2.40:1 DVD capture: Superman II (TRDC) SUPERMAN II (THE RICHARD DONNER CUT) *** (out of four) Image A Sound A Extras A-

Buy at Amazon USA Buy at Amazon Canada November 27, 2006|SPOILER WARNING IN EFFECT. A would-be victim of its own London After Midnight-esque mystique, "The Richard Donner Cut" of Superman II is marginally superior to Richard Lester's mutilation, but mitigating circumstances prevent it from being a totally viable alternative. Reconstructed from suppressed outtakes with due diligence (if a journeyman sensibility) according to pre-Lester drafts of the screenplay, the film follows the same basic storyline, though it's a little more efficiently plotted. (While a few Lester bits remain, there is almost certainly less Lester-generated footage here than there is Donner-generated footage in the theatrical version.) Gone is the Eiffel Tower set-piece, replaced by a charming sequence better allied--aesthetically speaking--with the previous Superman in which Lois tries to call Clark's bluff by jumping out a window of THE DAILY PLANET's headquarters; now the weapon of mass destruction responsible for freeing the three supervillains from the Phantom Zone is an errant missile from the climax of the original, which is clever but probably made more sense before they transposed the dopey turning-back-time conceit from the second film onto the first. (More on that later.) All of Marlon Brando's footage has been restored (meaning that all of Susannah York's footage has been elided), setting the stage for the paternal/filial Sturm und Drang of Superman Returns: composited as a floating head in an appropriately Zardozian fashion, Brando as Jor-El admonishes Superman for wanting to live as a mortal ("Will there ever come a time when I've served enough?" Supes asks rhetorically), then literally sacrifices his soul to rehabilitate Kal-El; as prophesied, then, the father becomes the son. Haste--Clark turns in his superhero badge, gets a rude awakening, and dons the tights again--still makes waste of this development, but a new cross-cutting structure that more methodically parallels Superman's sojourn as a human with the trio of Zod, Non, and Ursa seizing control of the planet seems bravely suspicious of status quo domesticity in a Nero-fiddles-while-Rome-burns kind of way. (Is it a coincidence that Donner waited until he was 55 to settle down?) Too, the fact that Lois now sleeps with Superman instead of Clark takes the vaguely puritanical tang out of Superman renouncing his powers. Unfortunately, the many virtues of this remix are overshadowed by two significant lapses in judgment, one ultimately pardonable, the other guaranteed to leave you livid. Although Lois Lane's unmasking of Clark Kent's true identity in a Niagara Falls hotel room is a disengaging Frankenstein of screen tests for Margot Kidder and Christopher Reeve shot months apart with discontinuous hair and wardrobe, it's at least conceptually preferable to Lester's prosaic 'fireplace' reveal. But what inexorably harms this redux of Superman II is the recycling of Superman's infamous deus ex machina, which in context gives off the impression that Superman rewinds the present again largely to repair his tarnished image (the citizens of Metropolis misinterpret his decampment to the Fortress of Solitude during the Battle Royale as an act of cowardice) and causes Supes to look that much more uncharacteristically vindictive when he returns to the truck-stop for a rematch with his assailant, since in this scenario the guy never laid a hand on Clark. It also puts Zod and co. back in the Phantom Zone, thus we're left to presume that he traveled back even farther than before. Wouldn't that mean there's now a Superman doppelgänger roaming around, à la Primer? Does this undo Jor-El's demise? Shouldn't Superman have used this get-out-of-jail-free card before the big showdown if it were so readily at his disposal? Fool me once, fellas, shame on me; fool me twice, shame on you. In a featurette on the DVD, "Superman II: Restoring the Vision" (13 mins.), Michael Thau, who spearheaded the Donner cut, says that Lester's "magic kiss" solution to the problem of Superman's open secret was dropped under advisement from the normally scrupulous Tom Mankiewicz, ostensibly because of some axiom that Supes should never kiss Lois in the Clark Kent persona, though more likely due to sour grapes. Here we also see what a large-scale undertaking the project was and discover that most of the retro effects are actually uncanny CG approximations of low-technology. (Hear that, George?) The piece joins an optional video introduction from Donner (2 mins.); six supplementary deleted scenes that, probably because their exclusion was decided early on in the process, lack the formidable polish of the feature proper; and an engrossing commentary track reuniting Donner and self-described "Jiminy Cricket" Mankiewicz. Donner remains unabashedly bitter about his unceremonious firing from the production but confesses that he turned down a co-directing credit, effectively quashing the misnomer that Lester reshot a lot of material to ensure sole billing. It's a tangential discussion that encompasses Mankiewicz's subsequent efforts to get a Batman movie off the ground, Reeve's Superman IV debacle, and the sublimation of Donner's franchise cravings with the Lethal Weapon series. These extras support a lush, pristine 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation that boasts an aggressive but inoffensive Dolby Digital 5.1 mix created from scratch. I could nitpick a little, but I've stared the proverbial gift horse in the mouth enough.-Bill Chambers Running Time 116 minutes; MPAA PG; Aspect Ratio(s) 2.40:1 ONLY, 16x9-enhanced; Languages E DD 5.1; CC Yes; Subtitles English, French, Spanish; DVD-9; Region One; Warner

