Now that the Superman Motion Picture Anthology On Blu-Ray details have been released it seems more than appropriate to revisit the hitherto definitive version on DVD –
Elegantly presented in its unique ‘Steel’ tin, The Limited Ultimate Collectors Edition was an impressive 14 disc set that for once, really lived up to its name. Region 2 was offered similarly, although spared the comic-book and (mercifully) the 14th disc of Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns journals.
Enclosed in a fantastic lenticular slipcase (with art by Jim Bowers and Ramon Casares) the remaining packaging nonetheless exhibited a higher percentage of stills & art from Superman Returns than was really warranted. Content-wise was nothing short of a dream come true for SuperFans with the inclusion of the never-before-seen reworking of Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, brand-new documentary You Will Believe, The Cinematic Saga Of Superman, all the extras from the previous release and notably, finally, the presentation of the deleted scenes from Superman IV; The Quest For Peace. While the excitement of seeing the supposedly ‘lost footage’ was paralleled only by its awfulness, The Donner Cut was sprinkled with moments of pure magic and inspiration not felt since 1978.
Not only was it a great time to be a Superman fan but for SUPERMANIA, it represented the end of a very long journey peppered with campaigns and the ceaseless badgering of Warner Bros. by fellow SuperFans to get these Movies the love and attention they truly deserved. Will there ever be an official 100% complete set of all Superman material in the future? Who knows? All I do know is while its out there, you’ll believe the dedication of the SuperFan will endeavour to bring it to you.
From the top; Original stills of the set and Bottom; Promo from Capedwonder.com…
As details slowly emerge regarding the arrival of the Superman Motion Picture Anthology on Blu-Ray in the coming months, many will remember that 2001 was a vintage year for Superfandom.
Warner Brothers had planned nothing less than a limited cinema release of the newly restored and remastered Superman: The Movie followed by a sparkling new DVD release resplendent with all-new extras. The anticipation was heightened to feverish proportions when the trailer was released online (still considered the best trailer for the movie to this day) but would finally disappoint many fans by not making it back onto the big screen outside of the US.
Debate still rages over many aspects of the Superman: Special Edition DVD over anything from the ‘remastered’ sound to the inclusion of deleted scenes, but few denied it was a spectacular presentation with fantastic documentaries (and even Christopher Reeve’s screentest, something I longed for but thought I’d never see) regardless of its cheap, fragile’Snapper’ case.
WB would later follow the Special Edition with The Complete Superman Collection as a gleaming box-set. The debut of the sequels on DVD was a more ‘vanilla’ affair but no less pleasing to have the entire series in the best format of the time…
From the top; Region 1 Boxset, contents, Promo for the Special Edition and Spanish ad for The Complete Collection…
1988 was a landmark year for the Superman character – his 50 year anniversary was intended by DC Comics to be a grand event celebrated across all mediums.
Beyond featuring on the cover of Time magazine it was instead a subdued occasion with only the best-forgotten TV special (hosted by Dana Carvey) to mark it. The film series had bowed out on a sour note with disappointing returns and poor critical and audience response to Superman IV: The Quest For Peace. Initiators of the Superman Film series, Alexander and Ilya Salkind would eventually buy the rights back from The Cannon Group Inc. after premiering their SuperBoy TV show to similarly lukewarm notices. Though the series would continue for three seasons, Superman would be noticeably absent from our screens for some time…
From the top – Vintage magazine ad, scarce A3 size pop-up promo card for video rental, an original copy in library case and the UK Laserdisc…
This fascinating collage of screengrabs culled from the Superman IV; Deluxe Edition DVD represent a very special memory for me as this was irrefutable proof that not only did these scenes exist, but would finally, finally be released –
I remember first reading the news (and nearly falling out of my chair) during a Warner Bros. Q&A about the Ultimate Edition Box Set and the casual announcement that “All the footage from Superman IV had been found” and there “Will be a considerable amount of deleted scenes”. I still refused to believe it until I saw the list of chapters themselves for rating by the BBFC. Then upon the boxset release, SuperFan Sebastian Columbo swiftly sent me the images above.
Considering the footage was the subject of volumes of speculation and debate that would litter the Internet for years, the only agreement across the board was that it would never be seen. A true highlight of my fandom and thanks to WB for making it happen…
Exclusive to the UK and released in 1988, Superman; The Collection was one of the first VHS boxsets made available by Warner Bros. under the Hollywood Nites banner.
Assembled from the second run of individually released titles and repackaged as The Superheroes collection (to include Salkind productions Supergirl and Santa Claus: The Movie) the set was limited and expensive (see above ad from the Woolworths Christmas catalogue) at the time and therefore a rarity today.
Contained in a handsome box utilising elements of the shield graphic from Superman: the Movie and Daniel Goozee’s poster art for Superman IV: The Quest For Peace, its interesting to note how many production companies were tied into the distribution deals (WB/Weintraub/Cannon/Hollywood Nites) before Warner’s regained full ownership of the rights in 1993. It would literally be decades before advances in technology would permit them to revisit the titles once again for a more definitive boxset in DVD format…
