Abstract

From the film’s record-break budgets to the enmity between director and producers, the story behind the making of Superman is inherently dramatic. Marking 40 years since the film’s commercial release, the book presents original interview transcripts with the cast and crew that, when read together, serve as a rare insider account of an acclaimed blockbuster whose production was steeped in controversy. The interviewees cast light on the daily reality on set, as well as the film’s release and reception with refreshing candour. Beginning with the film’s very inception, the interviews provide valuable insights into the practical logistics and day-to-day realities of mounting a big-budget production, at a time when Hollywood action blockbusters were only just emerging. For comic-book fans, film enthusiasts and cinema and production scholars alike, Superman: The Movie paints a picture of mid-late 1970s Hollywood filmmaking, to reveal the budgets, personalities and expertise that went in to making this landmark of Hollywood cinema. The individuals interviewed in the book are cast members Margot Kidder (Lois Lane), Marc McClure (Jimmy Olsen), Sarah Douglas (Ursa), Jack O’Halloran (Non), and Jeff East (Young Clark Kent); and producers Ilya Salkind and Pierre Spengler. An interview with the film’s director, Richard Donner, in scheduled.
Gary Bettinson is senior lecturer in film studies at Lancaster University and editor-in-chief of Intellect’s Asian Cinema journal.