Superman (1978 film)

Superman
Superman
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Richard Donner
Screenplay by	Mario Puzo; David Newman; Leslie Newman; Robert Benton;
Story by	Mario Puzo
Based on	Superman; by Jerry Siegel; Joe Shuster;
Produced by	Pierre Spengler
Starring	Marlon Brando; Gene Hackman; Christopher Reeve; Ned Beatty; Jackie Cooper; Glenn Ford; Trevor Howard; Margot Kidder; Valerie Perrine; Maria Schell; Terence Stamp; Phyllis Thaxter; Susannah York;
Cinematography	Geoffrey Unsworth
Edited by	Stuart Baird
Music by	John Williams
Production; companies	Dovemead Ltd.; International Film Production;
Distributed by	Columbia–EMI–Warner Distributors (United Kingdom); Warner Bros. (United States);
Release dates	December 10, 1978 (The Kennedy Center); December 14, 1978 (United Kingdom); December 15, 1978 (United States);
Running time	143 minutes
Countries	Panama; Switzerland; United Kingdom; United States;
Language	English
Budget	$55 million
Box office	$300.5 million

Superman (also marketed as Superman: The Movie) is a 1978 superhero film based on the DC Comics superhero Superman, played by Christopher Reeve. It is the first of four installments in the Superman film series starring Reeve as Superman. The film was directed by Richard Donner based on a screenplay by Mario Puzo, David Newman, Leslie Newman, and Robert Benton. In addition to Reeve, the film features an ensemble cast including Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Jeff East, Margot Kidder, Glenn Ford, Phyllis Thaxter, Jackie Cooper, Trevor Howard, Marc McClure, Terence Stamp, Valerie Perrine, Ned Beatty, Jack O'Halloran, Maria Schell, and Sarah Douglas. It depicts the origin of Superman, including his infancy as Kal-El of Krypton, son of Jor-El (Brando), and his youthful years in the rural town of Smallville. Disguised as reporter Clark Kent, he adopts a mild-mannered disposition in Metropolis and develops a romance with Lois Lane (Kidder) while battling the villainous Lex Luthor (Hackman).

Ilya Salkind had the idea of a Superman film in 1973 and, after a difficult process with DC Comics, the Salkinds bought the rights to the character the following year. Several directors, most notably Guy Hamilton, and screenwriters were associated with the project before Donner was hired to direct. Tom Mankiewicz was drafted in to rewrite the script and was given a creative consultant credit. It was decided to film both Superman and its sequel Superman II (1980) simultaneously, with principal photography beginning in March 1977 and ending in October 1978. Tensions arose between Donner and the producers, and a decision was made to stop filming the sequel, of which 75 percent had already been completed, and finish the first film.^[7]

The most expensive film made up to that point, with a budget of $55 million,^[8]^[9] Superman premiered at The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, on December 10, 1978, and was released in the United Kingdom on December 14, and in the United States on December 15. The film was a critical and financial success; its worldwide box office earnings of $300 million made it the second-highest-grossing release of the year. It received praise for Reeve's performance and John Williams's musical score,^[10] and was nominated for Best Film Editing, Best Music (Original Score), and Best Sound at the 51st Academy Awards, and received a Special Achievement Academy Award for Visual Effects.^[11] Groundbreaking in its use of special effects and science fiction/fantasy storytelling, the film's legacy presaged the mainstream popularity of Hollywood's superhero film franchises. In 2017, Superman was selected for preservation by the Library of Congress's National Film Registry.

^ ^a ^b "Superman". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Archived from the original on September 14, 2018. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
^ "Superman". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on June 22, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Superman". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on March 23, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Superman". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
^ ^a ^b "Superman". Lumiere. Archived from the original on June 26, 2021. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
^ ^a ^b "Superman (1978)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on December 10, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
^ Tonguette, Peter. "Bright Lights Film Journal :: The Superman Films of Richard Lester". Brightlightsfilm.com. Archived from the original on December 12, 2010. Retrieved June 17, 2010.
^ Cook, David A. (2000). Lost Illusions: American Cinema in the Shadow of Watergate and Vietnam, 1970–1979. Vol. 9 of History of the American Cinema, Richard Koszarski. Scribner. p. 58.
^ "Superman: The Movie (1978) – Articles". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on July 24, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
^ Cite error: The named reference comment was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "Superman (1978) – Awards and Nominations"^{[permanent dead link]}, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved November 30, 2015

[afi-1] "Superman". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Archived from the original on September 14, 2018. Retrieved September 14, 2018.

[2] "Superman". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on June 22, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2012.

[AFI-3] "Superman". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on March 23, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2015.

[BFI-4] "Superman". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2021.

[Lumiere-5] "Superman". Lumiere. Archived from the original on June 26, 2021. Retrieved June 26, 2021.

[BOM-6] "Superman (1978)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on December 10, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2020.

[7] Tonguette, Peter. "Bright Lights Film Journal :: The Superman Films of Richard Lester". Brightlightsfilm.com. Archived from the original on December 12, 2010. Retrieved June 17, 2010.

[Cook_(2000)-8] Cook, David A. (2000). Lost Illusions: American Cinema in the Shadow of Watergate and Vietnam, 1970–1979. Vol. 9 of History of the American Cinema, Richard Koszarski. Scribner. p. 58.

[superman-tcm-9] "Superman: The Movie (1978) – Articles". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on July 24, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2012.

[comment-10] Cite error: The named reference comment was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[11] "Superman (1978) – Awards and Nominations"^{[permanent dead link]}, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved November 30, 2015

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