43 replies to this topic

[Cruiserweight]

I've never seen the Donner cut

[PrinceKamalKhan]

I've never seen the Donner cut

I highly recommend it. Makes for a fascinating "alternate universe" look at the film. I prefer it to the Lester one and the first Superman film is my personal favorite of the series.

[Professor Dent]

I've never seen the Donner cut

I highly recommend it. Makes for a fascinating "alternate universe" look at the film. I prefer it to the Lester one and the first Superman film is my personal favorite of the series.

I'll add my recommendation as well. I like it more & more every time I watch it.

[PrinceKamalKhan]

I've never seen the Donner cut

I highly recommend it. Makes for a fascinating "alternate universe" look at the film. I prefer it to the Lester one and the first Superman film is my personal favorite of the series.

I'll add my recommendation as well. I like it more & more every time I watch it.

I've had that same experience also. The first time I was a little jarred by that "turn the world back" ending and I felt "here we go again". But since this is supposed to be the Donner cut I understand why Thau did that and I'm used to it. Only problem is doesn't turning the world back make cause the final confrontation between Clark Kent and the trucker bully in the Alaskan dinner make no sense? I wish they had kept the Lex/Miss Tessmaker deleted scenes in along with Lex's arrest by the Arctic police force but I'm glad they at least included it on the DVD itself.

[Harmsway]

Only problem is doesn't turning the world back make cause the final confrontation between Clark Kent and the trucker bully in the Alaskan dinner make no sense?

Yeah, it's a big plot hole.

[PrinceKamalKhan]

Only problem is doesn't turning the world back make cause the final confrontation between Clark Kent and the trucker bully in the Alaskan dinner make no sense?

Yeah, it's a big plot hole.

Interestingly enough, the 1977 script for S2 had Supes confront the bully after he spun the globe back.

The link for it is here-

http://www.supermanc..._mankiewicz.pdf


I guess Supes only turned back time for Lois and the Daily Planet crowd and the Kryptonian trio but not for the bully and the staff that works at the diner?

That's why I like the Lester cut's ending better. I think it also packs more of a whallop for Superman to spin the globe back to save Lois' life rather than just make her forget he's Clark Kent.

Still prefer the Donner cut on the whole.

So Superman II fans, which cut would you show to someone first who has never seen either version first?

[Harmsway]

Well, I think Lester's cut finale is even more stupid. That "amnesia kiss"? What nonsense.

[PrinceKamalKhan]

Well, I think Lester's cut finale is even more stupid. That "amnesia kiss"? What nonsense.

Both endings are copouts. According the supermancinema.co.uk website, originally Clark used his X ray vision on a cup of water that Lois drinks to make her forget he's Superman. But I do like that the Lester ending makes the events of S2 actually "happened" rather than to be "wiped out" as if they never occurred as in Donner's. As stated, I still prefer Donner's for the most part.

Which version(Donner's or Lester's) would you show to a first time viewer of S2?

[freemo]

Well, I think Lester's cut finale is even more stupid. That "amnesia kiss"? What nonsense.

Agreed. I wasn't crazy about the ending of Donner Cut SII (I agree with Kamal about it not having the same impact when it's not to save Lois' life), but anything to avoid the "amnesia kiss" - which for me is one of the main flaws in Lester's SII: making up powers as you go along - is okay by me.

Hell, if I were doing a "Freemo cut", I'd ditch the turning the world back, and just let Lois keep the knowledge that Clark is Superman. (Who cares if it doesn't match up with III and IV? They don't count). Makes that rooftop "see you at work tomorrow" scene even more poignet (sp?). She knows but they can't be together so they're going to carry on as before. And then I could still end the film with the "returning of the flag to the White House" bit (yeah I know some people find it corny, but I like it).

[PrinceKamalKhan]

I'd just let Lois keep the knowledge that Clark is Superman. (Who cares if it doesn't match up with III and IV? They don't count). Makes that rooftop "see you at work tomorrow" scene even more poignet (sp?). She knows but they can't be together so they're going to carry on as before.

Although it would jar with Superman Returns where Lois has forgotten that Superman and Clark Kent are one and the same. Of course, the fact that the Fortress of Solitude is still standing in SR contradicts Donner's S2 as well.

And then I could still end the film with the "returning of the flag to the White House" bit (yeah I know some people find it corny, but I like it).

I love that "corny" ending. It was perfect for the year of it's U.S. release(the beginning of the Reagan administration). And it's no more cornier than a certain scene involving a Union Jack parachute and a certain British superspy hero we've all heard of...now what was his name again?

But which version of S2 should be seen by a first time viewer first?

[Harmsway]

But which version of S2 should be seen by a first time viewer first?

Ummm... Personally, I wouldn't show SUPERMAN II to anyone of my own initiative. But if I had to, I'd show the Donner Cut, just to avoid embarassment.

[Judo chop]

Well, I

[Royal Dalton]

It's something of a minor miracle that Warner Bros. actually went back and recut the film using Donner's discarded footage (due, in no small part, to a certain member of this very message board, I might add). But the end result is a bit of a mixed bag for me.

While it's great to finally see all the missing footage, the editing leaves a lot to be desired, and the new CG effects look incredibly cheap.

Warners really should have given the restoration and reconstruction team a bigger budget to work with, and brought Charlie de Lauzirika in to work on it with Michael Thau.

As for the ending, they should have just cut from the balcony scene, to Clark returning to Don's Diner. No need to turn back time (again).

More than likely, if he'd come back to finish off Superman II, Donner would have used the Daily Planet ending from David and Leslie Newman's earlier draft. He would have only needed to shoot a few new shots, to fit in with the pre-existing footage.

[Harmsway]

While it's great to finally see all the missing footage, the editing leaves a lot to be desired, and the new CG effects look incredibly cheap.

Agreed. The DC never really feels like a finished film... more like a hastily cobbled-together workprint.

As for the ending, they should have just cut from the balcony scene, to Clark returning to Don's Diner. No need to turn back time (again).

Yeah, that would have worked better.