Up, up and away with the alternate 'Superman II'

We interrupt your regularly scheduled X-Files rewatch blog to bring you another special edition. The loss of Margot Kidder affected the Sestras greatly and our fondness for her started with the two Superman movies that came out when we were growing up. As difficult as it must have been to find the man who would perfectly embody both the man from Krypton and his earthly incarnation in Christopher Reeve, it had to be almost as tough for the powers-that-be behind the movie to find their Lois Lane. She had to be someone who was ahead of the game on so many fronts, but couldn't see the super man behind the glasses for a long period of time. Her comic timing had to be spot on, and she had to charge into danger head on, then show a petrified side when things went sideways --- as they tended to do.

It came down to Kidder and Stockard Channing (Grease), and Margot got the nod almost as soon as she tripped on her way into the office, according to the first movie's director, Richard Donner. Speaking of Donner, he initially filmed much of Superman I and II concurrently, but II was put on hold so they could make I's completion date. Donner later was fired after a lengthy and convoluted falling out with producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind, and Richard Lester -- a second-unit director on the first movie -- stepped in to give the Salkinds what they wanted. Years later, Donner got to make and release the film he wanted to on DVD and Blu-Ray, well, as much as he could with the found footage and bits of Lester's film.

As neither Sestra would consider herself an amateur when it comes to these two versions, we'll just both claim the title of Sestra Professional in bringing our look at The Donner Cut and how it compares with what most of the world knows as Superman II. Kidder said in The Making of Superman that she picked and chose parts of Lois when bringing her to life. She chose well and far better than Superman on more than one occasion. 

Sestra Leah: 

Once upon a time at a comic con – I attend those from time to time – I stumbled across an unofficial copy of Superman II – The Richard Donner Cut on DVD. Since it was a Christopher Reeve-as-Superman movie I happily scooped it up, but knew it would never surpass the original Sup II in my heart. The behind-the-scenes saga about the making of the first two Superman movies is almost as dramatic as the films themselves. (You’ll believe a man can … go way over budget.) 

According to Jake Rossen's book Superman Vs. Hollywood, the biggest issue was money -- the budget hemorrhaged from $20 million for both movies to $50 million for just the first one. After the Warner Brothers studio heads intervened, the Salkinds replaced Donner for Superman II with Richard Lester. In the sequel, some of Donner’s work was replaced with Lester’s reshot scenes and newly scripted ones had to be filmed. 

Rossen explained in his book that Gene Hackman outright refused to reshoot scenes with Lester. Did you know that’s not Gene’s body in several of Lex Luthor’s scenes? Hell, sometimes it’s not even his voice, but in Donner’s cut, it’s all Hackman. Reeve was unhappy about the backstage drama, but they doubled his salary to keep him around.  Kidder may have suffered the most for being outspoken about the feud between the Salkinds and Donner. According to Larry Tye’s book, Superman: The High-Flying History of America’s Most Enduring Hero, Margot’s stance “assured that Lois would have fewer than five minutes of screen time in the third movie,” which was directed by ... Lester.

Over the years I noticed in Lester’s version that Lois either had shiny hair that framed her face or dry hair that didn’t. I just assumed Lois, like me, was having some bad hair days. That remains the best indicator of which scenes were Lester’s and which were Donner’s. 

There was at least a two-year gap between Donner and Lester’s filming dates. Kidder's voice was raspier in the scenes shot later but that’s probably because Margot was a smoker. The same thing happened with Carrie Fisher between Star Wars and Return of the Jedi. For Donner’s version, Lois Lane looks pretty healthy for someone who “died” the previous day, but some of her Lester quirks are gone -- she’s not obsessed with oranges and good health while smoking cigarettes anymore. 

But in typical Lois fashion, she’s running full steam ahead with her theory that Clark Kent and Superman are one and the same. Unfortunately, with Donner’s cut, she really hasn’t known Clark/Superman for long. The passing of time between the end of the first movie and the beginning of this one doesn’t exist, it’s literally the next day. There’s also no hydrogen bomb at the Eiffel Tower this time around. The explosion that frees the Kryptonian villains from the Phantom Zone – General Zod, Ursa and Non – is thanks to the missile originally bound for Hackensack, New Jersey that Superman directed into space. (So, as far as Donner is concerned, all of this is Miss Teschmacher’s fault.) 

Lois tries to prove her case by jumping out of the Daily Planet’s window which is 30 stories above the street. Superman doesn’t swoop down after her, but he does manage to covertly break her fall in a very embarrassing way. Even though the Niagara Falls story still takes place and the undercover Mr. and Mrs. Clark Kent head to the honeymoon destination location, there’s no scene where Lois jumps into the river hoping Clark will become Superman and save her. 

