Superman II - The Richard Donner Cut [HD DVD]

Superman II - The Richard Donner Cut [HD DVD]
by Richard Donner, Richard Lester

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Category: DVD
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DVD Cover Information

Actor: Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Jackie Cooper, Marlon Brando, Ned Beatty
Director: Richard Donner, Richard Lester
Brand: Warner Brothers
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled)
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Director's Cut, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.40:1
Running Time: 116 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-11-28
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Warner Home Video

Movie Reviews of Superman II - The Richard Donner Cut [HD DVD]

Movie Review: WOW
Summary: 5 Stars

It's a shame it took over 20 years for this film to see the light of day. This films makes chronologically more sense than Mr. Lester's II. The first time I watched it, I was in awe. The second and third times I've watched, I kept thinking that it was a shame it was not released back in 1980.
I hate to think 'what if..', BUT just this once, 'WHAT IF Mr. Donner's II been released?' I'm sure it would've been a huge success, then we would've had III and IV, all with Donner at the helm, and there might not have been 'Superman Returns' (a great homage to Donner's I an II, but missing the heart).
The beginning and end sequences are a thrill to watch. The 'missing' scene where Clark gets his powers back is not only great, but if you are a father, inspirational. A father sacrifying his own life for his son to live? Great stuff.

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Summary of Superman II - The Richard Donner Cut [HD DVD]

In the year of Superman Returns, Superman II starring Christopher Reeve also returns - with a totally different beginning and resolution. With Jor-El (Marlon Brando in recently discovered footage) in key scenes that amplify Superman lore and deepen the profound relationship between father and son. With different Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) schemes to unmask Clark Kent as Superman. With...well, with so many changes, large and small, that this Superman II is an eye-opening alternate experience. Director Richard Donner began shooting his vision of Superman II while concurrently filming Superman The Movie. Now, for the first time, his never-before-seen vision is here. And it's a must for every Superman fan, an important addition to the legend of the Man of Steel.

The Richard Donner cut of Superman II is an infamous legend come to life. Director Donner shot most of the sequel at the same time as his first blockbuster film, but somewhere along the line, the producers and studio lost confidence and brought in Richard Lester (The Three Musketeers) to rework the film, and receive sole credit. For years fans speculated on how different the final film was from Donner's original until an underground copy appeared showing a fully formed feature. In an unprecedented move, Warner Brothers officially embraces this alternate version. For those who have not been part of the rumor mill, know that Donner shot all the footage with Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman). You can find blow-by-blow descriptions of what is new/changed elsewhere, but most of the changes deal with Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder as the comic-book couple. Donner's cut provides alternate scenes for how Lois tests her hunch that Clark is Superman, the moment he reveals his identity, and how Lois unlearns that truth. Thing is, Lester's reshots are stronger, adding weight to the romance between the two, lifting the picture's stature. Lester also added the dandy Eiffel Tower opening. Donner's chief additions are in the Fortress of Solitude, where Marlon Brando returns to teach (Susannah York, as Superman's mom, appears in the Lester cut). The producers cut Brando's footage so they wouldn't have to pay him millions. The Brando/Reeve scenes continue the father/son dynamic of the first film. There is a great lesson in editing--Lester's less is better than Donner's more--when you compare how Kent turns back into Superman after losing his powers. The Donner cut is completely formed but does use some rehearsal footage, new effects, and some pieces shot by Lester. The history of cinema has many of these stories of movies reshot, hijacked, and changed from the original version, but here the underdog wins and Donner gets his chance to change history, even adding a note in the end credits about the use of fur and smoking as regrettable choices of the time.

Director Donner and creative consultant Tom Mankiewicz have a jolly good time revisiting their past on the commentary track. You get a clearer picture of who shot what, but the two have nothing good to say about Lester's edition. Donner doesn't go much into why he was dropped, just a difference of opinion and the need not to pay Brando. He also explains why the d?j? vu ending of this edition was used in the first movie and a new ending would have been thought up for part 2. A quick featurette looks at how Michael Thau and a small crew reconstructed the film and compares several scenes from both versions. Also added are additional scenes shot by Donner but not used, most with Hackman. --Doug Thomas

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