FILM
Richard Donner directing Christopher Reeve on the set of Superman (1978).
YOU’LL BELIEVE A MAN CAN FLY Richard Donner reflects on Superman: The Movie at 40. BY MIKE CECCHINI SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE, one of the most important and influential superhero movies of all-time, will celebrate its 40th anniversary on Dec. 21. We spoke to director Richard Donner to discuss why the film still resonates today, the challenge of preserving the reality of the Man of Steel, and the magic of Christopher Reeve’s performance. Q&A
People see you as the godfather of superhero movies because of Superman. richard donner: That’s nice to hear. I took a challenge that was very exciting for me. I did it because, essentially, when I read what they were doing, I just felt I had to step in and try and save what I felt was a respectful area for Superman.
You’re referring to the shape the script was in when you got it, before Tom Mankiewicz came on as writer? Exactly. Here’s the thing, it was well 40 DEN OF GEEK
written, but every script that gets made, there’s somebody involved pointing the writers in the direction that these people want to see. I don’t hold any disrespect for what was written. It was quite good but it wasn’t what I felt Superman could or should be. When Tom agreed to come on, that’s when I made up my mind I would make the movie.
arguing back and forth, but we agreed this is the way we’d do it, and it had its own reality. Our first challenge was the unrequited love story… two guys, Superman and a character named Clark Kent, basically in love with the same woman and [it’s] impossible to tell her what the reality was in their lives. The second challenge was to make a man fly and make the audience totally believe it. If they didn’t believe the love story or the flying, we didn’t have a movie. Tom solved the love story problem and the flying was brought to life by one of the greatest crews ever put together.
I’ve read some of those earlier drafts, and Tom’s is much tighter and more reverent.
You talk a lot about being reverent to the myth of Superman, which is something that modern superhero movies have used as their starting point.
“Reverent” is a good word. That’s what we were striving for. It took a lot of
We decided that we wanted to make this close to reality. If this set some sort
