Superman II (1980)

Director:

Richard Lester
(more)

Writers:

Jerry Siegel (characters) &
Joe Shuster (characters) ...
(more)

Release Date:

19 June 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Miraculously freed from eternal orbit, the three outlaws from Krypton descend to earth, for the ultimate confrontation.

Plot:

Superman agrees to sacrifice his powers to marry Lois, unaware that three Kryptonian criminals he inadvertently released are conquering Earth.

Plot Keywords:

Criminal | Bomb | Phantom Zone | Prison | Explosion

Awards:

2 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Gene Hackman	...	Lex Luthor
Christopher Reeve	...	Superman / Clark Kent
Ned Beatty	...	Otis
Jackie Cooper	...	Perry White
Sarah Douglas	...	Ursa
Margot Kidder	...	Lois Lane
Jack O'Halloran	...	Non
Valerie Perrine	...	Eve Teschmacher
Susannah York	...	Lara
Clifton James	...	Sheriff
E.G. Marshall	...	The President
Marc McClure	...	Jimmy Olsen
Terence Stamp	...	General Zod
Leueen Willoughby	...	Leueen
Robin Pappas	...	Alice
Roger Kemp	...	Spokesman
Roger Brierley	...	Terrorist #1
Anthony Milner	...	Terrorist #2
Richard Griffiths	...	Terrorist #3
Melissa Wiltsie	...	Nun
Alain Dehay	...	Gendarme
Marc Boyle	...	C.R.S. Man
Alan Stuart	...	Cab Driver
John Ratzenberger	...	Controller #1
Shane Rimmer	...	Controller #2
John Morton	...	Nate
Jim Dowdall	...	Boris (as Jim Dowdell)
Angus MacInnes	...	Prison Warden (as Angus McInnes)
Antony Sher	...	Bell Boy
Elva Mai Hoover	...	Mother (as Elva May Hoover)
Hadley Kay	...	Jason
Todd Woodcroft	...	Father
John Hollis	...	Krypton Elder
Gordon Rollings	...	Fisherman
Peter Whitman	...	Deputy Dwayne
Bill Bailey	...	J.J.
Dinny Powell	...	Boog
Hal Galili	...	Man in Diner
Marcus D'Amico	...	Willie
Jack Cooper	...	Dino (as Jackie Cooper)
Richard LeParmentier	...	Reporter (as Richard Parmentier)
Don Fellows	...	General
Michael Shannon	...	President's Aide (as Michael J. Shannon)
Tony Sibbald	...	Presidential Imposter
Tommy Duggan	...	Diner Owner
Pamela Mandell	...	Waitress
Pepper Martin	...	Rocky
Eugene Lipinski	...	Newsvendor
Cleon Spencer	...	Kid #1
Carl Parris	...	Kid #2
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jean-Pierre Cassel	...	French Officer at the White House (uncredited)
Norman Chancer	...	White House Aide (uncredited)
Oz Clarke	...	Terrorist 4 (uncredited)
Richard Donner	...	Man Walking by Diner (uncredited)
Jeff East	...	Teenage Clark Kent in Opening Montage (archive footage) (uncredited)
Harry Fielder	...	Cop (uncredited)
Glenn Ford	...	Jonathan Kent in Opening Montage (archive footage) (uncredited)
Steven Lezak	...	Man in Crowd (uncredited)
Derek Lyons	...	American Soldier (uncredited)
Ralph Morse	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Beth Porter	...	Football Fan (uncredited)
Joe Praml	...	Man with Dark Glasses in Alaskan Bar (uncredited)
Eric Stine	...	Secret Service Agent (uncredited)
Burnell Tucker	...	White House Aide (uncredited)
Joe Walsh	...	Sailor Baby (uncredited)
Terry Walsh	...	KFC Man / French Officer (uncredited)

Directed by
Richard Lester
Richard Donner		(uncredited)

Writing credits
Jerry Siegel		(characters) &
Joe Shuster		(characters)
Mario Puzo		(story)
Mario Puzo		(screenplay) &
David Newman		(screenplay) &
Leslie Newman		(screenplay)
Tom Mankiewicz		uncredited

