Superman - Ultimate Collector's Edition, Part VII

Finally, I'm coming to the end of the road in my series of analyses on Warner's awesome 14-disc "Superman" Ultimate Collector's Edition. So far I have looked at the first 11 discs in the set, which covered all of the major films in the set. As I conclude these analyses, I now turn my attention to the three documentary discs from the set, two of which are exclusive to the UCE.

LOOK! UP IN THE SKY - THE AMAZING STORY OF SUPERMAN

I originally reviewed this disc for Jim Bowers' website CapedWonder.com shortly after its release last year. The only difference is that this time around, "Look! Up in the Sky" is featured as Disc 12 of the UCE. For some reason, in my copy of the set the disc art is the same as the single-disc release and not the half-text, half-art template that was used for the other discs in the UCE. That little minor quibble aside, it's still a great documentary produced by Bryan Singer and Kevin Burns that reveals some new perspectives on the history of Superman and, of course, served as a tease for "Superman Returns". Click here to read my original 2006 review of the documentary (and its Best Buy-exclusive companion disc, which I'll discuss in further detail later).

YOU WILL BELIEVE: THE CINEMATIC SAGA OF SUPERMAN

Now we come to Disc 13, which is quite arguably one of the best new documentary features in the entire set, the all-new retrospective documentary "You Will Believe: The Cinematic Saga of Superman". In this new five-part feature, produced by New Wave Entertainment (which also produced the documentary features for the first four "Batman" films for their 2005 DVD releases), we get a more balanced look at the creation of the four Christopher Reeve "Superman" films and the ill-fated spinoff "Supergirl". Featuring new interview segments with Richard Donner, Ilya Salkind, Pierre Spengler, Tom Mankiewicz, Margot Kidder, Marc McClure, Jeff East, Terence Stamp, Jack O'Halloran, Sarah Douglas (hey Jacob Rubenstein, if you're out there reading this, I'm sure you're loving those new interviews!), Helen Slater, Mark Rosenthal, Yoram Globus, and Menahem Golam, among others, we are treated to what is a more honest look at bringing "Superman" to life, more than what was previously covered in the original 2001 documentaries.

The documentary, which runs approximately 90 minutes in length, is divided into five sections - "Origin", "Vision", "Ascent" (which primarily cover on filming the first film), "Crisis", and "Redemption" - which can be viewed in one continuous feature-length piece or individually. There are quite a number of surprising new comments and perspectives that hadn't been seen or heard before, and many key players involved in the production of these films in front of or behind the camer has a say in expressing his or her views. What's wonderful about this documentary is the inclusion of newly discovered production footage from the Warner archives during the making of the first two films during the Donner years and during Richard Lester's tenure on "Superman II", including some never-before-seen vintage test clips, outtakes, and production footage featuring the late Christopher Reeve, which is especially a treat to see. During "Crisis" there is an additional outtake segment from the extended version of II that was not included in the "Superman II" Special Edition, presented in widescreen format, of a further moment during the Phantom Zone villains' attack in East Houston. This additional cut scene is a treat to see in this set, though why it was split up and intercut with an interview segment from Ilya Salkind, not to mention included on the "Superman II" disc, baffles me. Everyone is candid and open about their thoughts on shooting "Superman", with Douglas commenting on how she was one of the few cast members available to tour the world in promoting the films during their theatrical releases, and Stamp even shares a wonderfully humorous quip about how, after the release of II, a group of vicious gang members confronted him, asked, "Are you Zod?" and ran in fear from him!

