance. I like it much more now than as a kid. It's such a lost feeling this movie evokes of an innocence of that era.
Why have you got to point out he’s straight, it’s a comic from the 1940s, ofcourse he’s straight
@@greigbutler4498 Straight as in cheerful, positive, not the angry, twisted, warped drug using, victim modernist approach to Superheroes. Not as in straight gay.:)
For a quick masterclass in acting... watch the scene in Lois' apartment when Clark wants to tell Lois who he is... His entire demeanor and posture changes - he stands up straight, he lifts his head, and grows himself 3 inches taller just with those changes... he exudes confidence. Even in the suit and tie, he's suddenly Superman. Then he slouches and starts stammering again... and he's Clark. It's brilliantly acted.
Yes, this is what Christopher Reeve such a great actor the little detail. they did the same thing in the cartoon version back in the day. In that case it was the voice. when he was clark he spoke in a soft gentle voice but when he became superman he went to a much deeper manly voice. Its the little things that make the character
All done in one take with no change in costume or lighting
One of my favourite behind the scenes anecdotes of film is the studio wanted to go to a gym and find a muscle guy to play Superman. The director and producer said.... Nope! Lets hire an actor and send him to the gym for a bit.
100%
Christopher Reeve is the only actor to flawlessly play BOTH Superman and Clark Kent, and to keep them fully believable as separate yet interwoven characters. Christopher Reeve's 1950s predecessor, George Reeves, was a great Superman, but not even a little "mild-mannered" as Clark. The dude from the 1990's "Lois & Clark" was the coolest Clark Kent, but came across wooden as Superman. Other actors since have had strengths and weaknesses in the two roles.
.
But Christopher Reeve played Clark and Superman as two very different, but connected characters. Reeve's Clark is a humble, folksy, "aw-shucks" nerd, while Superman is a tough, determined, plain-spoken hero, yet Superman's tenderness saving a girl's cat from a tree, Superman's awful pun "bad vibrations" when a villain hits Superman with a tire iron, and Superman's carefully tactful "excuse me" to bystanders before flying to save Lois from the helicopter crash are all signs that Superman still has some folksy, nerdy and mild-mannered Clark at heart that no amount of superpowers will completely erase.
Don't care how much CGI has hit, what can be done nowadays etc etc, that final shot of Reeve as Supes in space breaking the fourth wall and smiling at the viewing audience is the greatest comic book film shot ever. He was, is, and always will be the greatest. What a Hero.
Amen to that. For me, that should be the end of every Superman film. Like how the gun barrel opener is for every James Bond.
Didn’t Henry do it as well as an homage?
That's the Superman scene. Rising from the earth and that EPIC one arm bank towards us, the audience and then that smile. They did a similar scene in Superman Returns which was absolutely brilliant.
I saw this movie as a boy, and his face will always be the Superman I think of. Other actors have played him on big and small screen. Once, Nicolas Cage was supposed to play him so I read somewhere. But I think that every man who plays the character will always be compared to Reeve.
Right man, right part, right movie. Throw in a blinding score of epic proportion and you have a hit movie that will stand the test of time.
True dat - i actually think the effects in 1978 supe were pretty damn good. in some ways i like it better than all the CGI crap
@@kellymulderino7156 I feel the same way. Reeve made the flying theatrical.
Now, it's just a blur. Reeve was, IS Superman.
RIP Jackie Cooper (September 15, 1922 - May 3, 2011), aged 88
RIP Marlon Brando (April 3, 1924 - July 1, 2004), aged 80
RIP Richard Donner (April 24, 1930 - July 5, 2021), aged 91
RIP Ned Beatty (July 6, 1937 - June 13, 2021), aged 83
RIP Margot Kidder (October 17, 1948 - May 13, 2018), aged 69
RIP Christopher Reeve (September 25, 1952 - October 10, 2004), aged 52
You will be remembered as legends.
And yes Gene Hackman is still alive, he turned 94 in January this year.
I see you're quite skilled in google sir.
A gentleman and a scholar.
@Breeknow indeed.
Rest in peace RICHARD DONNER as well. He passed away last year or so.
He is the kind man and the visionary behind the two Superman Movies.
And someone else you might now is Jackie Cooper. He was Perry White, and he was one of the Little Rascals from back in the 30s
Don't forget Ned Beatty
This is the 3rd movie my wife and I saw when we were dating in 1978. The next day at work a friend asked me “Well, do you believe a man can fly?” I said “after watching this movie, uh yeah!”. They made it look so real.
With all the dozens of superhero movies there are today, it’s important to remember that this was THE superhero movie. The one in which both the director and the star honoured the source material and treated it with the proper respect. The one that proved that it was possible to create a great film out of a comic book character.
while i agree they honored the source material, it's fair to say they played pretty fast and loose with his powers. The time rewind thing at first but it got way more out of control as the Reeves Superman movies went on. I won't name anything for spoiler reasons, but anyone who's seen them knows.
@@mayorjimmy I mean it was 100% accurate with that period's Superman.
@Raylan Givens Arguably the Silver Age was still going at the time. At least at DC comics. Marvel was well beyond Silver Age and into "Bronze" age by 1978 or so. DC Comics first major "Universe Reboot" didn't come until 1986 in the form of "Crisis on Infinite Earths". That's when they toned down on Superman's vast array of powers. While keeping the core elements intact.
Most people consider the 1990s through 2000s the "Iron Age". And 2010 until the current "Woke" collapse of comics is the "Rust" Age.
@Raylan Givens True. Sometimes I forget just how long ago this movie came out.
Just caught a bit of No Way Home on TV today...I think the Marvel movies are going to age very poorly. Superman came out in 1978 and we're still enjoying it. I think Marvel movies are going to be seen as extremely cheesy. They don't take anything seriously and every line is a joke.
When superman screams 'no!" And flies off to turn back time I get chills and tear up every time after so many years and so many watch through's. He will always be the best superman, period.
Just before that, that little sob as lays Lois's head on the ground. Little kid me was a wreck.
Same
I’m the same way man. Love it! These were my favorite movies growing up. When I was 4 I jumped off my dads 1948 Ford thinking I was Superman and skinned my face bad, but I have no regrets. For a split second I was flying
He's also the last Superman with truly super powers. I would believe Christopher Reeves crushing a blackhole into nonexistence with his hands.
So does everyone.
That is why they did it ffs.
The cheesiness in this movie is wonderful because it's *so* intensely sincere. That makes it believable. "Sends a check to his sweet gray hair old mother" "Actually she's silver haired". As natural as can be, no subterfuge, not meant to be mocking, just honest. There was love and care and respect in the characters. And Superman is as he's supposed to be. He's light, breezy even. Even when he's brooding or sad, you know there's a fundamentally good guy there who you care about. And he cares about you. *That* is Superman.
That is the best way I have ever seen this described. You are spot on. The sincerity and earnestness that Christopher Reeve displayed here was so amazing; it makes you believe.
The older I get, the more people I meet who are exactly as kind, thoughtful, and honest as Clark. Being a cynic doesn't make you wise, it just blinds you to people who are truly that good.
“Golden hair”
@@Treffaut Same here. Cynicism has become a modern disease, and in the young, a tragedy. It seems to me that whole generations never really have a youth, mind you, an innocent and happy youth.
This doesn;t have cheesiness, it has sincerity.
The part when he was too late to save Lois and he had the flashback to when his father died. That was brutal. When he screams and takes off to reverse time in our theatre his scream echoed right through the auditorium. That scream still gives me chills to this day.
