itle: Superman (IMDb: 1, 2, 3, 4)
Starring: Christopher Reeve
Released: 28th November 2006
SRP: Various
Further Details:
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 ($24.98 SRP), 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 ($39.92 SRP) 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 ($26.99 SRP) including a new featurette, vintage television specials and additional vault elements; and Superman III and IV Deluxe Editions ($19.97 SRP). Finally, The Christopher Reeve Superman Collection ($79.92 SRP) will be offered in an 8-disc boxed set including all the above (except Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut). We've attached detailed listings of every disc below, including the specs on Warner Home Video's release of Supergirl ($14.97 SRP) which, like the Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, will also be available separately.
Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (1980/2006)
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.
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 Award 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.
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: 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
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.
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: Japoteurs, Showdown, Eleventh Hour, Destruction, Inc., The Mummy Strikes, Jungle Drums, The Underground World, 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.
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.
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.
Commentary by Jeannot Szwarc and Scott Bosco
Theatrical trailer
Stay tuned for the artwork for everything listed above, which should be along shortly.
News by Matt Joseph
