The Different Cuts of: Superman The Movie

 (Scene starts with a laser beam in the sky as the music of the 1994 American Gladiators opening theme plays the angle of the camera goes into the laser as four shadowed figures with a lasered outlines appear as the shadows reveal themselves to be James Daniel Walsh & James Faraci in the center, Paulo Fonseca on the right and Rebecca Yaun on the left as their names appear above the characters. As they run out of frame moving towards the camera, four more shadowed figures with lasered outlines appear and the shadows reveal themselves as Brenda Fonseca on the right, Nick Yaun on the left, and John and Mike Santos and their names appear above the characters. As they run out of frame moving forward moving towards the camera, five more shadowed figures with lasered outlines appear as they reveal themselves to be Renee Miller and Eric Kurtzke on the right, Andrew Beach and Ed Champion on the left, and Olivia Horvath appears in the center as their names appear above the characters. As they run out of frame credits of “Written by James Daniel Walsh & James Faraci, Edited by Eric Kurtzke, Makeup by Olivia Horvath Produced by First Choice Productions” as it ends the Laser beam disappears and at the 0:28 mark of the theme song the laser beam cut out the words “The” “Last” “Of” “The” appear. At the 0:32-0:36 mark, the word “Americans” start to come forward as it pulls down, and James’ Morpher and Sonic Screwdriver is flung into the frame as James grabs both and morphs into The Last Of The Americans with James Daniel Walsh on his right with half of team TLOTA and the other half on his left as the camera pulls back to see the slab with the markings “The Last Of The Americans”. Fade cut to James as he walks into his studio and towards his lobby.)

TLOTA:
Woo, that was a fun time. Now to relax with one of my favorite 4^th of July movies. “Superman The Movie” the best, the classic, the original… (Cut to James as he looks at the three different versions of “Superman: The Movie”. Cut to a very confused James.)

TLOTA:
What is going on? “Superman: The Movie (1978)”, “Superman The Movie (2001 Special Edition)”, “Superman: The Movie (The Three Hour TV Edition)”?

????:
Figured you might want to marathon some Christopher Reeve Superman! (James turns and screams, Cut to James Daniel Walsh as he screams. Cut to James Faraci The Last Of The Americans as he screams. Cut to James Daniel Walsh as he screams. Cut to James Faraci The Last Of The Americans as he screams. Cut to James Faraci The Last Of The Americans and James Daniel Walsh as the two screams in unison.)

TLOTA:
Boss! (Cut to James Daniel Walsh as he hops over the couch)

James Daniel Walsh:
Well James,  since you are as much a Superman fan, I figured you might want to watch and analyze all three versions of “Superman: The Movie” with me! Besides, I said to you I want to do it. (The Last of The Americans joins James Daniel Walsh)

TLOTA:
Okay then let’s talk about “The Different Cuts of Superman: The Movie”

(Whistling version “The Lumberjack Song” is heard as Team TLOTA dressed as Lumberjacks see a gigantic piece of film celluloid and James chops it down and the other members cut it to different lengths and on the ends sticking out of the back of the truck the words “The Different Cuts” are seen in differing syllables. Cut to the opening of “Superman: The Movie” then to clips of the movie as James Daniel Walsh and The Last Of The Americans do voiceovers.)

TLOTA (V.O.):
As stated before, by the 1970s Superman’s popularity had hit such a low that the bottom of the barrel isn’t even at the start of how low Superman had fallen especially as to how people treated Superman as a character and of course, Superfriends pretty much were working network standards and practices to their breaking point. (Cut to James Faraci and James Daniel Walsh dressed in white button-up shirts and black ties.)

Network S&P man #1 (Played by James Faraci):
David, did you see this joke about Superman having landed on Fire Island? (The two briefly laugh)

Network S&P man #2 (Played by James Daniel Walsh):
Cut it! Oh Steve, see this Superman joke in San Francisco with him going over the rainbow? (The Two briefly laugh)

Network S&P man #1:
Gone!

Network S&P man #2:
Good!  (The two open bottles of Jack Daniels after reading the script. Cut to clips of “Superman The Movie” as James Daniel Walsh and The Last Of The Americans do voiceovers.)

TLOTA (V.O.):
But after the success of “Jaws” in 1975, “Rocky” in 1976 & the original “Star Wars” in 1977, movies were starting to be more entertaining and father and son producing duo Alexander & Ilya Salkind fresh off of making “The Three Musketeers” and its sequel decided to try their hand at doing Superman justice and after going through half of Hollywood’s directing pool chose Richard Donner to direct this movie and its sequel.

