Easily the most recognisable and iconic prop from the movie series – Star Wars designer John Barry’s conception that Krypton was a world forged from Crystalline would also be utilised as the basis of their technology.
A staple of the comic mythos today, the knowledge crystals (now named Sunstone Crystals) and the use of symbols to denote Kryptonian clans were nonetheless elements introduced by the movies.
Replicas of Jor-El’s gift to his son have been prevalent for some years in the form of resin castings. These, while adequate, are traditionally not based upon actual props but a generic close-enough design and often identifiable by rough and/or bubble-filled casting. The replica above has been cast in a very limited run in REAL crystal and is a direct copy of the prop used by Christopher Reeve in his scenes from Superman II…
Early concepts of either the Krypton landscape or the Fortress of Solitude under the rays of the Red Sun.
Above, a detailed rendering of Earth’s Moon from a large set of Dovemead Ltd. Art Dept. Production ephemera acquired from the Propstore of London, these transparencies chart the evolution of John Barry’s world of Crystalline as portrayed in the finished picture…
Acquired from the Propstore Of London and nestled amongst a bulk lot of Superman: The Movie production ephemera, come these unseen treasures from the Dovemead Ltd. Art Dept.
These never-before-published contact sheets depict early studies of Marlon Brando’s Jor-El for his appearance on Krypton and later in the Fortress Of Solitude. The sheet with the Crystal mask is arguably the best study of the prop to date while the final print chronicles Brando’s first day on-set…
Shown above are genuine branded crew-used garments acquired from the Propstore Of London some years ago and easily some of the favourite pieces of my collection.
I often wear the Stunt Team jacket to cons and such and always get good notices. Margot Kidder even asked during a signing if I had worked on the picture (I would have been 15 years old at the time!). The jacket features for a few seconds in a UK children’s TV special during behind the scenes footage of the excised Nuclearman 1 battle…
As seen in The Making Of Superman II, This elaborate, handmade and intricately detailed model set was commissioned by Producer Ilya Salkind to accommodate the visual effects shots deemed too impractical to shoot full-scale of the devastation caused by the Super-Villians throughout the climactic Metropolis battle.
From the top; Derek Meddings surveys the set while showering it with oil to simulate rainfall, Genuine set-used street sign props, One Way lamp-Post sign (measuring approx. 3 x 8 1/2cm) Bus Stop sign (measuring approx. 7 1/2 x 5 1/2cm), and a group shot of the talented British Model Unit with their creation.
This sequence, (eventually filmed by Richard Lester) ranks amongst some of the finest miniature work from the Superman series and indeed, of the era being practically undetectable to this day…
