When director Richard Donner was shooting Superman The Movie, he was simultaneously filming Superman II.  So, for example, when the cast and crew were on the interior Daily Planet office set, they would first film all the sequences required for the first film, then switch to the script for the second.  It must have been a continuity nightmare.  Since both Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman were available for a limited time, Donner had already finished capturing their performances for both films.  But the simultaneous shoot took a toll on the production.  With the unalterable release date looming for Superman The Movie, further efforts to film the sequel - over two-thirds was already in the can - had to be put aside until the first film could be completed.  It was close thing.  Superman The Movie was finished just in time for the public, but there wasn’t enough time for a premiere.  And then the Salkinds fired Donner.  Richard Lester would finish shooting Superman II and would try to minimize the use of footage.

Donner’s resentment is exquisitely clear during his commentaries both for Superman The Movie and for this film.  He never expected to see his interpretation of Superman II presented to you.  But a clever film editor named Michael Thau, who was involved with the director’s cut of Superman The Movie, initiated the effort to resurrect Donner’s vision and, much to the delight of fans, Warner decided to back the project financially.  The result is a bizarre experience that is akin to watching Thunderball and Never Say Never Again (except all the principal players remain instead of just one).  It’s the same basic story, but told differently.

Gone is the Eiffel Tower sequence.  Gone is Lois Lane’s (Margot Kidder) jumping into the water above Niagara Falls to force Clark (Christopher Reeve) to reveal his true identity.  Gone is Kal-El’s mother, Lara (Samantha York).  Gone is the magic kiss.  And gone is the patriotic ending.  Donner has replaced those sequences with his original concepts.  It’s the missile that Superman diverts into deep space during Superman The Movie that explodes to free Zod (Terrence Stamp), Ursa (Sarah Douglas), and Non (Jack O'Halloran).  Lois’s growing suspicion of Superman’s secret identity and her efforts to force the truth are more satisfying.  And Jor-El (Marlon Brando) is brought back to interact with his son, far more consistent and emotionally rewarding. 

The reconstruction was a Herculean task.  It was necessary to sort through six tons of footage and audio stems to reconstruct the film to a state that comes as close as possible to what it was supposed to have been.  One pivotal scene in the Donner Cut wasn’t shot for the film at all.  When Lois finally gets Clark to admit that he’s Superman, the scene remains in their Niagara Falls hotel room, but the dialog is completely different.  It is, in fact, edited together from Reeve and Kidder’s screen tests.  You’ll notice that Reeve’s hair and glasses change from cut to cut depending on whether the footage is from his screen test or hers.  And the hotel room set is quite different than the set used in the theatrical release.  But the logic of the scene, the better dialog, and the symmetry with Lois’s earlier attempt to force him to reveal himself, all tend to distract the viewer from the lack of continuity.

But I was flabbergasted when the plot device found in the finale of Superman The Movie was used, apparently as initially intended, in the Donner Cut of Superman II.  Decades ago, the filmmakers had decided to transplant that finale to the first film to make it the best they could.  They postponed creating a resolution to the second film for when that production resumed.  Yes, I’m talking about going back in time.

Several readers responded to my criticism of the climax of Superman The Movie when I bemoaned the utter lack of concern with causality.  Well, kind readers, the Donner Cut of Superman II is guilty of precisely the same crime.  The issue is identical: mishandling a missile.  I’ll be vague to avoid spoilers.  At the end of the Donner Cut, Superman is faced with a few dilemmas and he takes the easy way out: travel back in time and change things.  But just like in Superman The Movie, he didn’t change anything - at least not onscreen.  For the sake of those who wrote to ask what could have been done differently to avoid the vagueness of a time travel sequence, and without revealing why, here’s how it could have been handled in this sequel. 

Cut to an apparent repeat of the scene from the first film when Superman is high above the atmosphere.  He guides the first missile toward deep space and gives it one last push.  As it speeds off, Superman turns back toward Earth and is surprised to see something streaking around the planet at an impossibly high speed.  As the object slows, it becomes clear that it’s a second Superman, who rapidly flies past him while offering a little salute.  The second Superman quickly catches up with the missile and radically changes its course.  On the edge of his peripheral vision, the first Superman is distracted by a nuclear detonation on the West Coast and rushes Earthward to help.  Switch the point of view of the second Superman (he’s from Superman II).  He watches his past self speed toward the planet, turns to see the missile he just manipulated explode well away from the passing manifestation of the Phantom Zone, and then accelerates into a faster-than-light reversed Earth orbit to depart from his past and return to his present time.  No less scientifically implausible, but at least it’s self-consistent, causal, and minimizes the paradoxes.  (The only paradox that remains is the elimination of his motivation to have gone back in time to make the change; a small leap of faith that he who changes time remembers how it was before the change is all that’s required.)  But I digress; two questions remain. 

Is the Donner Cut better than the Lester cut?  Yes and no.  Until the film reaches the same inane climax I just discussed, the plot devices are more believable and emotionally satisfying.  Extending the father/son interactions to their logical conclusion is much more consistent and meaningful.  Admittedly, there is a continuity problem going forward concerning the Fortress of Solitude.  And there is one serious plot hole in the Donner Cut that has me baffled.  As presented, Lex Luthor’s fate is unresolved; and yet, one of the new unused scenes (available as a supplement) reveals precisely what happens to him.  Why leave the plot hole?  If I were hard-pressed and had to choose between the Lester cut and the Donner Cut, I guess I’d have to select the Donner Cut. 

