More exclusive photographs from the Superman hall in the Mostra de Valencia showing Marlon Brando’s Kryptonian robes from the Council scenes in Superman: The Movie.
This exhibit marks the very first time the costume has been available to view so intimately by the public – From the top; Note the complete ensemble (having been taken with a flash) showing off the properties of the 3M material exactly how it appeared in the movie – the fabric being composed of beaded glass to reflect light to great effect. A close-up of The ‘S’ insignia on Brando’s tunic – this feature initially confused audiences until it became apparent all Kryptonian society have crests emblazoned on their chests – These black velvet symbols were encrusted with rhinestones under costume designer Yvonne Blake’s instruction to further enhance their impact.
The costume shot without flash reveals the detail of the 3M material cut into uneven pieces and applied by hand to construct the garments. This had to be done with cotton gloves as the material was sensitive and would lose its reflective property when mis-handled…
In association with the amazing supermanjaviolivares.net I’m ecstatic to present the above photographs taken last week in from the Festival Internacional De Cine De Accion Y’Adventura in the Mostra de Valencia, Spain.
This venue is currently playing host to the largest archive of Warner Brothers original props and costumes from their Superhero franchises ever seen in public exhibition, with entire halls devoted to both Batman and Superman franchises.
On display in the Superman gallery are both Christopher Reeve and Brandon Routh’s Superman costumes, and for the first time outside of the WB museum, Marlon Brando’s original Jor-El costume.
The exhibits are notable for the fact the pieces are totally accessible to the public as they are not behind barriers nor shielded by acrylic cases so these expensive garments can be researched as never before. My sincere thanks to SuperFan Javier Olivares Tolosa for providing what is the best photo reference of this most complex of costumes to date.
An exhaustive article written by me about the Reeve costume can be found here
This final set (for now) of unpublished poster concept artwork features my favourite alternate tagline that still seems fresh – The Man of Steel – Is Real! is just as punchy as ‘You’ll Believe a man Can Fly’ but possibly lost out as it didn’t ‘challenge’ the audience to come see for themselves…
From the top – Publicity photographs of Christopher Reeve against the New York skyline and in flight (using the image later adapted for the final one-sheet poster and European Quad) with some experimentation with blurring to suggest speed. Many of the images presented here and below were put to good use and made it to print in publicity material in some form, from full-page ads in Variety to teaser posters. The collection presented here documents the brainstorming process that eventually produced one of the most thorough campaigns ever associated with a Movie whose legacy lasts to this day…
More from the set of unpublished advertising material for Superman: The Movie featuring the final tagline and the more sci-fi slant of ‘No Limits’ featuring a collage of a painting (Artist unknown) of a star field and a publicity still of Christopher Reeve.
The centre image is another variation (by another unknown source) of the Bob Peak ‘Flying Sequence/Read My Mind’ art. The bottom poster is an interesting (and exhaustive) build-up to the tagline indicative of the producers determination to get the message across to audiences that they were attempting to make nothing less than cinematic history…
More from the never-before-published set of advertising poster mockups for Superman: The Movie featuring the tagline used in some of the early trailers precluded (in voice over) by This Year… but ultimately losing out to one of the most famous taglines in Movie history.
From the top –
Title over Bob Peak art, alternate shot of Reeve in flight over Metropolis, The Crystal shield and finally the Crystal title. The selection of the final art must have been an agonising choice given the strength (and simplicity) of the concepts presented here. All credit to the producers for standing firm with a campaign as iconic as the Movie…
