Look Up in the Sky! | The Amazing Story of Superman

A while back I watched the Look Up in the Sky! | The Amazing Story of Superman documentary (you can find it at the bottom of this post) , which was released in 2006, around the time Bryan Singer was coming out with Superman Returns.

Not going to lie... I got emotional a few times!

Let me be upfront with you: This is not a groundbreaking documentary, but rather one that primarily serves fans such as myself.

 

With that said, there are still lots of benefits to those who are not as interested or acquainted. 

 

The story-telling that takes us through the origins of Superman and the development (and redevelopment) of the character - while carrying us through the history of the world through that time - is done in a way that easily captures the attention of comic book fans and curious minds alike.

Throw on top of that the archive footage, the John Williams monumental soundtrack (the track Planet Krypton is a personal favorite), some intimate interviews and there's an emotional connection that goes straight from my upbringing, all the way up to adulthood.

If this is news to you, then let me clue you in: 

 

Outside of my family, I have a few selected heroes, in which Superman is one of them!

Yes, I have it in for a fictional character at the age of 36.

I guess that, like many of my "distant" real life heroes, such as Tom Hanks and Mr. Fred Rogers, Superman shares the same core values, always upholding moral principles, standing for truth and justice. These have been passed on to me by my mother in particular and later on nurtured by many elements, including motion-pictures and comic books.

Created in 1938 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster - both sons of Jewish emigrants - these two American teenagers from Cleveland, Ohio, helped shape the notion of what a superhero is. 

Combining "god given" powers with human-like qualities, Superman gradually became a success in households across the US and later the world.

Since its genesis, "The Man of Steel" has taken many forms and crossed several platforms.

From newspaper clippings, comic books, radio shows, animated cartoons, a Broadway musical, live-action TV series, video-games and motion-pictures.

Out of all these mediums, I'm not quite sure which one was the first to hit home for me...

I have recollections of watching the 1966 cartoons The New Adventures of Superman, while clenching my fists, stretching my arms and saying "Up, Up and away" as I pretended to fly.

Other cartoons such as The Adventures of Superboy and the ever iconic Super Friends were also other highlights.

"Faster than a speeding bullet", the "Son of Krypton" was unsurprisingly becoming a personal favorite, to the effect that I started dressing up in an improvised Superman costume at the age of 7. 

 

I can almost feel my tiny feet absolutely lost in those massively big red wellie boots that we had lying around the house.

 

But it was sometime before my teenage years that the hero also known as Kal-El would have a resounding effect on me, as I watched - with more mature eyes - the 1978 Superman: The Movie.

Directed by Richard Donner (who was also simultaneously filming the sequel), with a script by The Godfather famed writer Mario Puzo, the movie starred in its illustrious cast well respected names in the industry. 

 

The headline name was movie icon and Academy award winner Marlon Brando, who was strategically approached to play Superman's father, Jor-El, so he could attract big crowds to the cinema theaters. 

 

Brando was reportedly made the world's highest paid actor at the time, having received a whopping $3.7 million for two weeks of work, despite very limited screen-time. The other top-billing name was award-winning actor Gene Hackman, famous for movies such as The French Connection (1971) and The Conversation (1974). 

It was, however, the name Christopher Reeve that would fly highest across cinemas, living rooms and people's imagination. The then unknown Julliard alumni soared to stardom and made audiences across the globe believe a man could fly.

Much to that effect, was the late Richard Donner's vision and work ethic, who always employed verisimilitude - "the appearance of being true or real" - in his cinematic approach. 

  

The story had to have its own honesty. Everybody had to believe it was real, Donner said in a behind-the-scenes interview.

 

Speaking about "Dick" Donner's ability as a filmmaker, Superman's creative consultant Tom Mankiewicz (Herman Mankiewicz's nephew) said:

 

Dick has a talent, because of the things that are in him him as a person. He wants to believe in those myths and when you can make an audience believe that what's happening on the screen, even though its totally extraordinary, that this is actually happening... that's when you have verisimilitude!

Yet, that same ethos could only be fully executed if acted by the right performer that truly embodied the same vision as the director.

Reeve did just that and then some,  taking it beyond what was ever expected.

He became instantly my favorite personification of Superman - a thought shared by many, over future generations. 

 

Never, in any platform, has someone embodied so flawlessly the essence of both Superman and his "mild-mannered" alter-ego, Clark Kent. 

