Head of Production for Cannon Films between 1982 and 1988, the late Michael J. Kagan – Executive producer of Superman IV: The Quest For Peace – gave his final thoughts on the movie in an interview with SFX magazine last year…
“We got off to a bad start on Superman IV. First of all we were meant to film at Pinewood Studios, which is where the previous three movies had been done. But Cannon had just bought EMI at that point. Elstree Studios was a part of EMI so we had to move the whole production there. Pinewood, however, were very upset about this. We had begun building a stage especially for Superman IV at Pinewood and that had to be cancelled. And they called me and gave me hell for it. They said ‘you will have to do all sorts of special effects on this movie which we are prepared for because we have done it three times already. But at Elstree you will not have that.’
Now I was a foreigner in London and I did not know what some of the things they were talking about even were. All I could do was say ‘We can get that done at Elstree’ but this was my first time dealing with any of this. Special effects were much more difficult to create back then…”
“The problems began with the script. The director, Sidney J. Furie, was a good choice and we had a great cast – I mean we even got Gene Hackman back – but the script was lacklustre. Anything you read about the shoot being tense or full of fighting or anything – none of that is true. There were some conflicts on Superman IV, sure, but nothing major. Sidney Furie could sometimes get a little overheated, and he would get into arguments with the actors, but otherwise the film was a friendly affair. Despite the problems with the budget and the effects everyone wanted Superman IV to work.”
“Christopher Reeve was quite a nice guy- he wanted to pilot his own plane over to London but the insurance company wouldn’t allow it – I remember that being quite a funny discussion. He was quite a modest celebrity – he was not into extravagance or anything. He believed in Superman IV and worked very hard on it. This is the problem – if it had been shot today it would’ve been a better movie. Today we could have made Superman fly, believably with blue screen and computers. But back then it took forever to do these visual effects and it did not look very good. Cannon was used to doing their lower budgeted movies and they simply took on more than they could handle. We set up a company in America for post-production effects where they were going to take out wires and everything. Well, right away that cost $3 million to do and Cannon was not prepared for these costs – which were essential for making it look good – so we could not do a lot of flying sequences. Then, most famously we had to make Milton Keynes look like New York, and I don’t think we convinced that many people. If I were to do it again, I would have insisted we at least had more time to develop the script.”
“Superman IV was a huge commitment for Cannon –I had done some other projects for Golan and Globus by that time and the intention was always to move on to bigger and better things. Unfortunately we took on too many other movies at that time and Superman got rushed along and lost in the pack. It deserved a lot more time and care. No-one wanted to make a bad movie – I look at the sequel, and many other Cannon productions and wish we could have slowed down and spent more time getting things right. Golan was a good man, and he remains my friend, but he had no control over himself. He loved the cinema and he would green-light movie after movie – giving work to a lot of people in the process – but the flip-side of it is that there was never enough money or time for things to be done properly. That was what hurt Superman IV…”
From the top – Excerpt from the UK TV show ‘Think it…Do it!’ (aired on BBC1 13/3/87) Hosted by Johnny Ball as he tours the Metropolis Street set at Elstree Studios before talking to storyboard artist Martin Asbury, Aerial shots of Elstree Studios of the site circa 1986 (illustrating where various scenes in the movie were staged) and bottom, the late Michael J. Kagan. Thanks to Superfan Tim Partridge for the vintage Elstree shots – For more on these sets go here and see them under construction 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.
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..!!
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…
SUPERMANIA is proud to present this latest acquisition of promotional prints from Superman IV: The Quest For Peace. Pin sharp and measuring exactly 5×5″ – the purpose of these unusually small (but official) stills is unclear yet they are arguably the best representation of their respective flying scenes – indeed, somewhat better quality than the filmed sequences themselves.
Labelled DC Comics Inc. 1987 on the rear, though most of these shots were commonly used throughout publicity material for Superman IV, (with the exception of the fantastic unpublished shot, top) its worth noting that none of the foreground action and background plates match the scene as composited in the final film –
Photographed by Harrison Ellenshaw’s Special Effects team in 1986, an extensive library of background plates of New York City was collated for the many flying sequences/aerial battles scripted for the movie. Though Superman IV would benefit from the highest percentage of ‘live’ flying in the whole Super series, budget restrictions would reduce the process photography (so integral to maintaining the illusion) to almost pitiful standards.
Denied the use of Zoptics and lacking the quality of front projection, Superman IV’s flying unit would mostly be reliant on blue screen technique, (see here) prone to leaving hideous borders (or matte lines) around its subjects – perhaps tolerable on solid objects but inescapable on human subjects. This, combined with poor composition (bleaching out/making the actors transparent) reduce the wistful reprise of the original ‘Can you read my mind’ scenes, among countless others, to ‘B’ Movie status.
The full extent of the aforementioned sequence was not even available until the release of the the Deluxe Edition on DVD, where ‘going solo’ was established with more footage revealed in the deleted scenes. Implausible as Superman flinging Lois through the air at speed may be, there are nonetheless some charming elements and – like most of Superman IV – prime examples of what could be achieved with a tighter edit and digital upgrade…