Is the Donner Cut a great film?  Alas, no.  It’s a reasonably good film, one that easily bests the third and fourth films in the series (I know, faint praise).  It certainly belongs in the pantheon of Superman films.  It remains an important object lesson for Kal-El: accept your fate as the protector of your adopted planet; sacrifice your happiness for the better good; keep your distance from personal relationships or risk their lives as evildoers use them to gain control over you.  I had hoped for more and I was disappointed by the climax, but the film is better conceived than the theatrical release.

The Video: How Does The Disc Look?

Despite many scenes having been filmed as the first film was shot, I found this high definition transfer to be a tad more detailed than Superman The Movie.  Perhaps the efforts to resurrect footage long since thought to be lost provided the benefits some additional restoration.  The chroma seems somewhat more natural, although flesh tones do lean very subtly toward pink.  The colors are reasonably consistent but do drift now and then, likely a consequence of the nature of the footage edited together to make a whole.  Small object detail is excellent; just read the fine print in newspapers or on the astronauts’ pressure suit insignias.  Finely gained textures are good but not quite up to modern film; there is a general impression of modest softness.  Detail is, however, sufficient to reveal how rough some of the restored special effects are.  Traveling matte areas appear around stars in the missile sequence, late in the film.  Shadow detail is quite good, and blacks are satisfyingly deep.  Most surprising is the cleanliness of the cobbled together print; scratches, blemishes, and dirt are not an issue.

The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

The Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 track is nowhere near as aggressive as the new mix on Superman The Movie.  The bottom end is slightly anemic and there are no shimmering highs.  Ken Thorne borrowed heavily from John Williams’ fine orchestral score to create his score for the film.  It’s presented with reasonable fidelity, but lacks transparency.  Sound effects lack impressive dynamic range and visceral punch.  The surrounds aren’t used as extensively as in the first film’s new mix; you’ll hear a few pans and a few discrete sounds, but the track is decidedly front-centric.  Dialog is always distortion-free but lacks that in-the-room presence I admire.  As I’ve often written, sound is much more difficult to restore.  One can equalize, relocate sounds, and reduce hiss and noise, but to the best of my knowledge, there is still no distortion-reversing algorithm available.  Regardless of my seeming lack of enthusiasm, this is very likely as good as this film has sounded in any home medium.

There is no alternate language, but there are optional subtitles in English SDH, French, and Spanish.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

There is an Introduction by director Richard Donner (1:54); it’s short and heartfelt.  He extends a sincere and genuine thank you to his audience for their interest and the opportunity to revisit a film he longed to show the world.

In the featurette entitled Superman II: Restoring the Vision (13:19 and presented in 480p), we learn that film editor Michael Thau led the effort to collect, restore, and assemble the film from six tons of film and magnetic sound recordings.  It was an extensive reconstruction.  The materials had not been stored properly over the intervening decades and the film and magnetic tapes had to be baked to remove moisture.  It becomes clear that for Donner the entire effort became an emotional process.  We also learn that some modern digital effects were added, but efforts were to make them look like vintage effects.  A nice, but brief, over view of the effort.

There is a small collection of six additional scenes with an aggregate runtime of 8:43.  Some are extended and some are new.  The first two are of Lex and Miss Teschmacher (Valerie Perrine) sharing some exposition and banter as they arrive at the Fortress of Solitude and break through its defenses.  And as I previously mentioned, it’s in this collection that we find Luthor being handed over to the U.S. Arctic Patrol.  Perhaps most redundant is a little scene in which Clark makes the decision to return North just to teach a bully a lesson.  You’ll also find an alternative escape from prison that is no less ludicrous than the one that graces the film.  The scenes are presented in high definition and in the original aspect ratio, but the quality does not approach that of the feature film.

The best supplement on the disc is the commentary by Donner and creative consultant Tom Mankewicz (who, as we know from the commentary on Superman The Movie, was the script doctor who transformed the films from camp to drama with humor).  This new cut is dedicated to Christopher Reeve and Donner is effusive in his tribute to the actor who was born to play the role.  They describe the history behind Donner’s loss of control and the opportunity to finally resurrect Superman II.  The resentment of the Salkins is made vividly clear.  They describe the downfall of the series as they discuss Superman III and IV.  Don’t be surprised to find a great deal of admiration for their work interspersed through the entire film.  Quite a bit of time is invested to disparage Lester’s efforts.  They credit Thau for his efforts, seem very grateful that Warner got on board, and credit the Internet for stimulating the resurrection.  They gossip about the Lester film and the studio as it existed at the time of the production.  You’ll learn about how the film became a very social collaborative effort as they describe interactions on the set.  I found it interesting that there was a considerable discussion about Hackman’s abilities as a comedic actor.  The implication is that they felt that humor was an essential component of Luthor’s portrayal.  I cannot agree; a villain must be villainous to pose a threat.  Villainous humor should be limited to sarcasm, biting barbs, and cruel jokes.  I found Donner’s comments concerning the villains interesting - as lighter caricatures.  Donner discusses bringing in and working with his cinematographer and production designer.  And it’s in the commentary that I learned that the time travel ending in Superman The Movie was originally intended for Superman II.  There was no discussion of causality; now that’s a chat I’d like to have with these gentlemen.  This is a fine commentary that informs and entertains, but be prepared for them to become engrossed in the film and stop talking from time to time. 

Final Thoughts

I’m torn.  This is a fascinating exercise that reconstructs the look and feel of the film director Richard Donner would have liked to make, a continuing story that extends directly from the events in Superman The Movie.  As presented, it’s more consistent with the plot and tone of the first film.  And the cheese factor has definitely been toned down.  But holes remain and the ending left me shaking my head in disbelief.  Regardless, this is a must see for any fan of the series.  You’ll find a pretty good high definition transfer, a reasonable audio track, and a moderately good set of supplements.


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