"The scream" is iconic. Plus it sounds otherworldly
@@jaysonraphaelmurdock8812 Because - just for once - and just for a moment - he's not holding back. If he exerted his voice correctly, he could break windows for miles and burst human eardrums easily. But there IS no one else around for miles and miles luckily enough.
After watching the movie enough times, I have my own interpretation of why his scream reverbs in that otherworldly way.
You're hearing it from him - and from all the surfaces of the canyon around him reflecting it back an instant later. Reverb and reflection of sound.
Or - I could just be overthinking this and nerding out. 😅
Fun Fact: Superman didn't reverse time... Only HE went back in time.
The Earth didn't actually reverse it's spin. What we're seeing is time being reversed from his perspective.
Since time slows as you approach the speed of light, going back in time would be theoretically valid if you actually could exceed the speed of light.
This is what he's doing by circling the planet at high speed.
For a long time this was a major plot hole for me... How could he make the Earth spin backwards and reverse time by just flying around it? That's not how it works, and its scientifically absurd...
...and if he chose to save Lois the second time, did all those other people die?
Once I realized that ONLY Superman went back in time, it becomes possible for him to be in two places at once.
It might have been less confusing if they had Superman slingshot around the sun instead, like they did in Star Trek IV.
Now that I've lost both my parents, those death scenes hit me so much harder now.
For me, it is the lead up to the scream.
Several seconds of denial on his face, then that sob of anguish.
I grew up in the 80s and Christopher reeve will always be superman to me. superman I & II are my favorite.
Have a second favorite?
Superman 2 is really good
I grew up in the '60s, and Glenn Ford was one of my favorite actors, when he had that heart attack in the movie, it hurt.
@@ugaladh Sorry which one is Glenn Ford? He was in this Superman?
Glenn Ford played Jonathan Kent, Kal-El’s adoptive Earth father.
When this movie first came out, no one had ever seen tubes-of-light titles like that before. Those titles, coupled with John Williams' Superman music blew everyone away. Also, Superman 2 continues the story, so you gotta watch.
Preferably the more recent Richard Donner cut rather than the original theatrical release.
@@RltchieI The theatrical cut is better. The donner cut looks unfinished and has inferior music cues
interesting question.
given the opening, it seems superman 1 and superman 2 were suppose to be a single movie (otherwise, you have a Chekhov's gun with no payoff), now if you were to stich the two into a single movie, I suppose you could have the rocket superman throws into space, be the trigger that gets things rolling in superman 2 (instead of what happens in the start of 2).
was this the original plan for the movie, because it does kinda seem that way?
@@alexojideagu we will have to agree to disagree on that one. Especially given the majority of 2 was Donner’s with some extra bits spliced in from the new guy to get his name on the film. I’d rather have as close to the original concept than a mongrel with filler to tick the boxes for a director credit. But whatever floats your boat.
Preferable the Richard Donnor Cut of Superman 2
15:41 "Why can't she see that he's Clark?" In his autobiography, Roger Moore (who was making a James Bond movie in the same studios where they made "Superman") told of a time when he saw Christopher Reeve in line at the cafeteria for lunch. He was in full Superman costume with the cape and tights and the curly-q hair. The women around him were swooning and panting and you could almost hear their undergarments evaporating. The next day Reeve was in the same line at the same time but he was dressed as Clark Kent, with the full 3-piece suit and glasses, and NO ONE looked at him twice.
Quite telling
Henry Cavill did something similar in Times Square of going to see if anyone would recognise him in civilian clothing. The thing is, and this is what this itineration captures best, is that is more than the glasses, it's the personality. You see what you want, and who could expect the clumsy mild-mannered Clark Kent to be noticed as Superman?
There's the scene in Superman 2 where Clark is going to reveal his identity to Lois and Christopher Reeve physically transforms himself through his posture and body language. He literally gains about 3" in height. It's an astonishing performance. Look it up and you'll see what I mean.
@@HayleyHadeez That was the first movie, but yeah.
@@daveolson6001 I thought it was the second. In my defense it's been a long time since I watched them. 😆
Did people watch this in 1978 and say "This is amazing?" The answer is Yes. Yes we did. The tagline for this film was "You will believe a man can fly", and they delivered.
I was only four when this came out in the theater so my dad didn't take me to see it, but he made up for it by taking me to see Superman II.... twice.... in the theater. lol
People born after 1989 don't understand how hard it was to make special effects. Now people notice "bad cgi". Now everything is rushed through to produce content.
I was 2 when this came out but I loved it and it's sequels when I was a few years older.
it wasn't just any man, though...
@@alleygh0st That doesn't make any sense at all.
Christopher Reeve will always be Superman.
May he rest in peace.
This is not a joke, but one of my teachers is related to him. I can’t remember exactly how, but it was something like 1st cousin once removed or something
Well, Christopher Reeves and George Reeves, who did the original 1950’s TV series. They’re not related.
@@davidcosta2244 George Reeves and Christopher Reeve
And as fun fact: Reeve was an unknown actor that time, and to play the headrole nearto lots of Big Stars as small roles and cameos must be pressure...Reeve was catapultet to the top stars after this Movie. Sadly it was his only successful role.
The shot where he takes off from the roof after the helicopter rescue is still one of greatest in-camera effects in movies. Reeves truly made wire work look fluid.
Indeed. Reeve has said in interviews that his passion for flying (he was a certified glider pilot at the time) allowed him to convey the mechanics of flight on film.
@@dosgamer74 I believe he flew hang gliders. So he was already used to hanging in a harness and holding the proper position for "flying". And yes - he definitely SOLD the flying in a way no one else really has since. That's really HIM on wires with pre-filmed back projection film running behind him for most of the flying scenes!
The single greatest movie theme music ever composed, and the only actor who has EVER truly embodied Superman, and probably ever will.
The "S" is not for Superman, it's the crest of the House of El, his family crest.
Fun fact: The "slogan" for this movie was "You'll believe a man can fly"...a reference to the cutting edge (for the time) special effects, and for the absolute perfection Reeve brings to the role.
it is also a symbol in the kryptonian language that stands for hope
@@johnpaullogan1365 No. That was invented decades later, and then used most famously for the Man Of Steel movie. It did not mean hope at the time of this film (1978) nor for the rest of the 20th century.
@@burntvirtue You may be right about that, but who's to say in the comics that it always wasn't the symbol for hope? I can tell you one things. It's not an S. I doubt Krypton had the same alphabet as Earth.
Whatever the symbol means, the main thing is it isn't an "S." At the beginning of the film you can see all the Kryptonians have various symbols on their cloths, including the Jor-El who has the same symbol on his as Superman's outfit.
If I'm not mistaken, this movie introduced the idea that the "S" was a family crest (I suspect the creative consultant, Tom Mankiewicz, came up with the idea). Supposedly, comic writer Mark Waid came up with the idea that it means "hope" in the 2000's.
I was six years old when my whole family went to see this when it first came out. I was still trying to catch my breath from seeing Luke, Han, Darth, and Chewbacca for the first time....and now THIS MOVIE! What a magical time the late 70's were for us Gen X'ers!!!!
Wow I was 6 in '78 too..
Wow a more civilized time ❤
Believe me, we baby boomers loved it also! In the movie somewhere it says that he is 30 or that he was born in 1948. I don't remember which but that was my birth year so I thought, he's perfect for me!
I’ll second that emotion…
The way he played the two characters was perfection…the way he changed his posture, way he spoke, his mannerisms etc between superman and clark Kent
I am pretty sure this was some inspiration for how Michael Keaton portrayed the differences between Bruce/Batman.......
