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Visit the Superman Cinema Web Site.
"There's one thing I do know, son, and that's you are here for a reason." - Jonathan Kent (played by Glenn Ford), Superman the Movie, 1978
On May 28, 1999, the Niagara Film Festival held its gala opening with the showing of Superman the Movie and with special guest Christopher Reeve. For me personally, this was to be a special treat, for it was the first time in 20 years I would get to see Superman the Movie on a large screen, not to mention the possibility of actually meeting my boyhood idol. Following the movie, there would be a reception held at the Skyline Brock Hotel ballroom.
Click here to see the full Slide Show!
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I arrived early in Niagara Falls that day, taking half a day off from work so as to circumvent rush-hour traffic. Registration was at 6:30, but I arrived at 4:00, giving me plenty of time to take pictures of the Falls, and the Festival while it was still being set up. I began to be a little concerned about a poor turn out, as the festival was not well advertized. Furthermore, this happened to be the American Memorial Day weekend holiday, and I thought that perhaps many families would plan trips away rather than attend a film festival. I needn't have been worried, as the crowd, though slow to appear, did so consistenly up through showtime.
The
movie was played in a 560-seat theater, the first four rows of which
were partitioned off for the special guests and the physically
disabled. Prior to the start of the movie, several speakers were on
hand, welcoming the crowd to Niagara's second annual film festival.
Although I was able to secure a seat mid-way into about the seventh
or eighth row, a great view for the film, I was unable to see the
podium of speakers very well. The first to speak was the Mayor of
Niagara Falls, who said that he knew it would be hard to match last
years' Film Festival opening (the 1998 guest was Niagara area
resident James Cameron with the showing of Titanic), but there
was no question that they indeed surpassed it this year with
Christopher Reeve. No sooner than the mayor said this, there was a
standing ovation in the theater for Chris. There were a number of
speakers, mostly politicians and the like, but the two I took notice
of was Jeff East,
who portrayed young Clark Kent in the movie, and Marc
McClure, who played Jimmy Olsen. Finally, Chris Reeve was
introduced, and he received his second standing ovation. Chris spoke
well and eloquently, and I could see that it visibly affected many
people listening.
"Superman," he said, "was great not because it was incredibly violent or technologically advanced, but because it was the kind of movie that made people want to believe what was happening was real. There's just not enough magic in movies today, and that's what kids most need to see - magic and stories that are positive." Following his remarks, Chris was presented with the Ara award, an equivelent to the Oscar in Canada.
Chris did not stay for the duration of the film, as his disability required additional time to be ready for the reception. What was a bit disappointing to much of the crowd was the large defection from the theater when Chris departed. In fact, about one in four of the audience did not remain for the showing. Although I understand that many of them came to see Christopher Reeve in person rather than the movie they've probably already seen a dozen times, I think it would have been more courteous if they had stayed.
The movie began around 8:00. The film quality had suffered over these past 20 years, and it was noticably scratchy at various points, but it was a thrill to see opening credits splash onto the screen amidst the fine orchestration of John Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra. The sound quality was even worse unfortunately, but that was due to the stage speakers being used. The volume was a bit high as well, causing a few audience members to hold their ears at some of the louder scenes, such as Superman's first night. The volume didn't bother me, as I tend to like the volume on strong. Another item I noticed was the cat-burglar scene was cut. No other scene was missing, so I can only assume that this print of the film got largely damaged at that point, and an editor thought to remove the entire scene. Despite these minor defects, the audience enjoyed the movie immensely and showed their affection at the end of the film by erupting in spontaneous applause as the credits began to roll. I can recall similar applause 20 years ago when I saw Superman the Movie on opening night in December 1978. Truly this movie deserves to be played on the big screen.
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At the reception, I found myself a bit underdressed, as most men were wearing jacket and tie, and most women in formal dresses. As I stood outside the entrance to the ballroom, an usher asked me to step back a bit. I wasn't sure what was going on until I saw Christopher Reeve, about ten feet from me, being wheeled into the ballroom. We were asked to take no pictures at this time, and I respected the rule, despite the fact it would have been my only good picture of him.
At
the reception, Chris spoke again, this time more detailed about
spinal injury issues and the computer gaming world. He expressed deep
concerns about games such as Mortal Combat which depicts death
without consequence. He also spoke quite fondly of his memories of
Niagara Falls when filming for Superman II. The newly crowned Miss
Niagara later told me that she was moved almost to tears listening to
his sentiments. Soon after Chris' talk, he was taken back to his
room. Unfortunately, we would not be able to speak with him
one-on-one. However, there a number of local celebrities to meet, as
well as two other people much more interesting to me.
Marc McClure and Jeff East attended the reception and were talking with fans most of the night. Marc, the only actor to play in the Supergirl movie as well as all four Superman movies, was occupied most of the evening, and I did not get opportunity to talk with him until toward the end of the evening, and then only briefly. I asked him if there was any one event or anecdote that he could think of that he liked best about the Superman movies, and he responded that he could not think of any one thing, but has very good memories of all of them. Because he was getting ready to leave soon after, I decided to be bolder. "May I ask you a somewhat controversial question?" I asked. He regarded me momentarily, unsure what it is I might ask. "Who would you say is the best director...?" Before I could finish my question, Marc said rather assuredly, "Dick Donner is the best director in Hollywood. The best. Ron Howard is second, and James Cameron is a close third." I found this a bit surprising, since my interest was mainly between Donner and Lester, the two directors of Superman II.
For me, the most valuable time at the reception was meeting and speaking with Jeff East. Jeff was very forthcoming and personable. My nervousness vanished almost immediately upon meeting him. I began with "Excuse me, Mr. East....?", and Jeff responds with an open hand and "Hi, Jeff East. What's your name?" His disarming manner won me over immediatedly. Jeff was very happy to talk about the filming of the movie, and he relayed the following interesting details:
Jeff and Marc left the party about the same time, close to midnight. I stayed a bit longer and consorted with a few other Superman fans and finally departed around 1AM. My only regrets were my inability to get a decent picture of Christopher Reeve and having such little time with Marc McClure. But overall, as a fan of Superman, both the character and the movie, I found the entire experience thoroughly rewarding.
Last Update: July 8, 1999, 4:15AM EST
Link Modifications: April 6, 2001 3:07AM EST
