Superman DVDs

[MacGuffin]

There are online reports from various Superman-themed websites (including Superman Cinema) that Warner Bros. and producer Ilya Salkind have finally negotiated a deal for the release of director Richard Donner's original unused footage from Superman II. This would allow for the creation of a long-awaited Superman II: Director's Cut that would be closer to the film Donner was crafting before the film was taken away from him by the studio back in 1979 and given to replacement director Richard Lester. Donner, as many of you know, also directed the original Superman: The Movie (the two films were shot, for the most part, simultaneously). The idea behind all of this, of course, is that Warner wants to release new DVD special editions of Superman II, Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace in conjunction with the theatrical or DVD debut of Bryan Singer's currently in production Superman Returns. The new film is expected to hit theaters in June 2006

[MacGuffin]

Yes... looks like it's true. We've known for a while now that Warner Home Video was working on new DVD special editions of the Superman films to tie in with the release of Bryan Singer's Superman Returns later this year (in theaters 6/30), but now we have the first actual confirmation... from Ilya Salkind, who co-produced the first three Superman films! Salkind has acknowledged that he's working with Warner on the new DVDs, and that all of the films in the series are being restored and given deluxe new special edition treatment, a-la last year's Batman Anthology collection. By far the best news in all this, is that it seems that Warner is FINALLY allowing Richard Donner to create his original director's cut of Superman II! How damn cool is that?! As many of you know, Donner directed Superman: The Movie and most of Superman II back to back, but was eventually fired from the sequel. Director Richard Lester was hired to replace him, and it's Lester's cut of the film that we've seen all these years. What's cool is that Lester's theatrical cut of the film is being given special edition treatment as well, so you'll be able to fully explore BOTH versions of Superman II on DVD this summer. Lester MAY even do an interview for the DVD - something he's been reluctant to do over the years given the controversy. This information comes from Salkind via The Superman Homepage fan site, which expects to publish a full interview with Salkind in the coming weeks. Very cool news indeed (though keep in mind that until Warner announces this set, it's all still unofficial).

[Alethia]

oooh im gonna buy the first one

[MacGuffin]

Breaking DVD News: SUPERMAN: THE RICHARD DONNER CUT ARRIVES NOVEMBER 28
A SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE FOUR DISC SPECIAL EDITION is also due, plus a super edition Christopher Reeve collection 

THE SKINNY: Just as the San Diego Comic-Con is kicking into high gear, Warner Home Video sneaks this little announcement out to rabid fans.

On November 28, in celebration of the year of Superman, Warner Home Video will release a host of DVDs, all starring the late Christopher Reeve in his landmark portrayal of the Man of Steel. Leading the way will be 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.

Richard Lester's ever-popular SUPERMAN II will be available in a new Two Disc Special Edition including a new featurette, vintage television specials and additional vault elements; and SUPERMAN III and IV Deluxe Editions. Finally, THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE SUPERMAN EDITION will be offered in an 8-disc boxed set including all the above (except SUPERMAN II: THE RICHARD DONNER CUT).

Details of New Warner Superman Releases

Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

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 theaters.

Now, nearly thirty years later, Warner Home Video is honored 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
·   Subtitles: English, Français & Español (feature film only)

Superman: The Movie (1978/2001) Four-Disc Special Edition

A box-office smash, an Academy AwardÒ winner and a fan favorite 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.

DVD Special Features:

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
·   Languages: English & Français
·   Subtitles: English, Français & Español (feature film only)

Disc Two
·   2000 expanded edition movie with commentary by director Richard Donner and creative consultant Tom Mankiewicz
·   Music-only audio track
·   Subtitles: English, Français, Español & Português (feature film only)

Disc Three
·   Three documentaries:
o       Taking Flight: The Development of Superman
o       Making Superman: Filming the Legend
o       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:
o       OscarÒ nominee Superman
o       The Mechanical Monsters
o       Billion Dollar Limited
o       The Arctic Giant
o       The Bulleteers
o       The Magnetic Telescope
o       Electric Earthquake
o       Volcano
o       Terror on the Midway

Superman II Two-Disc Special Edition (1980)

"I thought the original Superman was terrific entertainment," the Chicago Sun-Times' Roger Ebert wrote, "and so I was a little startled to discover that I liked Superman II even more." 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.