Where the documentaries on the "Superman" Special Edition tend to be skewered in favor of Donner and Mankiewicz, here it's a more evenly balanced presentation, and that's really the way to go. This way it leaves you with more insight and the ball in your court on who's right and who's not. (My take is running with what's been established in all forms of the press - i.e., Donner and Mankiewicz.) Unfortunately, by the time the documentary gets to "Crisis" and "Redemption", everything feels extremely rushed, as Salkind, Spengler, Globus, Golam, Rosenthal, and the various cast members quickly want to get through in expressing their thoughts on III, IV, and "Supergirl" without an equally balanced look as given to the first two films. There isn't any production footage at all from these films, which is a shame, since we know that it's out there, and except for some very brief on-set photos from III and IV, we are left with very little as the result. Certainly, if New Wave had taken their time researching and assembling material from the first two films for this documentary, they could have equally devoted themselves to doing the same for the other films in the franchise. There are, after all, some fans who don't want to see them dismissed from the film canon. Then again, as with the Singer/Burns documentary on Disc 12, given those films' poor critical and/or commercial receptions at the box office, it's not really a surprise that the participants wanted to spend very little time discussing the films at all.

Which brings me to another concern about the disc. Obviously, attempts were made to contact Richard Lester and Mark Pillow for comments for the documentary, and that didn't come through at all. Somehow, I'm not surprised. Given Lester's public penchant for claiming "Superman II" as his film and not Donner's, not to mention any public acknowledgment about Donner's contribution to the saga, it's easily seen why some fans hold him in scorn. With Pillow, I'm not surprised that he disassociated himself with filmmaking after this huge misfire (I read just last night that he had given up bartending to pursue acting - why am I not surprised that that's what he probably returned to?) For that matter, I'm surprised that Sidney J. Furie wasn't contacted for a commentary. Then again, given his stand that if IV was a hit or a failure, it didn't matter to him. I tried contacting him about 10 years ago for some comments about the missing footage to IV, but got no response from him. All these years later, I'm still not surprised that his view hasn't apparently changed.

Furthermore, this documentary could have benefited from more outtakes, production footage, and even some rare TV spots and trailers for the other films that have not been issued on DVD (though you'll easily find many of them on CapedWonder.com). Still, this is quite the documentary to see, and it makes for a perfect companion to the UCE. And the best thing about it... there's no damn Kevin Smith in sight anywhere! His "appearances" on the "Batman" and "Spider-Man" DVDs ruined what could have been two really awesome discs - why that talentless no-class loser keeps getting work in anything is beyond me. (Wake up, Hollywood!)

Also on Disc 13 we have a new 20-minute program entitled "The Mythology of Superman", narrated by Stamp, which explores the world's culture and influences over the millennia that led to development of the Superman character in the 1930's. The Greek gods Hercules and Atlas, as well as the Biblical account of Samson, and fictional creations like Doc Savage, were certainly among the influences. Historians and psychologists examine all of the various influences that led to Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's landmark creation.

We also have a very touching 18-minute program entitled "The Heart of a Hero: The Legacy of Christopher Reeve". Donner, Kidder, Jane Seymour (Reeve's long-time friend and co-star of "Somewhere in Time"), Kathy Lewis (the current president of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation), famed comics painter Alex Ross (who draws the most beautiful painted illustrations of the Man of Steel), "Smallville" co-creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, and Brooke Ellison (the subject of Reeve's final solo directorial project "The Brooke Ellison Story"), among others, reflect back on Reeve's life and remember him not only for his contribution as Superman but also for the impact he made in the final decade of his life following his tragic horse-riding accident. We also get to see some behind-the-scenes production footage and an interview segment with Reeve from early 2004 during a break in filming his second stint as Dr. Virgil Swann on "Smallville" (which would turn out to be his final on-screen acting appearance ever). Words cannot express the poignancy and understatement brought to this program - simply put, it's well worth the disc alone. I only wish this had run much longer.