His hair is also parted differently and his makeup is subtly paler as Clark. He really nailed both roles.
I guess you could say they were one character - but two sides of one character. And I agree - Reeve was awesome at playing Kent / Superman. I don't think any other actor has done it quite as well.
"why can´t she see that he´s Clark?" Because that is proof of the amazing role play that Reeve did. It never was just the glasses. It´s the posture, the behavior, the voice, all...and Reeve did it in a way, that no one got close. He always will be...THE Superman
During shooting of the movie, Christopher Reeve would walk into craft service in full Superman costume and all the crew and other support staff would fawn over him. The women were basically drooling over him.
Other days he would walk in with his full Clark Kent costume and no one would even look at him.
The best example is when he takes off his glasses and stands 3 inches taller and completely changes. But it's also that no one would expect Superman to have a secret identity and pretend to be a normal human. And also that she probably doesn't even see Superman clearly, she's practically fainting when she's looking at him, stars in her eyes, and Clark is just Clark.
He's got glasses...and a ponytail...and paint-covered overalls. He could NEVER be prom king.
Because it's not just the fact that he puts on glasses and the movie has the audience focusing on him all the time.
It's the mannerisms and the alter ego personality that Clark puts on when he's not Superman.
As the superhero, he stands tall, confident, and very inspirational. And as Clark, he shrinks down, acts the opposite, and blends in with the crowd rather than stand out as an inspirational individual. Not only is that great acting by Reeve, but it highlights how much we sometimes can overlook that celebrities and our favorite heroes can be normal too and we often miss them or overlook.
Thinking of another example from Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Everyone missed Steve at the Smithsonian visiting his own exhibit with a baseball cap. The only one who technically recognized him was a kid who looked carefully and closely enough to spot his hero. Maybe it was just how it was filmed due to the camera shots, scene, and the angles. But the one part I remember is that despite being depicted as a super tall man, Steve kept his head down with the baseball cap on and that didn't draw too much attention from the general public.
It's most apparent in the scene in her apartment, dressed as Clark, he's about to tell Lois his secret but chickens out at the last moment. Reeves goes from Clark to Superman back to Clark seamlessly. He did this role the best.
I saw this as a kid when it came out in Glasgow, Scotland, and it still mesmerised me. RIP both Margot Kidder and Christopher Reeve; they were the best Lois and Clark xx
I love this movie, and it holds a special place in my heart. Growing up we were poor and didn't get to see a lot of movies, but we made a day of it when we saw this. Went to the budget theatre and I was amazed by this, and then we went to a Greek diner down the street and I got my first taste of gyros. My folks are together in the afterlife now, but I appreciate them for so many things, one of them being my love of movies.
.
When we saw this back in the 70's, we though the effects were great. And I love Gene Hackman, I'll watch him in almost anything. He's a national treasure. And I love my Superman like this, the big blue Boy Scout he's supposed to be, a symbol of hope.
When this film first came out, the tagline was "You'll believe a man can fly" because the flying effects were considered state of the art at the time. I think the cheesy villains thing is less annoying in this film because they were drawing on the original comics and 1940's serials. It was pretty much the first comic-book movie.
Not only was it state of art of the time, it established a new state of the art!
We did believe a man could fly.
It was the first major big-budget feature film based on a DC character. But there were comic-book-based serials in the 1940s (Batman in '43, Captain America in '44 and Superman in '48). Donner's lavish treatment took Superman out of B-movie kid flix territory and made it entertainment for audience members of any age.
@@jannasomewhere2889 there’s also Adventures of Captain Marvel in ‘41.
@@AutoPilate Yep, that one as well. Shazam!
The chemistry between Reeve and Kidder was unsurpassed by any other Superman/Lois pairing. They were like a classic 1940s comedy movie, like Hepburn and Tracy.
No lies detected. I loved Man of Steel, but the Superman/Lois chemistry just wasn’t on this level, and that’s assuming it was there at all. Also, the portrayal of Clark in this movie was just chef’s kiss perfection.
I had just turned 9 years old the year this movie hit theaters and my dad, bless his heart, let me see it with him at the opening night midnight show (provided I took a nap that afternoon in preparation). I was still coming down off the OG Star Wars high that hit every young boy just 18 months before and didn't think anything could hit as hard as Star Wars, but GOOD LORD did this movie blow me away as a kid. A few years later my dad would take me to the single greatest double feature of all time: RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK at 12:30 pm followed by SUPERMAN II at 3:15 the same day. It'll never get any better than that.
Cassie, when we saw this film in 1978, we were completely blown away by the special effects in it. This was the first film that showed a man fly convincingly. It was glorious! I must've gone to see this film 8 or 9 times in its first cinematic run.
I think it's the first superhero movie ever, at least the first with a budget.
Just a year or two before this movie came out, there were the adventures of live-action superheroes Captain Marvel and Isis to watch on Saturday morning tv. They could both fly, but definitely not convincingly. Of course, in the case of the gorgeous Isis, it was easy to overlook the lack of a special effects budget.
@@jpwcpa I was an avid watcher of both series...damn I miss the 1970's.....
@@jpwcpa Were those movies?
@@Christobanistan No, they were 30-minute long live-action TV shows on Saturday mornings, as an alternative to Saturday morning cartoons. The show with Captain Marvel was called Shazam, IIRC, and the show with Isis was called The Adventures of Isis. I believe you can find clips or even entire episodes here on UA-cam.
I still remember the tag line for the movie, it was so heavily advertised. "You will believe a man can fly" The special effects in the theatre were mind blowing for the time.
The special effects are still good by 2022 standards
Wasn't 'Supergirl''s tagline a few years later, "You'll believe a girl can fly".
The effects were not great for the time. Poor optical effects and obvious models. "2001" made 10 years earlier had far better effects.
@@flaggerify Do you realise how ridiculous you sound comparing a movie’s effect made in the late 70’s to 2001? Obviously it’s going to be more advanced. What they’re saying is that it’s held up remarkably well which is true.
Edit: Misunderstood what 2001 was referencing
@@lanagievski1540 Read it again.
""2001" made 10 years earlier had far better effects."
2001: A Space Odyssey made in1968.
The great thing about this film is how wholesome and optimistic it is. It's just pure hearted in a way we don't see now, but speaks honestly to us, rather than seeming trite.
The dialogue in this is so intelligent and so well-written.It's also just beautiful to watch.The cinematography is spectacular!
Hi I'm from Malaysia, without my parents knowledge, then 1978I went to watch Superman twice..FYI the dialogue was written by d best script writer Mario Puzo. He was also d script writer for Rambo first blood movie
Christopher Reeve showed every single actor to come after him exactly HOW to play a Superhero in a feature film. He was the first actor to ever take it seriously and who brought that special level of warmth, humanity , humor and reality to the genre.
Every actor who has worked in the genre ever since owes him a real debt of gratitude.
Because he showed them all how it’s done.
For my generation - he will always be our Superman!
Brandon Routh did a great follow up job
@@thedragonreborn9856 Not really.
He was a carbon copy of Reeve. And he didn't even wear the suit. I found him bland and like an empty mannequin, strangely his face even looked like a mannequin at times.
Christopher Reeve didn't copy George Reeves before him, George Reeves didn't copy Alyn before him, Dean Cain didn't copy Christopher Reeve before him, nobody copied the preceding actor; they just copied the comic book.
Routh copies Christopher Reeve, technically not Routh but Bryan Singer did , to cast+ direct a carbon copy of Reeve.
