Check out our gallery of the 2021 Oscar nominees in the leading and supporting acting categories, as the characters they so brilliantly played and in real life.
Just before the destruction of the planet Krypton, scientist Jor-El sends his infant son Kal-El on a spaceship to Earth. Raised by kindly farmers Jonathan and Martha Kent, young Clark discovers the source of his superhuman powers and moves to Metropolis to fight evil. As Superman, he battles the villainous Lex Luthor, while, as novice reporter Clark Kent, he attempts to woo co-worker Lois LaneWritten by
Jwelch5742
Much has been made already about how the star of the movie, Christopher Reeve, appears third in the credits after Brando and Gene Hackman. Hackman and Brando signed on almost a year before Reeve did. They were hired directly by the producers, the Salkinds, even before the director was even locked in; and having those stars onboard was how the Salkinds sold this to Warner Brothers/Columbia in the first place. That's how the leading man wound up third in the credits list on this movie. But even more shocking is where Margot Kidder wound up. She's the leading lady, the principal female in the cast, and she wound up in eightth place! That's what you get in a movie so jam packed with stars! (It's because the credits are alphabetical) See more »
Goofs
When Clark and Lois are leaving the Daily Planet on Clark's first day, he tries to follow Lois into the revolving door, getting his briefcase stuck. So, he then goes into the partition behind Lois. But when they come out into the street on the other side, they exit from the same partition. They enter the door separately but exit together. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Boy:
In the decade of the 1930s, even the great city of Metropolis was not spared the ravages of the worldwide depression. In the times of fear and confusion, the job of informing the public was the responsibility of the Daily Planet, a great metropolitan newspaper whose reputation for clarity and truth had become a symbol of hope for the city of Metropolis...
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The Special Edition DVD version of Superman also includes the scene of the the ABC-TV version where the spaceship bringing Kal-El to Earth passes by the Phantom Zone prisoners. See more »
Having recently seen the huge disappointment: Superman Returns, I felt an obligation to watch this version to see how it measured up. I couldn't believe my eyes, and ears! 'My God!' I thought, 'Characters that actually interact with one another!'. That is one of the key elements Superman Returns was missing: dialogue. This movie had so much fun with the story, and the characters, that despite its lack of modern effects, it was still immensely enjoyable to watch. There was real character development, real humor (particularly the scenes between Lex and Otis, which I found hysterical) and a palpable chemistry between Lois and Clark/Superman. From the very beginning, this movie grabs you tightly and keeps you interested. It has an enlivening effect on you, where you feel genuinely happy after watching it, which, to my understanding, is what the movies are all about. Gene Hackman had great one-liners, for instance,"Otis, do you know why the number 200 is so vitally descriptive to both you and I? Because it's your weight, and my IQ", and the entire cast sat right. The roles fit, the effects (for their time) were great, and the script was wonderful. It's amazing to me, that movies like this can still hold up against movies that are made with the gross national product of a small country. If you want Superman in all his glory, ignore 'Returns', and pick up this one; you won't be disappointed.
"Otis, do you want to see a very, very long arm?" "Oh no, Mr. Luthor!"
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Having recently seen the huge disappointment: Superman Returns, I felt an obligation to watch this version to see how it measured up. I couldn't believe my eyes, and ears! 'My God!' I thought, 'Characters that actually interact with one another!'. That is one of the key elements Superman Returns was missing: dialogue. This movie had so much fun with the story, and the characters, that despite its lack of modern effects, it was still immensely enjoyable to watch. There was real character development, real humor (particularly the scenes between Lex and Otis, which I found hysterical) and a palpable chemistry between Lois and Clark/Superman. From the very beginning, this movie grabs you tightly and keeps you interested. It has an enlivening effect on you, where you feel genuinely happy after watching it, which, to my understanding, is what the movies are all about. Gene Hackman had great one-liners, for instance,"Otis, do you know why the number 200 is so vitally descriptive to both you and I? Because it's your weight, and my IQ", and the entire cast sat right. The roles fit, the effects (for their time) were great, and the script was wonderful. It's amazing to me, that movies like this can still hold up against movies that are made with the gross national product of a small country. If you want Superman in all his glory, ignore 'Returns', and pick up this one; you won't be disappointed.
"Otis, do you want to see a very, very long arm?" "Oh no, Mr. Luthor!"