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10-10-2006 23:23 | 17434 views | Dave Foster | My Other Content

On 20th November 2006 Warner Home Video will release a host of UK Region 2 DVDs, all starring the late Christopher Reeve in his landmark portrayal of the Man of Steel. Leading the way will be Superman II Three Disc Special Edition, containing Richard Lester’s ever-popular theatrical cut and the long-awaited Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut directed by Donner and representing Superman II as it was originally conceived and intended to be filmed. An overwhelmingly requested title, the movie features Donner’s original footage, shot but never used before, including a never-before-seen beginning, a never-before-seen resolution, with 15 minutes of restored footage of Marlon Brando as Jor-El and much more.

Other titles to be released include Superman: The Movie Four Disc Special Edition which features both the DVD debut of the 1978 theatrical version as well as the 2001 extended edition with commentary from director Richard Donner and Tom Mankiewicz, archival footage of additional scenes and screen tests.

Finally The Christopher Reeve Superman Collection presents a 9-disc boxed set including all the above as well as Superman III and IV Deluxe Editions.

Details of New Warner Superman Releases...
Superman II Three-Disc Special Edition

Original 1980 Theatrical Version by Richard Lester

Unwittingly released from Phantom Zone imprisonment, three super-powered Kryptonian criminals (Terence Stamp, Sarah Douglas and Jack O’Halloran) plan to enslave Earth – just when Superman (Christopher Reeve) decides to show a more romantic side to Lois Lane (Margot Kidder). Gene Hackman (as Lex Luthor) also returns from the first film and with a top supporting cast, witty Richard Lester direction and visuals that astound and delight, Superman II saves the day any day you watch it.

Disc One:

Movie with commentary by executive producer Ilya Salkind and producer Pierre Spengler
Soundtrack in Dolby Digital 5.1
Theatrical trailer

Disc Two:

Vintage TV specials The Making of Superman II and Superman 50th Anniversary
New featurette First Flight: The Fleischer Superman Series
Eight Famous Studios Superman cartoons mastered from superior vault elements:
- Japoteurs
- Showdown
- Eleventh Hour
- Destruction, Inc.
- The Mummy Strikes
- Jungle Drums
- The Underground World
- Secret Agent

Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (Presented on Disc 3)

Superman II will delight fans who, for years, have been imploring Warner Home Video via voluminous numbers of petitions, letters, phone calls and e-mails to release the Donner cut. In fact, Donner had already shot most of the Superman II footage during Superman: The Movie. But as production on the sequel continued, creative differences between the director and the film’s producers became irreconcilable and Donner left the project. Although Richard Lester was hired to finish production, he chose to make major changes to the film, leaving only vestiges of Donner’s original vision and concepts in the version of Superman II that was ultimately released to theatres.

Now, nearly thirty years later, Warner Home Video is honoured to grant the wishes of countless Superman fans. With this DVD release, Richard Donner has become the first director in history to be able to complete a film he left during production with nearly all his footage “in the can.” Adding back a substantial amount of that unused footage, the director has seen his original vision restored and brought to fruition.

Most notably, the “Donner cut” restores the Marlon Brando role, filmed for, but not included in the final theatrical release version of Superman II. The legendary Brando’s performance as Jor-El has finally been restored in key scenes that amplify Superman lore and deepen the profound relationship between father and son.

With so many other changes, large and small, including a variety of Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) schemes to unmask Clark Kent as Superman, this Superman II will prove to be an eye-opening experience and an important addition to film history.

DVD Special Features:

All new introduction by director Richard Donner
Commentary by director Richard Donner and creative consultant Tom Mankiewicz
New featurette Superman II: Restoring the Vision
Additional scenes

Superman: The Movie (1978/2001) Four-Disc Special Edition

A box-office smash, an Academy Award winner and a fan favourite since it first flew into theatres in December 1978, Superman: The Movie assembles a cast and creative contingent as only a big movie can. At its heart (just as in three sequels) is Christopher Reeve’s intelligent, affectionate portrayal of a most human Man of Steel. Watching Superman again isn’t just like being a kid again. It’s better.