It looked like a movie about Christopher Reeve playing Superman rather than a movie of Superman
Marlon Brando's "Superman" deal was branded “unprecedented” at the time. He ultimately received $3.7m plus 11.75 percent on the backend for what amounted to less than 20 minutes on screen as Superman's Kryptonian father Jor-El. Cary Elwes (who played Wesley in "The Princess Bride") was sixteen and worked behind the scenes in "Superman". His job was to get Marlon out of his trailer. “Marlon had no incentive to be on time, because his agent had struck the most amazing deal for him,” Elwes said. “Every day that the picture went over, he got another million dollars." Elwes swiftly discovered that the best way to lure Brando out of his trailer was mainly with food. “Once you fed Marlon, he was in a much better mood,” the actor recalled. “So I tried to find delicacies that appealed to him, which were limited at Shepperton at the time. He mainly wanted desserts.”
That's an amazing bit of backstory! Is there footage on UA-cam of Cary Elwes recounting this tale?
At those stakes, I'd have set the trailer on fire.
"Rise and shine, ham bone! Let's go! Get out, or we'll bring the marshmallows! What's the matter? I thought you liked the smell of burning ego in the morning! Mush! Mush! Oh, I forgot. You want your pancakes with or without cocaine on top?"
Thats how he got so fat
His deal makes more sense when you remember it was actually for the two films.
His scenes were great in the Donner cut of the sequel, I'm glad they restored them.
He filmed scenes for superman 2. But he wanted even more money. As he learned that the scenes he filmed were for two movies not one. So the studio cut his scenes out for sups 2 and replaced them with sups mum. The Richard donner cut of sups 2 restores marlon Brando’s ditched scenes. I prefer the donner cut of sups 2. Feels more of a part 2 than the one the released
This was such an event, when I was a kid. The Superman movies (especially the first 2) were part of a great era, with the original star wars movies and Indiana jones.
It's incredible how John Williams tied these films together for us musically. We had it good as kids...
I was 3 when they had Superman 1 & 2 back to back on HBO when I was a kid
They are the first movies I can clearly remember watching and they kept my attention for 4 straight hours, left a big imprint on me
Don’t forget the First couple of Star Trek films! And Tron. And The Last Starfighter. Krull! Excalibur! Dragonslayer! And the original Battlestar Galactica was on TV. And Buck Rogers. Star Blazers (Space Battleship Yamato) premiered in the top 9 major TV markets in 1979. And then to the entire syndication market in 1980.
It was an awesome time to grow up as a Sci-Fi/Fantasy/comic-book fan!! 👍😁
@@logandarklighter Well if we're going to include TV.... There was Doctor Who with the best Doctor, Tom Baker, and 1979/1980 there was Monkey. A British dubbed, Japanese show, about Chinese mythology, based on an Indian religion, where a gorgeous swimwear model played a boy priest. (and young people try to tell *us* about diversity)
@@logandarklighter No doubt, I was 4-14 in the 80s. It was like God Himself placed me on the exact right year to be born! 🤯
The years between 1977 to around 1989, were AMAZING years to be a kid and teen, with respect to movies. Starting in 1977, we had Star Wars, Grease, Gremlins, Ghostbusters, Indiana Jones, Top Gun, Terminator, Stand By Me, Neverending Story, War Games, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Bill & Ted, Back To the Future, Beverly Hills Cop, Die Hard, Tron, Princess Bride, Beetlejuice...
Yes, best time of Hollywood ever, starts with Jaws 75 and then brings out lots of REAL Blockbusters and Megastars like Stallone, Ford, Willis, Schwarzenegger, Gibson, Glover etc...There was a time BEFORE Spielberg and after...Lucas, Cameron...
One of my favorite visual effects is when Clark takes off his glasses while standing in Lois' apartment after the "date with Superman" scene. Clark straightens up and looks different. Reeves was a tremendous actor and gave legitimacy to the idea of Clark's glasses working as a disguise.
What I'll always love about John Williams is that he never fails to make a movie standout with his memorable score...Star Wars, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Home Alone, Jaws, E.T., etc. Even though I'm a huge Batman fan, THIS Superman has THE GREATEST superhero theme song of all time. Christopher Reeve played him beautifully, RIP.
Clark's behavior made him insignificant and he would blend in.
Where people wouldn't take a second look at him.
Yeah he's the source of so much childhood nostalgia 😍
1941 was an awesome score, but the movie flopped.
@@knoahbody69 Not Spielberg's, Bob Gale's or Zemeckis' finest film. BUT, I agree, great score for 1941! A great array of legendary actors in their younger years that I feel brought this fair comedy to cult status. Got to give the film some credit, at least it received 3 Oscar nominations.
I agree completely but the Danny Elfman,s Batman 89 theme is very iconic and brilliant too . For me this two scores are the best by far in superheroes type films.
Superman: The Movie is the movie that paved the way for every superhero film that has been released since then!
That is a great point.
I’ve heard a story that Kevin Fiege has screened this film before making marvel films for inspiration. Not sure if it’s true. I think he said it in a speech once.
I posted a link to it elsewhere on this video.
If this had been anything other than a massive box office draw, that would have been the end of any Hollywood studio ever putting major money behind a superhero movie again.
You're welcome MCU.
Being alive seeing Superman '78 as a child in the theatre, and still being a fanboy today of the capes and spandex today, I completely agree!
This movie made people believe Superman was real and could really fly lol. This movie, Citizen Kane, Star Wars, the first Jurassic Park, groundbreaking special effects for their times.
I saw this in the theater when I was 8 or 9.
I still get chills every time I hear that Superman-music start up.
Also, when Pa Kent falls over in the farmyard in that wide shot... that was the first time that I saw a person die. I still remember it. Very moving, especially because he was such a good guy.
My favorite thing, and just about the only thing I remember about the 2006 "Superman Returns," was the revival of the music and opening sequence. Now that I think about it, it was probably my first time experiencing that in the theater.
My earliest movie going experience I remember, was seeing this. Like 1978, I was aboyr 4. Was OBSESSED with Superman for years. Capes & Costumes. A lot of us were.
that quiet moment when he takes off the glasses and you see his complete change in posture from Clark to Superman shows just how great a performance Reeve put in here.
you were dead on right about Tessmacher being 35 at the time of the movie.
another little thing that helped was casting up all the smaller parts. aside from Marlon Brando playing Jor-El (and looking wildly different from the Godfather even though it was not too many years apart), Papa Kent was Glenn Ford who had been the lead actor in a bunch of westerns, the henchman Otis was Ned Beatty who was in big movies for decades (and voiced the stuffed bear Lotso in Toy Story 3)
21:25 This scene is why Christopher should have had an Oscar nomination. Look at the way his stature changes, the straightening of the shoulders. A physical transformation from Clark to Superman, all just by taking off his glasses. Even the sound of his voice changes. And then changing back when he backs out of revealing his true identity. Playing two different people in the same shot. Amazing acting.
when Cassie says "she doesn't see he is superman??" No, Loise sees a klutz of a man, nasaly voice, slightly bent over all the time and weird. That's the perfect disguise
@@joseanl Lois is in love with Superman while she likes Clark. Her mind is on Superman We in the audience know they are the same but if we put ourselves in lois’ place we can see that there is no reason, at least at first, to see them as the same person Other than that they sort of look like each other
Yep
@@joseanl absolutely!!!
Trivia: The mom in that scene on the train with the little girl (little Lois Lane in the extended version) is Lois Lane from "The Adventures of Superman" TV show from the 50's. I would love to see your (and Carly's) reaction to "Superman 2, 3, and 4". Awesome reaction! So glad you enjoyed this. I saw it in the movies as a kid and yes it was an awesome experience! Christopher Reeve IS Superman!