But that's not all. We have three vintage Warner Bros. cartoons - "Super Rabbit" with Bugs Bunny, "Stupor Duck" with Daffy Duck, and the rarely seen black-and-white World War II parody "Snafuperman" (originally issued to U.S. military troops during the 1940's) - which spoof the Superman character in affectionate humor. Culled from mint 35-millimeter prints, these cartoons look and sound as wonderful as the 17 Fleischer/Famous Studios "Superman" segments from 1941-43! There is even a rare color version of the 1958 TV pilot "Superpup", produced by Whitney Ellsworth, filmed after production ended on the sixth season of "The Adventures of Superman", and shot on the same sets as the series, but with midgets in dog suits. Black-and-white versions of this pilot have circulated over the years in the bootleg market, so it's nice that Warner issued it formally, and in color, no less! (I only wish they had included the unreleased 1961 "Superboy" pilot as well - unfortunately, this has to do with the legal issues involving Siegel and Shuster's heirs suing Warner Bros. and DC Comics over the rights to the Superboy character.) The disc is rounded out with a DVD trailer for the Kirk Alyn "Superman" serial collection.

BRYAN SINGER'S VIDEO JOURNALS

We now come to the end of the UCE with a look at Disc 14, showcasing all 29 of Bryan Singer's video blogs shot during production of "Superman Returns". Last year, Warner Home Video had included a bonus second disc of 12 of these segments, originally featured online at SupermanReturns.com, as a bonus disc to the Singer/Burns documentary for Best Buy fans. I must admit, this seemed a bit unfair on the part of Warner to issue this bonus disc as a Best Buy exclusive, since some buyers elsewhere may not have access to a Best Buy near them, leaving them to track down the 2-disc "Look! Up in the Sky" documentary on eBay or Amazon. But here we have all of the original 27 online segments, along with two brand-new segments issued exclusively to the UCE, "Outre" and "KR 83.80".

All of these segments are presented in their original aspect ratio and in Dolby 2.0 surround sound, and the quality is quite a bit better than their online presentations. All of the fun moments are here, including Singer scouting out Sydney, Australia prior to the start of filming; shooting Eva Marie Saint's scenes with Brandon Routh; Clark's baseball pitch at the Kent farm; Singer and company on the partially completed Fortress set overlooking a giant green screen; and the highly popular "The Call", in which Singer jetted over to New Zealand for a day to hijack the directorial reigns of "King Kong" from a sleeping Peter Jackson (look for quick appearances from Naomi Watts and longtime Jackson player Andy "Gollum" Serkis!). As if that weren't enough, the exclusive sequel "Outre" is an equally humorous look at how Frank Darabont ("The Shawshank Redemption") was tapped to replace Singer!

I have to admit, while this compilation is great, it really should have been included as the proper third disc for the "Superman Returns" Special Edition DVD release, as it further enhances the behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film. While this disc is another nice addition to the UCE, like Disc 13 it is also exclusive to the set and available nowhere else, which means fans would have to get the whole UCE just to obtain Discs 13 and 14. Then again, considering my initial argument at the beginning of these commentaries, getting everything in one shot is well worth the bonuses.

In addition, the entire package is housed in a booklet-style case with a beautiful lenticular art cover on the front. There's also a 16-page booklet done in the style of the Daily Planet newspaper and detailing the set's contents, a miniature reproduction of the seventh issue of "Superman" from 1986-87, and a mail-in offer for reproductions of the film posert to the five feature films. ALl of this is packaged in a large collective tin embossed with the S logo. To quote Lex Luthor, what more could anyone ask?

I wonly wish taht more vintage supplements had been included in this set - specifically, more trailers and TV spots, more production footage, more outtakes that didn't make the films, and more footage involving Christopher Reeve (whose presence is still sorely missed). But when you consider the generous amount of content presented in one collection, not to mention two versions of the first two films and all the staggering amount of extras included, anything beyond that is simply nit-picking. Hands down, this is one of the most spectacular DVD sets ever produced, well worth all of the accolades it's been given, and if you're a Superman fan like me, you won't be able to resist it. To borrow from the good people at DVDReview.com, put this together with the "Alien", "Lord of the Rings", and "Matrix" mega collections, and nobody will ever see you again. :)

Whew! Now how's that for a review? :)

Have a safe and enjoyable 4th of July holiday, and I will see you again soon!