The movie’s legacy soared even higher when director Richard Donner revisited this beloved adventure 22 years later and integrated eight minutes into the film. Enjoy more footage of the Krypton Council, a glimpse of stars of prior Superman incarnations, more of Jor-El underscoring his son’s purpose on Earth and an extended sequence inside Lex Luthor’s gauntlet of doom. Reeve, Marlon Brando (Jor-El), Gene Hackman (Luthor) and Margot Kidder (Lois Lane) give indelible performances that fuel the film’s aura of legend.

Disc One:

Original 1978 theatrical version with soundtrack in Dolby Digital 5.1
Commentary by producer Pierre Spengler and executive producer Ilya Salkind
Theatrical trailers
TV spot

Disc Two:

2000 expanded edition movie with commentary by director Richard Donner and creative consultant Tom Mankiewicz
Music-only audio track

Disc Three:

Three documentaries:
- Taking Flight: The Development of Superman
- Making Superman: Filming the Legend
- The Magic Behind the Cape
Restored scenes
Screen tests
Audio-only bonus: additional music cues

Disc Four:

Vintage TV special The Making of Superman: The Movie
1951 Movie Superman and the Mole-Men, starring George Reeves
Nine Fleischer Studios Superman cartoons mastered from superior vault elements:
- Oscar nominee Superman
- The Mechanical Monsters
- Billion Dollar Limited
- The Arctic Giant
- The Bulleteers
- The Magnetic Telescope
- Electric Earthquake
- Volcano
- Terror on the Midway

The Christopher Reeve Superman Collection

Includes all of the above discs plus:

Superman III Deluxe Edition (1983)

After Superman: The Movie’s epic storytelling and Superman II’s awesome battles, how could the first two hits be topped? In Superman III, meet Gus Gorman (Richard Pryor), a half-witted computer programming natural. For him a keyboard is a weapon – and Superman faces the microelectronic menace of his life. Christopher Reeve reprises his most beloved role, deepening his character’s human side as Clark Kent reunites with old flame Lana Lang (Annette O’Toole) at a Smallville High class reunion. And when Superman becomes his own worst enemy after Kryptonite exposure, Reeve pulls off both roles with dazzling skill. Incredible visual effects abound – but above all it has heart, heroism and high-flying humor. All in superabundance.

DVD Special Features:

Commentary by executive producer Ilya Salkind and producer Pierre Spengler
Vintage TV special The Making of Superman III
Additional scenes
Theatrical trailer

Superman IV The Quest For Peace

Christopher Reeve not only dons the title hero’s cape for the fourth time but also helped develop the movie’s provocative theme: nuclear disarmament. “For me, it’s the most personal of the entire series,” Reeve said. “It directly reflects what Superman should be, and should be doing.” Superman does a lot this time around. To make the world safe for nuclear arms merchants, Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) creates a new being to challenge the Man of Steel: the radiation-charged Nuclear Man (Mark Pillow). The two foes clash in an explosive extravaganza that sees Superman save the Statue of Liberty, plug a volcanic eruption of Mount Etna and rebuild the demolished Great Wall of China.

DVD Special Features:

Commentary by screenwriter Mark Rosenthal
Additional scenes
Theatrical trailer

The following artwork is currently lacking the BBFC certificates but is otherwise what you can expect in shops this November...

#1 Posted: 16-08-2006 10:42
Kailem Member Posts: 134	The theatrical version of Superman II packaged together with the Richard Donner cut in a 3-disc release as opposed to being sold seperately like the R1 versions? Score! :D

#2 Posted: 16-08-2006 10:53
Primus Geek Trainee Posts: 176	Excellent - good to see the new Superman II cut is in there. A must buy, me thinks.

