Bonjour Superfans – This month’s posts on SUPERMANIA are devoted purely to rare collectables originating from Producer Pierre Spengler’s home country of France, where Superman:The Movie was released as Superman: Le Film.
Shown above is the bumper French Press book, its 60 pages filled with sharp B&W portraits and biographies of cast and crew under its crisp white cover (top). Considerably sleeker than the no-frills campaign books produced in the UK, this A4 sized volume profiles everybody from Geoffrey Unsworth to Yvonne Blake.
And found resting under a sheet of tissue inside the back cover were three loose glossy ad blocks in various sizes intended for reproduction in newspapers and magazines. Featuring art from the US one sheet and UK Quad (third pic) for layout options, its unknown if they formed part of the original press package but compliment the package perfectly…
Coming soon – Le Jigsaws…
One of the many memorable scenes in The Making of Superman II is the walkaround shot demonstrating the plethora of capes for The Man of Steel hanging proudly in the wardrobe department. As we know, many of the scarlet drapes were produced for very specific purposes such as flying or walking, and also made from a variety of fabrics to highlight movement.
It would be easy to claim the pics above are of one of the few pieces left from the production but alas, it is instead the work of talented Superfan Greg Vasilof, who, frustrated with the lack of detail on the various replica capes on the market, sought out to make his own (top pic).
Buying up a healthy portion of the tried & true red wool gaberdine fabric used by Action Costumes to create their replicas – Greg refined details such as the pleats and padding while adding an authentic, finishing touch – the handwritten interior label (second pic).
Famously noted as ‘Colour B’ (red) these sewn in patches (Greg even replicated the handwriting and copied the haphazard stitching) were mounted in most capes so the costume dept. could distinguish one from the other as often they would need to be changed scene by scene.
Not content with producing the cape labels, Greg also went on to reproduce the famed interior Bermans and Nathans costume labels with authentic details (bottom pic) to stitch into his own display costume to give it the accurate finish. As a conscientious Superfan, however, Greg is neither selling nor distributing these labels to avoid them being used as provenance for counterfeit costumes (the sales of which I’m proud to say has eroded considerably in recent years thanks to growing awareness) but is indeed producing capes to sell privately. Should any discerning Superfan wish to add one of these quality props to their collection feel free to contact me…
…And signing autographs for Superfans as I type, the lovely Margot Kidder is currently reunited with her co-stars from the Superman Movie series for the ‘Superman – The Richard Donner Years Celebrity Super Reunion’ taking place at Wondercon this weekend.
For those lucky enough to attend, you will be treated to the largest single gathering of Superman stars under one roof ever at a con, always friendly and keen to meet the fans and during Saturdays Q&A panel, the star guests were joined by director Richard Donner in a rare appearance by videolink.
The event was the brainchild of Jim Bowers of capedwonder.com, who over a period of months worked diligently to enlist Margot, Jack O’ Halloran, Sarah Douglas, Valerie Perrine, Diane Sherry, Marc McClure, Aaron Smolinski and even producer Ilya Salkind for a once-in-a-lifetime celebration of the classic movies.
Be sure to visit capedwonder.com in the coming weeks for full coverage of the event including an unmissable video of the Super Panel..!
From the NECA website;
“We still believe a man can fly… Decades after its release, Christopher Reeve iconic portrayal of Superman: The Movie in the 1978 remains the definitive version. Working closely with the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation and Warner Bros, we are deeply honored to present this new 1/4 scale action figure of the hero as generations have known him.
Superman stands over 18” tall and features the authorized likeness of Christopher Reeve. The figure comes with a tailored soft fabric cape and interchangeable hands. Highly poseable and movie-accurate, this is a must-have for fans of every age. Ships to retailers in May!”
Highly anticipated and unveiled only yesterday at the New York Toyfair, flourishing US toy company NECA, having already capitalised on vintage WB/DC Batman properties, finally came through with their long-hinted Superman figure in quarter scale.
Presenting the fourth contemporary action figure (discounting statues) based on the likeness of Christopher Reeve (top pic), NECA will be the first to release the largest to date at a whopping 18″ tall due to be released this May.
Cautiously optimistic since the announcement from last year’s NY Toyfair and encouraged by the company’s output and constant interaction with fans through their Twitter account, SUPERMANIA is typically as frustrated with the prototype shown (second third & fourth pics) as it is elated.
For something apparently approved by the Reeve estate and WB, its galling that something that claims to be Movie Accurate (that term again!) has obvious issues in the forehead area (where the towering hairline makes the hair itself appear disproportionate) and the now standard free (juvenile) interpretation of the chest shield detract from a figure that gets so many other details right. Indeed, among the positives are the rendering of the boots, (managing not only to achieve the correct cuff widths but even incorporating the correct seams) passable representations of the screen seen costume colours, correct cut of the shorts and a correct length cape. The likeness, though suffering from slight cross eyes in the prototype (top pic) has great merit with the nose, cheekbones and lips possibly the best attempt since Hot Toys 1/6 version.
Of particular note is how NECA have listened to their fans and gone to considerable effort to mask the articulation in this figure (always difficult in a ‘skintight’ suited body) having wisely excised the abdominal joint that became such a distracting eyesore on the Adam West Batman figure.
As ever, one hopes for intervention and some amendments being made before the figure goes to production (and, refreshingly, for NECA this would not be a first) but as of right now, one can foresee this item being popular in its own right and of infinite potential for customisation. SUPERMANIA will keep you informed…
Thanks to TOYARK for the pics taken from the show…
Always striving to bring the discerning Superfan rare ephemera from around the world, SUPERMANIA presents another rare find from the archive with this fantastic piece from Fotogramas (Frames) magazine 1577. Entitled Superman sin disfraz or Superman undisguised, this interview with Christopher reeve by Robert Howard is enhanced with some great imagery.
For those of you who can read Spanish, enjoy – and please feel free to either translate or express the highlights in the comments section below..!
