Product Description

NEWLY ENHANCED ADVENTURE SPANNING THE MAN OF STEEL'S LIFE FROM HIS KRYPTON INFANCY AND MIDWEST BOYHOOD TO HIS CAREER AS DAILY PLANET REPORT CLARK KENT AND THROUGH HIS TITANIC STRUGGLE WITH ARCHNEMISIS LEX LUTHOR.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #21663 in DVD
• Brand: WARNER HOME VIDEO
• Released on: 2001-05-01
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: AC-3, Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 143 minutes

Amazon.com essential video
Richard Donner's 1978 epic about the Man of Steel showed how a film about a superhero could be a moving and romantic experience even for people who long ago gave up comic books. Beginning on the icy planet Krypton, the story follows the baby Kal-El, whose rocket ship lands in Smallville, Kansas. He is found there by a childless couple and raised as the shy Clark Kent (the young Kent is played by Jeff East). The film is perhaps most touching in these sequences, with expanses of wheat fields blowing in the wind and with a young man who can't figure out what part in destiny his great powers are meant to play. The second half, with Reeve taking over as Clark/Superman, is bustling, enchanting (the scene in which Superman flies girlfriend Lois Lane--played by Margot Kidder--through the night sky is great date material), and funny, thanks largely to Gene Hackman's sardonic portrayal of nemesis Lex Luthor. --Tom Keogh

Additional features
Filled out with about eight minutes of additional footage, this deluxe Superman almost doubles Marlon Brando's screen time with added scenes on Krypton and in the Fortress of Solitude and fills out the early life of Clark Kent, contributing to a more mythic portrait of America's greatest hero. There is also more disaster footage during the earthquake climax, and Lex Luthor's "Gauntlet of Death" sequence (seen on network TV broadcasts) is reinstated.

The commentary by director Richard Donner and "creative consultant" Tom Mankeiwicz lacks the focus and detail of a filmmaker really grappling with his work (it has been almost 25 years, after all), but it's full of interesting asides, casting trivia (Goldie Hawn as Miss Teschmacher?), and the good-humored byplay of two old friends.

The three documentary featurettes hosted by Marc McClure (Jimmy Olsen) are essentially chapters of a comprehensive behind-the-scenes study, full of illuminating interviews (Donner and Mankeiwicz are more revealing here), special-effects tests (including all the failed attempts to make you believe a man can fly), and the bizarre true story of the unceremonious firing of Richard Donner after he had turned Superman into a worldwide smash and shot about 70 percent of the sequel.

A separate supplement features screen tests for Christopher Reeve and five different Lois Lanes (including a giggly Leslie Ann Warren and a snappy Stockard Channing), and two legendary, delightfully demented scenes featuring Lex Luthor's snarling "babies" (also seen on TV broadcasts) are featured in the gallery of Deleted Scenes. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews

'Superman' on DVD...THE one to buy!
At last, Superman is presented the way it was meant to be! The master print for the 1978 classic had deteriorated so badly that the film, particularly the white-on-white Krypton opening scenes, was almost unwatchable. (I had even gone so far as to write a critique on Amazon.com demanding a 'Director's Cut' DVD edition, digitally transferred and remastered, be made!)

Somebody was listening! While this isn't a 'Director's Cut' (Donner has said that the version that premiered in 1978 was the version he preferred), the movie has been expanded, to include a couple of brief scenes with Brando, and the famous Superman Gauntlet sequence at Luthor's underground lair (the remaining unused sequences can be seen in the 'Deleted Scenes' Chapter, on Side 2).

Technically, the DVD is fabulous; the Krypton sequences are now clean and sharp, a couple of shots where, previously, color balancing problems had turned Superman's costume green have been corrected, and, best of all, the soundtrack has been digitally remastered and sounds even better than it did in 1978!

Three fabulous documentaries are included on Side 2 about the making of the film, and how the flying effects were achieved. This was an incredibly expensive and difficult film to make (so much so that Donner, after 'Superman' was released to rave reviews, was fired, and replaced by Richard Lester, for 'Superman 2'), and through interviews with Donner, Christopher Reeve (who is honored for his work in the film, and his courage since his crippling accident), Margot Kidder, Gene Hackman, and several of the creative team, you can appreciate what a unique and wonderful film this is!

Two other 'pluses'; a full-length audio commentary track with Richard Donner, and a 'music only' option, where you can admire one of composer John Williams' greatest scores!

This Special Edition DVD should be an essential part of any film lover's collection!

Video Quality Review (Blu-ray)
This is a tough one to review. For a film made in 1978, I don't think it could look any better. I'm willing to bet this Blu-ray disc is as good if not better than the premiere screening of Superman back in 78. Great care must have been taken to clean up and restore this picture. It is practically free of scratches and dirt. It is detailed, far above standard definition. Colors are balanced and eye catching. Contrast is natural and evenly spread. Inserted scenes are consistent with the rest of the film. Never looked better. Still, 1978. There are a few scenes with plenty of grain and most of the film gives the impression of being a little out of focus, a little blurred. Five star transfer, four star visual impact. I doubt if a 1080p display is getting much more out of this picture than a 720p display.

(PS3 - 1080p projector - 92")

Wait for the DVD/Widescreen Version of "Superman"
I remember with great anticipation at age 8 seeing this movie on the big screen. What a majestically marvelous movie that to this day is timeless and holds up immensely well in the light of computer-digital special effects and sophisticated film-goers. And Christopher Reeve must remain the only true and inimitable Superman any generation should ever know!

The problem I have with this VHS version is that too much is cropped off on the peripheral ends of the screen. The panning-n-scanning of the camera becomes trite and tiresome after awhile since this "modified to fit your screen" version compensates to take the viewer to where the action is.

Patiently waiting for a widescreen/DVD version would be beneficial in appreciating this excellent movie classic. I have seen the letterbox version from laser disc, and it is spectacularly panoramic by comparison! Rumor has it that Warner Bros. is planning a 25th Anniversary re-release of "Superman - The Movie" for 2003. Perhaps this will also mean re-implementing the 48 minutes(!) that was cut from the theatrical release of 1978, but restored and aired (only once!) on ABC in 1982. That means this movie is actually a little over 3 adventuresome hours long.

Even though I still rate this great film 5 stars, this VHS version does absolutely no justice for such a jewel of a movie. Wait for a widescreen version before you fly out and buy this one since it will be the only way to truly appreciate "Superman."