James Daniel Walsh (V.O.):
However, when Production decided to focus on the first movie they had to hope for the best and pray for the worst. What happened was that the movie went on to be the highest-grossing movie for Warner Bros. for a long time. However, in 2000 Warner Bros. released a special edition of the movie and this version is the one Richard Donner considers his favorite version. Little did any of us know growing up who became a fan of both versions of this movie there was a third cut made specifically for TV which threw every scene they had in the book in terms of deleted scenes which was released on Blu-Ray in 2017. I would guess this is the cut of the movie I saw when I was three, which is literally my first ever memory.  (Cut to James Daniel Walsh and The Last Of The Americans on the horseshoe couch)

TLOTA:
Well since you we take a look at the Extended TV Cut and compare them against the 1978 original and the 2000 Special Edition versions in “The Different Cuts”. And the way this segment works is…

James Daniel Walsh
I’m aware of the four categories for judgment. “The Plot”, “Editing”, “Cast & Characters” and finally “The Re-Watch Factor”.

TLOTA:
Precisely! (Julia Alexa Miller comes in.) Hey Alex, you’ve met my boss before, Julia Alexa Miller this is James Daniel Walsh!

Julia Alexa Miller:
Hi James, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Do you mind if I speak with James Faraci, privately?

James Daniel Walsh:
By all means.

Julia Alexa Miller:
Thanks. (Cut to James Faraci The Last Of The Americans and Julia Alexa Miller as James is slammed into his office) That’s your boss.

TLOTA:
Yep, and if he does something to piss you off and you do something to him, I’m off the site and I’m as good as dead!

Julia Alexa Miller:
So if he does something wrong to you, I have to accept that you are going to take it? What if he does something wrong to you and I have anger towards him, what do I do? (The door opens behind the two to see Chad Narducci.)

Chad Narducci (Slightly out of focus and in the background.):
Hey James, Who’s the guy on the couch? (The Two turn to see a very confused Chad. Cut James and Julia Alexa Miller as the two look at the camera.)

TLOTA:
Oh, Chad, you shouldn’t have opened up the door, but at least by the end, you’ll be in a nice and chocolatey place. (Cut to Chad Narducci)

Chad Narducci:
Why? (Dramatic music as the camera zooms to Chad’s face. Cut to James Daniel Walsh and The Last Of The Americans on the couch.)

James Daniel Walsh:
So everything ready James?

TLOTA:
Let’s start to figure out which is the best one starting with the plot! (Cut to the Covers of “Superman” the original version, the extended cut & The 3 hour TV version appear as the Music cue from the 1:43 mark until the 1:59 mark, and the words “The Plot” in the same text as the first Superman movie opening credits as it cuts to clips of all three as James Daniel Walsh and The Last of The Americans do voiceovers.)

James Daniel Walsh (V.O.):
The last survivor of the doomed planet Krypton baby Kal-El finds his way to the planet Earth. Raised by loving human parents Jonathan and Martha Kent in Smallville, he finds his way to the North Pole to create a Fortress of Solitude. After spending time learning from his Kryptonian father Jor-El, he becomes Earth’s greatest superhero, Superman! And by absolute coincidence, Lex Luthor has a plan to wipe California off the map for real estate. Now the question is, which version uses this plot better. I have to go along with Richard Donner as far as his director’s cut being the best version of the movie. It restores some crucial scenes that weren’t in the theatrical version, such as Jor-El scolding his son and telling him to be mindful of pride. This helps expand on the ending, giving more weight to the scene where Superman prepares to turn back time. The TV cut has its merits, but I think it’s a bit overstuffed. Unlike the TV version of The Godfather, which feels epic, the TV version of Superman just feels bloated, and the scenes deleted from the other two cuts probably belonged on the cutting room floor.

TLOTA (V.O.):
I have to agree, the reason I liked the 3 Hour Cut was simple, it was more of the movie that I loved but this was one case of there being too much being too much. While nothing against the theatrical cut, The Special Edition released in 2000 is the one every Superman fan, myself included finds it to be the go to cut to convert those who want to know about Superman (Cut to James Daniel Walsh and The Last Of The Americans)

James Daniel Walsh:
So the one that used the plot best is the 2000 Special Edition or The “Donner 2000” Cut

TLOTA:
That’s right, and because the “Donner 2000” cut is the best version it gets the first point

James Daniel Walsh:
That’s right. (Cut to the Covers of “Superman” the original version, the extended cut & The 3 hour TV version appear as the Music cue from the 1:43 mark until the 1:59 mark, and a Kryptonian crystal over the extended cut. Cut to James and The Last Of The Americans on the horseshoe couch.)

