Superman II- The Richard Donner Cut
Interview: Richard Donner on Superman II Donner Cut
"I didn't see it," said Donner of the other two sequels. "I
was kind of like not in that world anymore. Not putting it down, just I
had such a bad experience I just kind of walked away."
Actually, he never sat through Lester's version of Superman II
either. "I saw only about five minutes of their version and I walked
out. So I never knew what was in the picture. I knew the opening scenes
that we have in now were not in it, and therefore there was another pivotal
scene that couldn't be in. And I knew they didn't have Brando."
Marlon Brando was so expensive just to reuse his already filmed footage
that the producers just had Superman's mother speak to him in the fortress
of solitude. With Brando's Jor-El restored, the whole film takes on a new
meaning. "How can you do a picture about a father and son with his
mother? Unless he's got a lot of problems. I think they had the problem."
A veteran filmmaker who can now speak his mind without fear of repercussions,
Donner appreciates the fans who demanded his version of Superman
II be restored. "Now it's just like wow, all these fans got
together and kept writing and writing and writing so the studio kind of
stepped up. It's been quite extraordinary."
Of course, the true original version of Superman II was
lost in the changeover, so "The Donner Cut" is a new construction
of the director's vision. "Everything went back in. Anything we could
find, there's stuff missing. We never found our work print. I don't remember
how I cut it. That's 30 years ago so every piece of every scene we shot
went back in."
Back when all the drama happened, Donner was a swinging single. Had he met
his wife, producer Lauren Shuler Donner, she never would have let the producers
treat her man this way. "She would have nailed their asses," Donner
laughed.
Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut is now available.
Stay tuned for updates.
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