Superman (film)

Superman: The Movie Cheap hotels niagra falls

Superman (also known as Superman: The Movie) is a 1978 superhero film based on the fictional DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Richard Donner directed the film, which stars Christopher Reeve as Superman, as well as Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder, Marlon Brando (who was given top-billed credit), Ned Beatty, Valerie Perrine, Glenn Ford and Jackie Cooper. The film depicts the origin story of the character from being infant Kal-El of Krypton, to his teenage days in Smallville. In addition he takes up the secret identity of mild mannered reporter Clark Kent in Metropolis, and falling in love with Lois Lane. To make conflicts even more is the villainous Lex Luthor, who sets a dire plot that will ultimately face consequences for Superman

The film was initially conceived as far back as 1973 by Alexander Salkind, his son Ilya and fellow partner Pierre Spengler. The project went through various directors (most notably Guy Hamilton) and scripts by Mario Puzo, David Newman with wife Leslie, and Robert Benton before given the directorial job to Richard Donner, who brought in Tom Mankiewicz for further rewrite work. Locations during the shoot included Shepperton Studios, Canada, New York City and New Mexico. Due to the film's excessive budget, tensions rose between Donner and the Salkinds, to which it was decided to finish filming Superman while Superman II was already 80% finished. This would eventually give birth to Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut.

Superman was released to positive reviews and a box office success. Some critics found analogies similar to Jesus, which Mankiewicz claims were set purposely as he himself finds the character to be a symbol of Christ. It was this film that sparked and inspired the birth of modern comic book movies with its use of high-budget special effects in comparison to the low-budget films, serials and TV series' that had been produced before.

Cast

Marlon Brando - Jor-El

Gene Hackman - Lex Luthor

Christopher Reeve - Superman / Clark Kent

Ned Beatty - Otis
Jackie Cooper - Perry White

Cheap New York Hotels

Glenn Ford - Jonathan Kent
Trevor Howard - 1st Elder

Margot Kidder - Lois Lane

Jack O'Halloran - Non

Valerie Perrine - Eve Teschmacher
Maria Schell - Vond-Ah

Terence Stamp - General Zod
Phyllis Thaxter - Martha Kent
Susannah York - Lara
Jeff East - Young Clark Kent

Music
Richard Donner originally had in mind for Jerry Goldsmith to compose the music for the film as the two had worked together on The Omen. Goldsmith was set to work on the film but backed out due to scheduling conflicts. However, pieces of Goldsmith's musical notes for Capricorn One coincidentally found its way into the teaser trailer of this film, and years later, Goldsmith would find himself writing the film score for Supergirl. It was decided to hire John Williams as the filmmakers were impressed with his work on Jaws. Salkind also felt comfortable in hiring Williams as he felt "he could bring a 'bigger-than-life' feeling [for the film]" in comparison to 2001: A Space Odyssey. In the scene whereas Lois Lane and Superman are flying through the New York City atmosphere, it was originally intended for Margot Kidder to sing the words rather than narrating. Lyrics were written by Leslie Bricusse though the idea was ultimately dropped.

Plot

On the planet Krypton, the Council sentences three insurrectionists, General Zod, Ursa and Non, to isolation in the Phantom Zone. Later, believing that the planet will shortly explode, Jor-El launches a spacecraft containing his infant son, Kal-El towards Earth, a distant planet with a suitable atmosphere, and where his dense molecular structure will give him superhuman powers. Moments after launch, Jor-El's prediction comes true: Krypton is destroyed.

The ship crashes in an American farming town, Smallville, where little Kal-El is found by Jonathan and wife Martha Kent and raised as their own son, Clark. Eighteen Earth years later, when Clark learns the truth about his heritage, he leaves the homestead and heads to the Arctic, where a vision of Jor-El appears before him, explaining his responsibilities on his adoptive planet. More years pass, and Clark Kent finds a job at the Daily Planet in Metropolis, where he meets and develops a crush upon fellow reporter Lois Lane, whom he later rescues from a helicopter accident after switching his street clothes and glasses for a costume bearing his father's symbol.

Later, he visits her at home, takes her for a flight over the city and allows her to interview him for a newspaper article in which she names him 'Superman.' Meanwhile, criminal genius Lex Luthor diverts two nuclear rockets from a missile testing site, one to Hackensack, New Jersey, the other to the San Andreas fault line. The latter, he hopes will knock California into the sea, increasing the value of his real estate on what would become the new West Coast. To stop Superman from preventing the disaster, Luthor lures him to his underground hideaway, where he exposes him to Kryptonite, the only substance known to cause him harm.

Superman escapes, in time to prevent the first impact but too late to stop the second; the missile explodes, and as a consequence, Lois Lane is killed. Unable to cope with her death, Superman ignores his father's warning not to interfere with human history, and spins the world back to its axis, effectively turning back the clock, and saving the woman he loves. While Lois is left to ponder why Clark Kent is never around when Superman shows up, Superman delivers Lex Luthor to his new home: prison.

Action and Adventure -

Animation - Comedy - Crime - Documentary -
Family - Foreign Language - Historical - Horror - Musical - Political