Superman (also marketed as Superman: The Movie) is a 1978 superhero film based on the DC Comics character Superman, portrayed by Christopher Reeve. It is the first of four installments in the Superman film series starring Reeve as Superman. The film was directed by Richard Donner and written by Mario Puzo, David Newman, Leslie Newman, and Robert Benton. The film features an ensemble cast including Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, Glenn Ford, Trevor Howard, Margot Kidder, Valerie Perrine, Maria Schell, Terence Stamp, Phyllis Thaxter and Susannah York. It depicts the origin of Superman, including his infancy as Kal-El of Krypton, son of Jor-El (Brando), and his youthful years in the rural town of Smallville. Disguised as reporter Clark Kent, he adopts a mild-mannered disposition in Metropolis and develops a romance with Lois Lane (Kidder) while battling the villainous Lex Luthor (Hackman).
Ilya Salkind had the idea of a Superman film in 1973 and, after a difficult process with DC Comics, the Salkinds bought the rights to the character the following year. Several directors, most notably Guy Hamilton, and screenwriters were associated with the project before Donner was hired to direct. Tom Mankiewicz was drafted in to rewrite the script and was given a creative consultant credit. It was decided to film both Superman and its sequel Superman II (1980) simultaneously, with principal photography beginning in March 1977 and ending in October 1978. Tensions arose between Donner and the producers, and a decision was made to stop filming the sequel, of which 75 percent had already been completed, and finish the first film.
The most expensive film made up to that point, with a budget of $55 million, Superman premiered at The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, on December 10, 1978, and was released in the United Kingdom on December 14, and in the United States on December 15. The film was a critical and financial success; its worldwide box office earnings of $300 million made it the second-highest-grossing release of the year. It received praise for Reeve's performance and John Williams's musical score. The film was nominated for Best Film Editing, Best Music (Original Score) and Best Sound at the 51st Academy Awards and received a Special Achievement Academy Award for Visual Effects."Superman (1978) – Awards and Nominations", Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved November 30, 2015 Groundbreaking in its use of special effects and science fiction/fantasy storytelling, the film's legacy presaged the mainstream popularity of Hollywood's superhero film franchises. In 2017, Superman was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.
Plot
On the planet Krypton, Jor-El, a member of the Kryptonian high council, sentences criminals General Zod, Ursa, and Non to the Phantom Zone. He warns the council that Krypton will be destroyed by its exploding red supergiant sun, but they dismiss his concerns. Before the planet's destruction, Jor-El and his wife Lara send their infant son Kal-El to Earth. There, the boy's unique physiology grants him evolving superhuman abilities. Kal-El's spaceship touches down near Smallville, Kansas. He is found by Jonathan and Martha Kent, who are astonished when the infant lifts their truck. They adopt him, naming him Clark. As he grows, hiding his powers, Jonathan believes Clark was sent to Earth for a special purpose.
Years later, after losing Jonathan to a fatal heart attack, the teenaged Clark is summoned by a glowing green crystal from his spaceship which is hidden in the barn. This leads him to the Arctic, where a Fortress of Solitude, mirroring Krypton's architecture, ascends from the ice. Inside, Jor-El's hologram reveals Clark's heritage and trains him over the next twelve years. Emerging in a blue-and-red suit bearing the crest of the House of El, he is cautioned against changing human history.
Clark adopts a new persona as a mild-mannered reporter, and starts wearing glasses to disguise his true appearance. He is hired by the Daily Planet in Metropolis, where he meets investigative journalist Lois Lane. Clark debuts his new costume by saving Lois from a helicopter accident and, over the rest of the evening, uses his powers in public acts of heroism, gaining immediate fame as the "caped wonder". Thanks to Clark's disguise, he successfully keeps his true identity secret from Lois and his colleagues. Perry White, the Daily Planets chief, seeks more information on this new hero; Clark arranges for Lois to interview his new alter-ego and, afterwards, takes her on a flight over the city, leading her to coin his name, "Superman".
Criminal mastermind Lex Luthor discovers a joint U.S. Army/U.S. Navy missile test and plots to target the San Andreas Fault with reprogrammed missiles, though one is misdirected by his bumbling assistant, Otis. Suspecting Superman's interference, Lex identifies a Kryptonian meteorite, lethal to Superman. With Otis and his girlfriend Eve Teschmacher, Lex retrieves it and traps Superman in his lair, revealing his plan to sink the western U.S., making his desert land prime coastline. He weakens Superman using the meteorite, now known as Kryptonite, and informs him of the misdirected missile set for Hackensack, New Jersey.
Concerned for her mother in Hackensack, Eve frees Superman, urging him to first stop the eastbound missile. He sends it to space but misses the westbound missile, which triggers severe earthquakes in California, endangering landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge and Hoover Dam. Superman counteracts the devastation by mending the fault line. As Superman rescues others, Lois is trapped in her car by an aftershock, suffocating before he can save her. Distraught and enraged over his failure to save Lois, he disregards Jor-El's warning against altering history. Heeding Jonathan's belief in his purpose, Superman accelerates around Earth, traveling back in time to prevent Lois's death and the missile's detonation. After saving the West Coast, he imprisons Luthor and Otis, then soars into the sunrise.
