Superman: The Movie 3 hour TV version coming to Blu-Ray

Every version of the movie starts that way.

 

The Richard Donner cut is only a "what if"... it's meant to give you an approximation of what the film could have looked like had he finished it. The intention wasn't really to replace or supplant the Lester version, although I suppose some fans might disagree.

 

I'm aware that the 2006 cut would always have needed to rely on some Lester footage, new material and even screen tests for one scene, but did Michael Thau really have to cut out small portions of what Donner shot? There's just no way a vintage assembly with all the original production team still on board would have been under two hours, especially when you consider they never got to film the villains taking over the world, though I suppose a brief montage may have proved sufficient to cover this event. Rather than attempting to replace the theatrical version, it wouldn't surprise me if Thau spearheaded the restoration of Donner's Superman II as a way of getting the long-lost elements out to fans, knowing they'd be in a better position to then assemble a truly definitive edit. Before long, WB had invited one producer known only in online circles as Selutron to show off his own ideas, and I suspect Thau was motivated to put something official together after VHS then later DVD copies of the international television cuts began trading hands for large figures. Despite what is seen in the short documentary that comes with Donner's cut of II, I was under the impression that WB took delivery of all the dailies from work completed by Donner and Stuart Baird prior to Lester bringing in John Victor-Smith around the same time that the 2001 director's cut of Superman The Movie was created in 2001. I've never been able to understand how they were able to use additional footage of Marlon Brando, since he was still alive back then - weren't the II Donner cut and Superman Returns only able to feature his likeness because of a renegotiation with his estate?

 

Not only that, but StudioCanal’s share of the Salkind rights returned to WB as well. Oh, and the SE of STM was created in 2000, the DVD released some months later in 2001.

 

Maybe because it's additional footage in the film he was contracted to appear in and was paid for, as opposed to other films.

 

I forgot about the Salkinds' rights reverting back to WB, and I was fairly sure the extended cut of STM was made in 2000, but I chose to stick with its release date.

Good point! Wasn't the so-called "Salkind Clause" created around the time Superman and its sequel went into simultaneous production so everyone involved had to be paid for multiple films? Based on this, it wouldn't surprise me if Brando (or later his estate) was compensated separately for his work on II.

By the way, after revealing that he knew about WB's release plans for the extended cut of Superman The Movie several months before this was officially announced, the webmaster of CapedWonder has supposedly also teased further surprises in 2018 via his social media accounts... I can only hope such plans might include the international versions of all three sequels featuring Christopher Reeve, plus a long overdue Blu-ray treatment for Supergirl (preferably in its three known edits - yes, I'm an unashamed fan of this as well). These would be ideal for those of us who have little interest when it comes to the ongoing DC cinematic series, although I'd still like to see everything compiled into an updated box along with a new variation on Superman Returns that restores the intended opening "return to Krypton" sequence plus any other worthwhile deleted scenes! Would it be too much to finally ask for a commentary on Returns from Bryan Singer as well?

 

I just picked up the 4 in one slim box of all four movies. I figured it’s good for the deleted scenes. Disc 1 one says it’s the original theatrical movie but it clocks in at 144 minutes. I haven’t got a chance to play it yet but does anyone know if it really is?

 

I believe the 4-in-1 box only contains the four Christopher Reeve movies in their original theatrical cuts with none (or at least just a small amount) of the extras you can expect to find in the Ultimate Collector's Edition DVD and Motion Picture Anthology BD sets...

 

I believe it is the theatrical version because the commentary track is not the one with Richard Donner. Donner's commentary is only on the Special Edition in the Anthology box set, with the producers' commentary on the theatrical version.

 

I doubt it; Stuart Baird has publicly stated they had literally ten weeks in post to finish the movie for release... not much room for previews. And even if they did manage a rough preview for the studio, the eventual theatrical cut is both definitive and long enough, I wouldn't touch a frame...

I personally like the 'time reversal' at the end of the first movie; Superman unable to save Lois is a nicely emotional counter to his heroic saving of her earlier in the film, it underlines to him that, like the demise of Jonathan Kent, his superhuman abilities still preclude him from saving the ones he loves... leading him to act purely on his emotions and directly violate Jor-El's command not to interfere with human history in reversing time and saving Lois.

It may not have been the original intent of either Donner or Mankiewicz to end the first movie in such a way, but it worked brilliantly, on a dramatic and thematic level, and I'm glad it did so...

It also added thematically to II in that having acted on his emotions in S:TM, he now goes further in the sequel and renounces his powers to be with Lois. This proves to be a valuable but very painful learning curve for Clark/Superman in that he realizes he can't just act on emotion when he has a higher purpose in life, he has to hold himself to a higher ideal... and that precludes messing around with human history whenever things don't go his way... he learns to take responsibility for his actions, and thus the three-act 'hero's journey' played out over the two films is complete.

Personally, I would have kept the scene of both Luthor and the de-powered Kryptonian villains being arrested, and the destruction of the Fortress of Solitude/Lois being returned to Metropolis in the theatrical cut if Donner had finished work on the sequel... but that's just my own opinion.