#3 Posted: 16-08-2006 11:33
DeadKenny Member Posts: 215	I should say that as I understand it, Donner wasn't much involved in the "Donner Cut" other than putting his seal of approval on it. To quote from an interview on Dark Horizons when asked about his involvement... “I can’t because it’s so long ago and the little bit of footage that I looked at, I would never shoot like that now in a million years, I mean it was a different way, a different style, different interpretation.” It's still essentially his cut as he would have made it at the time, but it's the studio putting together the cut (much like the work print of Alien 3). I'm definitely looking forward to it anyway as someone who's strongly campaigned for it's release :D. My only concern is how it will fit in context-wise.

#4 Posted: 16-08-2006 12:26
Maffew Member Posts: 430	This set looks great, but would it seem the Look in the Sky documentary is only going to be available seperately after all then? “For me, it’s the most personal of the entire series,” Reeve said. “It directly reflects what Superman should be, and should be doing.” Good Lord, I hope he didn't say that!

#5 Posted: 16-08-2006 13:07
Wilson Bros Member Posts: 183	Originally Posted by DeadKenny: To quote from an interview on Dark Horizons when asked about his involvement... “I can’t because it’s so long ago and the little bit of footage that I looked at, I would never shoot like that now in a million years, I mean it was a different way, a different style, different interpretation.” Jesus, did he even see his wn movie Timeline? The Lethal Weapon series decreased drastically in quality as they went on, but to be fair, we haven't seen 16 Blocks yet, so can't personally comment if the curve has continued. We've been looking at a number of pieces of the "new" Donner footage (eg bits that were not aired on TV version around the world) and the stuff is pretty impressive, with the stuff with Margot Kidder jumping out of the window looking damn good. We just hope that they are going to edit out the comedy "cake" piece that ends the sequence, as this might make it look a little too Lester. The Donner footage of the fight between Supes & the villains above Metropolis is much more exciting and vivid, with the Man of Steel landing a fabulous twister-punch from Zod which sends him spinning into (and destroying) the torch of Lady Liberty. Naturally he retaliates in the same fashion. It's all very cool, and the work of a director who redefined how action was conveyed in movies as much as Peter Hunt did. It's still unclear as to which ending it is going to have, but most of the "turning back the world" was filmed and is going to be presented as at least an extra, but it will create a situation where for any emergency, Supes can always turn back the Earth. However, for anyone who hasn't seen the stuff with the Fortress of solitude being blown up and the emotional parting of the ways between Reeve & Kidder, it's going to prove beyond a doubt what was missing when Lester got hold of it. Let's just hope they were able to get away with the screentest footage in a way that doesn't distract too much.

#6 Posted: 16-08-2006 13:31
Primus Geek Trainee Posts: 176	Wilson Bros. - sounds like good stuff, thanks for the update. Best not ask how you managed to see all that footage...!

#7 Posted: 16-08-2006 14:25
bradavon Banned Posts: 2907	Odd to list Superman 2 before Superman! Great news. I'm picking Superman and Superman 2 up for sure. Agreed like everyone else it's great to see Superman 2 all in one package. I see Supergirl isn't part of the UK R2 box set. I should say that as I understand it, Donner wasn't much involved in the "Donner Cut" other than putting his seal of approval on it. Whoever put it together I'm just happy it's coming.

#8 Posted: 16-08-2006 14:35
Benji Member Posts: 97	It's nice there'll be a chris reeve box set instead of having to buy superman returns with it! Additional scenes for all 4 films, fantastic! Can't wait to see the first nuclear man footage, probs be sh*t but needs to be seen!

#9 Posted: 16-08-2006 15:07
DavidB Member Posts: 107	Will there be a boxset with Returns included as well, does anyone know?

#10 Posted: 16-08-2006 15:16
animatedude Member Posts: 212	over play.com, the 9-disc boxset is on pre-order but the 13-disc boxset is not.so assume it has been cancelled.meh.

