THE MANKIEWICZ TOUCH

In addition to Donner's respect for the Superman property, Tom Mankiewicz has also been credited for giving "Superman" the respect and heart and humanity in his final rewrite of the script. Both Donner and Mankiewicz believed in the one concept that permeated the entire production: verisimilitude.
Explains Donner, "Both (Tom) and I decided that we would treat the picture as reality ... 'larger than life,' but still reality. This was in perfect keeping with the producers' viewpoint. The key to the whole concept of the film is verisimilitude. We've treated it as truth. And the minute you are unfaithful to the truth ... to the dignity of the legend ... the minute you screw around with it or make fun of it or parody and make it into a spoof, then you destroy its innocence and honesty. None of us are being pretentious about it. We know we're dealing with a comic-magazine character. But the main aim of our interpretation is to uphold and enhance a great American myth - it's part of our tradition. Of course there will be humor. Of course audiences will laugh and say 'Oh, come on!' when they hear familiar catch phrases like 'mild-mannered reporter.' But that's just what everyone expects. That's all in keeping with the verisimilitude of the legend. It's real within its own framework."

Some of the best Superman comics and 1950's television episodes focused on stories that were treated straight and not for laughs. Two of the best stories from earlier years - the 1953 TV episode "Crime Wave" and the 1960 imaginary story "The Death of Superman" - stand out as fine examples of how the Superman mythos could be done, and done right. Donner and Mankiewicz brought that same straight, serious quality to the screenplay.

However, the Writers' Guild of America stresses that only four credited writers can receive on-screen scriptwriting credit for any television or feature film work. Since Tom Mankiewicz was the fifth scriptwriter of record on the "Superman" films, he was given the "title" of "creative consultant" on the project.

When Christopher Reeve entered the project in February 1977, he had high praise for the Mankiewicz rewrite of the script: "I got the script and found it was an intelligent, new script. ... I thought, 'This is not a joke!' When I saw how it was going to be done, I thought, 'I'm gonna just play it my way.' ... When I saw that it was going to be treated that way, all my fears about commercialism vanished. I mean, no one is forcing this interpretation down my throat."

Mankiewicz polished the previous treatments into a final shooting form and completed his treatments by April 1977, even as filming had already begun on the films. Mankiewicz retained Puzo's original scope and Donner's vision of verisimilitude while incorporating his own unique elements.

Tthe April 1977 shooting script


The Mankiewicz script represents approximately 90 percent, if not slightly more, of what appears on film in the final differences.

CHANGES IN LATITUDES, CHANGES IN ATTITUDES:

However, some clarifications should be pointed out at this time. In almost any film script, some transitions, revisions, or deletions are made in order to tighten the pace of what is viewed on screen. In the past 20 years, thanks to television and film archiving, many films, including the "Superman" films and "Dances With Wolves", for example, have had vital footage restored to their original content and pacing within the context of the film story. Because of the importance of film
restoration in today's times, one can see the necessity of the original screenplay and its final drafts, and the important role it plays in any production.

The question we now ask at this time is, what were some of the changes and deletions made from the final screenplay to the final product, including the extended version? Let's look within the Mankiewicz shooting script at some of those changes:

- In the opening nostalgic scene, there is no narration, just the city of Metropolis during the Depression of 1938.

- During the first scene with Jor-El and the Council, Jor-El states to the Council members, "A chance for life, nonetheless, as opposed to us." We see the frustration in the Councilmen's faces and the anger in Jor-El's voice as he continues, "You cannot ignore these facts! It's suicide!" There is no additional dialogue between what is seen in the extended version and what is heard at the beginning of the scene in the theatrical version.

- As they prepare to send baby Kal-El to Earth, Jor-El adds to the end of his farewell speech, "And your mother sends along ... her love."

- During the flight to Earth, additional dialogue from Jor-El references Shakespeare's works.