One of the most annoying parts of the Donner cut is the first scene of Lex and Otis in prison. It made sense for Lex to get “life plus 25” after he went to trial, but there’s no way Luthor would ever take a plea like that, especially the day after his arrest. And apparently he’s also been working on that “little black box” in their cell for quite some time, even though he’s only been there for a day. Wonder why Donner didn’t choose to address that major plot hole. Donner should have removed the scene of Mr. White talking about the Niagara Falls scam, so we could have assumed there was some time passing between Lois’ swan dive and the jail scenes. 

The biggest change at the Fortress of Solitude is the presence of Jor-El, played by “12 percent share of the gross” Marlon Brando. We never see Lara, played by the much more affordable Susannah York. Jor-El tells Lex and Miss Teschmacher about the three Kryptonian villains. (I’ve always wondered, if Jor-El knew Krypton was going to be destroyed, then why didn’t he arrange to keep the villains on the planet until it exploded? Even though the Kryptonian Council didn’t agree with Jor-El’s findings he should have stalled their sentence while working on Kal-El’s escape shuttle.)



The Donner cut uses Reeve and Kidder's screen test scenes in the Niagara Falls hotel room when Lois again tries to prove Clark is Superman. It's a very jarring change. Both Christopher and Margot look very different here, because these scenes were filmed in late 1976 or early 1977. Plus, Christopher is wearing different glasses and a different hairstyle from scene to scene. Lester’s version had Clark accidentally fall into a fire but escape without injury. Donner has Lois shoot Clark – with blanks – although Superman doesn’t know that. 

Lester’s scene had way more heart: There’s some psychoanalysis, some declarations of love. Donner just cuts to that scene with Ursa and the snake, then cuts back to Lois and Superman flying toward the Fortress of Solitude. Donner also re-edits their dinner scene, which takes away some of the romantic, emotional impact. We also don’t get Lois carelessly forgetting about the green crystal that originally made the Fortress which is how Clark eventually is able to restore his powers. We see the Kryptonians destroy the small town before it cuts back to Lois and Superman in his big silver bed. (Side note: In Lester’s version, we have Kal-El giving up his superpowers before having sex with Lois. With Donner, it happens afterward, so feel free to insert your Super sperm joke here.) 

Lester allowed the Kryptonians to destroy Mount Rushmore, here they knock down the Washington Monument. (Probably Ursa’s idea, taking out the phallic symbol and emasculating the country.) Geographically, it makes sense, they are on their way to see the President. Kal-El and Jor-El argue over his duty to humanity while Lois, who is wearing Superman’s shirt – that comes off better than the peignoir Superman kept at the Fortress of Solitude in Lester’s version – watches from above. The scenes showing Superman becoming human are clearly different but Jor-El’s giant head staring pitifully at Lois is somewhat disturbing. And you thought your in-laws didn’t like you…

The Kryptonians still invade the White House, but Donner adds a disturbing touch in which Zod uses a machine gun to kill the soldiers and agents protecting the President. Too bad Donner doesn’t explain how Lois and Clark get from the Fortress to that diner in those new duds of theirs. And where is this diner located on the drive back from the North Pole? Lester definitely picked better cuts of the diner scenes than Donner, who just doesn't get the necessary emotional responses out of Christopher or Margot that Lester does. (Another question for both versions: Why didn’t Clark just have Lois drive him back to the Fortress in the car they used to get to the diner? Too bad there’s no movie novelization to answer these questions.) After he arrives back at the Fortress, Clark’s speech to his “father” sounds much more pathetic than it should. That’s ironic because  Reeve was a Donner supporter during the feud. I think Lester consistently pulled better performances out of him, though.

By the time the Zod and company finally raid the Daily Planet, Kal-El is back to his vibrantly red-and-blue uniformed self. Their battle on the streets of New York – whoops, I mean Metropolis, but in my defense, there is lots of footage of NYC landmarks – features many scenes from Lester’s version but still feels off, and not just because it’s not “familiar.” The score does not sound appropriate for the scenes but that may not be Donner’s fault, they probably had to work with what was available to make his cut. And I’m not sure why I didn’t notice it until after the final scene at the Daily Planet, but Zod and Ursa sound really weird in Donner’s version. It’s like the reverse George Lucas effect -- he is well known for dubbing over Star Wars actors’ voices when he wants them to sound a certain way. Terence Stamp and Sarah Douglas’ deeper voices in Lester’s version are more appropriate for Zod and Ursa. Donner’s Zod sounds like he was voiced by Rowan Atkinson. 

Another letdown to Donner’s version is the lack of a final battle between Supes and the villains at the Fortress of Solitude. There’s a quick verbal confrontation until Superman tricks the trio into giving up their powers. Lois still should have known something was up since she saw what happened the first time, but she’s been traumatized so we’ll cut her some slack. Before they leave the North Pole, Donner’s Superman destroys the Fortress with Lex and the Kryptonians in it. So did Superman just kill four helpless people? (Insert "they had it coming" argument here.) If we wanted Superman to kill Zod, we’d go watch Man of Steel.