James Daniel Walsh:
Now we come to editing. Which is a category because?

TLOTA:
Movies have a lot of footage and when you make a movie, you need to cut out scenes, and when you do the wrong scene or right scene can alter the movie’s outcome.

James Daniel Walsh:
You’re good!

(Cut to the Covers of “Superman” the original version, the extended cut & The 3 hour TV version appear as the Music cue from the 1:43 mark until the 1:59 mark, and the words “Editing” in the same text as the first Superman movie opening credits as it cuts to clips of all three as James Daniel Walsh and The Last of The Americans do voiceovers.)

James Daniel Walsh (V.O.) :
While there’s nothing wrong with the editing of the theatrical cut, the Donner cut fleshes out the story without ever feeling redundant. It gives more weight to an already epic story, much as the expanded editions of the Lord of the Rings movies did. As I said before, the TV cut is just bloated. It may have worked better spaced out over a couple of nights with commercial breaks added in, but as one long movie it gives us too much of a good thing.

TLOTA (V.O.):
Yeah, I have to agree, I mean I didn’t need to see the Kryptonian Guard’s face zooming through the screen or the whole piano scene in which Miss Tessmacher is lowered into a pit of an animal. A moment Bryan Singer copied for “Superman Returns” with a different moment involved. I just wished they left the other scenes of Krypton’s destruction. But maybe that would’ve been a little too much back in 2000. (Cut to James Daniel Walsh and The Last Of The Americans on the Horseshoe Couch)

TLOTA:
Which mean that the “Donner 2000” cut is the better-edited version?

James Daniel Walsh:
Yes and if you don’t mind if I explain?

TLOTA:
Go right ahead! (Cut to cuts to clips of all three as James Daniel Walsh does a voiceover.)

James Daniel Walsh (V.O.):
While there is nothing wrong with the theatrical cut, and the extended cut works as its own thing, the Donner cut hits that sweet spot. The story moves along at just the right pace, the characters are fully developed, their motivations are clear, and we get to know them without any unnecessary fluff getting in the way. This was the version that should have been released in theaters. Richard Donner never made a bad movie in my opinion. The man was an underrated genius (Cut to James Daniel Walsh and The Last Of The Americans on the Horseshoe couch.)

TLOTA:
No questions about it! The point goes to the “Donner 2000” (Cut to the Covers of “Superman” the original version, the extended cut & The 3 hour TV version appear as the Music cue from the 1:43 mark until the 1:59 mark, and two Kryptonian crystals over the extended cut. Cut to James and The Last Of The Americans on the horseshoe couch.)

James Daniel Walsh:
So the “Donner 2000”cut is ahead right now, and I am exhausted. How about a break?

TLOTA:
Sure thing boss, I’ll get us something.

James Daniel Walsh:
Why not let Alex do it or someone else on the team?

TLOTA:
Here’s the thing, I would only ask Alex if I had a death wish! So, I’ll grab whatever you want, you take it easy.

(The Scene fades to black, it then cuts to the 0:36 Mark of the 1994 American Gladiators theme as it shows James fully morphed with the half team TLOTA on his right and the other half on his left as the camera pulls back to see the slab with the markings “The Last Of The Americans”. Cut to the 0:36 Mark of the 1994 American Gladiators theme as it shows James fully morphed with the half team TLOTA on his right and the other half on his left as the camera pulls back to see the slab with the markings “The Last Of The Americans”. Cut to James Daniel Walsh & The Last Of The Americans on the Horseshoe Couch.)

TLOTA:
So are you ready to get back at it?

James Daniel Walsh:
Yes James I am, The next category is… what again?

TLOTA:
It’s the cast and the characters.

(Cut to the Covers of “Superman” the original version, the extended cut & The 3 hour TV version appear as the Music cue from the 1:43 mark until the 1:59 mark, and the words “Cast and Characters” in the same text as the first Superman movie opening credits as it cuts to clips of all three as James Daniel Walsh and The Last of The Americans do voiceovers.)