"If you don't love me as Clark Kent, you don't get to love me as Superman."
Well said.
33:13 "If you can't love me as Clark Kent, then you don't get to love me as Superman."
That's not fair.
Lois isn't seeing the Clark Kent that grew up in the beginning of this movie.
She's seeing a nervous, bumbling, fake personality.
@@MrDeathpilot ...by a man who proclaims to "never lie!" 😏
If you like Chris Reeve you should definitely watch “Somewhere in Time”. One of the best films ever imo.
Somewhere in Time is amazing... definitely worth a watch.
I have mentioned Somewhere in Time many times, promising Cassie she'd love the John Barry music, the story and the hotel. The good news is that Cassie was sent a Blu Ray DVD of Somewhere in Time and mentioned that she's heard of it. It's also Christopher Reeves' follow up movie to Superman, for what that's worth.
@@THOMMGB fingers crossed
Cassie would literally dissolve into a puddle of tears if she watched that!
I think she'd really like that movie.
When I was a small kid and my father left us, I stumbled upon this movie probably 1979 or 1980. Even at that young age I said to myself Superman would never hurt his kids, he would never lie and he would always do the right thing. I started to look up to Supes as a role model. Then eventually I found out me and Christopher Reeve shared the same birthday and that completed my bond with the man of steel. I bawled like a baby when Chris Reeve died.
RIP to the real Man of Steel
I’m sorry to hear that.
Marvel comics- particularly Spider-Man in the 80's became my moral role models- but Superman was movie idol?
Same mate, well, apart from the birthday 😂 I couldn't sleep as a kid unless I had my superman bed covers 😂🤦
Thank you for sharing this.
The real and only Superman, indeed, and also Richard Donner's magnum opus. Too bad no one has been able to replicate this level of respect for the character in any subsequent live-action adaptation.
i think the team behind smallville did a great job for clark kent. it was honestly too good which led to it lasting far too long for the rules the corporate overlords of wb dictated
Henry Cavill has the look and acting ability. He should be the definitive Superman, but he had horrible material to work with.
I saw it as a kid in the 70’s and 80’s, this movie was soooo huge back then. He’s our childhood Hero 😢
As a child of the 70s, I can tell you that these effects were mind blowing.
The movie actually still stands up even to today's standards.
Yeah it looked waaay better than I expected.
The running looked funny even back then, but I let it slide. As long as they could make the flying look awesome. And they pretty much did.
Agreed. My mom took to me to see it for my 7th Birthday in 1978 and I've seen this film lord knows how many times since then and it does hold up pretty damn good 44 yrs later.
@@ct6852 - Sadly, I have been made aware of a distressingly common theme today : I am watching many reaction channels and over and over and over again people keep saying how surprised they are at how good these movies and effects are, and I just don't get it... why does everyone expect them to be bad? True there are some pretty bad movies in the past, but, there are also some pretty poor movies now - it isn't really about when it was made, it's probably more about effects budget coupled with talent level of cast, if you make a movie with a $500.00 budget and hire actors who have had maybe one or two (or none) roles worth of experience, yeah your movie will probably suck - doesn't matter when it was made.
Also, I have noticed a similar trend with music reaction first time channels, people listen to 80s music or whatever and are like "Wow, I can't believe these people from "so long ago" could make such good music .... don't these fools know how long ago Elvis and the Beatles were? How about Beethoven? Nothing is bad because it's older, it's only bad if it was made will less quality.
@@lethaldose2000 - I am just throwing out a guess but from what I can tell, the running was actually real running, they just had the train moving extremely slowly, and he was running regularly then they probably just sped up the film speed is my guess, of course I don't know, never looked it up, but that's my theory.
Speaking from someone that was there in the theater. This experience was like watching the Matrix in "99" kinda, Groundbreaking.
Seeing the kind, Superman scream the way he did when Lois died. My god, it f'ed up the entire theater! It's the first time you ever seen Superman angry/Pissed in any fashion.
Not remotely the first.
Facts: Sometimes you get to see a 🎥 Film. That is absolutely ground breaking. Matrix, Jurassic Park, Star Wars, the Abyss, terminator 2 , LOTR and the thing. It's a shame because the Special Effects got 30 times better. However the wokness dumbed down all those story telling abilities.
All of those franchises are dying today.
@@Slevencolevra There is good work being done today here and there, but mostly people are being fed junk food with high fructose corn syrup. Most of the younger viewers simply don't know any better because it's all they've seen.
BTW, I totally agree about "The Thing." The 1951 original was pretty good too.
@ J Mack you just brought up a memory for me it's true i grew up with this SUPERMAN and it still is one of my favs that scene still sends chills down my spine when he screams at the sight of dead lois .
Never mind rewinding the world didn't make sense it makes sense according to Superman logic 😉. love Cassie's reactions keep quality movies alive CHEERS.😃
I'm very good at suspended disbelief. When I saw Lois get buried the first time I saw this movie in the theater, I really thought she had died. I was devastated until he saved her.
The film that set the standard for all superhero films to follow, and that proved they weren’t “just for kids”.
❤️💛💙
Then they started making superhero films that aren't at all for kids. 😞
Christopher Reeve should have been nominated and won the Oscar for this role!Yes even playing Superman a comic-book superhero.He brought so much to the role.His performance was off the charts!!!!
The “S” on his chest doesn’t mean Superman. It is the crest of the house El and that’s why Jor-El was wearing it in the beginning of the film.
Only today. Originally, it was the English letter "S" which his Earth mother put there when she sewed it.
That is the truth, in-universe. In a meta sense, the "S" originated with with Superman's creators, Joel "S"iegel and Jerry "S"huster. They put the "S" on Superman's chest.
And apprentley, that was Brando's idea as well
One of the reasons I loved Christopher Reeve's portrayal of Clark Kent/Superman is the clear difference in personality between Clark and Superman.
Even though I grew up on George Reeves as Superman, that was always my chief complaint about HIS portrayal. Outside of the very first episode where Reeves played Kent as mild-mannered and Superman as over-the-top macho, as the show progressed, the was absolutely no difference between Clark and Supes....as portrayed by Reeves.
Christopher Reeve played them perfectly as two completely different people with different hairstyles, posture, mannerisms, and overall personalities. Reeve was masterful
@@williamrandolph1566 it's also a case of bad directing for the show and great directing for the movie.
@@darthfinality I read that George Reeves refused to play Clark Kent as meek and mild-mannered. He argued that in order for him to be believable as a good reporter, he would have to be more "hard-nosed".
@@williamrandolph1566 I kind of see the Lois and Clarke Daily Planet partnership more like Maxwell Smart and Agent 99. 99/Lois being the beauty and brains and Clarke/Maxwell being the tries-hard-but-often-fails comic relief - although Clarke purposely portrays that bumbling persona where for Smart it comes "naturally".
I was 7 years old when my father took me to see this in the Theaters!
I can't help but to STILL see this movie through the experience of that 7 year old boy. It's one of the BEST memories I can remember sharing with my father! Amazing!
Great Reaction!
Agreed. You have to see it through the prism of it's age/time to appreciate and enjoy it.
Just a few things. Famous actors in this. Glen Ford plays Clarks father. The actress who played Lois Lane(Noel Neill) in the tv series is the woman riding on the train when clark runs by her window. The editor of the daily planet is Jackie Cooper a child actor fron early cinema. The symbol on supermans chest is not an S as we know it, it represents something from Krypton.