Produced by
Ilya Salkind	....	executive producer
Pierre Spengler	....	producer

Original Music by
Ken Thorne

Cinematography by
Robert Paynter		(as Bob Paynter)
Geoffrey Unsworth

Film Editing by
John Victor-Smith

Casting by
Lynn Stalmaster

Production Design by
John Barry
Peter Murton

Art Direction by
Terry Ackland-Snow
Ernest Archer
Charles Bishop
Norman Reynolds

Set Decoration by
Peter Howitt
Peter Young

Costume Design by
Yvonne Blake
Sue Yelland		(as Susan Yelland)

Makeup Department
Stuart Freeborn	....	makeup artist
Patricia McDermott	....	hairdresser (as Pat McDermott)
Bobbie Smith	....	hairdresser
Joan White	....	hairdresser
Nick Dudman	....	makeup trainee (uncredited)
Graham Freeborn	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Kay Freeborn	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Nick Maley	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Basil Newall	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Cecil F. Ford	....	production supervisor: Niagara (as Cecil Ford)
Tim Hampton	....	production supervisor: Paris
Allan James	....	unit manager
Vincent Winter	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Roy Button	....	assistant director
Raoul Girard	....	assistant director
Robert Lynn	....	second unit director
Terry Madden	....	assistant director
Christopher Newman	....	assistant director (as Chris Newman)
Paul Storey	....	assistant director
Dusty Symonds	....	assistant director
Gareth Tandy	....	assistant director
David Tomblin	....	second unit director

Art Department
Terry Apsey	....	construction manager
Ivor Beddoes	....	illustrator
Larry Cleary	....	construction manager
Peter Dunlop	....	buyer
Maurice Fowler	....	supervising art director
John Lanzer	....	buyer
Jim Morahan	....	assistant art director
Mick Chubbock	....	plasterer (uncredited)
Peter Fern	....	construction engineer (uncredited)
Robert Jackson	....	carpenter (uncredited)
Paul Laugier	....	draftsman (uncredited)
Bob Sherwood	....	dressing prop (uncredited)

Sound Department
Roy Charman	....	sound mixer
Mike Hopkins	....	dubbing editor
Gerry Humphreys	....	sound re-recording mixer
Archie Ludski	....	dubbing editor
Don Sharpe	....	dubbing editor
Paul Smith	....	dubbing editor
Sarah Vickers	....	dubbing editor
Jonathan Andrews	....	front projection unit boom operator (uncredited)
Peter Desbois	....	audio playback operator (uncredited)
Richard Lightman	....	foley artist (uncredited)
Regina Mullen	....	adr assistant (uncredited)
Mike Tucker	....	boom operator (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Colin Chilvers	....	director of special effects
Robert Harman	....	flying effects (as Bob Harman)
Jimmy Benson	....	special effects (uncredited)
Chris Corbould	....	special effects technician (uncredited)
Neil Corbould	....	special effects technician (uncredited)
John Evans	....	special effects (uncredited)
Garth Inns	....	special effects (uncredited)
Brian Warner	....	special effects (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Ivor Beddoes	....	matte artist
Denys N. Coop	....	director of photography: flying unit (as Denys Coop)
Dick Dimbleby	....	optical printer
Dave Docwra	....	optical printer (as David Docwra)
Doug Ferris	....	matte artist
Roy Field	....	supervisor of optical & visual effects
Peter Hammond	....	matte camera operator
Peter Harman	....	matte camera operator
Derek Meddings	....	director of miniature effects & additional flying sequences
Zoran Perisic	....	special effects director: flying unit
David Speed	....	zoptic operator
Peter Watson	....	optical & special effects editor
Paul Wilson	....	director of photography: miniature unit
Janice Body	....	visual effects technician (uncredited)
Martin Body	....	rostrum cameraman (uncredited)
Costas Charitou	....	titles & opticals: Camera Effects Ltd (uncredited)
Peter Dorme	....	model effects (uncredited)
Keith Holland	....	visual effects camera operator (uncredited)
John Inglis	....	visual effects supervisor (uncredited)
Tad Krzanowski	....	model effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Vic Armstrong	....	stunt coordinator
Alf Joint	....	stunt coordinator
Jacob Rupp	....	stunts
Paul Weston	....	stunt coordinator
Bob Anderson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Vic Armstrong	....	stunt double: Christopher Reeve (uncredited)
David Brandon	....	stunts (uncredited)
Cyd Child	....	stunts (uncredited)
Tim Condren	....	stunts (uncredited)
George Lane Cooper	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jack Cooper	....	stunts (uncredited)
Sue Crosland	....	stunts (uncredited)
Graeme Crowther	....	stunts (uncredited)
Clive Curtis	....	stunts (uncredited)
Billy Dean	....	stunts (uncredited)
Peter Diamond	....	stunts (uncredited)
Joe Dunne	....	stunts (uncredited)
Stuart Fell	....	stunts (uncredited)
Tex Fuller	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Gallant	....	stunts (uncredited)
Tom Hegarty	....	stunts (uncredited)
Billy Horrigan	....	stunts (uncredited)
Arthur Howell	....	stunts (uncredited)
Alf Joint	....	stunts (uncredited)
Wendy Leech	....	stunts (uncredited)
Mark McBride	....	stunts (uncredited)
Peter Munt	....	stunts (uncredited)
Valentino Musetti	....	stunts (uncredited)
Terence Plummer	....	stunts (uncredited)
Greg Powell	....	stunts (uncredited)
Terry Richards	....	stunts (uncredited)
Doug Robinson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Colin Skeaping	....	stunts (uncredited)
Stuart St. Paul	....	stunts (uncredited)
Johan Thorén	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chris Webb	....	stunts (uncredited)
Paul Weston	....	stunts (uncredited)
Terry Yorke	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
John Campbell	....	focus puller
Steve Claydon	....	focus puller (as Stephen Claydon)
Freddie Cooper	....	camera operator (as Freddy Cooper)
David Garfath	....	camera operator
Ginger Gemmel	....	camera operator (as Ginger Gemmell)
Ron Goodman	....	Wesscam photographer (as Ronald Goodman)
Keith Hamshere	....	still photographer
John Harris	....	camera operator
Peter MacDonald	....	camera operator
John Morgan	....	camera operator
Jeff Paynter	....	focus puller
Cervin Robinson	....	process stills: New York
Jonathan Taylor	....	focus puller
Chic Waterson	....	camera operator (as Chick Waterson)
David Wynn-Jones	....	first assistant camera
David Wynn-Jones	....	focus puller
Brian Ellis	....	focus puller (uncredited)
Phillip Grosvenor	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Nick Schlesinger	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Jon Sorensen	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Chris Warren	....	video operator: flying unit (uncredited)