TLOTA (V.O.):
I have to say between all three cuts the cast is amazing. And I applaud Director Richard Donner insisted on an unknown actor. Could anyone imagine someone like Burt Reynolds, Warren Beatty, Ryan O’Neal,  Sylvester Stallone,  Harrison Ford, Richard Dreyfus, or even Robert Redford or even Dustin Hoffman in the role of Superman? (Cut to a casting room where said actors except Richard Dreyfus & Dustin Hoffman were in the room as they’re played by James Faraci, James Daniel Walsh, John Ross Santos, Eric Kurtzke, Mike Santos, Nick Yaun & Paulo Fonseca)

Warren Beatty (Played by Eric Kurtzke):
Okay, I am solid the producers will hire me, not only can I star in this here movie, I can direct it as well.

(Burt Reynolds played by Paulo Fonseca Chuckles)

Burt Reynolds (Played by Paulo Fonseca):
Son, just go on home to mama! I’ve got this one in the bag!

Ryan O’Neal (Played by Ed Champion):
Listen, I need this role, I’ve prostituted myself to every Warners Exec to get this role, I need a hit under my belt so that Farrah doesn’t make me her bitch!

Harrison Ford (Played by Nick Yaun):
Well, I’m the guy who is in the most popular movie right now!

Sylvester Stallone(Played by James Faraci):
Hey Yo! (Sylvester Stallone mumbling is translated as “I’m the guy who wrote Rocky! I can re-write the movie and I can direct it, I’m a multi-talented man, I’m a shoo-in!)

Robert Redford (Played by James Daniel Walsh):
Despite your mumbling there, mush mouth, I’m getting the role partly because my family wants to see me in a “Commercial” role and I can film in Colorado those “Fortress Of Solitude” and the scenes up north. (The door opens to show a defeated Dustin Hoffman & Richard Dreyfus walking in and sitting down)

Dustin Hoffman (Played by John Ross Santos):
We just talked to the producers and Richard Donner

Richard Dreyfus (Played by Mike Santos):
They decided on this no-named actor by the name of Christopher Reeve. (Everyone else shout “What?”. Ryan gets angry and slugs Sylvester and a brawl ensues. Cut to “Superman: The Movie” as James Daniel Walsh and The Last Of The Americans do voiceovers.)

James Daniel Walsh (V.O.):
And we can’t forget the performances of the late Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Terrance Stamp, Sarah Douglas, Jack O’Halloran, the late Ned Beatty, the late Margot Kidder, Marc McClure, the late Jackie Cooper, the late Glenn Ford, Valerie Perrine, Susannah York, and many others, it is not understating the obvious that the cast is amazingly talented! But which cut of this movie used this cast to its full potential This is where the TV version actually shines. While the story itself is over stuffed, the performances remain solid all the way through. There’s nothing wrong with the performances in the other two cuts, the TV version just gives us more of these amazing actors being amazing.TLOTA (V.O.):
[Save for after reading James Daniel Walsh’s opinion] (Cut to James Daniel Walsh and The Last Of The Americans on the Horseshoe Couch)

TLOTA:
So the 3 Hour TV version gets the point?

James Daniel Walsh:
Wouldn’t you think that the 3 Hour Cut giving you more Superman be a good thing? (James open his mouth but nods in agreement)And even though the  “Donner 2000” cut is still in the lead this point goes to the 3 Hour TV Cut.

TLOTA:
Okay, I agree with that (Cut to the Covers of “Superman” the original version, the extended cut & The 3 hour TV version appear as the Music cue from the 1:43 mark until the 1:59 mark, and a Kryptonian Crystal over the 3 Hour Cut and two Kryptonian Crystals over the extended cut. Cut to James and The Last Of The Americans on the horseshoe couch.)

TLOTA:
And now we come to the final category, the deciding factor of which one is the best cut of “Superman: The Movie”….

James Daniel Walsh:
The Re-Watch Factor. Now please enlighten me, what is “The Re-Watch Factor”

TLOTA:
Okay, let’s say you saw a movie when you were a kid and it was your favorite but somehow it got lost in the shuffle of time, and your tastes changes, but by some miracle, you find that one movie you liked as a kid and you say to yourself “Hmm, it’s been a lifetime since I’ve seen this one, is it still as good as I remember?” And to everyone’s surprise, not only do enjoy it, you say to yourself “Holy Smokes, this movie is as awesome as I remembered when I saw it as a kid!”

