Was there ever a more striking iconic image to help define pop-culture of the 1970’s?
The only images that spring to mind are Farah Fawcett’s smiling poster and the cover of the ‘Grease’ album. There had been long speculation in the press at the time that ‘newcomer’ Christopher Reeve was ‘too skinny’ for the role so the Producers response was to send Reeve on special photo shoots in New York to pose on the banks of the East River and overlooking Central Park to prove the Man Of Steel was indeed real. The first hint that the production was a serious take on the legend is the fact Superman is presented here without a hint of irony in a contemporary setting in broad daylight looking as if he’s just walked off of the front page of his own comic book. Reeve’s steely gaze in the spectacular new Superman costume is the kind of cover editors dream of and so was used repeatedly all over the world to announce his arrival on the big screen…
I remember seeing this shot right before Superman premiered and was amazed at it. It looked (and still does) iconic and real life. You could see Reeve in that suit and still take his character seriously. It's ironic that even today that simple spandex version of the suit still holds up as the best Superman costume ever. It didn't need rubber boots or a huge leather cape – it just works perfectly as is. it's a shame we'll never see that simple style again in a Superman movie.
Hi there –
Thanks for your comments!
I agree entirely the seemingly simple transistion from print to screen was literal in this case. It was down to the integrity of the production and the belief of the lead that convinced a generation what they had only read previously could happen in the real world. There seems today to be a pandering to modern audiences to make 'contemporary' Superhero costumes slicker and less cheesy by avoiding the spandex look. Ironically these both serve to alienate the fans and usually end up looking hideous by dismissing the source material…
"There seems today to be a pandering to modern audiences to make 'contemporary' Superhero costumes slicker and less cheesy by avoiding the spandex look. Ironically these both serve to alienate the fans and usually end up looking hideous by dismissing the source material…"
like Superman Returns:
http://www.altfg.com/Stars/s/superman-returns-brandon-routh.jpg
and now we have this:
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/08/04/article-0-0D4BFC2E00000578-569_634x613.jpg