Film Review — Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui’s documentary about cinema’s greatest Superman proves deeply moving
I once saw a Zack Synder interview where he expressed dislike of the moment Christopher Reeve breaks the fourth wall in the final shot of Superman (1978) by smiling at the audience. Obviously, Snyder is entitled to his opinion (I have much the same opinion of his Superman films), but that moment was one of the most thrilling of my childhood. I felt as though Superman, definitively portrayed by Christopher Reeve, was smiling at me. The first three of Reeve’s Superman films (including the admittedly inferior third one) meant more to me growing up than I can express in words.
Fast forward a few decades, and my childhood self returned with a vengeance whilst watching Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story; an immensely moving documentary from directors Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui. The tagline for Superman read “You’ll believe a man can fly”, but for this, you’ll believe a man can cry. By the end, I was a blubbering wreck. I may be a separate art from artist extremist, but in the case of Christopher Reeve, no separation is required. He was a real-life hero.
This inevitably focuses on the aftermath of his life-changing injury, when Reeve became…