Director Richard Donner had a sign made with Superman trailing the word "verisimilitude" behind him, in sum of his approach to Superman: The Movie. That's one of the many tidbits we glean from the film's DVD release, not that it comes as a surprise: Donner's achievement is having upheld the tagline, "You'll believe a man can fly." But the torch was not to be carried. By Superman III, it was all but extinguished, which could be why Evil Superman's blowing out the Eternal Flame breaks my heart the most of all his pranks in that second sequel: it's a metaphor for the middle finger that was raised at tradition and myth in Supermans (or is that Supermen?) subsequent to the original.

We believe a lot more than just that a man can fly in Superman, even though, or maybe because, its every development favours allegory over logic. Hollywood comic book adaptations are generally true to the form instead of the spirit (think Schumacher's Batman Returns follow-ups, or the live-action "Spiderman" TV series), an approach that offends purists, in its way, since it presumes an innate campiness to the work of panel artists. Here, we're presented the touchstones of the DC series (once belonging to Action Comics)--the near-Day-Glo costume and its magnificent "S" adornment, eye beams, and more--without condescension. These icons aren't really shown in hommage, either, but rather as part of the national lexicon; Donner mingles them with SATURDAY EVENING POST rural-scapes and the like, weaving a respectful tapestry of Americana in the process of detailing Clark Kent's, né Kal-El's (Jeff East as a teenager, Christopher Reeve as an adult), assimilation into humanity.

And who doesn't want to fundamentally believe in all that good stuff? Richard Lester, that's who. Wresting the reins to half-shot Superman II from Donner's hands, Lester, an American expat with the decidedly British sensibilities of his adopted homeland, dandifies the original's fragile tone. Remember his Beatles mockumentaries A Hard Day's Night and Help!? Their sped-up lunacy characterizes many an action sequence from II and Superman III (a sole Lester effort), sans the obvious joy he associated with said band. Lester has admitted in interviews that Superman was not a subject that interested him, and I don't suppose it would: Lester's not a Boy Scout.

The tomfoolery that opens III proper, slapstick ballet featuring Superman stopping various misdeeds around the city on the way to his day job (with trademark whooshing credits awkwardly--and silently--superimposed), is very typical Lester, yet uninspired, as if it came too naturally. Plus, this farcical bit begs the question, Why is there still crime in Metropolis after a few years of Superman? Consider also the glossed-over potential of that notion: Metropolis has essentially become a police state under Superman's cow-licked regime. It points to Lester's unreserved apathy that he who aimed to put authority figures in their place in sixties social satires would let the matter of Superfascism drift entirely.