Casting Department
Debbie McWilliams	....	casting: England

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Betty Adamson	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Nicolas Gomez	....	editorial assistant (as Nicolas Gomez)
Peter Holt	....	assistant editor
Bob Mullen	....	assistant editor
Colin Wilson	....	assistant editor
Russ Woolnough	....	assistant editor (as Russell Woolnough)
Paul Hamill	....	post-production assistant (uncredited)

Music Department
Robert Hathaway	....	music editor (as Bob Hathaway)
John Richards	....	music mixer
John Richards	....	music recordist
Ken Thorne	....	conductor

Other crew
Frans J. Afman	....	financial consultant (as Franz Afman)
Trudy Balen	....	secretary to producer
Joy Bayley	....	production assistant
Chris Coles	....	coordinator: New York (as Christopher Coles)
Pamela Davies	....	continuity (as Pamela Davis)
Quinn Donoghue	....	promotional consultant
Sue Hausner	....	secretary to the executive producer
Geoffrey Helman	....	production executive
Graham Henderson	....	accountant
Bobbie Johnson	....	assistant accountant
Katya Kolpaktchy	....	assistant continuity
Harry Lange	....	consultant: astronautics
Tom Mankiewicz	....	creative consultant
Doris Martin	....	continuity
Maria Monreal	....	executive assistant to producers
Douglas Noakes	....	production accountant
Patricia O'Reilly	....	promotional assistant
Mahesh Rajguru	....	accountant
Armand Rubin	....	sales consultant
Alexander Salkind	....	presenter
Christine Samways	....	assistant accountant
Elaine Schreyeck	....	continuity
Robert Simmonds	....	production executive
Michele Tandy	....	assistant accountant
Betty Williams	....	accounts secretary
Allan James	....	location manager (uncredited)
Sarah Lucraft	....	junior assistant accountant (uncredited)
Craig Miller	....	marketing consultant (uncredited)
Paul Tivers	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Marc Wolff	....	helicopter pilot (uncredited)

Thanks
Howard R. Schuster	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Dovemead Films (as Dovemead Limited)
• Film Export A.G.
• International Film Production