Reeve's charisma is off the charts in Superman. That's why it's so damn hard to cast another. Having the look is one thing, but the screen presence makes it work.
You also must give credit to Gene Hackman for playing an excellent Lex Luthor.
He played the role great, because the role was supposed to have a comedic flair. If they asked him to play a really serious dark Luthor, he would have been great at that too. It just wasn't what Donner was going for. He took Superman's side of the movie very seriously but he was more lighthearted with Luthor's.
Honestly one of the greatest super hero stories of all time ☺️🐻
one of the best actors to play Superman as well. Truly embodied the hero till his dying day.
Watched this 2 years ago, but I needed a rewatch. There are scenes here that still make me tear up.
When Superman came off of the pages of comic books and into "real life" on television (kids could recite the introduction verbatim), he was portrayed by George Reeves. When he came to the silver screen in 1978, those who remembered the TV show may have been a little skeptical that the Superman they knew could be portrayed to their satisfaction. The movie was a great success, even for those who remembered, and it was just a little spooky Superman was a guy named Christopher Reeve.
I knew you'd love Clark in this. And the score to this still gives me goosebumps. This movie is the best interpretation of Superman I've ever seen. He is infinitely powerful, humble, honest and just relentlessly good.
Superman is how the US sees itself.
Batman is how the world sees the US.
@@DeltaAssaultGaming Batman is how the U.S. wishes the world would see it.
Most of the world sees the U.S. as Homelander.
@@DeltaAssaultGaming - The U.S. likes to believe itself to be Jesus Christ.
The Spanish Inquisition/Salem Witch Trials is where the U.S. is heading.
This film was “Magical” in 1978. Such a great time for films. I’m really glad you did this watch. Thank you.
I remember when growing up, i'd have bad days, couldn't sleep, and late at night, i'd catch this movie, watch it until dawn, and feel better about whatever was bothering me at the time. The S is the symbol of Hope on Krypton. Superman is the ultimate symbol of Hope. My favorite parts of the Superman movies is the ending as he's circling the Earth, and just as he veers to go offscreen, Reeves breaks the 4th wall, looks at the camera and smiles. Thank you, Mr. Reeves.
This is still my favorite super hero film of all-time. It set the standard and got the ball rolling for the genre. Considering the time period, the special effects were pretty solid. The casting was pretty spot-on, too. And the score? Oh man, just another notch in John Williams' iconic belt. I'm so glad you're getting to see all these classic movies.
For many years, NOTHING even came close.
This is not only the greatest super hero movie ever made but it’s simply a great film period. What an incredible tour-de-force acting performance by Christopher Reeve.
Puzo script writing for the win.
And, surprised me to discover that Superman II, is basically Part 2 of this film.
It will never get this recognition but it's one of the most perfect castings there ever was, up there with Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch. If you think about anyone else in these tights, at this time, hanging on wires, it's just laughable. You think of all the options they were looking at. Clint Eastwood, laughable. Robert Redford, Paul Newman, laughable. Burt Reynolds, laughable. And then you think of how Reeve approached this as 2 characters and came at Clark Kent from a totally different angle. Nowadays they can sew muscles in your suit and make it look cooler, they can use CGI and visual effects to make you look more "super." But to put those pajama tights on and play Superman...no one else could have pulled it off.
@@sup9542 He attended the Julliard School, so,... ya. He was GOOD !
@@2A.Freedom I thought Reeves appearance in Smallville was a fantastic association of the original actors to the legitimacy of Smallville, which as a series, fought tooth and nail to establish itself in an era when comic stories were not truly respected. It was a huge deal when he made his appearance.
This is my favorite movie of all time. I watched it so many times when I was a kid. I still remember crying the day Christopher Reeve died. This movie set the standard for every single superhero movie that was made after it and they all follow the same format and owe a great deal to the OG superhero movie.
I was equally sad when I heard Christopher got paralyzed after the 4th Superman movie.
Saw this at 10 years old when it came out. It was a mind blower and was impossible to leave the theater without a big smile on your face. It was a completely different world than all of this kind of stuff was brand new.
The scene after Lois meets Superman and they go for their flight, and then Clark arrives, watch the transition that Christopher Reeves goes through, when he thinks about telling her. He actually gets taller, and broader. it's actually an amazing feat of acting by Reeves
timestamp 21:24
that's why they can never tell that Clark is Superman. Superman always looks and feels larger than live, while Clark always seems like a common man that nobody notice
2 things that has made this film a favorite of mine since I was like 3 years old: 1) Christopher Reeve as Superman was like my greatest hero when I was kid. He's just so perfect. I still don't think anyone has ever been better as a superhero in a movie. 2) John Williams' music. The whole score is amazing but his main theme for Superman may be my all time favorite theme Williams has ever done. And that is saying something. His music, the film as a whole, the tone of the film, the almost naive but reassuring goodness/innocence of Reeve's Superman and the film itself, and the wonderfully bombastic opening of the film had such an impact on me ever since I was very young. It's one of the things that made me realize how magical and incredible film can be and it gave me the idea of what a hero can be and how great it is to have a hero and how great it is to be aware that there are heroes like that. Not all of them can fly, but there're out there.
Christopher Reeve was a versatile and hardworking actor who deserved more recognition. A really sweet movie, which I think you'll enjoy, is "Somewhere In Time", with the beautiful Jane Seymour
Great film back in the day, one part that will always stick in my memory was the end when he patrolling earth, and just as he pulled away he looked straight at the camera and smiled, and thought he smiled just for me and no one else, it stuck with me even now I'm 63 ill never forget it ❤
All these movies, Superman, Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, back to the Future....all the original, all the best, all the best scores, all the best time in movies. Todays teens, 20 somethings will never experience a time when music, fashion, movies everything were at their peak. Creative magic and true originality was everywhere, no politics, no social justice warriors, the future was bright. After the mid-90s with the introduction of social media, internet, 24 hour news....the world was never the same.
So true. The CGI-laden crap of today just looks like a shit video game to me. That's another thing...I'm not a gamer, but what passes for video games nowadays look AWFUL. They all look the same and all seem to BE the same. Give me Nemesis, Bubble Bobble, Shinobi or Wonderboy in Monster Land at an arcade with proper joysticks over that shite any day!
When I was a kid, this was the first movie I ever went to a theater to see… It’s still one of my fav action hero movies.
This Movie is a Masterpiece! The skill and artistry required to make this Movie at that time was staggering, and there will only ever be one actor to play Superman, Christopher Reeve! R.I.P. Chris and Margot.
The thing with these old movies also is they had a soul....that's why they stand the test of time. The new cgi filled Hollywood films are empty trash.
I was born in November 1974 I'll be 49 this year I've just found you on UA-cam and watching you watching my Childhood heroes growing up is brilliant watching you with your beautiful young eyes from a different generation perspective seeing your reactions is just brilliant. Take care Phil from London England 🏴⚘
I love all the naughty innuendo running through this film - it marks it as a product of the 70's. Lois's sly questions, Superman's knowing grins, it's all so delicious and playful. None of that would be possible in a Batman film with its dark characters and unrelenting bitterness. Superman is all about positivity and striving to be better, so his story has room for lightness now and then. And Chris Reeve was so perfect. He was also the lead in what is, in my opinion, the most lovely romance movie ever made, "Somewhere in Time". Oh, he was so wonderful in that. You MUST watch it, I guarantee you'll love it. * sigh *
By the way, the reason no one sees that he's Clark is because he _can't_ be Clark. Kal-El crafted his cover identity very carefully to make sure of that. It's why Clark is shy, weak, why he stutters and is scared so easily. He can't show any strength because that ensures that no one will ever _expect_ any, and thus it'll be nearly impossible for anyone to realize they're the same person. (It's also why he wears glasses, as through most of the 20th century, glasses were associated with weakness and timidity.)
