Scene Anatomy 101: Superman II - The Richard Donner Cut
Posted by George H. Sirois on 02.28.2007
You know, sometimes things happen for a reason…
Author's Note: Since I have a lot to get off my chest here, this is going to be a combination of an overall film review and a Scene Anatomy 101 column. So sit back and enjoy…
You've heard of fate, right? How things always happen for a reason? Well, there have been quite a few moments in my life that have made me a believer in fate, and I'm about to present to you a crucial moment in film history that just might make you one too.
If you haven't guessed by now that I'm a fan of comic book movies, all I can do is welcome you to your first reading of Scene Anatomy 101. Anyway, as a comic book film fan, I and every other fan like me owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Richard Donner for creating the 1978 film Superman. He made sure that this character was treated with utmost respect, he grounded him in reality, and presented him as a legend come to life. Almost everything about the film is note perfect, and for almost three decades, it stood on top as the greatest comic book film ever made.
But keep in mind that, for all of the praise that is deservedly given to Richard Donner, he didn't do it alone. He had Tom Mankewicz to work with, he had a stellar cast to bring all these iconic characters to life, he had a solid foundation built by Mario Puzo's story and the drafts of the screenplay that David & Leslie Newman and Robert Benton wrote. But above all, he had producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind that conceived of this project in the first place.
Now, will this be a column stating that the Salkinds are completely innocent regarding what happened after Superman was released? Of course not. What eventually happened after the release of Superman, was that both parties were right and both parties were also wrong.
For those who never heard of the behind-the-scenes drama involving the creation of Superman and Superman II, here's a brief re-cap.
When Alexander and Ilya Salkind bought the rights to a Superman feature, they had it in mind to shoot two movies simultaneously. Not back to back, there's a difference. So Richard Donner came aboard, and because of the flying effects (they were doing something that nobody had been able to do in film at that time, so there was a lot of trial and error) bringing the budget up, the Salkinds became more and more upset about the amount of money that they were now forced to put up. They had a negative pick-up deal set with Warner Bros. – in which the Salkinds would make the movie on their dime, then bring the movie into WB and they would cut the producers a check for the agreed-upon budget – and when the costs went over budget, they had to surrender control to the distributor in exchange for them putting up the extra money.
Because of this situation, the Salkinds were angry at Donner, and Donner was angry at the Salkinds. All Donner wanted to do was deliver the best movie he possibly could, and that he definitely succeeded in doing. Meanwhile, to ease the tension between the producers and the director, the Salkinds brought in Richard Lester (acclaimed director of A Hard Day's Night and The Three Musketeers re-makes) to act as a go-between. This helped calm things down on the set, and Donner was able to plow ahead with getting the first film ready for release, plus shooting all the footage needed for the sequel.
Sure enough, when Superman was released, it became a bona-fide blockbuster and made everyone involved look like heroes in the eyes of fans. Everyone was ready to finish up the sequel and get it out right away, but when Richard Donner insisted to the Salkinds that they stay off the set while he completes shooting, the Salkinds turned around and sent Donner a telegram saying that his services were no longer required. Richard Lester was hired as the director to not only finish the scheduled scenes, but also re-shoot enough of the movie so that Superman II would be more reflective of his vision and not a collaboration with Donner. Therefore, Superman II was given the credit: Directed by Richard Lester.
Okay, so it wasn't the brief re-cap you were expecting, but that's pretty much what happened. Both Donner and the Salkinds were very stubborn in their ways, and while each had valid points for taking their stands, they could have handled things a lot better.
For twenty-five years since the release of Superman II, there had been an obsession amongst fans to see what was originally going to be the sequel before all the footage was cut to make way for Richard Lester's version. At the end of 2006, however, their wish had finally been granted. Warner Bros., Richard Donner and editor Michael Thau put together a DVD cut of the film as it was "originally conceived and intended," and in November, it was released to fans everywhere as…
One of my friends was one of the many fans that had read about the lost Donner footage for years, and he knew he was going to own this as soon as it was announced. After purchasing and viewing it, he called me and gave me his breakdown of it. As he spoke, I noticed something in his voice and I mentioned it to him.
"You sound heartbroken."
And he was. He was terribly heartbroken. After all the years of waiting for the original cut of Superman II – guided by the driving force of the wonderful original – he was shocked to discover it could not live up to his expectations at all.
Naturally, I had to see it for myself. And after taking in the two hours of this "never-before-seen version," I realized that my friend was right. The original version of Superman II simply doesn't work. And if this was what we had seen in theaters, I don't know what would have become of the franchise. (Of course, nothing much came of the franchise with the Richard Lester version, anyway, so the end result is what gamblers refer to as a "push.")