With regards of Donner having to theoretically film a new climactic scene for II had he returned for the sequel... why??? That story already has two climaxes; the battle in Metropolis and the Arctic-set denoument in the Fortress of Solitude (plus it's destruction), it doesn't need another... the world is saved; Lois is safe and well; and both her and Superman have reconciled the fact they can no longer be together for the good of humanity... what else is there to say after that? Story over.

Zod was demanding that Superman kneel and acknowledge him as overlord... the latter decided otherwise and put him in his place; it wasn't deliberate, sadistic torture... and he didn't kill either Zod or the other two. This is a comic-book story, so trying to apply some histrionic, real-world, human rights PC nonsense to it is frankly meaningless... just my own humble opinion, of course.

 

Cool. It says it has some deleted scenes and a doc on 3.
I have the 2000 dvd and the other three in barebones so it was a good deal. Probably all I need....so I tell myself

 

I should have added one of those smilie emoticons. For the record, no, I don't take this stuff seriously. It was just a passing, tongue in cheek, observation.

 

The so-called 'Salkind clause' came about after the two Musketeers films; the cast were contracted for one film but the Salkinds' and director Richard Lester ended up splitting it into two... leading to the eventual and aforementioned regulation.

Brando signed on for two Superman films, explicitly so in his contract... unlike the Musketeers films, the Salkinds' knew Superman was going to be two films and entered into production with that intent, thus Brando was contracted to film, be paid collectively, and receive profit-based royalties from two separate films... until he sued the Salkinds' and they immediately decided to cut him from II so as not to pay him anything more.

 

Anyone knows how the 2000/2001 Donner's Cut was put together? Film or HD video? I'm asking this for the possibility of Superman's Donner Cut to be released on UHD BD. If it was put together on HD video it would habe to he an upscale to be released on UHD BD and we should know what video bit depth was used so an HDR pass is worthwhile. If Donner's Cut was assembled on film then a 4K scan and HDR it's all they'd need to do. Warner Bros. needs to release at least the first Superman movie on UHD BD despite the use if difusion filters during shooting and the soft picture it rendered. With the latest catalogue titles we've seen released lately it's more than clear than UHD BD is not only for new and digitally shot movies, I like how E.T., Close Encounters Of the Third Kind or Independence Day look on UHD BD with HDR, they look so accurate and so film-like that their picture it's a beauty to look at.

 

I highly doubt you'll see Donner's cut of Superman II hit UHD. Superman: The Movie on the other hand...

 

I was talking about the longer cut of 1978's Superman that Donner put together in 2000/2001, not the second movie. I have the Anthology set which I bought ages ago and I've only watched the two cuts of Superman and Superman II.
By the way, on BD, which cut of Superman The Movie (1978) looks better to you? The theatrical cut or the 2001 longer cut?

 

The usual version of Superman III in print appears to be the so-called Deluxe Edition, which contains the original hour-long "Making Of" documentary, a trailer, some (but not all) of the additional scenes from the international television cut and an audio commentary that has Ilya Salkind talking with Pierre Spengler, so it looks as if this is what you can expect. However, I've seen that there's also a bare copy that has just the theatrical presentation and a few trailers, which also come with the more elaborate alternative. Ideally, I'd love to see this given the full expanded treatment, though I can appreciate that it wouldn't be high on the priority at WB - even hardcore fans probably won't have much interest for such a release.

 

I know that there are fans of all four Reeves Superman movies, but I frankly can only enjoy the first two. I find that even these two haven't aged all that well, mostly because of the camp humor. This is also why I find that some James Bond movies have aged worse than others. That is my personal opinion of course.

 

Being Pryor on it, no thanks, I have more than enough coasters at home.

 

When does it come out??

 

The 3 hour TV version? It is already out.

 

Can anyone elucidate on some of the scenes that are added?

 

There are far too many scenes for me to write about in considerable length here, but my highlights were getting to see more of Krypton's destruction, Clark travelling to build the Fortress of Solitude, the whole subplot about Lex having "babies" in his hideout that need regularly feeding and a major addition to the earthquake sequence, where a village has been dry for years as the result of a dam being constructed - Superman pauses for a moment to watch people enjoying the new source of water after the dam breaks, only to then repair this damage by reversing time (which may explain why this whole section was dropped when the ending changed late into production). Unfortunately, not all of the additional material is of equal quality... For example, we're stuck following Otis as he walks around the city for what feels like an eternity, and some of the extra content will be familiar to those who've seen the director's cut from 2001, such as when Superman speaks to Jor-El after revealing himself to the world. At least we get to hear a few moments of Jeff East's original voice as a younger Clark before this was dubbed over by Christopher Reeve for consistency, and it's great to know that Superman did indeed keep his word by saving Miss Teschmacher's mother from the missile first, as he passes on a message from her, proving the key point established to Lois earlier in the film that he never lies!

 

Does the added material make it darker and gritter? That's important, you know.

 

Ironically, this reminds me of a comment I made upon watching the "restored international cut" of Superman II for the first time with my partner, who agreed that certain scenes were deleted from the theatrical version for good reason - the longer variation is just too dark for its own good in places, especially when you consider that Richard Lester's direction was often slammed for taking the material in an overly comedic direction! What's so funny about Non killing a child or Jimmy wishing he'd spiked Luthor's coffee?