#15: SUPERMAN

 

Starring Marlon Brandon, Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, Glenn Ford, Trevor Howard, Margot Kidder, Valerie Perrine, Maria Schell, Terenfe Stamp, Phyllis Thaxter, Susannah York. Written by Mario Puzo, David Newman, Leslie Newman and Robert Benton. Directed by Richard Donner. Music by John Williams. Budget $55 million. Running time 143 minutes.

It's the story of Superman, it's the grandaddy of all super hero films and it's glorious. Treating the whole thing incredibly seriously and from a script by the Godfather himself, Mario Puzo. Directed by Richard Donner. As a kid I was disappointed by the lack of a story and the ending. If I'm honest it still niggles me today, but nowadays i don't care, so wrapped up do I get with the whole production. From Christopher Reeve's masterful performance as Superman and his alter-ego Clark Kent to Gene Hackman expertly nuanced Lex Luthor. The effects mostly practical, some optical, but all non-digital are astonishing, the wirework is dazzling. Honestly, there's not a bum note in this film and to watch it back on the big screen was pure cinematic bliss. If you get the chance to revisit this or any of the other reissues on the big screen you gotta do it!

In a word, pass me the boat, it's all gravy!

10/10