Producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind planned the project as two pictures filmed back-to-back in the manner of their hit THREE MUSKETEERS movies. They started by hiring Mario Puzo as writer and THE GODFATHER's Marlon Brando to star. These two men were paid millions for a minimal amount of work, but told the world that the Salkinds were making a super-production. Gene Hackman, star of that other '70s smash THE FRENCH CONNECTION, joined on soon after. Then they went on a virtual casting orgy, making sure there were big stars on screen as often as possible. When it was decided to move principal production from Italy to England, director Guy Hamilton was replaced by relative newcomer Richard Donner, hired when his THE OMEN became a huge hit. Wisely, relative unknowns Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder were cast as the pivotal leads.

The origin story of Superman has entered the mythology of the world so pervasively that it hardly seems necessary to recount it here. Even in the 1970s, the film found it necessary to update the visual splendor of the planet Krypton from its Buck Rogers past to make more blatant the tale's New Testament subtext. The film goes from the fantastic on the doomed planet, to the idyllic upbringing of adopted orphan Clark Kent (Jeff East, seamlessly dubbed by Reeve due to the difference in their voices) amid the waving wheat fields of the Midwest. After we see that Superman (Reeve) really can fly, the third part of the story recounts how Clark reinforces his "mere mortal" image in order to hide out, relax and try to fit in with the Earthlings. The rest of the supporting cast - and the world - is introduced to their godlike protector, then super-criminal Lex Luthor (Hackman) hatches his scheme to own most of the West Coast of the USA, finding a way to detour Superman at the same time.

Seeing the film again after many years, one can't help but be impressed with Reeve's performance in a difficult role. Also of note is the contribution of John Williams' score, which pervades the entire film.

As the production went far over time and budget, the Salkinds sold off a lot of their rights to the feature to Warners in exchange for operating costs, but finally had to cut back and concentrate on finishing the first film, which was rushed to meet a Christmas release date. This edition of the film restores about ten minutes of footage left out of the original theatrical release that has been seen only on network television broadcasts.

Warner Bros. has always been negligent of their home video division, for the most part content to put out shoddy pan & scan transfers of even their biggest hits. Thank goodness that's not the case here, as this DVD represents the best this title has ever looked and sounded - it's one of those discs that makes you wish you had a bigger TV, no matter how big it is. Even the scenes in Metropolis, which always looked washed out, have a new sheen and brilliance. The only beef I have is that they've failed to properly label the two-sided disc, differentiated only by a "B" and "A" in tiny print. The A side has the annoying feature of starting the movie automatically if left too long.

That said, Warners has also provided a disc full of extras (on two sides, bucking the recent trend toward deluxe double discs). Side A has the feature with a number of  audio and subtitle options, including a fine, friendly and informative commentrak by director Richard Donner and creative consultant Tom Mankiewicz.

The B side contains a three part documentary on the making of the film which - like the feature itself - is intelligent and well done when one expects the usual Hollywood fluff. The first two parts are hosted by actor Marc McClure, who you might remember from such features as SUPERMAN and SUPERMAN II (hint - he was Jimmy Olsen). Just about every participant still living is interviewed, and there's a lot of fun behind-the-scenes footage. The third part covers the film's groundbreaking special effects, and is hosted by supervisor Roy Field. Its highlight is a parade of test footage for different flying techniques.

There's also a screen test section, in which casting director Lynn Stalmeister shows off some recently discovered footage. Unfortunately, only Reeve's Superman test is included, but you get to see several top starlets vie for the role of Lois Lane - from sexy Anne Archer to Hepburn-esque Stockard Channing - as well as see why Kidder was the best choice. There's also a group of actresses trying out for the role of the evil Ursa by tossing stuntmen around. The disc continues with some deleted scenes, storyboards, etc.

Something that the extra features say over and over - and the history of the series went on to prove - is that the contributions of Donner and Mankiewicz (much of it uncredited) had the greatest influence on the success of the feature. They in turn credit the casting of Reeve as the overall deciding factor on whether or not audiences believed a man could fly.