James Daniel Walsh:
Wow, that sounds like a dream come true. I would love to re-live the experience of seeing my childhood favorites, like Ghostbusters or Back to the Future, for the first time.

(Cut to the Covers of “Superman” the original version, the extended cut & The 3 hour TV version appear as the Music cue from the 1:43 mark until the 1:59 mark, and the words “The Re-watch factor” in the same text as the first Superman movie opening credits as it cuts to clips of all three as James Daniel Walsh and The Last of The Americans do voiceovers.)

James Daniel Walsh (V.O.) :
Ever since the Donner cut was released on DVD, my copy of the theatrical cut has gathered dust. Much as with the theatrical cuts of Lord of the Rings, when you’re experiencing them for the first time you can’t imagine them being better. Then you see the director’s full vision and you just can’t unsee it. The TV version is more of an oddity, something you watch once or twice in your life. The Donner cut never gets old.

TLOTA (V.O.):
Yeah kind of agree with you again on this. The Three-hour cut’s novelty does seem to wear out its welcome quickly. While again the theatrical cut is awesome and the 3 Hour cut has its place in Superman Movie lore the “Donner 2000” cut somehow finds that sweet spot to find every scene make sense. (Cut to James Daniel Walsh and The Last Of The Americans on the Horseshoe Couch)

James Daniel Walsh:
And that makes The “Donner 2000” is the best cut.

TLOTA:
Cool with me, even though I liked all three cuts, I will agree that the “Donner 2000”  is the best cut.

(Cut to the Covers of “Superman” the original version, the extended cut & The 3 hour TV version appear as the Music cue from the 1:43 mark until the 1:59 mark, and a Kryptonian Crystal over the 3 Hour Cut and three Kryptonian Crystals over the extended cut. Cut to a clip in which the lesser cuts are put into the Phantom Zone and flung into the depths of space. Cut to James and The Last Of The Americans on the horseshoe couch.)

TLOTA:
Oh before I forget, there is one cut that needs to be mentioned. It’s a fan cut and it needs to be recognized. (Cut to the few videos from Kathryn A. Ross of “Superman: The Movie” The Final Cut as James Faraci The Last Of The Americans does a voiceover.)

TLOTA (V.O.):
In 2019, Youtuber Kathryn A. Ross decided to take the best of all three cuts, improve the effects, cherry-pick the perfect deleted scenes, added them in then created what she called “Superman: The Movie: The Final Cut” and from what few scenes she posted on YouTube, this does feel like how The Salkinds and Richard Donner had in mind for the movie and she’s also doing “Superman II: The Final Cut” and I cannot wait to see the results. I hope that Warner Bros, Ilya Salkind, and Richard Donner get in contact with Kathryn to work out a deal for the movie to be released on 4K, Blu-Ray and Digital because from what I’ve seen, this may be worth a review.  (Cut to James Daniel Walsh & The Last Of The Americans as the two head for the front door)

TLOTA:
Thanks for coming and helping me with this one, Boss.

James Daniel Walsh:
Anytime, oh by the by send my best wishes to the rest of the team!

TLOTA:
You got it, boss. My love to you and the rest of the family!

Julia Alexa Miller (Audio only):
Wait! (Julia Alexa Miller runs in with a package)

Julia Alexa Miller:
A little something from me and James.

James Daniel Walsh:
What have we here? An invite for a party originally meant for April of last year and is now rescheduled for August. And what is this? (The Last Of The Americans grabs the DVD and James Daniel Walsh tries to grab it back and sees it’s a copy of “Fish Tales” starring Billy Zane.)

TLOTA:
Uh, I am sorry, this was meant for anyone else…

James Daniel Walsh:
I’ll be the boss to see if I will talk about it on “James Talks About DVDs”. Okay, you’re still in good graces on the site, no matter what.

Julia Alexa Miller:
Oh Really?! James, thanks for coming by. James Faraci, we need to talk. (Julia Alexa Miller grabs James by the Star and drags James Faraci The Last Of The Americans into his office. Cut to James looking on at the front door as the footage shakes and The Last Of The Americans scream in pain and James Daniel Walsh reacts to the shaking by running out the door as a powerful scream shakes the footage for five seconds. Cut to James Faraci The Last Of The Americans as he walks out of his office annihilated!)

TLOTA (High-Pitched):
I’m James Faraci The Last Of The Americans! (James collapses on the floor. Cut to James Daniel Walsh as he looks in through the door and whistles the Superman theme. Fade to black)