Superman III has the added drawback of doubling as a Richard Pryor vehicle. The two don't mix, and not because profane Pryor isn't as American as apple pie, but due to the constraints of the PG-rating and the gargantuan amount of screen-time devoted to Pryor's marginal player, a computer programmer for Robert Vaughn's Luthorian magnate. A few years later, Paramount commissioned a Star Trek IV screenplay that saw the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise joining forces with Eddie Murphy. Common sense prevailed: the studio realized that crossbreeding cash cows can result in injury to both. Superman III works better and almost well when Pryor is off camera, and this is the instalment in which Reeve really gets to shine as he essays Superman's evil alter ego. When Clark and the Bad Supey duke it out at a garbage dump, it doesn't matter that the special effects are stinted on--we sense Reeves' frustrations (of being typecast, of the film series' diminishing returns) being vented in every malicious punch. The temporary soiling of both Reeves' and Superman's squeaky-clean personae demonstrates bona fide star-power.

Sidney J. Furie's Superman IV: The Quest for Peace aptly finishes in last place. You want trés chintzy F/X? (Supey's uniform is the wrong shade, a kind of turquoise, to facilitate easier bluescreening, i.e. thicker travelling mattes.) You want haphazard storytelling? You've got it in spades, alongside the immortal moment where Superman's new arch-nemesis, Nuclear Man, drags a human being (Mariel Hemingway) without a helmet into outer space and she can still breathe. The film was trimmed to 90 minutes for American theatrical audiences from a running time of about 110, and the short version is what has made it to DVD. (Superman II and Superman III have longer renditions floating around out there as well.) Normally I'd frown, but in this case, less is more and then some. The Quest for Peace's idea is a good one, mind you: Superman accepts a smug child's plea to rid the world of nuclear weapons. To the death of any credibility the series had left, Lex Luthor, fleeing a chain gang with the help of his nephew (Jon Cryer, in a turn that makes his Ducky of Pretty in Pink look subdued), finds himself more offended by this than the United Nations is. And then there is the issue of totalitarianism again: we know Superman can't leave the world missile-free, lending the whole enterprise an inescapable Catch-22.

In short, Warner Home Video's The Complete Superman Collection is for whom the appellation implies: completists. As a big fan of Superman, I'd recommend picking it up as a single and coupling it with Superman II, if only for the Donner-helmed pieces and the brilliant, Freud-meets-High Noon premise: Superman abandons his immunities to remain intimate with fellow journalist Lois Lane (Margot Kidder)--in the real world, we call this marriage--just as the three Kryptonian outlaws convicted at the beginning of Superman land on Earth and threaten its future. (Trivia: any scene from II in which you see Hackman's face was shot by Donner, though not also edited by Stuart Baird, who cut Superman and was key to its glory.)

Lester's crotchety contribution--a detour into hick territory by black-swathed villains Zod, Non, and Ursa practically raises a sarcastic question mark at the appeal/lucre of Smokey and the Bandit (okay, okay, the screenplay's best line occurs at this juncture: "I don't know, from the look of them, I'll bet $10 they're from Los Angeles")--plus the pay-off to the set-up's relative brevity sacrifice Superman II's fidelity to part one, although the film has stand-alone charms. If you're like me--that is, a drool machine activated by the sight of Annette O'Toole--you might submit to III, and the word came down the pike today that Alexander Salkind's heir apparent is suing the studio for its DVD releases of III and The Quest for Peace (a Cannon Group presentation to which his ties were tenuous at best), a lawsuit whose outcome could render III and IV OOP--and therefore auction fodder--soon.

Unlike Clark Kent, I don't know what it is to wear glasses, however I'll bet having them cleaned is akin to watching Superman on DVD. Finally, the haze of Geoffrey Unsworth's plush cinematography appears intentional (Donner describes Unsworth's lensing as "slightly untouchable"), with rich and inviting colours that never cross the line to garishness. It need be noted that this 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer was mastered from lovingly restored negative elements. It's in a great presentation of a beat-up classic that one gains faith in the DVD format; call me saved.

The audio has also been re-recorded, with "signature" sounds intact, although bearing more nuance and, in many instances, bass. It's hard to maintain my professionalism here--all I want to say is, Dude, it's awesome! At last, the destruction of Krypton carries the force of an avalanche, while John Williams' score suggests a fuller orchestra. Most critics have troubled to add the disclaimer that "it doesn't sound as good as today's releases, but..." Well, nuts to that: Superman's Dolby Digital 5.1 track beats any 2000 theatrical releases I've reviewed on DVD thus far. Williams' music is also isolated in 5.0 on another channel, a nice feature, even if his compositions are so synonymous with the film in question that quarantining them is a one-hand-clapping thing to do.

