HIGH RIVER

High River, found only a few miles outside of Calgary, was an amazing art direction feat, couresy of Superman III production designer, Peter Murton. Murton had a huge wealth of knowledge in art directing international action movies, having held the position of art director on the Sean Connery James Bond films for Ken Adam, where among other things, he helped bring to life Fort Knox in Goldfinger.

Peter Murton needed a small American town that featured a house for Lana Lang, a bus depot, a town centre, an agricultural firms headquarters, a hick bar, a high school and a chemical plant, all within an hours drive from a large, skyscrapered city. And he found it all in one! His other great success was in finding this within easy access to the Rocky Mountains which are visible from both High River and Calgary, and less than an hours drive away (although the brief mountain snow scene only exists in the extended cut of the movie).

High River is, without doubt, the small town parallel of Calgary. Functionally designed, anonymous and lacking any age, High River is compact and built with the structural elements of a lightweight mobile home.

Lana Lang's house (Local Farmhouse)
Situated on a fairly mundane looking street corner, very little has changed at this unconventional Canadian farm house. Quite romantic for the unemployed, single-parent Lana Lang, or is this Murton's critique on North American benefit abuse?

Smallville Coach Station (High River Museum/Chamber of Commerce)
Seen in the film in front of three large grain elevators (only one remains today), the High River Museum is a delicate little wooden exterior that used to be the town's railways station. In the film it is dressed up as a Coach Station for the arrival of Gus Gorman from Metropolis. Across the road is a selection of budget shops, all of which sit next to diagonal parking spaces. This interesting automobile placing system is a traditional way of parking that began with the stagecoaches in the Nineteenth Century, diagonally parked against the sidewalk.

Smallville Town Square (Parking Space Opposite The Museum)
Across from the Museum is a tiny Alleyway, that, through the magic of the best film technicians in the world, was seemingly transformed into the size of football field, housing the celebratory event in which Superman receives the key of Smallville, and a Nicotine laced Krytonite sculpture from Gus Gorman. The genius of Robert Paynter's use of wide angle lenses allows us to take this cinematic illusion for granted, and it's only visiting High River that you appreciate the art of true movie magic.

WheatKing Headquarters (Inn)
Decorated in cutting-edge farming vehicles , this pleaseant, but no-frills hotel was transformed into the Smallville offices of ex-high school bully Brad, WheatKing. Large red banners and stencilled glass with the corporate graphic enlivened this mundane building and it's spacious parking lot into totally natural industrial area.

Brad's Local Bar/Gus' phone conversation (Smiley's Liqcuor Store and Bar)
Seen during a phone discussion with Ross Webster, Gus Gorman stands before the Smiley's Liqcour in what was actually a prop phone booth exported from Pinewood Studios in England. The exterior was used in the film for it's scenic qualities, but the interior of the bar, found between blank wooden doors, was used for drunken Brad's phone call to an angry Lana. Again, a tiny space made competent by Robert Paynter's incredible eye for light and lenses.

(Lumber building) ?
Although destroyed some time ago, this site was actually used in the filming of Superman III.

Smallville High School (High River Primary School)
This school house and it's ajacent church were both seen in the establishing night time school shot from Superman III. It is also documented that interior filming was executed in this tiny principal's office too. The school hall interior was actually shot entirely at Pinewood Studios.

The actual room where the footage was shot but never used.

Chemical Factory (Industrial Plant)
This photograph was actually taken from a moving vehicle, an lazy effort that reflects my response to this unremarkable location, that only exists in immense structured long shot form through the matte painting enhancements and optical splitscreen model work of the late Roy Field BSC, a master of seamless illusion.

CLICK HERE FOR COMPARISON PHOTOS PAGE 1
CLICK HERE FOR COMPARISON PICTURES PAGE 2

>>>PAGE 4