From page to screen as promised in the last post, here is a selection of rare and unpublished prints from the set of Superman IV: The Quest For Peace in 1986 –
From the top – In a fascinating glimpse behind the scenes, a prop Russian Nuclear Missile atop a transporter contrasts markedly with a random selection of British cars and outbuildings at Cannon’s Elstree Studios. Situated on the left is the crane from which hangs the flying rig and on the right, held up by scaffolding is the facade of a building of the ‘Red Square’ set.
Hooked up in his harness and swung out into the the drab, winter UK skies is Christopher Reeve, who in the course of the action has just prevented Nuclearman’s attempt to launch the missile into the crowd before flying off to give chase.
The illusion complete is revealed in the uncommon publicity/press kit shot from the finished scene (bottom) where through the the magic of cinema the elements are combined to depict Superman swinging into Moscow to save the city from destruction…
More extraordinary sketches taken from the production-used ‘Big Red Book’ hand-drawn by artist Martin Asbury –
In the context of the story, Superman has already rid the world of Nuclear Weapons, so quite what a whopping great Nuclear Missile is doing at a parade in Red Square remains unexplained. Nevertheless, the scene was shot precisely as drafted and made the International edit but was ultimately excised for the US cut.
Coming soon – EXCLUSIVE vintage behind-the-scenes pics of the shooting of this sequence..!
SUPERMANIA forges ahead with its commitment to bring you the best rare behind the scenes photographs documenting the making of Superman IV: The Quest For Peace –
For pivotal scenes originally conceived and scripted as taking place in the heart of New York City (doubling unchanged as it had previously for fictional Metropolis) featuring hundreds of extras, the confinement of location shooting to UK shores imposed creative challenges for Production Designer John Graysmark.
One can only imagine then, the bemusement of all involved when the key sequence of Superman’s arrival and subsequent parade to the UN would eventually be shot outside Milton Keynes train station on a cold week in November 1986.
While the Americanisation of the new town (only 16 years old at the time of filming) by the crew was convincing enough to fool commuters (one was allegedly found waiting for a ride in a prop yellowcab) its star was less than impressed with the ambition of the production having invested time and effort in the story and second unit direction.
Years later in his Autobiography ‘Still Me’ Christopher Reeve would recount;
“We were hampered by budget constraints and cutbacks in all departments. Cannon Films had nearly thirty projects in the works at the time, and Superman IV received no special consideration. For example, Konner and Rosenthal wrote a scene in which Superman lands on 42nd Street and walks down the double yellow lines to the United Nations, where he gives a speech. If that had been a scene in Superman I, we would actually have shot it on 42nd Street. Dick Donner would have choreographed hundreds of pedestrians and vehicles and cut to people gawking out of office windows at the sight of Superman walking down the street like the Pied Piper. Instead, we had to shoot at an industrial park in England in the rain with about a hundred extras, not a car in sight, and a dozen pigeons thrown in for atmosphere. Even if the story had been brilliant, I don’t think that we could ever have lived up to the audience’s expectations with this approach.”
From the top, Still insistent on doing his own live flying stunts in a setup that would never pass today’s health & safety standards, Reeve dangles by his loins hauled halfway up one of the world’s largest industrial cranes – Preparing to rehearse the stroll across ‘UN Plaza’ and shooting with the flying crane clearly visible in the foreground and reflected on the building (something Effects artist Harrison Ellenshaw was supposed to erase with the addition of a matte backdrop) – and finally the entrance to Wembley Conference Centre doubling as the UN Entrance…
SUPERMANIA is pleased to at long last to return to the pages of the Big Red Book and continue the story of Superman IV: The Quest For Peace as told in pictures by master artist Martin Asbury –
To recount the origins of this find, the Big Red Book is a production used/made item and was recovered from a skip on the site of Elstree Studios in 1988. Marked on the spine as ‘Superman IV, Script & Storyboards Part 2’ it picks up the story midway and has been serialised on this blog from the beginning (scroll through the Superman IV posts for previous entries). Surviving in pristine condition (save for minimal water damage) given the circumstances, this may well be the only copy in existence.
From the top; Additions in pink for the ‘Revised Red Square Sequence’ depict exactly what made the final cut of the film. More to follow..!
This week marks the 26th anniversary of the worldwide release of Superman IV: The Quest For Peace on unsuspecting moviegoers everywhere –
Like it or loathe it, the closing chapter of the Reeve series remains as shrouded in controversy as its three preceding pictures but for all the wrong reasons. To date still unreleased in its entirety and tucked away embarrassingly in many a boxset collection, it remains today more a guilty pleasure than a Batman & Robin style disaster.
At a glance the images above would seem to represent a Movie of equal quality to the first two rather than the Corman-esque travesty it actually became. From the advertising campaign headed by veteran Bond poster artist Daniel Goozee’s painting (rare ‘clean’ version shown, top) to the supporting cast carried over a ten-year period (featuring Gene Hackman (bottom) and at its heart, the assured presence of Reeve himself with a story he co-wrote. What could possibly go wrong…?