What's wrong with it, you ask? Well, there are quite a few little things and two very big things. One problem I had was the added camp factor. Yes, Richard Donner – the same guy who did everything in his power to make sure Superman was taken seriously – put in a scene that ends with Ms. Teschmacher flushing a toilet in the Fortress of Solitude. There are some things that we'd just rather not know about Superman. As soon as we know that there's a bathroom there, all I see is Superman sitting on the crystal toilet reading the Daily Planet with his tights around his ankles.
There was also the moment where we see the Washington Monument break in half during the super-villains' assault. This took place right after Zod declared that the President will answer to him. He said this in Texas, and all of a sudden, there they are in Washington immediately afterwards. In the Lester cut, the villains altered the faces on Mount Rushmore, which would have made more sense since the villains are still a distance away from Washington. There was a bit of time that passed between the Washington Monument's destruction and the attack on the White House, so what were the villains doing between attacks? Sight-seeing?
There was also the ending, but I'll get to that later. For now, let's focus on the two major elements that killed this version for me. Plus, keep in mind that I'm spelling out these problems with the utmost respect for everyone involved in the making of this film. Donner, Mankewicz, and everyone else created something absolutely glorious with the original film, and as a fan, I'll be forever grateful to them.
The first major problem is the relationship between Superman / Clark Kent and Lois Lane. The Richard Lester cut takes place more than a day after the original film, and we see that the friendship Superman and Lois share has grown quite a bit, to the point where Lois is feeling much more than just a giddy crush.
The Donner cut, on the other hand, picks up a day (two at the latest) after the first film, and she's all of a sudden obsessed with the notion that Clark is Superman. Keep in mind that she thought of it at the end of the original, but then put it out of her head immediately. Here, she's got her eyes bugged out as she looks at Clark and then at Superman's picture, acting like she's just chugged 37 Red Bulls as she does the old "wink wink nudge nudge" bit Eric Idle did in Monty Python to Clark. Remember the Saturday Night Live bit when The Rock played Clark Kent and he had the Superman costume sticking out of his regular clothes? And how everyone was dropping the most blatant hints that they knew he was Superman? That's exactly how the whole opening segment in the Donner cut goes, and Margot Kidder's over-acting makes the whole film look like it's going in a much campier direction. (I can't blame Margot for this, though. On the commentary track, you hear Richard Donner and Tom Mankewicz constantly praising her acting and declaring this the better opening.)
Anyway, in the Richard Lester cut, Lois' suspicions don't start up until they're at Niagara Falls and she's cleaning Clark's glasses. Then, she gets more suspicious when she notices Clark's not around when Superman saved the kid. And finally, there's the moment of truth when she jumps into the falls. After Clark helps her get to shore, there's the big reveal where Clark accidentally trips over the bear head on the rug and sticks his hand in the fire. This whole sequence plays off so well since Lois' theory about who Clark really is builds and builds, then deflates, and then there's the big pay-off. Considering that there's not a mark on his hand at all, Clark knows that he's busted and THAT'S when he takes the glasses off and Lois tells him that she's in love with him. Clark's response to that is they have to talk, and he suggests they go to his place, which is the Fortress of Solitude.
Then we have the Donner cut. At the beginning of the film, after Lois winks and nudges, she runs to Perry White's window, opens it, and jumps out. Clark then dashes downstairs while she falls – with nobody looking up despite her screams – and uses his super breath to slow her down. He then uses his heat vision to crack open an awning to break her fall, and she drops onto a produce cart. When Clark dashes back up, he looks out the window and Lois is now convinced that he can't be Superman. But then, at Niagara Falls, her suspicions start up again when she cleaned Clark's glasses and saw Superman rescue the kid. But instead of confronting Clark with what she's suspecting, she instead pulls a gun on him and shoots him. When Clark doesn't flinch, she becomes exasperated and Clark pulls off his glasses. Once he does this, Lois tells him that the gun was a blank and ends the scene by saying, "Gotcha." The next time we see them, they're flying to the Fortress of Solitude.
Now, tell me this. Lois gave up on her quest to prove Clark is Superman after the first scene, right? But then she starts believing again at Niagara Falls. So when does she go out and get a gun and load it with blanks so she can prove her point? While Clark was in the shower? (Of course, this gun scene was only a screen test that they put in since they never got around to filming this actual scene, but Donner and Mankewicz swear by this scene so it was going to be in the final cut.) And once Lois finally had her "Gotcha" moment… what did it prove, other than she was right? She had no other ulterior motives because she had her moment to say she was in love with him and instead, she just made him look like a fool for falling for a gun with blanks. And I'm sorry, but even Superman should be able to tell when a real bullet is bouncing off of him.
As if that's bad enough, they go to the Fortress of Solitude for no reason at all. He just whisks her away from Niagara Falls and has dinner with her. Then he winds up having sex with her BEFORE he gives up his powers. There doesn't seem to be any real connection between the two of them, and it looks like Superman just wanted to get lucky. The only reason why he suddenly makes the decision to be with Lois from now on is because it's in the script.
