Roughly translated from the cover as ‘gift of the first comic of Superman’ this magnificent vintage feature from the pages of ultra-rare Italian TV guide is 34 years old this month and SUPERMANIA’s Christmas treat for 2014.
With (flipped, notice the redone ‘S’ shield) cover art utilizing the fantastic painting used for the International release of Richard Lester’s Superman II the nine-page pictorial combines stills from the new movie with reproductions of the pages of Action Comics #1, highlighting ‘Il giorno In cui Superman arrivo sulla terra – Superman’s arrival on Earth.
SUPERMANIA wishes all its loyal followers the most Super-Christmas and all the best for the new year. The Adventure Continues in 2015..!!!
Though the cinematic conception of Planet Krypton as a world founded on crystal technology may be credited to Star Wars designer John Barry, it may come as a surprise that the final designs for Superman’s alien mechanisation were rendered by the man most famous for the iconic look of Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Despite their infamy, producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind insisted on hiring the best of the best across the industry for their productions and the late Harry Lange, now forever known as ‘The man who saw the future’ was no exception.
Credited as an ‘Astronautics Consultant’ for Richard Lester’s Superman II, German born Hans Kurt Lange (bottom pic, holding the astronaut helmet he designed for 2001) was solely responsible for the interior/exterior work on the Artemis II space capsule set (third pic) realised with such authenticity it could’ve passed as a real spacecraft –
“I’d seen real hardware at Cape Canaveral and in NASA’s research laboratories and hangars, so I knew what the equipment had to look like. A piece of board with blue squares stuck on it may do for TV, but not when you want to do something on a Cinerama screen. It had to be absolutely perfect. I kept that idea in my following films: Star Wars, Superman, James Bond…”
While comparisons between the earth-based hardware in II, Kubrick’s classic and Moonraker evidently bear Lange distinctive style, it is the Kryptonian computers/memory banks (first & second pic) that are standout examples of fantasy art elegantly realised. While the console (second pic) could easily be the basis of Superman’s computer in the Fortress Of Solitude revised for Superman II, one wonders if he was involved uncredited as early as Donner’s original movie as this lot of illustrations from his estate (in auction this month by Propstore) clearly show a bank of computers mounted in the arch of Lex Luthor’s underground hideaway…
Read Harry’s obituary from the UK Independent here…
Join SUPERMANIA in celebration of what would have been Christopher Reeve’s 62nd birthday with a look-back at this pulpy vintage one-shot tribute magazine dedicated to the star.
Responsible for similarly cheaply-printed fare as Star Blaster and Movie Monsters (littered with reprinted articles from both their crude pages) SJ Publications rushed this 100% unofficial edition to newsstands in the wake of Superman: The Movie’s success and the upcoming premiere of Superman II.
Leafing through the badly reproduced photographs and lowbrow contents (the article on Superman II’s storyline almost hilariously inaccurate) one cannot help a wave of nostalgia especially coming across a splash page (bottom) where the message seems particularly poignant.
Happy birthday, ‘Toph…
SUPERMANIA is proud to present yet another contribution to the archive in the form of these rare stills rediscovered by Superfan Matt Derby.
Relaxing between takes on location at the magnificent Niagra Falls in Ontario, Canada for scenes shot by Richard Lester for Superman II are Margot Kidder and Christopher Reeve, (top pic) and later before the cameras together in character for their assignment to expose a local ‘Honeymoon racket.’
Casually signing pictures for eager onlookers/fans while shooting scenes as Superman (bottom pic) Reeve returns to the same location later clad in shades and dressing gown (a common practice between takes on all the movies) in a rare behind the scenes moment during the shooting of the falls rescue…
More rare images for the Supermovies to come, stay tuned..!!
When the Propstore of London declare the assortment of Super lots above is from ‘The most exciting live auction of contemporary props and costumes ever offered in Europe’ you’d better believe it.
In an astonishing portfolio that makes such collections offered by Profiles In History look like a yard sale, Propstore has assembled some of the most iconic pieces from decades of cinematic history all going under the gavel from October 16th.
The Superman series is well-represented with some rare and highly-desirable lots (some never before exhibited to the public) from storyboards, (shown extensively in the many Superman ‘Making Of’ documentaries on DVD) to beautiful production artwork (of the Artemis II module from Superman II, bottom Pic) by Harry Lange.
Alongside the mock Daily News newspaper (top) and fabulous example of Christopher Reeve’s autograph (on a rare still), the highlight must be the production-used bust of Reeve created by Stuart Freeborn. Though variations of his lifecast are somewhat common now, this full-head plaster model is utterly unique in its purpose of crafting hairpieces for the late actor.
For those wishing to view the calibre of artefacts in person, selection of 200 lots will be on display at the Vue Cinema in White City from the 1st to the 16th of October. Bidding is multi-channel and open now so don’t miss the opportunity to secure your dream item…