 

Even if the dual-character portrayal asked audiences to suspend their disbelief for a man who all of the sudden becomes unrecognizable by just removing his glasses and changing up his hair, that was only made possible by Reeve's acting ability, who made it believable for the audience that no one would ever suspect that both could be the same person.

The scene alone in Donner's first film, where Clark attempts to reveal his true identity to Lois Lane is one for the ages.

The body language, the change of tone... all done in such a subtle manner, really captures the biggest challenge when playing that character.  

In an interview, Reeve spoke about how he approached his role:

What makes Superman a hero is not that he has power, but that he has the wisdom and the maturity to use the power wisely. From an acting point of view, that's how I approached the part.

Trades that Superman would also use while taking on his Clark Kent persona, who works as a journalist for the "Daily Planet".

Evidently, this isn't a coincidence.

Working in news allowed Kal-El / Clark Kent / Superman to always be a step ahead of the general public by getting breaking news first, but I like to believe, his job also gravitated towards the notion of serving the public with the truth, while also holding powerful people accountable - exactly as he would do as Superman.

Interestingly enough, it was through Superman (and Tintin) comic books that I got interested in journalism as a kid, never imagining that one day I would turn out to be one.

Anyway... I digress. 

Back to the documentary...

My favorite sections - unsurprisingly - revolve around every time Reeve's name is mentioned. 

Not only did he bring to life a character that had me inspired from a very young age, but also Reeve revealed himself to possess a lot of trades that I very much admired and even saw in myself. 

 A few things stood out to me over the years...

Reeve had a knack for being brutally honest, even if that meant creating some possible tension. Nothing seemed more important than telling the truth, or at least, his version of it. 

He also came across as someone who was guided by a moral compass that would lead him into doing what he thought was right. That could be by simply being honest about his feelings and motivations or taking on social causes such as the environment.

His love for the arts was truly a standout. He often would talk about literature, painting, cinema, but it was the passion for his performing craft that really moved Reeve. Acting meant the world to him and there was very little room for compromise if that meant getting in the way of delivering the best performance within his reach. 

There is some interesting archive that pretty much encompass all the things mentioned above from interview segments where he talks about working with Marlon Brando, acting tips and skills and his take on how Hollywood studios have often tarnished essential artistic components over profit.

 

  

  

Having said all of this, the bar was set - and it was high. I was both in awe of Donner's Superman and the man that played it. 

This would often lead me into an internal dialogue about who stands out more as a hero of mine: The character or the actor?

I have come to the realization that they are one and the same, with history showing us that Reeve was the real-life Superman.

In 1995, the actor embarked on his toughest battle to date, after a life-altering accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down.

But even during his darkest times, Reeve found the energy to keep going and expanded on his work as an activist, by campaigning and investing in stem cell research, while advocating for better insurance coverage for people with disabilities through The Christopher and Dana Reeve foundation and the Reeve-Irvine Research Center.

Through a lot of courage, persistence and support, Reeve's pioneering work would break down what many deemed as controversial walls and paved the way for new methods and technology that would allow people to dream of walking again. 

Worth watching Reeve's final public appearance in June 2004, where he spoke about some of his battles and accomplishments through their foundation.

 

It had become clear that the love Reeve poured onto others, was given back many times more over the years. 

 

From the day of his accident, all the day up to his passing, many moments have taken place.

His appearance at the 68th Academy Awards in 1996 is one of those standout occasions.

Another compilation of moments that I will never forget was the reaction across the globe when Reeve passed away on October 10th 2004, just 15 days after his 52nd birthday. 

 

I was in awe of the way people celebrated his life and legacy. 

 

Tribute TV packages and interviews, including with some of his close friends, like Robin Williams - who had shared a dorm room with Reeve during their time at Julliard. 

 

 

 

Newspaper cartoons were a personal favorite, with so many of them truly echoing Reeve's true nature.

 

 

I guess by now you can clearly see how Reeve continues to have a resounding effect in me.

Simple proof is how what initially started as a mere post to share the documentary, has become a small essay on Superman and the man that turned him into a true icon to millions around the world; and as I read back some of the lines I've written, I know in my heart that none of it is doing justice to either the character nor the actor... 

 

But even with that said, I cannot control the urge and stop writing. There is so much more I could be saying and writing, but don't want to continue drifting away from the documentary.

If you are remotely interested in any of this, you should definitely give it a go. If anything, you will get out of it with a larger sense of one of the most iconic pop-culture figures of our history.