Before I get into the specifics about the DC--Some Background:
In the decade of the 1970's Superman The Movie and 80% of its sequel Superman II were shot simultaneously.
Originally conceived by director Richard Donner and writer Tom Mankiewicz as a two-part story...The 2 friends, along with a talented cast and crew of hundreds, set out to make us "believe a man can fly"....They succeeded beyond all measure.
As the release date for the first film loomed, it was decided to halt production on II, in favor of finishing the first part. Once that movie was in the can and in theaters , everyone would return to complete the rest of II..
However, by this point tensions between Donner and producers--Alexander Salkind, his son Ilya, and Pierre Spengler--were so bad that Donner was fired before he could finish part II. Director Richard Lester was brought in, to not only finish the film, but rework many scenes as well. This reboot was necessary in order for Lester to receive a director credit on the film...
I must admit, the first time I popped the Donner Cut of Superman II into the DVD player, I got a few goosebumps as things got under way....
The basic story of the film is the same as it is in theatrical version. It's the way Donner gets from points A to B and so on that's different...
Some examples:
Gone: The entire post credit Paris sequence in which a bomb, detonated in space by Superman (Christopher Reeve) releases the three villains from Krypton...Replaced with a scene from the first film of the Man Of Steel disposing of one of the missiles hijacked by Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman)--causing the trio's escape.
Gone: Scenes between Superman and his biological mother Lara (Susannah York) are replaced by scenes between Supes and his biological father Jor-El (Marlon Brando)
Courtesy: IGN/WB
Gone: The scene in The Honeymoon Haven in which Lois (Margot Kidder) discovers Clark Kent is Superman with him tripping over a (pink) bareskin rug. Replaced with Lois pulling a gun on our hero--forcing him to reveal his secret...
The ultimate question of which version is better is a toughie though--Watching the Donner Cut made feel like kid again and that I had traveled back in time to some alternate reality--there's some really great stuff here...But I actually think the theatrical version paces better. I'm sure that Donner would have addressed this issue had he been allowed to finish the film...I know this may sound like a cop out--the 2 versions each have things that work in them and some things that don't.
For example, the Jor-El scenes are much more meaningful to me than the Lara theatrical stuff. It's the whole Father/Son dynamic. The whole Clark is Supes reveal put into motion by Lois is much stronger as well. The Phantom Zone villains seem a bit more menacing. The battle over Metropolis is more streamlined--Gone is Lester's campy schtick and sight gags in that sequence...
The biggest issues I had with the Donner Cut has to do with some of the editorial choices made: (Beware Spoilers!!)
DC producer Michael Thau and Donner chose to score this version by laying in music from the first film. While I love John Williams' work. I have to admit it was a bit of a distraction hearing music that fits the first movie so well, used for this cut. At times the score sounded out of place and disjointed I wish they could have found a way to use more of Ken Thorne's arrangements. I think that would have worked better.
The Donner Cut has Supes sleeping with Lois before he gives up his powers...While this solves a major plot issue I had with Bryan Singer's Superman Returns-- only till the end of the DC. Still, it begs the question, why does he need to give up his powers at all? If he can have his abilities and be with Lois anyway--Why bother asking for Dad's permission.
Folks have complained that the DC lifts the time travel ending of the first film--Supes turning back the world, to undo the damage done by the villains and to make Lois forget that Clark Kent is Supes. At face value, that criticism is a valid one. And indeed, Lester's Super smooch ending was considered as the ending for the DC, but remember, Donner never had the chance to finish II the way he had wanted or could have. Therefore, I can see them reusing the concept again, since Superman The Movie would have originally ended with the Zoners escape cliffhanger...I think using it to save Lois in One packs more of an emotional wallop though. I'm fine with our hero turning back the world again in lieu of using the kiss from Lester's cut
Given that, Superman does reverse time in this version though...Why does Clark go back to Ron's Diner to give Rocky (Pepper Martin) the bully a taste of his own medicine--if their fight never happened? Yes it's still funny but it makes no narrative sense.
All of that said, I am thankful for the chance to finally see this stuff, and that Donner is finally getting to close the book on a very painful chapter of his career. The DC, while far from perfect, is still a must see. After you see the DC you may never look Ar Superman II the same way again...
The bonus material on the DVD includes a touching intro from Donner, 8 minutes worth of deleted scenes, most of which, I've seen before in various TV cuts of the film. There's an alternate prison escape for Luthor though that's "new" and a lot of fun. Restoring The Vision is a 13 minute featurette that discusses the restoration process of Thau and his team. The most worthwhile extra on the disc is the audio commentary from Donner and Mankiewicz.
It's obvious that Donner is still very hurt by what happened between him and the producers, The duo get pretty quiet whenever Lester's footage appears on screen to help fill in some of the gaps. Otherwise it's filled with some great production tid-bits Some of which are repeated from their 2001 track for the first film. Still, the track is solid
Donner says he was fired without reason. Ilya Salkind maintains in the audio commentary for the theatrical cut that Donner was invited to finish 2 but refused as long as "Spengler was still on the film"--via an interview in Variety. Assuming Salkind is telling the truth--why have Lester on the set to mediate during the first film (as stated on the other DVDs) if they weren't thinking of replacing Donner at some point --that was before the Variety story? What a shame...
At least some of that "wrong" has now been put "right"
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