- Many differences plague the Smallville scenes with the teenaged Clark Kent. At the high school he is seen talking with a cheerleader named Susie, instead of Lana Lang. But most of the problems revolve around continuity. In the Mankiewicz draft, the scenes with Clark at age 15 occur in the 1950's, yet once Jonathan Kent passes away, the date on his tombstone still reads 1943. If Krypton had indeed exploded in 1948, as later referenced by Lex Luthor in the script, there is no way Clark could be a teenager during the 1950's. This severe problem in continuity was wisely corrected for the final film, and the laserdisc of "Superman" and the eventual "Superman III" serves to correct such continuity for the film series.

- A brief interlude occurs as Clark makes his way northward. A truck driver offers to give Clark a ride, and he declines. (Ironically, in "Superman II", the adult Clark is ignored as a truck driver does not stop for him. A number of elements from the early scripts and the final shooting script survive not only into "Superman II" but also into "Superman III" as well! We will deal with these elements later.)

- Clark and Lois' mugging occurs at night, instead of daytime.

- One of the police officers in the Metropolis railway chase scene is mentioned by name as Charlie (later changed to Aramus in the final film).

- While playing with a model of Hoover Dam, Luthor comments on the life of his father Arnold "Buster" Luthor, an inept check forger. These moments are directly carried from the 1976 Newman-Benton script into the final draft.

- Another nice homage to the 1950's TV series is seen during the helicopter disaster, as Clark runs into an alleyway to change into Superman (modified to where he runs through a revolving hotel door in the final film).

- Shortly after he saves Air Force One, Superman flies past a group of reporters at Metropolis Airport, as Lois attempts to get his attention.

- Some light comic banter among Clark, Lois, and Jimmy at the Daily Planet as to whether or not Lois is a "good girl".

- Mankiewicz' script does confirm that Superman is 30 years old (changed from 35 in the Newman-Benton script).

- Superman and Lois' flight occurs in a matter of 90 seconds as they fly around the world (changed in the final film version to a 90-minute flight over Metropolis and New York City).

- A series of three scenes follow the discussion in Luthor's lair that have a most unique history. First, Superman outraces the Concorde. This scene was to have featured cameos by Ilya Salkind and Pierre Spengler as the Concorde pilots, in the same vein as Richard Donner's cameo during the news report scene in the extended version. This very scene also appears with differently tracked music as the first of the new scenes in the extended version of "Superman II".

- Second, Superman saves an offshore oil rig from disaster. This particular scene was eventually rewritten and used in "Superman III" in 1983 (more on these two scenes later).

- After Superman rescues the oil rig, he cleans the oil off an eagle's wings and body, and the two enjoy a beautiful aerial ballet in the sky.

These scenes continued from the Newman-Benton draft into the shooting script and add great depth and dimension to Superman's character.

- There is no mention of the scenes with Luthor, Otis, and Eve in the ambulance that appear in the final film version as it appeared in the KCOP telecast in 1995.

- Many of the scenes in the last third of the film are taken directly from the Mankiewicz script word for word, but are arranged in a slightly different manner.

- Once Superman hurls the first missile into space, he rushes back to Earth and implodes the mushroom cloud, dissipating it into nothingness.(A similar effect was used in the tornado scene in "Superman IV".) After the cloud dissipates, Superman sees the rips in the ground as the earthquake begins.

- The climax, where Superman rescues Lois from the earthquake, is much different than in the filmed version. In the Mankiewicz script, Superman lifts Lois' car out of harm's way and places it on a mountaintop, and Lois is alive and healthy.

- Then there is the often-mentioned cliffhanger ending to the first film, as the missile Superman hurled into space explodes, freeing Zod, Non, and Ursa from the Phantom Zone. This led directly into a "Back to the Future III"-style preview of scenes for "Superman II" that included:
- Jor-El physically appearing to a powerless Clark Kent (several still photographs from these scenes survive to date).

- Lois and Clark making love (this footage was deemed very sensual and trimmed to avoid a "R" rating).

- Clark beaten by a bully in the diner.

- the villains' rampage through Metropolis and the Daily Planet.

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