Superman

On his first day on the set, Marlon Brando suggested to Richard Donner that the cameras roll during rehearsal. Brando reportedly said, "Who knows? We might get lucky." According to Donner, that very first take was the one that was used in the finished film. Brando was notoriously lazy and was constantly pulling little stunts like this to lessen his workload. Christopher Reeve even complained about it in interviews, saying Brando was "phoning it in and it shows!"

When Jor-El introduces himself in the Fortress of Solitude, he explains that by this time, he will have been dead for thousands of Earth years. Yet during his teaching during Kal-El's journey to Earth from Krypton, Jor-El refers to Einstein's theory of relativity, which wasn't formulated until long after the destruction of Krypton.

For the first few opening credits, the graphics 'soar' towards the viewer. Following the appearance of the 'S' symbol, they change direction and from the film's title onwards, recede into the distance.

The current DVD, in addition to containing the 2000 restored director's cut, has 2 deleted scenes (both of Lex' babies, and seen in the TV edits in their original context), and alternate audio scoring for 8 sequences (including an unreleased alternate pop version of Margot Kidder's "Can You Read My Mind"). The DVD has the 2000 restoration with the following additions / expansions (all of which were seen in previous expanded television versions):

• Some added dialogue when Jor-El is talking with the council.
• The council calls an "Executioner" to hunt and kill Jor-El to keep the rocket from launching.
• Noel Neill and Kirk Alyn's speaking cameos on the train.
• Little girl sees Clark running faster than train, parents call her Lois Lane.
• In the kitchen Martha Kent takes out a box of Cheerios.
• After rescuing Air Force One Superman returns to Fortress of Solitude and has a conversation with his father.
• In Metropolis when the news of Superman comes out, Clark is a spectator. A stranger (played by an uncredited Richard Donner) comments "that'll be the day when a man can fly"; Clark grins.
• While trying to get Luthor's lair Superman goes through machine guns, flame throwers, ice machines with Luthor taunting on loudspeaker.
• The sequence with the Girl Scouts.

Edited into Superman II (1980)