#11 Posted: 16-08-2006 15:22
bradavon Banned Posts: 2907	Dave Foster said in the R1 article it's likely still to come. He usually knows what he's talking about.

#12 Posted: 16-08-2006 15:25
brioni Member Posts: 7	loads of info here: [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman_II:_The_Richard_Donner_Cut[/url] I really wanted to know how much Lester footage would be needed to make a complete film, restorationist Michael Thau confirmed it would be less than 25%. There's also lots of speculation on what the sound mix will be like, if actors have been brought back for dialogue-looping, music scoring, the ending and how the new CGI effects will look compared to the original optical effects. This could be a train wreck.

#13 Posted: 16-08-2006 15:39
evilcat Member Posts: 59	So Play are selling S1 & S2 for a total of £36 or the box containing the same plus numbers 3 and 4 for £40? You'd have to _really_ hate the last two to not buy that set!

#14 Posted: 16-08-2006 15:47
Wilson Bros Member Posts: 183	Anyone who saw Superman Returns has already heard an audio snippet of the new Brando sequence, but it still ties into Donner's Superman II, as all of the other Brando dialogue pieces were heard in the first movie. Mos people will spot that the passing of Jor-El's life-force to Kal-El as echoing the Creation of Adam painting in the Cistine Chapel. A pity is that the new cut if II is going to fall victim to Donner not liking to watch his old work, as there have been a number of times that he saw a sequence and told the editors to "just make it go faster" and a lot of the slower, more atmospheric pieces are going to be lost. One of these is going to be Luthor & Miss Teschmaker making their way across the icy lake to the fortress, which is a lovely, almost dream-like piece. Some of the original stuff with Reeve & Kidder standing by Niagra Falls was filmed by Donner, as a photo appeared on Swap Shop by a kid who was over there when they were shooting, of all things! Kidder is wearing a competely different costume to the Lester stuff, but it might be that there was not enough to finish it, and they keep the theatrical footage. At the very least, they will get rid of the awfully crass piece of humour where somebody dubbed on "Of course he's Jewish" when Supes saves the kid. The interplay between Kidder & Reeve is just great, and the bit where Kidder realises Clark Kent & Superman are one is the same is brimming with chemistry. Lois Lane is beside herself with glee after drawing the hat & glasses on the photo of Supes, and the way she mimicks Kent's (up, up & away) hand-gesture is really funny. It's a real pity that the fox-hunting scene at the start of the movie wasn't filmed, as Supes stops a hunt in dear old Blighty and saves a fox before lecturing a furious bunch of huntsmen about it being wrong. It amazed us to find that the Carry-On style piece where Supes uses his heat-vision to cook the souffle was originally filmed by Donner, and is pretty close to the Lester version. Who knows if it will make it to the final cut, but you have to love how it cuts immediately from Lois Lane tricking Supes with the gun to her unpacking gorceries in the fortress. It has been said that 50% of the new cut hasn't been seen by anyone, and if it includes all of the TV footage, that could be quite a bit, and on pieces where they had to use Lester material, they have gotten rid of the goofy humour (the Gene Kelly impersonator in the Metropolis street battle, for example). Another benefit is that for them to use as much original material as possible means you get Terrance Stamp & Sarah Douglas playing their roles straight, using the original takes before Lester had them re-dub their Donner footage with campier deliveries. If you look at Non as he attacks the lunar pod, he looks seriously mean, as formidable as he was written up to be at the start of the first movie, but with all the re-shooting, he was rendered a comical chump with a squeak. They even went to the trouble of dubbing extra whimpers on Donners footage of him to make him more "loveable" for the kiddies. In any case, regardless of what is in there, Superman II will finally deliver the spirit of what was originally intended. It's just a shame that Chris Reeve wasn't here to see it.

