THE Q&A
Jim Bowers is the editor of Caped Wonder.com and author of the forthcoming Superman: The Richard Donner Years.
Jim kindly spoke to The Bits about the appeal and legacy of Superman II. (He was previously interviewed for this column’s retrospectives on Superman: The Movie.)
Michael Coate (The Digital Bits): How do you think Superman II ought to be remembered and/or celebrated on its 40th anniversary?
Jim Bowers: “If you’ve only seen the first part, you haven’t seen the best part." Superman II is remembered and celebrated as one of the most fun and enjoyable movie sequels in cinematic history. When I think back on memorable summer releases, 1981 is without a doubt one of my favorite years! I view Superman II as the perfect summer movie adventure for all ages, and certainly one of the most anticipated sequels, much like The Empire Strikes Back one year earlier. How many times did I watch Superman II and Raiders of the Lost Ark on the same day in 1981? I lost count a long time ago!
I’m overjoyed to this day to still see theaters honor Superman II with special screenings and presentations. With the love of nostalgia and dedication from Superman fans, this should really be the time Warner Bros. gets behind a 40th anniversary release of Superman II. The theatrical and extended cuts (in widescreen) definitely deserve new scans and remastering for 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and streaming. I’m confident they’ll be equally popular to the recent Supergirl and Superman: The Movie Extended Cut releases by the Warner Archive Collection.
The Digital Bits: What do you remember about your first viewing of Superman II?
Bowers: I first saw Superman II on the silver screen in Columbus, Georgia, on opening day, June 19, 1981. I was a military college student working as a lifeguard at Fort Benning, Georgia, that summer, so there was plenty of time to go to the movies. About two weeks prior to release day, my local theater posted the advance one-sheet poster outside showing the three Kryptonian villains standing side-by-side on the blue grate with the planet behind them (my favorite poster for the movie).
“Miraculously freed from eternal orbit, the three outlaws from Krypton descend to earth, for the ultimate confrontation.”
I must have driven by the theater a dozen or so times to stop and gaze at that poster as my imagination ran wild. There’s no doubt that I wore out my Starlog magazines re-reading the reports and carefully studying the photos about the movie. The anticipation had my heart pounding!
Opening day arrived, and once again my younger brother Clarke joined me. He was eight years old. With Twizzlers and a Cherry Coke in hand, the trailers rolled (I only remember Raiders of The Lost Ark, Outland, and For Your Eyes Only), and the “Feature Presentation” commenced. As soon the starfield space anomaly appeared and the first few notes of the score played, I immediately said to myself, “That’s not John Williams!” I will admit that I was disappointed and held my breath. What was about to happen?
What did I think of the first viewing? I thoroughly enjoyed it, but felt it lacked the scope and grandeur of the first movie. Mostly fantastic visual effects and consistently outstanding performances by the entire cast. Everyone in the theater seemed elated to see heat vision and Super Breath for the first time (some of the other Super Powers had me scratching my head)! I was particularly captivated by Terence Stamp’s menacing General Zod, and the allegiance of Ursa and Non. With repeated viewings throughout the year, my appreciation for the movie grew as I began to view it more as a live-action comic book and less as the three-chapter “Verisimilitude Event” that was Superman: The Movie.
The Digital Bits: In what way is Superman II a significant motion picture?
Bowers: Superman II arrived in U.S. [and Canadian] theaters on July 19, 1981, in a whoosh of hype, months after it opened in Europe and Australia to big bucks and critical praise. It wasn’t just a movie; it was another full-fledged Hollywood “event.”
Superman II and its predecessor have provided filmmakers and the studios with the inspiration to create their own vision of Superheroes on the big and small screens for the past 40+ years. Both films radiate heart, adventure, hope, romance, and fun…and Pure Nostalgia. It’s that nostalgia that keeps the fans, young and old, coming back to these delightful and more innocent times. We are so blessed today to have both physical media and streaming at our fingertips to be able to easily enjoy these true classics. Oh, how I miss Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder.
The behind-the-scenes “Super Drama” that occurred during and after the production of the first two Superman movies has been discussed and dissected repetitively for years, so this isn’t the place to rehash all that. I will say that considering all of the tension, stress, re-filming, re-editing, hiring, firing, and more, the theatrical Superman II turned to be a very satisfying, fulfilling movie.
From a collectibles standpoint, Superman II’s robust merchandising and publicity campaign produced more wonderful Superman movie photography that I cherish so much, in addition to posters, advertisements, TOPPS cards, and the soundtrack LP and cassette. I’ll always be grateful to Keith Hamshere, Bob Penn, and other set photographers for their tireless efforts to capture lightning in a bottle on celluloid film.
The Digital Bits: Where do you think Superman II ranks among the Reeve Era movies?
Bowers: Superman: The Movie will forever remain my favorite movie during the Christopher Reeve Era. Superman II (theatrical) most certainly ranks as #2. Clark Kent’s alley transformation into Superman and Superman’s flight to the White House to return the American Flag are two of the best moments of the era; they are just as chill-inducing and magical today as they were 40 years ago…and CGI-free!
The Digital Bits: Between the original theatrical release, television broadcasts, The Richard Donner Cut, etc., which cut/version do you believe is the best?
Bowers: Like Superman: The Movie, the theatrical cut of Superman II will always be a favorite for me but has very little to do with who directed it. It was the first version of the sequel I ever experienced, so it’s very difficult to erase that happy memory from my mind.
Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut is my favorite collection of deleted/unused scenes from any movie series. I’m so grateful that the footage was located and released by Michael Thau and Warner Bros. and approved by Richard Donner. Thank you!
