Flixens: Movies, DVDs, TV, comic books and pop culture for women. The boys shouldn't have all the fun.

There was a real sense of magic when I watched Superman: The Movie, and this memory has stayed with me even when I watch it as an adult. One of the aspects of Christopher Reeve's performance was how genuine Superman felt, and this of course was largely supported by his Clark Kent performance.

From Wikipedia:

Superman was the kind of part Reeve usually disdained. He once said, "I want to challenge myself in my roles, not run around on screen with a machine gun." However, Reeve did find that he could play the character with depth and challenge himself with the role. He said that there had to be something more to the Clark Kent character, otherwise you just had a "pair of glasses standing in for a character." He successfully split the Superman and Clark Kent roles into two completely different characters. Christopher Reeve essentially redefined Superman — no small feat, considering what a global icon the character was and still is.

The differences between Superman and Clark were not merely glasses and a different hairstyle, there was a shift in attitude, in personality, almost to a Jeckyll and Hyde level, except both were good in their own ways. Reeve's Clark Kent was bumbling and hapless, and yet intelligent. What could have easily been a caricature, cheap farce, Reeve portrayed as respectfully and creatively as he could, and with enormous success.

Clark was an act put on by Superman, but it was also a part of him. In contrast, the tall, dark and handsome Superman exuded a friendly confidence, and an easy way about his mannerisms that made him a gentleman, a strong man with a gentle touch. Clark Kent's wide-eyed innocence was removed with his glasses, and a powerful yet warm gaze emerged with Superman. This transformation in personality is visible on screen, and with the removal of the glasses, we notice that Superman begins to seep into Clark Kent.

Creating the two distinct characters was only the first step in Christopher Reeve's performance, and he added value to it in having the characters "leak" into one another as he switched between them. Regardless of the distinction, Superman remains part Clark Kent, and Clark Kent remains part Superman. Was Superman an alien raised by human parents, taught about human values, or was Clark Kent a man with super powers? Reeve even had the two personalities speak differently, from Clark's slightly neurotic near-stutter to Superman's calm and deep voice. From the trailer for Superman Returns, it is perhaps this aspect of Brandon Routh's own performance which is really taken from Christopher Reeve.

Superman: The Movie is a wonderful film, and still has the power to captivate modern audiences. Though the special effects are antiquated, the story stands very strongly, and the performances by the other actors are at least fun, if not truly powerful. It is a mainstream movie, but it is the best kind of mainstream movie, mixing action with humor and drama, without becoming ridiculous, but instead a classic.

To download the trailer for Donner's Superman, click here and you will be redirected to Movie-List. I think they should make less revealing trailers, like the one for this movie. Such a risk it must have been to show so little, to leave audiences guessing so much!

I think it's OK that there is a new Superman movie coming out, and that it will introduce a Superman for a new generation of film audience. And yet, I am not too worried about Richard Donner's film, as I think that all involved have produced something timeless and magical. For me at least, though there may have been and continue to be some excellent "Supermen," Christopher Reeve is the one who really enchanted me, and for this reason he will always be the true Superman.

There are several resources available on the internet where you can find additional information about Christopher Reeve, for instance the Wikipedia articles I linked throughout this article, but also the Christopher Reeve Homepage, which contains a nice biography, right here. Throughout his adult life, Christopher Reeve understood that he became a role model, and chose to live in helping others and to set an example.

From Wikipedia:

In 1987 Reeve traveled to Chile, at that time under the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, to stand in solidarity with several dozen actors and writers who had been threatened with death for their left-wing views. In the same year, Superman IV: The Quest For Peace, a movie demonstrating his anti-nuclear political ideology, was released. Reeve helped write the screenplay because he wanted to send a powerful message about world peace. The plot focused on Superman ridding the world of nuclear weapons. Superman IV was a box office failure, and Reeve jokingly recommended that people skip it and only watch the first two movies and maybe the third.

From the Christopher Reeve Homepage:

the liberal causes and charities Reeve had been involved with on the arts, environment, children, and human rights had equal priority for him with his career in the performing arts. A few of them are: Amnesty International, Save the Children, The National Resources Defense Council, The Lindbergh Foundation, The Environmental Air Force, and People for the American Way. He is a founding member and past president of the Creative Coalition, an advocacy group of artists, and has been one of the National Endowment For The Arts most passionate supporters.

But it is one incident in particular that rekindled and challenged the world's view on their Superman.

On May 27, 1995 Reeve was paralyzed from the neck down after being thrown from his horse, "Eastern Express," in a cross country riding in the Commonwealth Dressage and Combined Training Association finals at the Commonwealth Park equestrian center in Culpeper, Virginia. [...]

Reeve later admitted that he briefly thought of suicide after realizing the extent of his disability. He credited his wife, Dana, with pulling him out of his depression. When he said to her, “Maybe we should let me go,” she famously said, “I’ll be with you for the long haul, no matter what. You’re still you and I love you.” Reeve has often said that these were the words that saved his life. [...]

With the help of a 2001 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention non-compete grant, the Reeves christened opening of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center, a federal government facility located in Short Hills, New Jersey, devoted to teaching paralyzed people to live more independently. Reeve also chaired the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, which funds research on paralysis and works to improve the lives of the disabled. To date, the Foundation has awarded $64 million in research grants and $8 million in quality-of-life grants. [...] Reeve also lobbied against the U.S. government's limited funding on the controversial human embryonic stem cell research on lines established on or before August 9, 2001, instead wanting scientists who take federal money to be unfettered in their research concerning human embryo stem cell lines made later. [...]

On October 10, 2004 after suffering cardiac arrest brought on by an infection and falling into a coma, Reeve died of heart failure at 52 years of age. In the week prior to his death, Reeve was being treated at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, New York for a pressure ulcer, a common ailment for paralytics, that had subsequently become seriously infected.

By the time of his death, Reeve had regained partial movement in his fingers and toes as well as feeling throughout his body, claiming he could feel pin pricks anywhere and could again differentiate between hot and cold temperatures. [...]

Dana Reeve died of lung cancer on March 6, 2006.

Everyone had their own very personal reactions to Christopher Reeve's accident and the years leading to his death. For most people, it was their protector that had fallen and taken injury. Some could not, or would not consolidate their image of Christopher Reeve with the reality, and romanced the notion that he would fly out of his wheelchair at any moment. Whatever emotions you may carry regarding Christopher Reeve, and I am certain that there are a variety of reactions among all of you, I am also certain that one thing binds all of our views: Christopher Reeve did not falter, and led us all by example.

From IMDB:

Richard Donner had a single word, printed in big letters on numerous signs, sent to every creative department involved with Superman (1978). The word: VERISIMILITUDE. "It's a word that refers to being real...Not realistic - yes, there IS a difference - but real," explained Donner. "It was a constant reminder to ourselves that, if we gave into the temptation we knew there would be to parody Superman, we would only be fooling ourselves."

Christopher Reeve was a real person, humane and authentic. He is the world's elegant legend.