Lois is still a weepy mess when Superman takes her home. She tries to write her tears away, but Superman has another plan. Donner recycles his Superman I plot twist and undoes everything that happened by having Superman reverse the Earth’s rotation. But how far back he goes is kind of a mystery, did he undo Luthor’s sink-California-into-the-ocean plan since now we don’t have any missiles exploding in space and releasing the villains from The Phantom Zone? But if you’re someone who hated Lester’s creepy date-rape drug amnesia kiss at the end of his movie then maybe you prefer this ending. I loved the way Superman II ended until Superman Returns was written as if Superman III and Superman IV did not exist and Lois became pregnant after having sex with “human” Clark in Superman II. 

So … weeks later, Superman leaves Planet Earth and Lois realizes she’s pregnant but she doesn’t remember having sex? Let the character assassination begin! In Donner’s ending, Lois again has no clue that Clark is Superman, but the reverse spin also undid their sexual encounter so … no harm, no foul? Even worse, Donner’s ending still damages Kal-El’s Boy Scout image: He goes back to the diner to get revenge on the trucker who beat the tar out of him, but technically, that didn’t happen. Yes, the same scene exists in Lester’s version, but he did not “undo” Clark’s humanizing beating so that version feels more like satisfying payback. Donner’s version just shows Clark being a bully and that’s not “our” Superman. 

Sestra Pai: 

Sestra Leah makes some fine points, but I don't see The Donner Cut as quite the wash she does. I think we've sat with Lester's version so long that it's a bit tough to open up to the Donner version, but I think the latter does posit some salient points in its favor.

A lot of Donner's issues with Lester's version -- and I'm getting his opinion straight from the source via his DVD commentary -- go to what he considers the campy nature of the '81 film. I'm not sure I totally agree with him on this. Playing it straight doesn't work ... and he himself doesn't always do this. As described in the Donner Cut's extras, having Superman react like Batman doesn't work. Batman is a man who has chosen to don his costume for very particular reasons; Superman's an alien whose powers come with breathing on a planet with a yellow sun. I don't think playing it totally straight works for Superman II. It's a very particular comic book at its core.

I appreciate the different angles used for the sentencing scene recap that starts The Donner Cut, although I gotta give it to Lester and the Salkinds for the way they recap the first film in the credits of the 1981 version. The latter has better pace to it. Point to the Lester version.

The 2006 release really jumps into the action with Lois taking the plunge outside the Daily Planet window. But Superman blowing on her and the watermelon stand face plant comes up a little short against the Eiffel Tower heist and her hurdling into the waters at Niagara Falls. As a continuation of the original story, dropping out the window does work -- as does the Hackensack-bound rocket's explosion releasing the villains -- but we'd already seen Lois free falling a couple times in the first film. Clark aiding her with a well-placed tree limb and then ending up in the drink himself was a nifty way of moving that story along. Another point to Lester.

Donner used pieces of Reeve and Kidder's screen tests for the unfilmed big reveal that Clark was Superman in the restored version. Sestra Leah mentioned how awkward that was, but they didn't have much of a choice when cobbling together something so different from the 1981 movie. It's not a bad way of resolving that plot, I still prefer Kent stumbling into the fire without injury right on the heels of her Nestea plunge instead of her first attempt earlier in the film bearing fruit later on. Point Lester.

My biggest praise for The Donner Cut refers to the return of Jor-El to the proceedings. Superman was a story about a father and a son, his mother barely got to say anything when they sent young Kal-El to safety. Getting Marlon Brando's estate to give Donner and company the rights to his scenes for the second crack at Superman II was such a plus. They should have just paid the legend back in the day, it's not like they didn't make a small fortune off the first film and its memorabilia. 

Now with Brando back, the 2006 version has more impact. Obviously, back in the '70s, Donner's creative types would have had more time to play with the images so the shots of Jor-El talking to Lex Luthor wouldn't have seemed like just a floating head or an oversized Bigfoot wearing a cape. The footage they had worked much better when Clark and Lois get to the fortress. Like Sestra Leah said, that sideways look the father gives Lois is priceless. Major point to Donner.

Speaking of the romance, Donner's prevailing wisdom is that Clark would never kiss Lois. Only Superman got to any base with her. But I just can't see that love scene working out too well for her or even the big silver bed if he's still got all his powers. Point Lester. But I'm in Donner's corner for a lot of romantic beats at the Fortress of Solitude. In the original script -- and as an extra on the 2006 DVD -- there's a double-entendre scene of Superman saying "I've never done this before" and Lois talking him through his hesitation that winds up being about him making a souffle with his X-ray eyes. It's a little less corny than the flowers and candlelight scene we came to know and love. Point Donner. 