Speaking of Superman giving up his powers, that's the other major problem with the Richard Donner cut of Superman II. Every moment with Superman and Lois is so rushed that we don't sympathize with their situation. They already had sex; I don't think Superman should be running to Daddy for permission to be with her after the fact. At least in the Richard Lester cut, they had dinner, they talked, they got their feelings out in the open, and then Superman consulted his mother about his wish to be with Lois.
Anyway, after Superman and Lois do their thing, Superman tells Jor-El (Marlon Brando) how he wishes to be with Lois and, if that means giving up being what he is, then so be it. Joe-El gives his son a guilt trip while Lois – wearing the shirt on Superman's costume – watches from a distance, and the whole situation plays out like a trust fund student getting a lecture from Daddy while the bad-influence girlfriend eaves-drops. Superman comes off very selfish by giving up his powers, and there's no real reward once he does it. He's already slept with Lois, and if he wanted to be with her, there doesn't seem to be any real reason why he would consult Jor-El for that.
In the Richard Lester cut, when Superman gives up his powers, you can really feel how special he thinks Lois is when she says to him, "You did all that for me? I don't know what to say." And he responds with, "Just say you love me." THEN they have sex, which makes everything make more sense since Superman can't get intimate with a human being, and only when he gives up his powers will he be free to do that.
This brings me to the use of Susannah York in the Lester cut. (Told you this was gonna take a while.) On the Donner cut, Donner and Mankewicz are mocking the Salkinds for refusing to pay Marlon Brando for use of his footage and shooting new scenes with York as Lara. The point they were making was that it was Jor-El that sent Kal-El to Earth, that taught him everything he needed to know, that said he was going to always watch over him, and then all of a sudden, Kal-El's talking to his mother. Well, considering what's on her son's mind, it's only natural that he would go to his mother with this problem. This equals the two out so much better, and doesn't push Lara to the side. She cared just as much for Kal-El as Jor-El did, and since he's having female trouble, it's better for him to talk to his mother.
All this finally brings us to the scene in question. Just like in the Richard Lester cut, Clark gets the crap beat out of him by a trucker at the diner, and then the news comes in that General Zod, Ursa and Non have successfully conquered Earth. This prompts Clark to go back to the Fortress of Solitude and see if there's anything that can be done to get his powers back. He makes the trek to the Fortress on foot, and finally reaches it to find it dark and empty. The crystal console lies in ruins.
Clark looks around for any sign of life.
CLARK: Father?
Nothing. Just his own faint echo.
CLARK: If you can hear me… I failed.
As Clark speaks, he sounds like a trust fund kid who now has to confess to Daddy how he crashed his precious car. He speaks pretty quickly, like he knows that he has to say this in order to get what he wants.
CLARK: I failed you… I failed myself… and all humanity. I've traded my birthright to a life of submission in a world that's now viewed by your enemies.
Just a hint of remorse is heard in Clark's voice. It seems Jor-El had a point when he accused his son of acting selfish, since you can practically hear him thinking that if he says he's really really sorry, he'll get his powers back and all will be forgiven.
CLARK: There's nobody left to help them now… the people of the world. Not since I…
Finally, Clark lets out one last desperate scream.
CLARK: Father!
Still nothing. Clark kicks the wrecked crystals at his feet and he is about to walk away, when all of a sudden, he sees something glowing at the bottom of the pile. Underneath the destroyed crystals is one pristine crystal, the green one that created the Fortress of Solitude in the first film and became the key to Clark communicating with his Kryptonian father.
Clark picks up the crystal and then inserts it into the one piece of the console that is still intact. A huge ball of light forms in front of Clark and becomes the image of Jor-El.
JOR-EL: Listen carefully, my son, for we shall never speak again.
Clark is afraid of what his father is saying. Is it possible there's a grounding in his future?
JOR-EL: If you hear me now, then you have made use of the only means left to you: the crystal source through which our communications begun. The circle is now complete. You have made a dreadful mistake, Kal-El.
Jor-El continues his lecture about how his son still has a lot of growing up to do, and how his powers weren't something frivolous to throw away as soon as he starts getting a crush on a girl. Plus, he had to tell Clark how the consequences of throwing them away like he did were something that he had to discover for himself.
JOR-EL: You did this of your own free will, in spite of all I could say to dissuade you.
Clark tries to say something to defend himself, but all he can get out is-
CLARK: I…
JOR-EL: Now you have returned to me for one last chance to redeem yourself. This too, finally I have anticipated, my son.
Now this right here is a major dramatic screw-up, because it makes Superman look like he's just a marionette puppet led around by his father. The stakes are nowhere near where they should be when you have an all-powerful being looking over our main character and being one step ahead of him.
JOR-EL: Look at me, Kal-El.
