Fleetingly glimpsed in both Superman: The Movie and Superman II and sharing a grim demise in both movies, the iconic, anonymous Kryptonian guard’s scenes may have been short but left a lasting impression.
In fact, the nameless soldier (played by uncredited actors) in Superman: The Movie had a larger role than the theatrical cut led us to believe, where through footage restored for the TV edits (and later, the Special Edition) revealed the guard was dispatched by the council elders to arrest Jor-El and was crushed by falling debris from the eruptions enroute. Despite apparently having being teleported to Jor-El’s quarters (suspended on wires to convey levitation), the inter cutting of the extended version suggests the journey took considerable time, culminating in a bizarre closeup of the soldier’s eyes as he’s wiped out.
A similar guard opens proceedings with considerable style in Richard Lester’s Superman II, where an atmospheric tight shot of the helmet reveals it to be somewhat different than Donner’s version. Although it appears to be the same design, its lack of 3M material shrouding gives it a smooth finish (decorated with aluminium tape?) and its black lenses replaced by mirrored. Despite a speaking part this time (Alert, Alert!) his screentime is cut short as he’s dispensed with in a swift attack by General Zod’s cohort Non.
So distinct was the guards design that 30 plus years later, talented Superfan Tim Allen sought to recreate the helmet design using today’s technology –
“I was inspired to re-create this Kryptonian guard helmet from Superman (above) because I felt it was one of those props in the movie that often gets overlooked and I thought the fans of this movie would appreciate viewing a unique piece from the film. I created this CG model purely in 3DS Max using the Mental Ray render and procedural texturing. The helmet was created to fit the average human head so theoretically this model could be 3D printed for display or as part of a costume. It could also be scaled down to either ¼ or 1/6th scale for custom collectible figures/statues..”
Watch this space for updates as the Kryptonian guard potentially rises again as a 1/6th figure exclusive to SUPERMANIA..!
Following on from the last post and as a prelude to the ‘Super Supper’ came the small matter of the European Royal Charity Premiere of Superman: The Movie, attended by no less than her Majesty The Queen and HRH The Prince Andrew and in aid of the Variety Club of Great Britain and The National Association for Maternal and Child Welfare.
From the same lot as the Dinner memorabilia are the priceless relics above, where the handsome silver card (top pic) presents itself as an application for a ticket to the Press Show (second pic) which was obviously successful as evidenced by the Super-rare ticket from the showing (bottom pic) where seat 25 of the phenomenal EMPIRE Theatre in Leicester Square would be reserved.
Accompanying the ticket would be thick, glossy programme packed full of well-wishes and full page ads for the various sponsors of the event. With far too many highlights to showcase effectively here, Jim Bowers of Capedwonder.com has graciously provided this marvellous PDF to offer the full experience.
So, along with this great footage (hosted by Superfan Oliver Harper) there you have it, the whole event chronicled as best SUPERMANIA can – almost as good as being there yourself short of standing in line and bowing before her Maj…
It is with considerable pleasure that SUPERMANIA presents this latest addition to the archive, a simple, elegant piece of ephemera that may well qualify as one of the most rare items in the collection.
Quite apart from the obvious appeal of the hand-signed autograph (top pic) this 8×6″ 8 page glossy booklet represents excellent provenance by virtue of only being available at the event itself and surviving to this day where most other copies were presumably deemed disposable.
Indeed, this gala dinner at world renowned London restaurant Claridges to mark the European Premiere of Superman: The Movie on December 13th, 1978 (see pics from the night here) had to date yielded little in the way of memorabilia, making this ‘Table Plan for Supper Party’ document a significant piece of Supermovie history.
And quite an evening it must have been, with a guest-list (second & third pics) reading like a glossary of Superman celebrities both onscreen and off, rounding out the 26 tables (fourth pic) alongside such esteemed company as The Earl and Countess of Limerick.
And topping it off is possibly one of the greatest examples of Christopher Reeve’s signatures SUPERMANIA has ever seen – its certainly the largest (at approx. 12cm across) signed in blue marker and underlined – smudged in a few places but is otherwise pristine. The composition of this above the blue ‘Super’ shield makes for quite the striking piece and a stunning souvenir of a glittering occasion…
Concluding the month of rare collectibles from France on SUPERMANIA is this fantastic boardgame released by Miro in 1979, one of three different formats to be marketed across Europe (the others being Greece and Italy).
Featuring great box and interior art (despite the lid image being flipped, top pic) this game for two to four players typically contains board, (third pic,) dice, instruction sheet and an assortment of Superman counters plus one Lex Luthor counter.
Interestingly, despite Superman: The Movie’s global appeal, the only territories not to produce similar games were the US and UK, something that would be later rectified with popular games produced for Superman II & III…
Resuming the posts dedicated to collectibles originating in France, these two fantastic jigsaws are a recent acquisition and are both complete and in splendid condition for their age.
Though numerous jigsaw puzzles were released in conjunction with Superman: The Movie stateside and elsewhere in Europe, this pair of 150-piece iconic poses were unique to French makers Capiepa although many found their way to UK shores.
More often than not found in dilapidated boxes and inevitably with pieces missing, these are surely among the best surviving examples and are now an essential addition to the SUPERMANIA archive…
