DUDE?! the Richard Donner cut of Superman 2 (1 Viewer)

[guidomerkinsrules]

why would you keep this to yourself? i thought we were tight
all this time you never told me about the richard donner cut of superman 2 - a cut where I wouldn't have to wade through the schmaltzy camp to get to the meaty bits - a version that actually makes sense??
what do you have to say for yourself?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apkF0vqdh0Q&feature=related

 

[B-Train]

Do you have to watch the other Superman 2 cuts to get this? Or can you just go straight from the first one to the Richard Donner cut? I understand the confusion that went into the filming and production of this movie but there's too many version, I'm confused x_x

 

[CAVALIER]

I love it

 

[BigSlick]

I'm sorry man, my bad. Yeah, Netflix that ****!

 

[cdogg]

Unlike many "special edition" and "director's cuts" released over the years, Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut is a very different film, despite both versions following roughly the same storyline. As much as half of the film contains never-before seen material filmed by Donner, including 15 minutes of Marlon Brando scenes as Superman's father Jor-El as well as numerous new Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder scenes. Some of this "new" material has appeared in earlier extended television cuts. Some of the existing scenes were also replaced with alternate takes or footage from different camera angles. There are also several newly-filmed shots and many new visual effects. Richard Donner is credited as director of the film instead of Richard Lester. More than half of Lester's footage filmed for Superman II has been removed from the film and replaced with Donner footage shot during the original principal photography from 1977. Certain footage filmed by Richard Lester remains in sequences that were not shot by Donner (due to the halt in production for this film) for purposes of story cohesion. As a result, approximately 83% of the footage in the film is Donner's footage.

Following the release of Superman in December 1978, it was widely assumed that Donner would be recalled to complete the remainder of the sequel. However, a number of events led to Donner's eventual replacement as director of the movie. Most importantly, the producers (Alexander and Ilya Salkind) announced that Marlon Brando's completed scenes for Superman II would be excised from the movie in order for them to avoid having to pay the actor the reported 11.75%[2] of gross U.S. box-office takings he was now demanding for his performance in the sequel. Donner publicly lambasted this decision, announcing that he would make the film his way or not at all. The April 1978 issue of the sci-fi magazine Starburst quotes Donner as saying, "That means no games...They have to want me to do it. It has to be on my terms and I don't mean financially. I mean control."

One of the early changes made for the final Lester cut was the elimination of any scenes involving Marlon Brando, even going so far as to re-shoot the scene where Jor-El takes the green crystal and laying into the starship, as millions of dollars would have been paid to Brando for the inclusion of these scenes.

Lester's main task in completing Superman II was to film cheaply and quickly, to avoid further budget or scheduling overruns. According to many of the cast and crew, this entailed a noticeable drop in the quality of filmmaking, as certain scenes were hastily re-written and shot. Ultimately, the Newmans' campier take on Superman coupled with Lester's more comically-oriented sense of direction led to a Superman II that was a huge box office and critical success, but condemned by Donner as severely flawed. Lester has often been vilified by Superman purists who link his assumption of the directorial reins with a general downward spiral in the quality of the Christopher Reeve Superman films, e.g., Superman III was directed entirely by Lester. In a June 2006 interview with Hotdog Magazine, producer Ilya Salkind conceded that Lester did not share the same passion for the material as had his predecessor Richard Donner.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman_II:_The_Richard_Donner_Cut

 

[SaintRob]

I just watched this tonight. I liked almost all of the changes. There was one change, that steals from Superman I that I didn't like, but overall I think the movie makes more sense and isn't as choppy as the original Superman II.

 

[Optimus Prime]

why would you keep this to yourself? i thought we were tight
all this time you never told me about the richard donner cut of superman 2 - a cut where I wouldn't have to wade through the schmaltzy camp to get to the meaty bits - a version that actually makes sense??
what do you have to say for yourself?

Are you just now discovering this?

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen it but I remember liking it better and I love Superman 2

The scene that sticks out to me in my mind is the look Jor-L gave Lois Lane in the Fortress of Solitude

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

Are you just now discovering this?

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen it but I remember liking it better and I love Superman 2

The scene that sticks out to me in my mind is the look Jor-L gave Lois Lane in the Fortress of Solitude

Dude this thread is 10 years old

 

[Optimus Prime]

Dude this thread is 10 years old

Can't believe I missed that

Gotta love the decade thread bump

 

[SaintRob]

Can't believe I missed that

Gotta love the decade thread bump

Sorry about that. This was the first time I've seen it. I remembered a thread about this in the past, but I just recently talked about it with a friend which made me want to watch it. When I searched the thread I didn't look at the date of the OP.

The only thing I didn't like was the re-use of the flying around the Earth backwards to turn back time again.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

Can't believe I missed that

Gotta love the decade thread bump

And you being the grand poobah of resurrecting threads!

 

[tenordas]

Sorry about that. This was the first time I've seen it. I remembered a thread about this in the past, but I just recently talked about it with a friend which made me want to watch it. When I searched the thread I didn't look at the date of the OP.

The only thing I didn't like was the re-use of the flying around the Earth backwards to turn back time again.

It happens that way because in Donner's original version of the first film, that didn't happen.

The Salkinds became paranoid that the first film would flop without a flashier ending, so they took control and made Donner change the end of the first film so that the intended ending of the second film (the turning back time) became the ending of the first one. A stupid move, among so many stupid moves, by the Salkinds.

 

[DJ1BigTymer]

Well, I guess I'll be the one to say it, the theatrical version was better. The only thing that it didn't have was Brando, and to be honest, I didn't even notice and considering what it would have cost them to keep him, I understand. Not to mention bringing back that stupid time shift from the fist one really jacked up the ending, Zod and crew back in the Phantom zone? Considering the reversal of time, wouldn't they just be released again by the missile? Clark going back to the diner to pick a rematch fight with "Mr. Wonderful" should not be a thing considering he hadn't fought him in the first place.

 

[Zack Lee]

Watch out for those thread re-entries

 

[Optimus Prime]

And you being the grand poobah of resurrecting threads!

i usually pay closer attention to that