The most talked about documentary at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival is “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story.” This highly anticipated film chronicles the legendary rise to fame of Christopher Reeve, best known for his iconic portrayal of Superman in the popular 1970s and 1980s movies. It also documents the devastating horse riding accident in 1995 that tragically left Reeve paralyzed from the neck down.
Christopher Reeve became a worldwide household name for bringing the beloved DC Comics superhero Superman to life in a way fans had never seen before, with his emotional yet commanding performance humanizing the character. Over 40 years later, Reeve’s defining turn as the Man of Steel in films like “Superman” (1978) and “Superman II” (1980) is still considered by many to be the definitive on-screen version of the character.
However, there was much more to Christopher Reeve’s acclaimed acting career than just Superman. The documentary explores the extreme highs and lows of his life in the public eye. It also aims to showcase the complexity of Reeve’s personality, talent, and advocacy work as a whole.
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Featured prominently in the film are Reeve’s three children – Will, Matthew, and Alexandra Reeve. They provide firsthand accounts and commentary while watching their famous father’s incredible life story unfold. For them, the documentary is an emotional gift, as Alexandra explains: “It’s rare to see your parent’s life told in its totality…to see a life well lived on screen and in its full complexity. It is a gift. We’re so lucky.”
Matthew added. “We not only have his films to look at but a collection of home movies to dig up and go through and interviews on YouTube of him to pull up. Seeing things I hadn’t seen before didn’t change my perception of him but enhanced it…like some rare Australian interview done in 1977 that was uploaded and I didn’t know existed. It was pretty cool to see that and uncover a lot more material than we knew about.”
All three of Reeve’s children are thrilled at the opportunity to share unseen aspects of their dad’s journey with the world. The family discovered lost interviews, home videos, and more while researching the documentary.
A particularly interesting revelation was the children’s thoughts on the recent CGI recreation of Reeve as Superman in 2023’s DC Extended Universe film “The Flash.” Using special effects, Warner Bros controversially brought back Reeve’s late 80s iteration of the superhero for a surprise cameo. However, his family was not involved and had never actually watched the DCEU movie.
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When asked what his most underappreciated performance was, Will Reeve pointed to “Remains of the Day” – a 1993 drama in which his father played a small but pivotal role. Reeve considered it one of his proudest acting achievements outside of his career-defining Superman part. As Will tells it: “In our hometown in Bedford, New York…the local movie theater went through a rebrand a few years ago,” Will said. “The person in charge of that shift reached out to me and said they’d love to have me screen a film of my choice of my dad’s.
“I responded, ‘Sure, but not Superman. We’re going to do “Remains of the Day.”‘ He was so proud of his role in that movie. It’s not a big role. It’s an important role in the film. He got to show a completely different side of himself. I knew how proud he was of that. Not that he wasn’t proud of Superman…but if he were here he wouldn’t choose Superman, he’d choose ‘Remains of the Day.’ I don’t think about the Superman films as much as I do about the swings he got took beyond this larger-than-life role.”
Now, thanks to “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story,” audiences can appreciate the full scope of Reeve’s talent and lasting influence. While he will forever be the quintessential Superman, he also was a devoted family man and tireless advocate for those with spinal cord injuries. This revealing documentary aims to provide new depth to movie lovers’ understanding of a true Hollywood icon.
What’s your favorite Christopher Reeve movie? If not Reeve, who is your favorite Man Of Steel? Let us know in the comments!
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