The Christopher Reeve Superman Collection
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Christopher Reeve Superman Collection is an 8-disc DVD box set of Superman films, released on November 28, 2006 by Warner Home Video.
It features all four Christopher Reeve films (made between 1978 and 1987), and George Reeves' Superman and the Mole Men. It also includes the 1940s "Fleischer" Superman cartoons.
Contents |
[edit] Disc breakdown
- Disc 1 - Superman: The Movie - Theatrical cut (1978)
- Disc 2 - Superman: The Movie - Director's cut (2000)
- Disc 3 - Superman: The Movie - Bonus Material Disc 1
- Disc 4 - Superman: The Movie - Bonus Material Disc 2
- Disc 5 - Superman II - Theatrical cut (1980)
- Disc 6 - Superman II - Bonus material
- Disc 7 - Superman III - Theatrical cut (1983) and Bonus Material
- Disc 8 - Superman IV: The Quest For Peace - Theatrical cut (1987) and Bonus Material
[edit] Details
Note: the language and subtitles information below is for the US version of the discs. International versions include various languages, depending on the country and/or area of release.
[edit] Superman: The Movie
The collection includes two versions of the first Superman film starring Christopher Reeve. One is the original theatrical cut, released in 1978, and the other, the DVD director's cut, released in 2001, containing eight minutes of previously-deleted footage, and a new audio mix. Both versions have been digitally restored.
A breakdown of the discs is as follows:
[edit] Disc One
- Original 1978 theatrical version with soundtrack in Dolby Surround Stereo 2.0 and 5.1 surround sound
- Commentary by producer Pierre Spengler and executive producer Ilya Salkind
- Theatrical trailers
- TV spot
- Languages: English & Français
- Subtitles: English, Français & Español (feature film only)
Due to a manufacturing error, disc 1 was shipped out containing the 1978 version of Superman: The Movie, however, with 5.1 surround sound, and not the original 2.0 Surround sound, as stated on the packaging. This is known to affect disc 1 in all collections and all regions. The following statement is from Warner Home Video: [1]
[edit] Disc Two
- 2000 expanded edition movie with soundtrack in Dolby Digital 5.1
- Commentary track by director Richard Donner and writer Tom Mankiewicz.
- Isolated Music Track
[edit] Disc Three
- Documentary: Taking Flight: The Development of Superman (30 minutes, 12 seconds)
- Documentary: Making Superman: Filming the Legend (30 minutes, 38 seconds)
- Documentary: The Magic Behind the Cape (22 minutes, 44 seconds)
- Restored scenes (10 minutes, 55 seconds)
- Screen Test: Christopher Reeve (8 minutes, 56 seconds)
- Screen Tests: Lois Lane (10 minutes, 27 seconds)
- Screen Tests: Ursa (1 minute, 58 seconds)
- Additional music cues (audio only)
- Note: Storyboards, originally available on DVD-ROM from the 2001 DVD, is not included in this release
[edit] Disc Four
- Vintage TV special The Making of Superman: The Movie (51 minutes, 47 seconds)
- 1951 Movie Superman and the Mole Men, starring George Reeves (58 minutes)
- Nine Fleischer Cartoons: Superman, The Mechanical Monsters, Billion Dollar Limited, The Arctic Giant, The Bulleteers, The Magnetic Telescope, Electric Earthquake, Volcano, Terror on the Midway
[edit] Superman II
- Main article: Superman II
The collection features two discs devoted to Superman II.
A breakdown of each disc is as follows:
[edit] Disc One
- Theatrical Cut
- New commentary by producers Ilya Salkind and Pierre Spengler
- Soundtrack in Dolby Digital 5.1
- Theatrical trailer
- Languages: English & Français
- Subtitles: English, Français & Español (feature film only)
[edit] Disc Two
- Vintage TV special The Making of Superman II (50 minutes, 4 seconds)
- Vintage TV Special Superman 50th Anniversary (48 minutes, 8 seconds)
- New Featurette: First Flight: The Fleischer Superman Series (12 minutes, 53 seconds)
- Eight Fleischer cartoons: Japoteurs, Showdown, Eleventh Hour, Destruction Inc., The Mummy Strikes, Jungle Drums, The Underground World, Secret Agent
[edit] Superman III
The collection features the theatrical cut of Superman III. There has been some demand for an alternate version of the film, as was done with the first two films. Superman III has previously been screened in two radically different versions: The theatrical version, and the television/broadcast version. Only the theatrical version is included with the collection. (See Superman III - Extra footage for a list of differences). The DVD is a single-disc and labeled "Deluxe Edition".
[edit] Disc One
- Theatrical Cut
- New commentary by producers Ilya Salkind and Pierre Spengler
- Vintage TV Special The Making of Superman III
- Additional Scenes (19 minutes, 23 seconds)
- Theatrical Trailer
- Languages: English & Français
- Subtitles: English, Français & Español (feature film only)
[edit] Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
The collection features the theatrical cut of Superman IV: The Quest For Peace. There has been some demand for an alternate versions of the film, as with the first two films.
It is known that a significant amount of footage (44 minutes) was cut from Superman IV, which has never been included in any release. This footage has been found, and is included as "deleted scenes" on the Superman IV disc, but was not incorporated into the film.
The film is single-disc and labeled "Deluxe Edition".
[edit] Disc One
- Theatrical Cut
- New commentary by screenwriter Mark Rosenthal
- Additional Scenes (30 minutes, 32 seconds)
- Theatrical Trailer
- Languages: English & Français
- Subtitles: English, Français & Español (feature film only)
[edit] Max Fleischer cartoons
All seventeen classic Superman cartoons created by Fleischer Studios and Famous Studios from 1941 to 1943 had been remastered and are included in the collection. The first nine cartoons (from Fleischer Studios) can be found on Disc Four of the Superman: The Movie four-disc special edition (Disc Four in the Christopher Reeve Superman Collection). The remaining eight cartoons (from Famous Studios) can be found on Disc Two of the Superman II two-disc special edition (Disc Six in the Christopher Reeve Superman Collection).
[edit] Manufacturing error
The original shipment of the Christopher Reeve Superman Collection was shipped with two defects:
- The "Superman: The Movie" 1978 theatrical edition did not include the original theatrical sound track in English, instead containing the 2001 enhanced sound track. This defect is known to affect all copies of this disc, in all collections, across all regions.
- The "Superman III" disc contains the 2001 version of the Superman III DVD, not the new 2006 deluxe edition as advertised. This version does not contain any of the extra features as printed on the Christopher Reeve Superman Collection box. This defect is known to affect only Region 1 box sets.
Replacement discs can be obtained in the US by calling: 800-553-6937. This allows consumers to exchange their defective Superman: The Movie and Superman III discs.
[edit] External links
| Superman in popular media | |
|---|---|
| Actors: | Bud Collyer • Kirk Alyn • George Reeves • Danny Dark • Christopher Reeve • Beau Weaver • John Haymes Newton • Gerard Christopher • Dean Cain • Timothy Daly • Tom Welling • George Newbern • Brandon Routh |
| Film: | Superman (1948) • Atom Man vs. Superman • Superman and the Mole Men • Superman (1978) • Superman II • Superman III • Supergirl • Superman IV: The Quest for Peace • Superman Returns • Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut |
| Television: | Adventures of Superman • Superboy • Lois & Clark • Smallville • Look, Up in the Sky! |
| Animation: | 1940s cartoons • The New Adventures of Superman • Superman • Superman: The Animated Series • Legion of Super Heroes |
| Other media: | Radio • Broadway Theater • Newspaper Strips |