DVD Special Features:

Disc One
·   Movie with commentary by executive producer Ilya Salkind and producer Pierre Spengler
·   Soundtrack in Dolby Digital 5.1
·   Theatrical trailer
·   Languages: English & Français
·   Subtitles: English, Français & Español (feature film only)

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:
o       Japoteurs
o       Showdown
o       Eleventh Hour
o       Destruction, Inc.
o       The Mummy Strikes
o       Jungle Drums
o       The Underground World
o       Secret Agent

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
·   Languages: English & Français
·   Subtitles: English, Français & Español (feature film only)

Superman IV The Quest For Peace (1987)

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
·   Languages: English & Français
·   Subtitles: English, Français & Español (feature film only)

Supergirl

Creative forces behind Superman: The Movie takes another page from DC Comics lore with this fun- and effects-packed adventure about the Girl of Steel. Helen Slater plays the title role, posing as Midvale prep-schooler Linda Lee, battling a sorceress (Faye Dunaway) for control of an alien power orb and enjoying an unexpected dating ritual called kissing. Peter O'Toole and Mia Farrow add more starpower to the superpowered excitement.

DVD Special Features
·   Commentary by Jeannot Szwarc and Scott Bosco
·   Theatrical trailer

The prices for these edition are as follows:

SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE FOUR DISC SPECIAL EDITION - $39.92 (SRP)
SUPERMAN II: THE RICHARD DONNER CUT - $24.98 (SRP)
SUPERMAN III and IV DELUXE EDITIONS $19.97 (SRP each)
THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE SUPERMAN COLLECTION ($79.92 SRP)

[modage]

something that i hate about the superman boxset. it doesnt include the donner cut of superman 2.  so even if you buy the set, you have to buy that seperately.  supergirl too, but i cant fault them for that.  so they probably think they're pretty snazzy screwing everyone over, but the jokes on them because i dont want superman 3 or 4 so i'm just getting 1 + 2 stand alone. take that, WB!

[MacGuffin]

Warner has finally, officially, announced the DVD release of their 8-disc The Christopher Reeve Superman Collection (SRP $68.92) on 11/28. The set will include the 4-disc Superman: The Movie - Special Edition (SRP $39.92 available separately), the 2-disc Superman II: Special Edition (SRP $26.99 available separately) and the single-disc Superman III: Deluxe Edition and Superman IV: Deluxe Edition (SRP $19.97 each separately). Also available on 11/28, though not in the set, is Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (SRP $24.98). There's still no word on the original 14-disc Superman box set that Warner talked about months ago, but we're told it remains a possibility for the future. And by the way, we expect the official announcement of Superman Returns soon, along with (eventually) word of the HD-DVD and Blu-ray Disc releases of some of these Superman titles. In the meantime, here's a look at the DVD cover art for the individual editions for each film (we're still waiting on the art for the box set and the Donner Cut)...

[RegularKarate]

Can't wait for those DVDs, but Fuck those covers... what was this a TV show from the 80s?

I guess if a 14 disc collection might come out, I need to stick with the 4 disc supe 1 and the Donner Cut for now.

[MacGuffin]

[grand theft sparrow]

Yeah, I look forward to buying 1 & 2 (both cuts), renting 3 eventually and... uh... yeah, that's it.

[RegularKarate]

Are they seriously calling it "The Version You've Never Seen"?... ugh

[MacGuffin]

I guess if a 14 disc collection might come out, I need to stick with the 4 disc supe 1 and the Donner Cut for now.

As fans have been hoping, Warner has also officially announced the release of the 14-disc Superman: The Ultimate Collector's Edition DVD box set (SRP $99.92). Packaged in a special tin case, the set will include the 2-disc Superman Returns: Special Edition, the 4-disc Superman: The Movie - Special Edition, the 2-disc Superman II: Special Edition, the single-disc Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, the single-disc Superman III and Superman IV DVDs, the You Will Believe: The Cinematic Saga of Superman documentary, the previously-released Look Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman and a disc featuring Bryan Singer's Video Journals from the set of Superman Returns. The case will also include a reproduction of the Superman #7 comic book, a booklet on the history of the character and a mail-in offer for all 5 Superman feature film movie posters.

[modage]

yep thats the one for me.

[Pubrick]

yep the movies weren't that good.

