Christopher Reeve wasn't the first actor to play Superman in live action, but by the time he was permanently paralyzed in a horse-riding accident in 1995, he was surely the most famous. We've had documentaries about the Man of Steel before, but we now have a documentary about Reeve himself. This is Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story.
The directors, Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, chronicle Reeve's life before and after that fateful accident. We learn how his parents', the academic Franklin Reeve and journalist Barbara Lamb, utterly bitter divorce soured his outlook on commitment. His relationship with his father wasn't much better when he was an adult. Franklin was utterly aghast when he learned Christopher landed the part of Superman. William Hurt, his co-star in the play My Life, wasn't thrilled either, but his objections are more amusing. On that note, we see how he met his Julliard roommate and future best friend, the irreplicable Robin Williams, who might as well be the story's deuteragonist.
But actually, that title goes to Christopher's eventual wife, Dana Morosini. Early on, we see how Reeve met Gae Exton during the simultaneous productions of the first two Superman movies. They spent a decade together, even having two kids, interviewees Matthew and Alexandria, before they amicably split in 1987, the year he met Dana. Their courtship is nice to see unfold on-screen; their son, third interviewee Will, was born shortly after they married. It endears us to Dana by showing how she warmed up to her step kids, and how she supported Christopher after the accident. You know, it's pretty unfair that both of them died relatively young just as things were slightly looking up for them.
Of course, post-accident, Christopher became a disability rights activist. Some people suspected his motives were a little selfish - he did sign off on a rather creepily convincing stem cell ad with him walking - but the recently deceased Brooke Ellison, whose TV biopic Reeve directed, tells us how valuable his advocacy was. That advocacy even paid off well after his and Dana's deaths, up to, and including, the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act being signed in 2009. It even gets great mileage out of Superman IV by intercutting Superman's big speech before the UN with Christopher's big speech at the 1996 DNC. By the end, I wasn't doubting his motives, but further convinced how super he was in real life. You might be convinced of it too.
We see him branch out of Superman with numerous dramatic roles, including Merchant-Ivory's The Bostonians and The Remains of the Day. It was his equestrian training in his TV role in Anna Karenina that got him on the saddle off-screen. A reporter doubts his post-Superman luck, but we see some pretty good clips of his other roles. Of course, the film pretty much affirms part of the reason why he became so iconic as Superman: his complete differentiation between Superman and alter-ego Clark Kent.
Superman movie producer Pierre Spengler tells us funny anecdotes of how they cast Christopher over numerous big names, including Arnold Schwarzenegger. It's also amusing seeing him take pot shots at Marlon Brando's lackadaisical work ethic as Jor-El. I was reminded that he didn't get along with Sarah Douglas and Jack O'Halloran, who played Kryptonian villains Ursa and Non, on Superman II, but that bit was ignored. On a more serious note, the montage of well-wishers' letters is quite nice, as are his home movies of his family life before and after the accident. It also further affirms how sorely missed Robin Williams is, both as a comedian and an all-around good guy.
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story had a two-night Fathom Events showing last month, so I thought I missed my chance. But fortunately, it officially premiered in theatres this past weekend. Any reason to listen to John Williams's theme, which is featured in the opening, is worth it. Ilan Eshkeri's similarly grand score fits right in with the classic films' legendary soundtrack. It's just that good a documentary, and I hope the Academy won't ignore it like they did Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie. See it soon, whether in theatres or on streaming, and you'll see what I mean.
Next up: One of the most unusual biopics of the year.
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