The Christopher Reeve Superman Collection (R2) in November
On 20th November 2006 Warner Home Video will release a host of UK Region 2 DVDs, all starring the late Christopher Reeve in his landmark portrayal of the Man of Steel. Leading the way will be Superman II Three Disc Special Edition, containing Richard Lester’s ever-popular theatrical cut and the long-awaited Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut directed by Donner and representing Superman II as it was originally conceived and intended to be filmed. An overwhelmingly requested title, the movie features Donner’s original footage, shot but never used before, including a never-before-seen beginning, a never-before-seen resolution, with 15 minutes of restored footage of Marlon Brando as Jor-El and much more.
Other titles to be released include Superman: The Movie Four Disc Special Edition which features both the DVD debut of the 1978 theatrical version as well as the 2001 extended edition with commentary from director Richard Donner and Tom Mankiewicz, archival footage of additional scenes and screen tests.
Finally The Christopher Reeve Superman Collection presents a 9-disc boxed set including all the above as well as Superman III and IV Deluxe Editions.
Details of New Warner Superman Releases...
Superman II Three-Disc Special Edition
Original 1980 Theatrical Version by Richard Lester
Unwittingly released from Phantom Zone imprisonment, three super-powered Kryptonian criminals (Terence Stamp, Sarah Douglas and Jack O’Halloran) plan to enslave Earth – just when Superman (Christopher Reeve) decides to show a more romantic side to Lois Lane (Margot Kidder). Gene Hackman (as Lex Luthor) also returns from the first film and with a top supporting cast, witty Richard Lester direction and visuals that astound and delight, Superman II saves the day any day you watch it.
Disc One:
- Movie with commentary by executive producer Ilya Salkind and producer Pierre Spengler
- Soundtrack in Dolby Digital 5.1
- Theatrical trailer
Disc Two:
- Vintage TV specials The Making of Superman II and Superman 50th Anniversary
- New featurette First Flight: The Fleischer Superman Series
- Eight Famous Studios Superman cartoons mastered from superior vault elements:
- - Japoteurs
- - Showdown
- - Eleventh Hour
- - Destruction, Inc.
- - The Mummy Strikes
- - Jungle Drums
- - The Underground World
- - Secret Agent
Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (Presented on Disc 3)
Superman II will delight fans who, for years, have been imploring Warner Home Video via voluminous numbers of petitions, letters, phone calls and e-mails to release the Donner cut. In fact, Donner had already shot most of the Superman II footage during Superman: The Movie. But as production on the sequel continued, creative differences between the director and the film’s producers became irreconcilable and Donner left the project. Although Richard Lester was hired to finish production, he chose to make major changes to the film, leaving only vestiges of Donner’s original vision and concepts in the version of Superman II that was ultimately released to theatres.
Now, nearly thirty years later, Warner Home Video is honoured to grant the wishes of countless Superman fans. With this DVD release, Richard Donner has become the first director in history to be able to complete a film he left during production with nearly all his footage “in the can.” Adding back a substantial amount of that unused footage, the director has seen his original vision restored and brought to fruition.
Most notably, the “Donner cut” restores the Marlon Brando role, filmed for, but not included in the final theatrical release version of Superman II. The legendary Brando’s performance as Jor-El has finally been restored in key scenes that amplify Superman lore and deepen the profound relationship between father and son.
With so many other changes, large and small, including a variety of Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) schemes to unmask Clark Kent as Superman, this Superman II will prove to be an eye-opening experience and an important addition to film history.
DVD Special Features:
- All new introduction by director Richard Donner
- Commentary by director Richard Donner and creative consultant Tom Mankiewicz
- New featurette Superman II: Restoring the Vision
- Additional scenes
Superman: The Movie (1978/2001) Four-Disc Special Edition
A box-office smash, an Academy Award winner and a fan favourite since it first flew into theatres in December 1978, Superman: The Movie assembles a cast and creative contingent as only a big movie can. At its heart (just as in three sequels) is Christopher Reeve’s intelligent, affectionate portrayal of a most human Man of Steel. Watching Superman again isn’t just like being a kid again. It’s better.
The movie’s legacy soared even higher when director Richard Donner revisited this beloved adventure 22 years later and integrated eight minutes into the film. Enjoy more footage of the Krypton Council, a glimpse of stars of prior Superman incarnations, more of Jor-El underscoring his son’s purpose on Earth and an extended sequence inside Lex Luthor’s gauntlet of doom. Reeve, Marlon Brando (Jor-El), Gene Hackman (Luthor) and Margot Kidder (Lois Lane) give indelible performances that fuel the film’s aura of legend.
Disc One:
- Original 1978 theatrical version with soundtrack in Dolby Digital 5.1
- Commentary by producer Pierre Spengler and executive producer Ilya Salkind
- Theatrical trailers
- TV spot
Disc Two:
- 2000 expanded edition movie with commentary by director Richard Donner and creative consultant Tom Mankiewicz
- Music-only audio track
Disc Three:
- Three documentaries:
- - Taking Flight: The Development of Superman
- - Making Superman: Filming the Legend
- - The Magic Behind the Cape
- Restored scenes
- Screen tests
- Audio-only bonus: additional music cues
Disc Four:
- Vintage TV special The Making of Superman: The Movie
- 1951 Movie Superman and the Mole-Men, starring George Reeves
- Nine Fleischer Studios Superman cartoons mastered from superior vault elements:
- - Oscar nominee Superman
- - The Mechanical Monsters
- - Billion Dollar Limited
- - The Arctic Giant
- - The Bulleteers
- - The Magnetic Telescope
- - Electric Earthquake
- - Volcano
- - Terror on the Midway
The Christopher Reeve Superman Collection
Includes all of the above discs plus:
Superman III Deluxe Edition (1983)
After Superman: The Movie’s epic storytelling and Superman II’s awesome battles, how could the first two hits be topped? In Superman III, meet Gus Gorman (Richard Pryor), a half-witted computer programming natural. For him a keyboard is a weapon – and Superman faces the microelectronic menace of his life. Christopher Reeve reprises his most beloved role, deepening his character’s human side as Clark Kent reunites with old flame Lana Lang (Annette O’Toole) at a Smallville High class reunion. And when Superman becomes his own worst enemy after Kryptonite exposure, Reeve pulls off both roles with dazzling skill. Incredible visual effects abound – but above all it has heart, heroism and high-flying humor. All in superabundance.
DVD Special Features:
- Commentary by executive producer Ilya Salkind and producer Pierre Spengler
- Vintage TV special The Making of Superman III
- Additional scenes
- Theatrical trailer
Superman IV The Quest For Peace
Christopher Reeve not only dons the title hero’s cape for the fourth time but also helped develop the movie’s provocative theme: nuclear disarmament. “For me, it’s the most personal of the entire series,” Reeve said. “It directly reflects what Superman should be, and should be doing.” Superman does a lot this time around. To make the world safe for nuclear arms merchants, Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) creates a new being to challenge the Man of Steel: the radiation-charged Nuclear Man (Mark Pillow). The two foes clash in an explosive extravaganza that sees Superman save the Statue of Liberty, plug a volcanic eruption of Mount Etna and rebuild the demolished Great Wall of China.
DVD Special Features:
- Commentary by screenwriter Mark Rosenthal
- Additional scenes
- Theatrical trailer