#15 Posted: 16-08-2006 16:11
Kailem Member Posts: 134	Originally Posted by Primus: Wilson Bros. - sounds like good stuff, thanks for the update. Best not ask how you managed to see all that footage...! Access Hollywood showed some of the new/original footage on their show a few weeks ago, you can check it out on their website [url=http://video.accesshollywood.com/player.html?dlid=24948]here.[/url] And yes I definitely agree that it's looking very good, especially those original Metropolis battle scenes. I really can't wait to see that whole sequence in all its original glory (or as much of it as we're going to be getting anyway). :) Oh Warner Home Video, you really are too good to us. :D

#16 Posted: 16-08-2006 16:39
malcy Member Posts: 97	Originally Posted by animatedude: over play.com, the 9-disc boxset is on pre-order but the 13-disc boxset is not.so assume it has been cancelled.meh. Looks like the 13 disc set has been dropped. The 9 disc set looses from the original rumoured spec. Look in the Sky documentary (1 disc - has this had a UK R2 release yet ?) Superman 2 4th disc of set (1 disc - looks like this has been dropped worldwide as R1 gets 2 disk set with Donner cut as separately available 3rd disk) Superman Returns 2 disk (available to buy separately).

#17 Posted: 16-08-2006 17:07
Takeshi357 Rock N' Troll Posts: 334	Well I'm glad that Superman II gets a decent release too. I'll be so totally getting the first two, maybe III as well.

#18 Posted: 16-08-2006 17:16
fatdragon Member Posts: 10	great news about superman II 3 disc not too interested about the other discs though i know its a bit early but does anyone know if there is gonna be blu-ray versions of thiese disc too :)

#19 Posted: 16-08-2006 17:57
John Howells Member Posts: 2	I should say that as I understand it, Donner wasn't much involved in the "Donner Cut" other than putting his seal of approval on it. But as noted here [URL]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman_II:_The_Richard_Donner_Cut#The_Richard_Donner_Cut[/URL] and in other places, Donner appears to have had more involvement than his initial statements indicated.

#20 Posted: 16-08-2006 19:25

bradavon
Banned
Posts: 2907

Originally Posted by fatdragon:

i know its a bit early but does anyone know if there is gonna be blu-ray versions of thiese disc too
:)

Probably but aren't WB in the HD-DVD camp?

Originally Posted by brioni:
loads of info here:
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman_II:_The_Richard_Donner_Cut[/url]
I really wanted to know how much Lester footage would be needed to make a complete film, restorationist Michael Thau confirmed it would be less than 25%.

Thanks. That's still a lot of new footage.

Originally Posted by evilcat:
So Play are selling S1 & S2 for a total of £36 or the box containing the same plus numbers 3 and 4 for £40?

You'd have to _really_ hate the last two to not buy that set!

You'd have to be really stupid to pay those prices period (that is the separate not box set prices).

#21 Posted: 17-08-2006 10:35
MAP612 Member Posts: 4	The 13 (or 12?) disc set is on sale at Choices. Price has recently increased which suggests it has not been cancelled. Ordered this over a month ago for £57

#22 Posted: 17-08-2006 10:36
MAP612 Member Posts: 4

#23 Posted: 17-08-2006 10:37
MAP612 Member Posts: 4	The 13 (or 12?) disc set is available at Choices. Price recently increased which suggests it has not been cancelled. Ordered this last month for £57.

#24 Posted: 17-08-2006 13:04
EvaUnit02 Carlito Brigante Posts: 191	Originally Posted by bradavon: Probably but aren't WB in the HD-DVD camp? WB support both formats.

#25 Posted: 17-08-2006 13:10
CPreischl Member Posts: 79	Originally Posted by MAP612: The 13 (or 12?) disc set is on sale at Choices. Price has recently increased which suggests it has not been cancelled. Ordered this over a month ago for £57 Same here. And I'll leave the order open until I hear something definitive (i.e. official) about it not happening. But, to be honest, I doubt it's gonna happen at this point. Maybe we'll know more once Superman Returns is officially announced.

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