Supermen II

And now let us turn to the strange case of Superman II, or Superman II. A major Hollywood film of which two complete versions exist, two films sharing some footage (around 15%), the same plot, most of the same actors. Neither version is superior to the first Superman, but they're both good films, the Donner version being the better despite making a great deal less sense than the Lester version.

Superman II, for those who don't know the story, was taken out of Superman director Richard Donner's hands when he had about three fourths of the movie already filmed. New scenes were shot and some scenes were reshot for the film's eventual theatrical release by Richard Lester, who received the sole director credit. The change of directors met with protest by some cast and crew, including Gene Hackman who refused to return for footage shot by Lester, and bits with him in Lester shots are performed by a very obvious body double.

Lester's version makes more sense. We get more information about how people get to and from places and why. But Donner's version is much better paced. I remember reading that Lois and Clark were modelled on Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant in Bringing Up Baby and this comes through much better in Donner's footage of the two at The Daily Planet--their dialogue overlaps more, the camera moves more, the people move more. There's an impression of an old fashioned comedy routine, the same vibe one gets from the scenes with Luthor and his henchmen that remain in the Lester film.

In Lester's version, there's an overt attempt to make the story campier. A scene where General Zod and his followers summon a gale to torment people on the streets of Metropolis is filled by Lester with silly routines of people losing their wigs and toupees, a guy on roller-skates, a guy in a phone booth who won't stop talking on the phone however bad the wind gets (one can guess how Lester might have done it differently in the age of texting). The comedy derived through energy and pacing by Donner is far more effective and respects the characters and the internal logic of the world better.

Both movies have random shit that doesn't make sense. Maybe Lester's biggest contribution on this front is the strange cellophane S symbol Superman throws at Non. Donner's version, unfortunately, features again the device of Superman reversing the Earth's rotation, in this case just so Lois will forget about his secret identity, but also wiping out the entire plot of the movie in the process, which again leads one to wonder why he didn't do this sooner. But Superman reversing time is a pretty notorious story flaw, I probably don't need to go into why for you.

The fact is, the movie could defy all kinds of logic and it would still be better just because of the better chemistry between Lois and Superman. Also, Margot Kidder looked like a corpse in Lester's footage.

Maybe the most crucial difference between the two films is the way in which Lois discovers Superman's identity.

In Lester's version, Clark stumbles over a big pink bear skin rug in the over the top honeymoon suite, putting his hand in the fire demonstrating that he's not harmed. He says afterwards, "I don't know why I did that," since of course he's not actually as clumsy as Clark is supposed to be. Lois points out maybe he subconsciously wanted her to know the truth.

In Donner's version, Lois shoots at him. When Superman points out she might have killed Clark if she'd been wrong, she reveals she'd shot him with a blank.

On the one hand, I could see how one would say Lester's version is better because it contributes to Superman's motivation to take her to the Fortress of Solitude and give up his powers for her. I say, none of it makes sense anyway. There's no real reason Superman has to give up his power--in the Donner version, he even has sex with her before getting into the chamber which dispels Brody's theory about him ejaculating "like a shotgun through her back" (Mallrats). And in both versions we're just meant to accept their relationship which is based entirely on him saving her with a wink and a smile in their few relatively brief meetings. Donner's scene is funnier so it wins in my book.

Twitter Sonnet #412: Vertigo Edition

Raspberry halo holds manifold lie.
Platinum profile truth hits water.
Circles in San Francisco stick the eye.
A true flower ghost still seeks her daughter.
An excellent swimmer swoons for the bay.
Bouquets cut to museum models won't wilt.
Souvenirs evince the folly to stay.
Broken necks can make towers seem to tilt.
Falling shadows crack the red roof tile.
Painting parodies do no-one justice.
Somewhere took two wandering a while.
Carlotta's dreams damn Gavin's artifice.
Yellow and red break the eyelid flower.
Makeovers vanish in the blue tower.