Once described by Newsweek columnist Jack Kroll as having a face ‘as sharp & strong as an axe blade’ Christopher Reeve’s features were ideally suited for the transition of Superman from the comic-book page to Silver Screen.
Pictured from top is the very latest addition to my collection both echoing this sentiment and representing the end of a personal crusade to locate and obtain this rarest of ‘lifecasts’ of the man himself. This indisputably genuine cast taken from Reeve’s face during the production of the Superman films is the work of make-up guru Stuart Freeborn (bottom pic, Far left). Freeborn (who turned 97 this past week!) is a bona-fide legend in the industry and remained makeup Supervisor for all four Reeve pictures.
Besides famously serving as the face model for Yoda from The Empire Strikes Back, Freeborn was responsible for the differentiation in appearance between Clark & Superman as well as the vile demeanour for his Evil persona in Superman III. As illustrated in the last pic, Freeborn made multiple casts of the principals mainly for infrequently-used stand-in dummies (e.g. The Fire & Ice scene in Superman: The Movie) and other effects sequences but despite this, few were thought to exist beyond the end of production. Indeed, the only evidence of a surviving example was featured in a lot offered some years ago from the Freeborn estate by the Propstore Of London and was snapped up for a handsome price even in its battered state, making this newly-discovered sharper example all the more desirable…
This latest addition to my collection is a generous gift from fellow SuperFan Alexei Lambley-Steel who, after inquiring about a single prop was offered a large set of screenused items from Superman IV: The Quest For Peace!
Shown above is a genuine set-used/screen-used prop US car numberplate used throught production. The timing of this acquisition could not be better in view of the fact they are now clearly identifiable on the recently-released Blu-Ray disc (and not, unfortunately, from the DVD screengrabs above) proving the plate 774 LPS makes its first appearance on Lacy Warfield’s car as it pulls up outside the UN. It later adorns the front of a white sedan (far left in screengrab) whose roof is torn off during Nuclearman’s attack before finally being scorched by the car next to it as its engulfed in a fireball.
Constrained by budgetary restrictions, the same vehicles appear over and over on the Elstree Studios set, including a portion stripped of their engines and crushed by the battle with the first Nuclearman from the deleted scenes (bottom pic)…
In a Digital age where practical sets, props and even costumes (see Green Lantern) are inevitably becoming redundant, the demand for ephemera of the old school grows more intense. As repeatedly highlighted on this blog, surviving examples of production material (otherwise destined for the skip) from your favourite Movie have steadily emerged as unique and very expensive collectables in an increasingly competitive market.
One of the original vendors allowing you a chance to own a piece of Cinema history is Christies, where their ‘Film & Entertainment’ auctions give access to some unprecedented material long thought lost. Indeed, their glossy, full-colour catalogues became collectables in their own right with their lavish descriptions and accompanying photographs. In these pages you could find everything from Charlie Chaplin’s Bowler Hat & Cane from ‘The Great Dictator’ to a Stormtrooper Helmet from the original ‘Star Wars’. Unsurprisingly, the Superman film series has also been well-represented over the last fifteen years with lots including everything from original costumes to signed photographs, often exceeding their high estimates.
Conversely, the digital age has also ushered in worldwide availability with the emergence of websites accommodating bidding from where you sit or better still ordering your coveted prop online without the competition. The greatest and most successful example of this has to be The Propstore Of London, whose staggering inventory provides both your average collector and your high-end archivist with most anything they may covet. Indeed there has never been a better time to invest and preserve your most precious movie memories, but at a price.
From the top; two-page article from Collectables magazine (click on the images for readable versions) chronicling the emergence of Super-props as Super-investment, a Christies catalogue with Superman on the cover (one of the lots inside including an FX flying model of Superman from Superman IV with an estimate of £800-£1200) and an ad for an upcoming auction featuring a Superman plaster model in flying pose…
Blue Storyboard revisions from the Big Red Book – interesting to note at this stage the sequence still featured Superman rebuilding the wall at speed until budget restraints with visual effects forced the curious invention of ‘Mortar Vision’…
More cast-aside pieces rescued from the Pinewood Studios skip now residing in a private collection.
From the top; shot taken during rehearsals of the Flying Unit at Pinewood, ‘marble’ busts and Presidential shield from the set of the White House, sign from the East Houston Diner and pattern for the Daily Planet flags (visible on the building exterior during the climactic battle).
Thanks to SuperFan Steve Cambden for sharing images from his archive…