Yes, Lois. Superman can GET IT. lol.
I like the subtle moment after Clark and Lois meet. He bumps into Lois and she jumps, looks down, and holds her gaze for a bit.
This is and always will be the best superhero movie. The acting, the production, the direction, the music, the story…. I saw this in the theater. I was blown away. Please know the effects didn’t even exist at the time. They had to invent them. Thank you for watching it.
In a way I agree, Batman 89 and The dark Knight are right up there
This movie was made before digital effects which first came out a year later in Disney's The Black Hole. They refused to give that film that an Oscar because they considered digital effects basically cheating.
As someone who grew up in the era, we all thought the running scene was… not good. But, the flying scenes, the score, and the overall translation of the material was incredible.
I almost suspect the running scene was intentionally made to look bad so people would expect less from the flying scenes and when those came people were more blown away.
They never could depict superspeed running well till about 2003, IMO.
@@nivekian Yeah - flying? Sure. But running requires much closer interaction with the ground and surfaces of all sorts. You can "fudge" flying a bit. You have to be PERFECT to show superspeed running! I think the first few seasons of The Flash TV series with Grant Gustin in the lead nailed it.
Weirdly - the Ezra Miller Flash in Justice League and the Snyder Cut... DIDN'T. Not for me at least.
@@nivekian I feel The Flash (1990) did a good job.
@@logandarklighter Exactly. That's why the Six Million Dollar Man ran in slow-mo. Just easier.
26:52 Mark! Margot and Valerie both had celebrity guest star photo-spreads in "Playboy Magazine" because of this movie with their admirers making a competition out of which issue sold the most copies and was the most popular! VP was in more than one issues because she did enough movies with nude scenes compared to MK.
So, this character would be in the younger option range! My favorite character of hers is still as "Montana Wildhack" in "Slaughterhouse Five"! That character is a zoo specimen representing us on Planet Tralfamidore! 😊
My uncle took me to see this when I was 5 years old and I 100% remember the experience being one of the happiest of my life. I immediately got my mom to buy me Superman Underoos and I'd run around the house pretending to fly.
We didn't have Superman Underoos, but my brother did have Superman pajamas that looked kinda like long johns. I remember him tucking in a red-orange bath towel at the neck and pretending to be Superman! It was when this movie and Superman II came out that my Mom had to explain to us kids that some things we saw in movies were only pretend and that the actors and actresses weren't really doing those things, they were just pretending. I seem to remember she explained that Superman and Lois Lane only looked like they were flying because they had wires holding them up. I think she told us that so that we wouldn't really try to fly!
I had a Superman beach towel that you could wear like a poncho. It had a hole in the middle, and when you draped it over yourself, it had his "body," front and back, on either side.
As a Superman fan I can’t even tell you how amazing it was to see this in 1978 on the big screen. Christopher Reeve was incredible and this film was ground breaking in the effects and for flying.
I was 8 when I saw this in the theater and I can say that I have never seen a crowd go more insane for a movie than this one. The first time you see him in his Fortress of Solitude in his suit and he flies towards the camera, the crowd went berserk and everyone was on their feet cheering and hooting. I never felt something so amazing in the vibe of a movie audience before... or since... and this is after having the magical experience of seeing Star Wars in the theater the year before. This movie was the perfect movie for someone my age back then... but I can promise you that all of those cheering adults in the theater that day felt the magic too. :-) I doubt I'll ever have a theatrical experience like that again... it gives me chills just thinking back to it.
YES!!! You told my story exactly as I remember it when I was 8 years old! I still remember the magic, and still reeling from Star Wars the year before was so EPIC. I don't think ANYTHING will ever compare to those experiences in 1977/78!
That's right I remember.
I'm sorry I wasn't there. All I remember is the audience cracking up when Christopher Reeve stared at a phone booth.
@@racheldrum1982 Yes! I remember that too! :-D Great gag with the phone booth!
Thoroughly enjoyed the reaction ( especially the running)..! I was nine years old when I first saw this film and I can’t overstate just what an impact it had, not just on me but tens of millions of people. The effects at the time were revolutionary, in fact the tag line for the movie was ‘You’ll believe a man can fly’. It contains the scene that to this day has never been equalled in terms of crowd response: the helicopter rescue. When this happened the entire cinema just went crazy with applause and cheering. It’s also forgotten how impressive the cast is. Don’t forget, this movie was an enormous risk. The very first big screen, massive budget comic book film. To have Brando, Hackman, Glen Ford, Ned Beatty, Terence Stamp, Trevor Howard, Suzanna York was unprecedented. At the centre of it all though, is the great Christopher Reeve. A complete unknown before this, his casting as Superman / Clarke must go down as one of, if not the, greatest casting decisions in cinema history. He is pitch perfect and has set the bar at an impossible to reach level for all other interpretations of the character. The movie retains its magic and has a spirit and quality that has been very rarely matched. Todays CGI offerings, while occasionally impressive visually have none of the charm and warmth on display here and John Williams immortal theme and in fact, the whole soundtrack would be amongst his very best. Sure, the effects are dated by today’s standards, but that’s not the point…. It’s the heart and for me it captures a moment in time, before the internet, before social media, before mobile phones, when people came together to experience something magical and innocent. When everything seemed possible and there was nothing that couldn’t be done. That times long gone, but luckily we have movies like this to remind us.
You mention how great the casting was and of course it was! So much so that I actually watched the credits and paid attention to who the casting person was, Lynn Stalmaster. For years I thought that was a lady but I guess it is a man. After that I would always look to see who did the casting and inevitably when the casting was good, it was Lynn Stalmaster. From that time forward I have always read the credits at the end of the movies!
I saw this movie when I was 5 with my dad, back in 96. To this day, the tag line reads true.
I believe a man can fly.
Super Man is my #1 super hero and Mr. Reeve is my Super Man, forever and always.
Thank you for this reaction 💚
I saw this movie when I was five too. The year it came out.
This was a really great reaction, Cassie. If you are looking for another film starring Christopher Reeve, I highly recommend Somewhere in Time. It was made in 1980 and is a wonderfully filmed and acted romantic drama. Reeve chose it because he was concerned about being type cast as the Superman character. He stars in it with Jayne Seymour as his love interest and there is lots of chemistry between them on screen. I can’t say enough good things about the film.
Oh, she'll love it, but it will emotionally wreck her with the twist.
Indeed! so geat!
Deathtrap with Lawrence Olivier!
@Gary N
DEATHTRAP is also superb.
@@purpleslog I think Micheal Kane was in there as well, right
Christopher Reeves did the best job out of any actor I've seen so far in playing Clark and Superman so much differently. It's so much more than the glasses. His speech patterns, clumsiness, posture (he probably looks 2-3 inches shorter as Clark), and everything else makes it so difficult to imagine Clark as Superman... well, if you're not good with faces ;)
*Reeve
Valerie Perrine started out as a Las Vegas showgirl, she was 39 when she filming the movie. Beautiful woman!
Christopher Reeve was truly an amazing actor, pulling off both Clark Kent and Superman so brilliantly. He and Margot Kidder had terrific chemistry together as well. If you enjoyed the romance in this movie, you will definitely want to watch (and react) to Superman II, Superman II completes the story which begins in this movie. Thank you for the great reaction!
One trick that was used to slightly differentiate between Superman and Clark was the hair style. If you look closely Clark parts his hair on the right side and Superman parts his hair on the left side. It makes more difference than you would think.