[MacGuffin]

The cape crusader
After directing 1978's smash "Superman," Richard Donner got yanked from the sequel. Now, 28 years later, it's a wrap.
Source: Los Angeles Times

For once, Superman failed to save the day — Lois Lane was dead, killed by the machinations of Lex Luthor, and the Man of Steel was left wailing in grief. But then the hero launched himself into the stratosphere and furiously circled the Earth until time itself reversed and he was given a second chance to make things right.

That's the memorable climax of the 1978 blockbuster "Superman: The Movie," and now it appears that the film's director, Richard Donner, has pulled off the same kind of a trick — a miracle do-over that nobody saw coming. "Something was taken away from me and then I got a chance to go back and make it right, to make it the way I wanted it to be the first time around. How often does that happen in life? It's amazing."

The "dead Lois" in this case was Donner's planned "Superman" sequel and (to hear his side of the story) the callous villains who snuffed it were producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind. They fired Donner after he already had huge chunks of the second movie filmed and then brought in a new director, Richard Lester, who made a film that jettisoned plenty of Donner's beloved material. "They cut out a bunch of Marlon Brando scenes," Donner recalled incredulously. "Who does that?"

Ilya Salkind has a dramatically different point of view, of course, but more on that later. Regardless, the "Superman II" that did reach movie theaters in 1980 as a hybrid of Lester and Donner's work was a strong commercial success and earned upbeat reviews. Still, for die-hard fans familiar with the backstage struggle, Donner's stillborn project became the equivalent of "The Magnificent Ambersons" for superhero cinema.

But now (somebody cue the soaring music) the spinning silver of DVD has helped Donner turn back the clock. On Tuesday, "Superman II — The Richard Donner Cut" arrives in stores. Most DVDs labeled "director's cut" are different only around the edges; this one goes in all new directions by lopping out huge chunks of the familiar theatrical version and weaving in "lost" scenes salvaged from the vaults.

There is even footage from screen tests shoehorned into the narrative to cover the script pages Donner never filmed. The most fascinating of them shows a skinny Christopher Reeve (it was before he bulked up for the role) as a tuxedoed Clark Kent in horn-rims, an outfit that makes him look like a nephew of Atticus Finch on prom night. In that scene, Lois Lane pulls out a .38 revolver and takes a shot at Clark to prove he's Superman — it's one of the new scenes that enhances the "His Girl Friday" vibe of the Lois and Clark relationship. "The Donner Cut" also has more menace, more Brando and more emphasis on father-and-son mythology.

That's not to say that the movie is joyless. In this "Superman II," Lois emerges from a Fortress of Solitude corridor with nothing on but Superman's shirt. Donner laughed at the addition. "In that other version, she gets a kiss from Superman. C'mon. She figures out that Clark is Superman and that's all she gets? Not in my movie."


HERE'S how one fan describes "The Donner Cut": "To watch these scenes, to see Superman and Lois and that chemistry and the real menace of the villains, it's the movie that we all wanted to see." That's the take of Bryan Singer, the director of "Superman Returns" (2006), which also arrives Tuesday on DVD. The Singer film's retail arrival has inspired a flurry of Superman-related releases, but "The Donner Cut" is the one fans are riled up about. "This is the movie," Singer said, "that we thought was gone forever."

That doesn't mean it's always pretty.

Today's technology helped smooth out the re-edit, but there's only so much that could be done and there are a few clunky spots. And for a casual moviegoer who hasn't seen "Superman II" lately, they may be wondering what all the fuss is about. Aside from the gunplay scene and an opening sequence at the Daily Planet, plenty of the changes will fly right over the head of everyone except true believers. (A quick test: Does it make your heart beat faster to know that this time the bad guys destroy the Washington Monument, not Mt. Rushmore?)

What's truly historic here is that Donner was given Warner Bros. resources and the blessing of his old foe, Ilya Salkind, to recut and reimagine a movie that was once a poisoned memory. Warner Bros. has even bundled it with the Reeve movies in a giant boxed set of "Superman" DVDs, giving Donner's revisionism more credibility. One thing they didn't give him was a paycheck.

"I didn't negotiate it at the beginning of the talks to do all this, so they said it was too late once we were underway," said Donner, whose next project is slated to be "Sam & George," starring Mel Gibson. "In the old days, when there was honor, they would have taken care of me. It's ridiculous and shows a lack of class."