Distributors

• Columbia-EMI-Warner (1980) (UK) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros (1981) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Film (1980) (France) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1984) (USA) (TV)
• Warner Home Video (1987) (UK) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2001) (Canada) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2001) (UK) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2005) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2008) (Canada) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2009) (Argentina) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Adams Filmi (1981) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1981) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Filmverleih (1981) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Future Film (2001) (Finland) (DVD)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (2000) (2005) (Finland) (TV)
• Polar-Video (1980s) (Finland) (video)
• Solar Video (????) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• TV3 (1989) (Finland) (TV)
• Video King (1985) (Greece) (VHS)
• Warner Bros. Entertainment Finland Oy (2006) (Finland) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2002) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (Germany) (DVD) (special edition)
• Warner Home Video (????) (West Germany) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Lightflex America Inc. (special lighting effects) (as The Lightflex System)

Other Companies

• Camera Effects  main title
• Music Centre, The  music mixed and recorded at
• Twickenham Studios  sound re-recorded at (as Twickenham Film Studios)
• D.P. Associates  special thanks
• Wesscam Camera Systems (Europe)  aerial camera sequences (as Wesscam)
• Cinema Research  additional optical sequences (as Cinema Research Corporation)
• Howard Anderson Company, The  additional optical sequences (as Howard A. Anderson Co.)
• Zoptic  process photography
• Samuelson Film Service  camera equipment supplied by
• Lee Lighting  lighting equipment by (as Lee Electric [Lighting] Ltd.)
• Berman's and Nathan's  costumes by (as Berman and Nathans Ltd.)
• Frank Cooney  furs by
• The Niagara Parks Commission  the producers wish to thank
• Surrey County Council  the producers wish to thank
• Mayor's Office for Motion Pictures & Television  the producers wish to thank (as The Mayor's Office for Motion Pictures & Television, New York)
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)  the producers wish to thank (as The National Aeronautics & Space Administration)
• DC Comics  based upon the character "Superman" appearing in comics and magazines published by
• Flying Pictures  helicopter pilot provided by (uncredited)
• Mayflower Recording  adr recording (uncredited)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

127 min | USA:116 min (Richard Donner Cut)

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English | French | Russian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (MegaSound encoding) (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Canada:G | Chile:TE | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Norway:12 (1980) | Peru:PT | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG (Approved No. 26049) | Iceland:L | South Korea:All | Brazil:Livre | New Zealand:PG | West Germany:12 (f) | Germany:12 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Albert R. Broccoli 007 Stage, Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Dovemead Films

Trivia:

Christopher Reeve's physique changed significantly during production. Some earlier scenes had to be re-shot.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: In the final reels of the Donner Cut, Lois Lane uses an Underwood-Olivetti manual typewriter that sounds like an IBM Selectric.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Krypton guard:Alert, alert, alert.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Atop the Fourth Wall: TRS-80 Whiz Kids: The Computers That Saved Metropolis! (#4.39)" (2011)

Soundtrack:

Pick Up the Pieces

The Greatest Adventure in the Superman Series

This Superman movie has got to be the bench mark for future producers of Superman movies. They must be sat down with this film, because it is an absolute classic, and as far as Superman films go it will be hard to top. Richard Lester, is not very popular with some Superman fans, because he took over on a movie that they feel would have been better had Richard Donner been allowed to complete. But Lester has his admirers, and iam one of them. The first Superman movie tended to go along with boring philosophising, or over sentimental dramatics, these are mainly absent in Superman II,. They are replaced with cut to the action dramatics by Richard Lester who in my opinion saved the movie, or at least made it all the more exciting. I enjoy his sense of comic book adventure, and the final Times Square battle between Superman vs Zod,Non and Ursa is straight out of a comic book and is all Lesters. The main thing that complements the movie is the towering performance by Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent/Superman. Reeve is hillarious in his Cary Grant-a-like interpretation of Kent and wonderfull as a humanistic Superman. Margot Kidder is fabulous to and it is the acting of theese two that makes the Superman//Lois love triangle work. Terance Stamp as Zod is very creepy, and Sarah Douglas as Ursa very sexy, but the man who very nearly steels the show is Gene Hackman hilarious as Lex Luther. The special effects are brilliant, because they look glossy, and the Ken Thorne variation of John Williams Superman theme is at its best here. The best aspects though is the action, the aforementioned Times Square battle, and the interaction between the actors. Well done Richard Lester. A True classic of Superhero cinema.