SUPERMAN II - THE RICHARD DONNER CUT
How I learned to stop worrying and love the Donner Cut.

DHARMESH'S VERDICT PAGE 3

[The Screentest]
Blank bullets is a grower, I now prefer it to the Pink Bear because it's a pay-off to the opening. [Talking of pay-offs, the mugger in the first film should've been the cat burglar Superman caught at the Solow Building.]
It's futile to compare the acting for obvious reasons; pink bear plays sweeter and I think sub-consciously Clark wanted to be revealed; tripping up on cheap polyester is a visual representation of that internal struggle.
Lois is much more intuitive and clever in the Donner version, she's in control of the situation - it's classic 1940s screwball interaction continued from the first film. It does help that Margot is incredibly hot here. It's typical comic strip material and I like the minimal editing too.

An ordinary man.
The interaction between Jor-El plays very cold, this is absolutely deliberate. Remember when Jor-El's visage morphs into a crystal mask in STM? That represents the soullessness of Jor-El. The dialogue between them is always Zeus and son like, contrast that to Ma and Pa. Lois in Superman's shirt hints at a very passionate love sequence between them, it's sexier than the Lester scenes. I like the way Jor-El's head is in a different position, Jor-El's eyes shifting to Lois - the stare at Lois is chilling and good intention to detail. Superman and Lois shagging before becoming a mortal is wrong unless it was just hand jobs. The Lester version is right, sex as a human being.

The Whitehouse attack
The destruction of the Washington monument lacked a sense of weight. I wonder why Mount Rushmore was cut out. It was originally shot in 1977, doesn't the original composite exist?

I love Zod's glee when he's firing the machine gun. There's more of a fight here, futile as it is but it IS the president after all. In reality, the president would've been whisked off to his underground bunker at the sound of a Christmas cracker! In the Lester version, it plays too quick but it fits well with the overall tone of his film. What's missing here is atmosphere; the sound design is very isolated.

The son becomes the father, the father the son.
The longer trek works because we know it's going to be a struggle - it's a Lester scene which easily fits into the Donner film.
Christopher Reeve's acting isn't honed in here. He's less assured, a little lost on how he should act. When Jor-El walks God-like to Kal-El, it should have been the only time we see him in full figure. It's one of those moments we've waiting to see for years - I like it a lot, certainly the essence and tone is perfect just the delivery, a candidate for a reshoot. When the flash of light occurs I feel Michael should've cut to the exterior of the Fortress or the Daily Planet. I don't like the shot of Kal-El lying there, it's clunky. In the Lester version, the reading of "Father" is more powerful and poignant; it's a great Lester moment.

Freedom of the Press
Why on Earth did Lester reshoot this? It's not that different! The build-up to Superman returns works better in the Lester version. Freedom of the Press vs Would you care to step aside? Both good, I'm not fussed. I believe the Donner line is Reeve's voice.

Metropolis Battle
I like it much more than the Lester version. No gags to intercut the tension. Sure, the geography is a problem especially when we cut away to the Daily Planet reactions shots but the big plus is the sensory overload, BAM BAM BAM, action, Action and ACTION. No time for lingering gags, it's much more intense and visceral, in turn makes the entire sequence play quicker. Seeing Superman smash Non into the Statue of Liberty is incredible. You get an idea of how Donner wanted to showcase the match. In the script, Superman wants to get the villains away from Metropolis, which is correct.

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