Sestra Leah mentioned the back-and-forth nature of scenes between the goings-on between Superman and Lois at the Fortress of Solitude and the trio of evil really getting into the habit of ravaging America. It seems too blunt to me. Donner said in the DVD commentary he would have shot the villains more ominously. I think the threat they pose is strong -- I particularly enjoy the changing of the Rushmore faces -- but it's a shame we didn't get to see how Donner would have filmed them. No point given here.

The restored cut suffers from not being able to complete Superman's return to the fortress the way Donner originally envisioned. The ultimate destruction of Jor-El feels forced, I like in Lester's film how the green crystal glows and we know Kal-El has received his second chance. And he screams "Father!" into the void, not "Mother!" Point Lester.

There are precious few new pieces of dialogue that fit into the framework -- it's easy to see why Lex Luthor's banter with Otis in the slammer didn't make the cut -- but I'll definitely give it to Mario Puzo or whichever of the three other screenplay writers came up with Perry White's description of the super villains as "That cockamamie general ... a big truck with hair on him and a broad that looks like the queen of the runway." And Lois does get to utter those time-honored words from the early days of the legend -- "Up, up and away" -- albeit in a much more poignant fashion.  

There's no swell of music when the trio of Kryptonians breaks into the Daily Planet office. I think the foot should be on the gas pedal a little there. But maybe we don't want that when we're about to be hit with some weak added dialogue. Zod: "This is the son of Jor-El?" Jimmy: "No, but I'll be you're a son of a ..." To which Lois only adds, "Jimmy!" The triteness continues when restored Superman shows up. Zod brands him a fool, "like father like son." Ho hum. 

Metropolis sure does have a lot of New York City landmarks. Having the fight result in damage to almost every single one of them seems campy, I thought you were trying to avoid that, Donner. On the other hand, the antenna being knocked off the top of the Empire State Building and threatening innocent civilians is a lot more organic in his cut. Ursa claiming that "he's caged Non" in the 1981 film always seemed a little ridiculous since something like that obviously wouldn't hold someone with his powers for long, as did the insipid piece of business with a mother leaning over a baby carriage to protect the infant instead of attempting to just move out of the way. Point Donner, with the addendum that I do like the people of Metropolis making a fruitless attempt to stop the villains when they think Superman has been killed by them in Lester's take.

But wait, there's more ho-hum dialogue. Luthor says he wants Cuba in exchange for telling Zod where the Fortress of Solitude is located in the Donner version. Yeah, that's not too campy. And Non's reaction to that? Why would he have any reaction? It's not like he knows Cuba. At least that's better than the bizarre denoeument in 1981 at the Fortress of Solitude in which all four natives of Krypton are using powers they don't really have -- throwing logos, shooting finger rays and the duplicate Supermans. No point given. 

OK, let's get into turning the world around again. Yeah, it's old hat. According to Donner, the first film "stole" this ending and they planned to come up with something new for Sup II. But he never got to, and thusly, we're stuck with this chestnut. (Although putting toothpaste back into the tube is an inspired choice since we're always told you can't do that.) But why destroy the Fortress of Solitude -- allegedly killing the super villains and Lex -- if you're just going to turn the world back around? And if you revert the world, then the Kryptonian trio has their powers back. I could have gotten into seeing those three still trying to take down the son of Jor-El by more human means in subsequent films. And Donner had plans for the series that had to be a lot better than what ultimately was forced upon us.

The goodbye scenes between Superman and Lois are touching in both films. (Note from Donner, Margot refused anything to help her cry.) But the world's not an Etch-a-Sketch, Supe. You can't just erase anything that doesn't go away because that diminishes your mystique. Then again, the kiss to forget might be better than watching him spin the globe again, but it doesn't really fall under the purview of his powers either. Sure wish Donner and company had more time to think on that one back in the day. There had to be a better solution than those two choices.

Finally, point Sestra Leah. With the past reverted, there's no need to return to the diner and give the bully his just desserts. It's always been a crowd pleaser of a scene, kind of like in Lester's version when Superman returns the flag to the top of the White House, but there's not a lot of room for pettiness on his behalf in the mythology. Can't believe I just tore down one of my favorite bits from both movies -- so I'll sidestep that with a piece of trivia -- no need to guess who filmed the diner scenes as Donner can be seen walking down the street as Clark and Lois pull up in the first one. 

I think both versions of worthy of fans' time, but I still will be inclined to pop Lester's version in the ol' Blu-Ray player over Donner's. And even though we finally got a taste of what the Superman I and II arc was going to be, I'll still regret we didn't get to see that realized as the director intended. We would have loved to have seen how the subsequent sequels advanced the story and what better challenges would have been afforded to Reeve and Kidder, who became even bigger heroes to us off the screen as everyday people living through unimaginable circumstances.