Donner and "creative consultant" Tom Mankiewicz, the script doctor (and son of Joseph L. Mankiewicz) who was denied proper credit by the Writer's Guild, pair up for a Superman commentary that really gets cooking after the main titles. They're each quite deferential (to the other, to the cast and to the crew), yet this doesn't interfere with them dishing dirt on the genesis of the production, which is as fantastic as Superman's own! I must add that, between this and Fox's "Five Star Collection" Cleopatra, I've grown quite fond of Mankiewicz the orator: he is an informed and soothing speaker.

The production's controversial and lengthy germination is explored in a much glossier fashion with the included Jonathan Gaines & Michael Thau documentaries, totalling approximately an hour-and-a-half: "Taking Flight: The Development of Superman"; "Making Superman: Filming the Legend"; "The Magic Behind the Cape". United by Marc "Jimmy Olsen" McClure's narration, they're compilations of new interviews and old-behind-the-scenes footage that work beautifully (Gene Hackman tells an anecdote regarding Donner's priceless staging of a practical joke that I've now retold often), though for the sake of less bias, it would've been nice to hear from a surviving Salkind.

Additional supplements on hand are: two 16x9-enhanced deleted scenes (two more have been re-edited into Superman, the latter of which, The Man of Steel's victory over bullets, fire, and ice in Luthor's lair, is redundant, if cool); the teaser trailer (in 1.85:1 anamorphic); a TV spot (curiously, in 1.85:1 anamorphic, too) that reminds us how bad this film used to look at home; and screen tests for Superman, Lois Lane, and Ursa, all introduced by casting coordinator Lynn Stalmaster. The Lane tests are a lengthy enough passage that Stalmaster can and does provide commentary overtop them. Other review sites have taken great pains to spoil the surprise of who auditioned for what; I won't do so here. This whole section brings to mind the Bizarro World that Superman has encountered on the page: everything is exactly different and exactly the same.

Here on side B of the double-sided, dual-layered DVD, you'll even find eight unused Williams cues (accompanied by a still of Mr. and Mrs. Kent). Side "A" offers DVD-ROM storyboard-to-screen views of six action-oriented scenes and numerous links to websites and Internet events. The other DVDs are comparatively bald, sporting just their respective trailers and decreasingly modest Dolby Surround mixes. Luckily, their 2.35:1 anamorphic video quality isn't a wash: soft yet detailed, sometimes gleaming, it sure beats watching them in pan-and-scan on tape or TBS.-Bill Chambers

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SUPERMAN
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Running Time
154 minutes
MPAA
PG
Aspect Ratio(s)
2.35:1 ONLY, 16x9-enhanced
Languages
English DD 5.1
CC
Yes
Subtitles
English, French, Spanish, Portuguese
DVD-18
Region One
Warner

SUPERMAN II
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Running Time
127 minutes
MPAA
PG
Aspect Ratio(s)
2.35:1 ONLY, 16x9-enhanced
Languages
English Dolby Surround,
French Dolby Surround
CC
Yes
Subtitles
English, French, Spanish, Portuguese
DVD-9
Region One
Warner

SUPERMAN III
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Running Time
119 minutes
MPAA
PG
Aspect Ratio(s)
2.35:1 ONLY, 16x9-enhanced
Languages
English Dolby Surround,
French Dolby Surround
CC
Yes
Subtitles
English, French, Spanish, Portuguese
DVD-9
Region One
Warner

SUPERMAN IV
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Running Time
90 minutes
MPAA
PG
Aspect Ratio(s)
2.35:1 ONLY, 16x9-enhanced
Languages
English Dolby Surround,
French Dolby Surround
CC
Yes
Subtitles
English, French, Spanish, Portuguese
DVD-9
Region One
Warner

the critic

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Published: May, 2001