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March 28, 2010

2

Superman II (1980).


In fact, I'm not sure what movie I'm talking about. Lester's version? Donner's version? Extended version? Cutdown version? Superman II is a cult movie, a landmark but a movie that suffered a lot.


First it was shoot along the first Superman (meaning it started in 1977). It took many budget increase that made Warner Bros. producer get nervous. Richard Donner was out and Richard Lester had to finish it. WB were interested in a more joyous movie than the original script was, so Donner didn't like the idea. In the end, he was taken apart from the final shooting and cut.


It had more problems that made the movie a nightmare to everyone involved. After Donner was put aside, some actors went out with the first director. Even Williams declined to compose the second part musical score because he was working in The Empire Strikes Back music. But the problems didn't ended there. Spielberg was the first to release his movie (Riders of the Lost Ark) and although Superman II was released worldwide December 4, 1980, in the USA they waited until June 19, 1981 to present it to the audience. 


Well, what's so special about Superman II. Well, it has SUPERVILLIANS! That's right. Luthor is brilliant, but we needed someone equal in power to the greatest superhero of all. And they give him that. Not only one or two, but three enemies (originally four) worthy of their powers.


The movie moves in two separate settings. One showcasing the romance of Clark and Lois and, second, the battle of mighty superheroes. And of course, Luthor all around. What a guy! 


I didn't understand why Superman had to loose his superpowers to get "romantically involved" with Lois and why a kiss could made Lois forget that Superman and Clark were the same person. I like, I really do, the fun stuff you could find in this movie, but I love the most the battles. And the battle of wits - including the knowledge of Luthor treacherous manners - that helps Superman defeat his enemies... that's the reason to love this movie.


Well, that and the great Christopher Reeve - Margot Kidder interpretative duel, so vivid and interesting, from the campy Niagara Falls scenes to the Truck-stop Diner scenes, so crude an cruel.


An amazing movie that needs to be revisited.

Superman II ( Trailer ) 1980


Superman II is the 1980 sequel to the 1978 feature film Superman. It was the only Superman film to be filmed by two directors. For this reason the film is surrounded with controversy since original director Richard Donner had completed, by his estimation, roughly 75% of the movie in 1977 before being taken off the project. Many of the scenes shot by second director Richard Lester (who had been an uncredited producer on the first film) in 1979 are refilmed Donner sequences. It was released in Europe and Australia in late 1980 but not distributed in the United States until June 1981.



According to statements by Donner, roughly 25% of the theatrical cut of Superman II contains footage he shot, including all of Gene Hackman's scenes. In 1984, when Superman II premiered on television, 24 minutes were re-inserted into the film (17 mins in US ABC TV). Much of the extra footage was directed by Richard Donner. A brand new re-cut of the film, restoring as much of Donner's original conception as possible, titled Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, was released in November 2006.
[Text and video via carebutless]

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2 comments:

David said...

Raider, no riders.

De crío me encantó, claro. Y por lo mismo que tú señalas. Supervillanos! Superpeleas! Y sí... Lo de Donner-Lester es un mal rollo.
Lo del "beso" o que tuviera que perder los poderes para estar con Lois no son cosas tan malas (que lo son) como el "final" de la primera.
En la versión restaurada de Donner (que no he visto excepto algunas escena, pero tengo por aquí esperando (ya veremos)) vuelve a utilizar el final de la primera para arreglar el entuerto. Si no funcionaba en la primera... en fin..
Un salduo

Valentín VN said...

Está claro: no te gustó el final de la primera, jeje.

A mí me pareció una rareza imposible. Si el tiempo cambiaba en la Tierra y no en los demás sitios, ¿no estaría la cosa mal? Era como si por dar marcha atrás a un reloj el tiempo fuese al pasado. Un despropósito.

Pero, ¡cómo molan los supervillanos!

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