Warner Bros. execs say they are laying out big money for the re-edit, advertising, marketing, etc. But really, the most compelling subplot in all this is that Salkind will make more money off "The Donner Cut" than the man whose name is in the title.


"THE DONNER CUT" was premiered at the Directors Guild recently and the crowd cheered as much for their own memories as for what they saw on the screen, especially when the image was the late Reeve flying against a blue sky.

Kidder attended and wore a big smile most of the night, and after the credits rolled she said it had been a revelation to watch Reeve in the restored scenes, especially a wrenching exchange with Brando portraying the ghostly echo of Superman's father.

"Finally, it shows what a great actor Chris was," she said. "This is his best performance now, and I'm just so thankful that it can be seen."

Kidder wasn't the only Lois at the premiere. There was also Noel Neill of the old "Superman" television series. Marc McClure and Sam Huntington — two Jimmy Olsens — were on hand, as was Brandon Routh, who wore the cape this summer for Singer. The night also brought out a few super villains: Jack O'Halloran and Sarah Douglas, who played the Phantom Zone heavies opposite Reeve, and a short, shaggy Greek producer named Ilya Salkind.

"Yes, to hear them talk about me you would think that," Salkind said after walking out of a post-screening panel discussion in which Kidder told the audience that "there was a lot of love that was missing" after Donner's firing. "I heard enough," Salkind said with a smile.

After that, Salkind headed to Greenblatt's Deli for a midnight sandwich. He said he had no regrets about the old days, but he says "The Donner Cut" isn't the only example of revisionism underway.

"If the Lester movie was so bad, why were the reviews so good? Why did so many people go see it?" he asked. "Reviewers said it was better than the first one. And if the actors were so upset, why do Margot and Gene Hackman and the rest come back for the sequels?"

Lester and his "Superman II" did win over critics, with some of them specifically praising his flashes of broad humor. To Lester, the director of the Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night," a super villain ravaging Metropolis with gales of super-breath seemed the perfect chance to toss in a sight gag about a fellow who chats away on the phone even as the booth he's in skids down the street. In a 2000 interview, Lester explained that he didn't share Donner's vision of a grandiose, "David Leanish" epic; you could almost read his reason between the lines: Lawrence of Arabia didn't have super-breath, now did he?

What happened is that the Salkinds, Ilya and his late father, Alexander, had come to Donner in 1976 and hired him to take the classic American myth of Superman and create an epic story that would be told over two films, à la "The Godfather," and be shot somewhat simultaneously in part to save money on special effects and Brando's high salary.

But Donner's exacting pace and ambitions left the Salkinds fuming. In late 1977, work on "Superman II" was halted and all resources went into the first movie. When the first "Superman" became a firecracker success, Donner assumed that it assured his return; the Salkinds, though, saw it as the franchise security they needed to boot the irksome director.

Donner was heartbroken. Recently, sitting in his office, he nodded toward the "Superman" memorabilia on the walls and got misty chatting about the late Reeve and the golden career moment they shared together. "I just loved the kid, and I was really hurt and angry when the movie was taken away from me. I never saw the finished movie by the other director. What's his name again?" Lester and Donner had been good friends before the switch but, like the Salkinds, Lester's name is a reminder of an opportunity wrested away.

Donner has plenty on his résumé — he directed "The Omen" and the "Lethal Weapon" movies, after all — but "Superman" was magic. "I wish Chris could have seen this. I wish Marlon could have seen it. But we finally made it right. Or at least we tried to."

[MacGuffin]

Title: Super Blunder

Further Details:
Those of you who have pre-ordered copies of Warner Home Video's forthcoming Superman: Ultimate Collector's Edition might want to think twice. Due to a massive technical blunder, the Superman III: Deluxe Edition discs contain the original 2001 release of the film, rather than the advertised disc with commentary, additional scenes and a vintage featurette.

Reports indicate that The Christopher Reeve Superman Collection and the individual release of Superman III: Deluxe Edition are unaffected. At this time there has been no word on whether or not Warner intend to issue replacement discs. Even if replacement discs are made available, non-US residents who purchased the set will most likely be left out in the cold. When you combine this with the fact that the advertised original 1978 Dolby Stereo soundtrack for Superman: The Movie is also missing, what could have been the year's best release becomes a less than attractive proposition...