The television broadcasts of Superman II—with extra scenes shot both by Richard Donner and Richard Lester—is an exciting topic of fascination, especially among diehards. Jay Towers and I have tackled all of the versions of the Reeve movies multiple times on The Caped Wonder Superman Podcast. I’ve conversed with a plethora of very enthusiastic, talented fans for decades who have created their own edits of Superman II, and the vast majority of those edits are quite intriguing. One of the best "fan" edits is the 2004 Superman II: The Restored International Cut. I recommend finding a copy in the collector’s circles. It should be free.
The Digital Bits: What do you believe is the legacy of Superman II?
Bowers: Superman II is another monumental achievement in cinema thanks to its filmmakers and actors who gave it its heart and soul. Superman is only as great as his adversaries, and Superman II has four of them, or five if you count Non twice.
One of the major things Superman II has going for it is the ability to take completely for granted an audience’s familiarity with the characters and relationships of the original. Without the first movie’s mammoth scene-setting requirements, Superman II had the luxury of getting down to action almost immediately, having a crisply economical recap of Superman: The Movie’s highlights cleverly dispensed with under the opening credits.
Multitudes of devoted fans absolutely love and adore Superman II. I don’t think they’ll ever stop talking about it…which edit is superior and why, their favorite moments, their most special memories of seeing it in the theater and on TV…so much devotion and affection for the actors and their characters. With each new home video release of the movie comes the resurgence of hope, optimism, and innocence fans feel as they watch in awe as Christopher Reeve transforms from Clark Kent into Superman in the Metropolis alleyway and soars to Paris to save the love of his life, Lois Lane. (Thanks to Jay Towers for his special assistance and guidance.)
The Digital Bits: Thank you, Jim, for sharing your thoughts about Superman II on the occasion of its 40th anniversary.
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IMAGES:
Selected images copyright/courtesy Jim Bowers, Dovemead Limited, Film Export A.G., International Film Production, Los Angeles Times, Major Studio Partners, National Screen Service, Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Home Video.
SOURCES/REFERENCES:
The primary references for this project were the motion picture Superman II, regional newspaper coverage and trade reports published in Boxoffice, The Hollywood Reporter and Variety, and interviews conducted by the author. All figures and data pertain to North America (i.e. United States and Canada) except where stated otherwise.
SPECIAL THANKS:
David Ayers, Jim Bowers, Dolby Laboratories, Sheldon Hall, Jeffry Johnson, William Kallay, Bill Kretzel, Paul Linfesty, Genevieve Maxwell (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences), Joe Odenthal.
IN MEMORIAM:
- Geoffrey Unsworth (Director of Photography), 1914-1978
- John Barry (Production Designer), 1935-1979
- Denys Coop (Director of Photography Flying Unit), 1920-1981
- Hal Galili (“Man in Diner”), 1926-1983
- Gordon Rollings (“Fisherman”), 1926-1985
- Ernest Archer (Art Director), 1910-1990
- Roy Charman (Sound Mixer), 1930-1990
- Joe Shuster (Superman co-creator), 1914-1992
- Peter Whitman (“Deputy Dwayne”), 1947-1995
- Derek Meddings (Director of Miniature Effects & Additional Flying Sequences), 1931-1995
- Jerry Siegel (Superman co-creator), 1914-1996
- Alexander Salkind (Presenter), 1921-1997
- E.G. Marshall (“The President”), 1914-1998
- Tommy Duggan (“Diner Owner”), 1909-1998
- Mario Puzo (Story), 1920-1999
- Marc Boyle (“C.R.S. Man”), 1945-1999
- Roy Field (Supervisor of Optical & Visual Effects), 1932-2002
- David Newman (Screenplay), 1937-2003
- Christopher Reeve (“Superman”/”Clark Kent”), 1952-2004
- Alf Joint (Stunt Coordinator), 1927-2005
- Roger Brierley (“Terrorist #1”), 1935-2005
- John Hollis (“Krypton Elder”), 1927-2005
- Gerry Humphreys (Re-recording Mixer), 1931-2006
- Don Fellows (“General”), 1922-2007
- Peter Murton (Production Designer), 1924-2009
- Tom Mankiewicz (Creative Consultant), 1942-2010
- Bob Paynter (Director of Photography), 1928-2010
- Jackie Cooper (“Dino”), 1923-2010
- Susannah York (“Lara”), 1939-2011
- Jackie Cooper (“Perry White”), 1922-2011
- Tony Sibbald (“Presidential Imposter”), 1936-2011
- Stuart Freeborn (Makeup), 1914-2013
- Richard Griffiths (“Terrorist #3”), 1947-2013
- Richard Parmentier (“Reporter”), 1946-2013
- Paul Wilson (Director of Photography Miniature Unit), 1925-2014
- Ken Thorne (Composer), 1924-2014
- Anthony Miller (“Terrorist #2”), 1947-2015
- Alan Stuart (“Cab Driver”), 1931-2016
- Clifton James (“Sheriff”), 1920-2017
- Margot Kidder (“Lois Lane”), 1948-2018
- Yvonne Blake (Costume Designer), 1940-2018
- Shane Rimmer (“Controller #2”), 1929-2019
- John Victor Smith (Editor), 19??-2019
- Marcus D’Amico (“Willie”), 1965-2020
- Lynn Stalmaster (Casting), 1927-2021
- Ned Beatty (“Otis”), 1937-2021
- Richard Donner (Director [uncredited]), 1930-2021
- Michael Coate
Michael Coate can be reached via e-mail through this link. (You can also follow Michael on social media at these links: Twitter and Facebook)