Clark looks up into his father's eyes.
JOR-EL: Once before when you were small, I died while giving you a chance for life. And now, even though it will exhaust the final energy left within me…
Clark now knows what Jor-El means; that this will be the last time they'll ever see each other.
CLARK: Father, no.
JOR-EL: Look at me, Kal-El. The Kryptonian Prophecy will be at last fulfilled. The son becomes the father, the father becomes the son.
Going back to the trust-fund kid analogy, this is equivalent to Daddy telling his kid that he anticipated him crashing the Porsche. That's why he bought another one and kept it in a secret passage under the garage. Again, how can there be drama when the main character doesn't have to really do anything to get what he needs?
JOR-EL: Farewell forever, Kal-El. Remember me, my son.
Jor-El's face crystallizes again, just as it did in the first film, and suddenly, Jor-El appears life-size before Clark. He reaches out to him.
JOR-EL: My son.
And as Jor-El places his hand on Clark's shoulder, all of his life-force shoots into Clark and causes his whole body to shake as the energy courses through his veins.
CLARK: Father!
And a huge blast knocks Clark to his feet. It's safe to assume that when Clark gets back up, he'll be able to pull open his shirt to reveal his Superman costume underneath. End of scene.
Remember all the criticism that was given to the Richard Lester cut when his version of this scene was shown? How everyone said it was unclear how the original green crystal appeared out of nowhere? Well, as I explained in my look at Lester's version, I said how this wasn't a deus ex machina, as people originally accused it of being. While Superman was getting the dinner for him and Lois, Lois was holding the green crystal and she dropped it when she went to dinner. So when the console blew up, the green crystal wasn't there. What Lester showed was that a Kryptonian chamber took away his powers, but it was a human – the woman he loves and who loves him – that helped him get those powers back.
In the Donner cut, we see the God-like figure take away his son's powers out of spite, only to give them back when he needs them again. THAT is a Deus Ex Machina; in fact, that's the literal translation of a Deus Ex Machina: God in the Machine. By the time this scene is over, all we can think of is: wow, Superman's really lucky his parents are looking after him. In the Lester cut, we see that through Lois' actions, the transition has finally been made from Superman being a visitor to accepting the Earth as his home. Here, there's no drama, and considering the way Donner and Mankewicz talked on the commentary track, they were willing to sacrifice good story-telling and good character development just to put more footage of Marlon Brando on the screen.
And then we have the ending of the film. In the original script for the first Superman, the ending of the film was a cliff-hanger. Superman sends the rocket into space, the rocket explodes, and the shockwaves crack the Phantom Zone and free the super-villains. The last shot would have been the three villains flying to Earth with the superimposed text: Superman Will Return in Superman II. Since the priority shifted from getting two films made to perfecting the first and hoping for a success, the Salkinds and Warner Bros. agreed that the most spectacular ending was the original ending for the second film.
As we see in the Donner cut, Superman was only supposed to turn the world backwards at the end of the second film. He was to turn the world back so far that the super-villains would be put back into the Phantom Zone and Lois wouldn't know who Superman really was. That's all well and good, but even after time has been reversed so that basically the entire film never really happened, Clark still goes back to the diner where he got beaten up and everyone there acts like they remember seeing Clark getting his ass kicked. So it makes Superman look like a bully by beating up on someone who's not supposed to remember beating Clark up before.
In the first film, when Superman turns back time, he only turns it back a half-hour or so and he does it out of desperation when he finds Lois dead. That decision to do what he did was much more dramatic and much more powerful. If they did the turning back time thing in the second film, it wouldn't have any of the punch that it would wind up having in the original.
Say what you will about Lester's "magic kiss" that wiped Lois' memory clean, but just like the time-turning in the original, it was all that Clark could do to take away the pain she was feeling. Plus, you feel like the two hours you just spent watching the film are validated since Superman learned a valuable lesson and declared to the President that he would never let him or the rest of Earth down again.
Mr. Donner, Mr. Mankewicz, I'm sorry, guys. I love what you did with the original Superman as much as anyone, and I'll always appreciate what you did, but Richard Lester filled in the blanks in a much better way.
Now, I'm not saying that the Lester cut is perfect. All the scenes in Houston with the super-villains picking on the townspeople were crap. I defy you to find a kid straight out of Houston, Texas that says, "Please, Mr. General! Please let my daddy down!" in an English accent. Moments like these made it clear that Richard Lester is an Englishman who may not have ever been in Texas.
But it was the two major elements that make up this film – the relationship between Superman & Lois and Superman losing and re-gaining his powers – that Lester needed to nail to make Superman II a success, and that's exactly what he did. The Richard Donner cut of this film is not a very good film at all, but I still recommend that fans see it so that they can realize just how much of a non-dramatic mess we could have gotten in theaters instead of what was actually there.
Sometimes, things just work out for the better, you know?
