Superman: The Richard Donner Vision

Yes, I have the various cuts of Superman and Superman II. Notably the TV Cut was important to me because I saw it THOSE 2 NIGHTS it premiered , and years later, people thought I was crazy recalling scenes most folks never saw, like feeding the babies. I also watched the TV Cut of Superman II when it premiered and when I'd bring up Zod killing the kid on the horse, my friends would say I'm crazy. I wish they would release the TV cut of Superman II as well, but if you have that long Restored International Cut - you're good to go if you can handle the quality. SO...those 2 combined would be well over 6 hours...and you'll watch both Donner AND Lester footage.

SO when the Superman II Donner Cut was released, people really started to learn and understand the situation he went through and his original intentions. Back in the 70s, that was pretty revolutionary - and risky - for all parties involved to film such a long movie, too. Then when they broke it up into 2 movies, continuity was messed up and they had to make and ending for the first movie and add more beef to the second. Script changes, pissed off folks, and it all fell apart.

So - when I found this fanedit - I understood the purpose of it. The original script has been out there for some time, yet technology really made it tough to piece together Richard Donner's Vision based on that full script that was butchered. Well Fran - what you have created was TOTALLY AMAZING!

Fran told me he has been working on his cut for YEARS - that is serious devotion! When I watched it, Fran presented that EPIC feel with an intermission in the middle! Gone With The Wind, Ben-Hur, Gandhi, etc... He pieced together a comprehensive reconstruction of the original script to the best of his ability with what footage he had to work with that followed it.

Of course this reconstruction required all the things Fran lovingly created - transitions, special effects, enhancements, and countless things you might not notice at first, but later I found to be quite important instead of just eye candy and generic to keep the pace. Constructing a conclusion to the fist Act does prepare you for the 2nd Act after the intermission. That was not easy using Donner footage, but Fran did it!

Fran recreated the opening credits - which was beautiful with the special effects improved! In the Theater in the 70s, as kids, we hated that long credits opening, and most lacked the understanding of it;s importance as this only a 2 hour movie now. Then Superman II had a short credits scene. Now you are watching an epic! and the opening credits have so much more importance!

Fran's added details also were strategically placed to explain a lot of things one might not have realized....the shockwave of Krypton exploding now bumps the Phantom Zone's course and during the movie, we revisit the Zone's new course as it passes the planets in our solar system. Then the rocket Superman pushed off into space becomes the catalyst that frees the criminals in space -- and luckily for them in a system with a Yellow Sun!.

Act2 with the Leaning tower of Pisa - I now got it after watching Fran's special effect which showed Superman 'drunk in love' excitingly swirling around the tower, never realizing what he did. Nice catch using footage from Superman III to recreate that moment in the original script.

Keep and eye out! So much fun to watch. Now the ending - this is when he turned back time (because Lois did not die in Act 1...that was a butchered ending used when the movies were to be split up). He reversed back all that damage done to the world as well as his own relationship with Lois and the additional damage that caused..

What fun! No longer do I care about missing Zod killing a little British Boy in a country town in Texas, LOLOL.

Fran! thank you for your devotion and hard work! I burned this to a Bluray and can;t wait to show it to my old friends!!!

steve

Just like the previous review indicates, this is hardly an edit for casual viewers. The pacing inevitably suffers, and it's very unlikely that if Donner had gone ahead and told the story of Superman I and II in one single movie, the result would be over four and a half hours long (in comparison, Ben-Hur is 3 hours and 32 minutes long, Lawrence of Arabia is 3 hours and 38 minutes long, Gone with the Wind is 3 hours and 58 minutes long...). It would most probably end up being more like Jelio & L8wrtr's "Superman: Son of Jor-El" than like this. So, for this edit it definitely helps if you are a huge fan of the source material (I am definitely one) and want to experiment it in a way that feels more like a binging marathon. And from that point of view, it works fine.

Flaws in logic have been pointed out, but it's something that the editor itself does acknowledge, and are retained because they were in the Tom Mankiewicz shooting script(s). Now, as much as I love these movies, I won't pretend they are perfect (particularly II) nor that the Mankiewicz drafts are the Holy Grail of Superman film writing. There are parts I dislike in the script and movie, parts that I think Richard Lester actually did better (most notably "General, would you care to step outside?"), and parts of the script I am VERY glad were never filmed (Lois: "Superman... ooohhhhh, Superman...!!!" - if you've read the script, you know). But this edit does fulfill its intentions admirably.

Technically, it's a tremendous job. How much so? The editor even typed the WHOLE end credits scroll from scratch. Yes. Word by word. If that is not a labor of love, I don't know what it is. Throughout, new FX shots have been implemented. Necessary? No. Well done? Definitely. I particularly enjoyed the new heat vision effect, and the clever way the Lois car rescue from the earthquake was solved. I had the opportunity to see the final draft of the edit blossom in front of my eyes, and the quirks from the first version I watched were masterfully fixed.

Does it become my preferred version of the movies? Not really. But it's a very enjoyable alternate, and I for one am awaiting the upcoming Superman III/IV sequel edit. Much to recommend here if you're a fan of the Donnerverse.

A really interesting and ambitious edit of the classic Superman Donner films into a more streamlined epic. Really liked the subtle changes and the unification of a lot of storylines to keep the plot flowing. Some classic deleted scenes are also most welcome.
Give it a try.

Probably the most epic, complete, and outstanding edit I've seen of both Superman I & II. The Video/Audio quality is excellent, great remastering of the deleted scenes, I was amused to discover some new scenes (the Fortress of Solitude portal was nice). I loved the VFX, they looked extremely good and felt very professional, my personal favorite is spinning on the Pisa tower. Speaking of that scene, I didn't know it was originally in the script, I just love how it fits the context of that part of the movie, probably the best addition in my opinion.
Great cut, one of the very best Superman edits out there, if not the best, despite it being 4hrs, I just didn't feel the length, we can sense that the movie was originally conceived to be this long, so the pacing is just incredible. The Intermission title card was welcome, I wish more long modern films could start doing it, the last movie with an Intermission I've seen was Alexander (Final Cut).

I've seen so many edits of Superman I and II, I really don't know how I can still be surprised at how unique and different each of them are, but here we have another one that fully realizes the potential of a complete cut of the original Donner vision. With new effects enhancing this experience, Fran's efforts give the production lasting re-watch value. About the only criticism I have is the 'Intermission' card doesn't feel all that necccersary.

A worthy viewing.