Cast Marlon Brando as Jor-El: Superman's biological father on Krypton. He has a theory about the planet exploding, yet the Council refuses to listen. He dies as the planet explodes but has successfully sent his infant son to Earth as a means to save the child. Brando sued the Salkinds and Warner Bros. for $50 million because he felt cheated out of his share of the box office profits. This stopped Brando's footage from being used in Richard Lester's version of Superman II. Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor: A scientific genius and businessman who is Superman's nemesis. It is he who discovers Superman's weakness to kryptonite and hatches a plan that puts millions of people in danger. Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent / Superman: Born on Krypton as Kal-El and raised on Earth, he is a being of immense power, strength, flight and invulnerability who, after realizing his destiny to serve mankind, uses his powers to protect and save others. As a means to protect his identity, he works in Metropolis at the Daily Planet as mild-mannered newspaper reporter Clark Kent and changes his clothes into a red-blue red caped suit with an S shield on its chest and is dubbed "Superman" by Lois. Reeve was picked from over 200 actors who auditioned for the role. Jeff East as the teenage Clark Kent: As a teenager, he is forced to hide his superhuman abilities, making him unpopular among his classmates and frustrating his efforts to gain the attention of classmate Lana Lang (Diane Sherry). Following the death of his adoptive father, he travels to the Arctic to discover his Kryptonian heritage. East's dialogue in the film is redubbed by Christopher Reeve for the final cut. Ned Beatty as Otis: Lex Luthor's bumbling henchman. Jackie Cooper as Perry White: Clark Kent's hot-tempered boss at the Daily Planet. He assigns Lois to uncover the news of an unknown businessman purchasing a large amount of property in California. Keenan Wynn was originally cast, but dropped out shortly before filming because of heart disease. Cooper, who originally auditioned for Otis, was subsequently cast. Glenn Ford as Jonathan Kent: Clark Kent's adoptive father in Smallville during his youth. He is a farmer who teaches Clark skills that will help him in the future. He later has a fatal heart attack that changes Clark's outlook on his duty to others. Trevor Howard as the First Elder: Head of the Kryptonian Council, who does not believe Jor-El's claim that Krypton is doomed. He warns Jor-El: "Any attempt by you to create a climate of fear and panic amongst the populace must be deemed by us an act of insurrection." Margot Kidder as Lois Lane: A reporter at the Daily Planet, who becomes a romantic interest to Clark Kent. The producers and director had a very specific concept for Lois: liberated, hard-nosed, witty and attractive. Kidder was cast because her performance had a certain spark and vitality, and because of her strong interaction with Christopher Reeve. Over 100 actresses were considered for the role. Margot Kidder (suggested by Stalmaster), Anne Archer, Susan Blakely, Lesley Ann Warren, Deborah Raffin, and Stockard Channing screen tested from March through May 1977. The final decision was between Channing and Kidder, with the latter winning the role. Jack O'Halloran as Non: Large and mute, the third of the Kryptonian villains who are sentenced to be isolated in the Phantom Zone. Valerie Perrine as Eve Teschmacher: Lex Luthor's girlfriend and accomplice. Already cynical about his increasing grandiosity and disturbed by his cruelty, she saves Superman's life after learning that Luthor has launched a nuclear missile toward her mother's hometown of Hackensack, New Jersey. She shows a romantic interest in Superman, implied by her fixing her hair before she makes her presence known to him, and then by kissing him before she saves his life. Maria Schell as Vond-Ah: Like Jor-El, a top Kryptonian scientist; but she too is not swayed by Jor-El's theories. Terence Stamp as General Zod: Evil leader of the three Kryptonian criminals who swears vengeance against Jor-El when he is sentenced to the Phantom Zone. His appearance was to set him and his accomplices as the main antagonists of Superman II. Phyllis Thaxter as Martha Kent (née Clark): Clark Kent's faithful adoptive mother. A kindly woman who dotes on her adoptive son and is fiercely devoted to her husband, Jonathan. She is her son's emotional support after Clark is devastated by Jonathan's death. Thaxter was producer Ilya Salkind's mother-in-law. Susannah York as Lara: Superman's biological mother on Krypton. She, after learning of Krypton's fate, has apprehensions about sending her infant son to a strange planet alone. Marc McClure as Jimmy Olsen: A teenage photographer at the Daily Planet. Jeff East, who portrayed the teenage Clark Kent, originally auditioned for the role of Jimmy, but outranked following his portrayal of the teen Clark. Sarah Douglas as Ursa: General Zod's second in command and consort, sentenced to the Phantom Zone for her unethical scientific experiments. Caroline Munro turned down the opportunity to play Ursa, in favour of Naomi in The Spy Who Loved Me. Harry Andrews as the Second Elder: Council member, who urges Jor-El to be reasonable about plans to save Krypton.
Kirk Alyn and Noel Neill have cameo appearances as Sam Lane and Ella Lane, the parents of Lois Lane, in a deleted scene that was restored in later home media releases. Alyn and Neill portrayed Superman and Lois Lane in the film serials Superman (1948) and Atom Man vs. Superman (1950), and were the first actors to portray the characters onscreen in a live-action format. Neill reprised her role in the 1950s Adventures of Superman TV series.