And the glasses Clark wears glasses superman does not
Lois: "Who are you?"
Superman: "A friend"
Makes me smile every time.
That completely define what Superman is. Always gives me shills.
I love when he looks at that phone booth and decides he can't use it.
Yep - Reeve's Superman knew exactly who he was and why he did what he did. Tom Welling and Henry Cavill's Superman would probably respond to "Who are you?" with a "I DON'T KNOW!" and fly away crying dramatically.
@@michaeljung1662 lol Yeah, indeed.
First real superhero movie. She is rhyming while flying because a song version was made. And never used. So good to see someone watching this for the first time!
This is a such a great movie. Sometimes, when I'm at work and I want to give my administrative assistant an assignment, I yell "Miss Tessmacher!"
Superman Theme by John Williams is way underrated. I think it's one of the best he's ever done.
"Without John Williams, bikes don't really fly, nor do brooms in Quidditch matches, nor do men in red capes. There is no Force, dinosaurs do not walk the Earth, we do not wonder, we do not weep, we do not believe." Steven Spielberg
@@NBLP7001 He's pretty damn magical. I got to see an orchestra score Jurassic Park live and it was soooo cool.
How old you are to think and talk something so absurd? Superman score is one of the best scores created for a film in history.
@@tcmn1982 Yeah that's what I said. But Williams never got nominated for it?
Not just the main theme but the love theme, I think it's called. That's the one that I've always thought is super underrated. If you watch the full end credits, the way it just swells up at the end with that love theme, it's one of his best compositions.
The effects at the time were ground-breaking. In fact, the tag line on the poster is, "You'll believe a man can fly."
I want to address the whole, how does Loos not recognize Clark as Superman. This is a thing that people have poked fun at for decades. The idea is that no one is looking for Superman in Clark. Clark acts in a way and carries himself in a way that no kne is trying to put 2 and 2 together when it comes to him and Superman.
This theory was proven to work by Henry Cavill. When his Superman movie ce out, Cavill wore glasses and a blue Superman tshirt. He stood in Times Square under a poster of him as Superman for 20 minutes. One person approached him and all they did was ask for directions. No one recognized him because no one was looking for Henry Cavill. No one was expecting to find him there...so no one did. Clark is able to keep his identity secret because no one is trying to see him as Superman. He is easily dismissed as Clark Kent.
Here is another reason. This is the same person in both pictures:
external-preview.redd.it/4AvcV1O-BidvK7GMufUNbrhXtwYPxG6mN9cQyLoQal4.jpg?auto=webp&s=e8a16f2dd1442927ffa0451643c6219a8069c132
Reeves was great because you can see how his Kent and Superman were two different roles just with minor changes in his posture and vocal tone
@@jonbjorling3337 And his mannerisms. Reeve's two characters were very different, and no one not already in the know would even think to compare them.
Christopher Reeves ate at a dinner across the street from Warner Brothers for 18 years. Whenever he was dressed as Clark Kent, no one asked him for an autograph, or bothered him, or recognized him except his waitress. When he was in costume as Superman or some other role for shows or movies he was in, people talked to him and wanted his autograph.
Cavill's "experiment" makes the Superman legacy that much more powerful. IMHO, he's the best Supes since Reeve. I hope to see Henry play Superman more.
You have to remember this: for its time yes these special effects were revolutionary, just like in the same way Star Wars which was only released the year before also created its own milestone for special effects that had never even been attempted before on the big screen. People actually did believe from how convincing it looked and with for example no obvious sign of wires holding him up, that whilst watching this in the cinemas they were seeing superman fly which up until then had never been done to that standard. The actual wirework rear projection and stunts they did to achieve it took over a year to complete in that alone, it also helped in that area of Reeve in the lead role who had physique capable of coping with the physicality all of that took. Again to invoke Star Wars, that very opening of the vessel appearing on screen and literally seemingly going on and on filling the entire screen that kind of effect in same way to Superman was nothing ever seen before and received equally rapturous reception in cinemas. Both films made a seismic impact in that decade to degree they created the blueprint for their respective film genres of superhero movies and sci-fi fantasy/ sci fi opera even as Star Wars also defined. The amount of creative people involved would go on in so many other great films and without doubt these people and Superman/ Star Wars itself gave a huge boost and helped advance the craft of special effects in the many years that were to come.
@Mel Goodrose Drives me nuts when i hear young people apply CGI to anything before 1989. Everything is so easy now in film making they just push a button. Back then everything was done on set in camera. Artist like George Lucas and Richard Donner do not exist anymore. Everyone who worked on the first Star Wars had no idea what was going on, it was all in Lucas's head. Even the effects people who wasted most of the budget got nothing done, Lucas had to come in and show them what he wanted. All these movies that are pop culture icons were so very hard to make back then. Films are not inspiring anymore.
You can count Close Encounters of the Third Kind in this group as well. I remember people giving it a standing ovation at the end. It was the first time Aliens were put on film in a realistic way.
@@reesebn38 Yes very true that one also. The 70's really was the start of a revolution in special effects but with, the story the actors the director s (i.e Lucas and Spielberg who made their mark), was there with it. And that could be argued isn't there as universally today - for all the even greater advancement of technology/cgi etc. if it is all about the effects and the rest of it is a non starter it is an epic failure. Independence Day Resurgence...wow such a disappointment l had to struggle to stop myself from falling asleep or walking out of that one!
I actually met Margo Kidder once and had a very nice conversation with her. She detailed how difficult and exhausting the flying sequences were. She said she would cry from the cramping. Also, once they were in the harnesses, they couldn't come out of them until the day's shooting was over. Even for the bathroom. She had nothing but good things to say about Christopher Reeve. She was a very, very nice lady and it pains me to no end to think that both of them are gone now.
@@dennisjump8655 And they both had sad endings. She hosted one of the best episodes of Saturday Night Live when it was at its best.
The part where she is rhyming during the flying scene was supposed to be a song sung by someone else. It did not work. Then Margo sung it but that did not work. So Donner felt it was better to have her just saying it as it is what she is thinking to herself inn her head.. The S on his suit. in these films is the same S on his Dad's clothing onKrypton. It is not an S. It is the symbol for the house of El, which is his family as his real name is Kal-El. It just happens to look like an S on Earth. Luthor was telling Superman his plans to stall him to give the missiles enough time to be far enough away where even if Superman did get out of there he would not be able to stop both.
Even after 40+ years and despite the dodgy special effects, wirework and some hammy performances, I still get chills when that theme kicks in as Clark runs to save Lois in the helicopter.
Yeah. The Hans Zimmer theme is so bland. I feel nothing when I hear it but the John Williams theme that's another story,
You say dodgy special effects but for its time these special effects were cutting edge - okay I'll grant you some of them are obviously not so special anymore and may be dated but, it is always a mistake to compare something of its special effects and critique it against all of todays technology that it can do which back in 1978 would have been just a dream. Hammy performances - where and who do you say is hammy just curious. For me obviously certain parts of the movie are comedic but hammy...hmm. But yeah in general I think despite this was made so long ago all elements together it still holds up, people still easily mostly love this the very first one over the sequels.
The opening sequence of this movie still gives me chills and brings a tear to My eye no matter how often I see it.
To answer your question, yes, this was mega amazing for audiences back when this came out! I saw it in the movie theater when I was 10 and it was an epic experience for us all. I still can’t believe how good the film looks even today. So glad to see you watching this! You will love the sequel!
I was 7 when this came out, still think best Superman ever