Superman: The Movie Added to the 2017 National Film Registry

[BBally]

Great news everyone, 1979's Superman The Movie has been added to the National Film Registry and just in time for the film's 40th anniversary too.

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden today announced the 2017 selections to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress, and the 1978 film “Superman: The Movie” is amongst the list.

Selected for their cultural, historic and/or aesthetic importance, 25 motion pictures were selected, including the musical biopic “La Bamba”, the holiday action thriller “Die Hard” and another Richard Donner film, “The Goonies”.

“The selection of a film to the National Film Registry recognizes its importance to American cinema and the nation’s cultural and historical heritage,” Hayden said. “Our love affair with motion pictures is a testament to their enduring power to enlighten, inspire and inform us as individuals and a nation as a whole. Being tasked with selecting only 25 each year is daunting because there are so many great films deserving of this honor.”

Spanning the period 1905 to 2000, the films named to this year’s registry include Hollywood blockbusters, documentaries, silent movies, animation, shorts and independent and home movies. The 2017 selections bring the number of films in the registry to 725, which is a small fraction of the Library’s vast moving-image collection of 1.3 million items.

“I thank the National Film Registry for choosing ‘Superman: The Movie’ and ‘The Goonies’ as films to be treasured,” Donner said upon hearing the news. “They are both special films in my life, as was the cast and crew for both. It’s wonderful to see them listed among so many great films.”

The public can tune into Turner Classic Movies (TCM) at 8.00pm ET tonight to view a selection of films named to the registry this year. The Librarian joins movie critic Leonard Maltin to discuss the films. Follow the conversation about the 2017 registry on Twitter at @librarycongress and #NatFilmRegistry.

https://www.supermanhomepage.com/sup...film-registry/

[JBatmanFan05]

Which cut of it was added to the NFR lol?

It's always about "which cut?" are we talking about with Donner Superman, sorta funnily. I presume the theatrical cut for NFR, but the Special Edition Director's Cut (2000) is Donner's preferred I believe. I think the difference is about 7 mins of added scenes/portions of scenes.


My favorite cuts are:
-I think the Restored/2000 Director's for Superman The Movie over the theatrical (which I still love), but I also really enjoyed the superlong Extended TV cut just recently put to Blu-Ray (which puts Z.Snyder's superlong monstrosities to shame)

-For Superman II, sadly I have to stick with the Lester Cut, because the Donner cut is not really that, just a handicapped attempt at it, that didn't work well enough

[BBally]

Which cut of it was added to the NFR lol?

Why can't it be all cuts?

[JBatmanFan05]

Why can't it be all cuts?

Ideally, I think I'd want that for all chosen movies for the NFR, conserve and advocate for all of each film's main enough cuts. But I don't think they do that.
But the news talks of Superman The Movie like it has one main or obvious cut and that's definitely not true (I believe Donner doesn't even side with the Theatrical as his preferred). Two main cuts at least (Theatrical, Director's Cut), and then this sorta popular enough (perhaps in a cult way) Extended/TV cut.

But maybe it's not a big issue (at least for S:TM) because the Director's Cut or other cuts didn't have their own (surviving) negatives/reels because of digitization or (maybe possibly) the NFR does protect alternative footage with the theatrical negative.


EDIT: Just found out that, apparently, for Blade Runner in the NFR, they preserved two cuts..""Blade Runner" (both the original and the director's cut)" (Sorry "Final Cut"?)
http://articles.latimes.com/1993-12-...-film-registry

[Lvenger]

Very pleased to hear this news. Superman The Movie is my favourite CBM despite the progress and improvements in CBM aesthetics, costumes, special effects and audience popularity. This movie still did something very special, which is engage and make viewers care about an alien with godlike powers raised on Earth way before superhero movies were ever considered cool and profitable. It deserves this commemoration.

[daBronzeBomma]

Apologies for sounding so uncultured, but what does being added to the National Film Registry actually do for a selected movie?

Is it just another spot on another list?

Or is a copy stored somewhere in the Library of Congress (or something)?

I get that it's a honor, but lists are a penny a hundred, what's the special significance here?

[rpmaluki]

I became a die hard Superman fan from a very early age because of this movie, so this makes me happy despite not being American and thus missing the whole point of this. It clearly means something and thats all I care about.

[Powerboy]

Ideally, I think I'd want that for all chosen movies for the NFR, conserve and advocate for all of each film's main enough cuts. But I don't think they do that.
But the news talks of Superman The Movie like it has one main or obvious cut and that's definitely not true (I believe Donner doesn't even side with the Theatrical as his preferred). Two main cuts at least (Theatrical, Director's Cut), and then this sorta popular enough (perhaps in a cult way) Extended/TV cut.

But maybe it's not a big issue (at least for S:TM) because the Director's Cut or other cuts didn't have their own (surviving) negatives/reels because of digitization or (maybe possibly) the NFR does protect alternative footage with the theatrical negative.


EDIT: Just found out that, apparently, for Blade Runner in the NFR, they preserved two cuts..""Blade Runner" (both the original and the director's cut)" (Sorry "Final Cut"?)
http://articles.latimes.com/1993-12-...-film-registry

I just take it as a given that the cut that counts is the one millions of people saw as opposed to specialty cuts later.

[Powerboy]

Apologies for sounding so uncultured, but what does being added to the National Film Registry actually do for a selected movie?

Is it just another spot on another list?

Or is a copy stored somewhere in the Library of Congress (or something)?

I get that it's a honor, but lists are a penny a hundred, what's the special significance here?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Film_Registry

Apparently, that's exactly what it is.

[BBally]

Very pleased to hear this news. Superman The Movie is my favourite CBM despite the progress and improvements in CBM aesthetics, costumes, special effects and audience popularity. This movie still did something very special, which is engage and make viewers care about an alien with godlike powers raised on Earth way before superhero movies were ever considered cool and profitable. It deserves this commemoration.

Indeed it does, this also makes it the first superhero movie to make the registry, doesn't it?

[daBronzeBomma]

Indeed it does, this also makes it the first superhero movie to make the registry, doesn't it?

Well, does Flash Gordon count as a super-hero?

Because his 1936 film serial FLASH GORDON was already added to the collection prior to SUPERMAN:THE MOVIE (1978) being added.

If not, then yes, SUPERMAN:THE MOVIE is the first superhero selection for the Registry.

Any predictions for other future selections from the comic book genre?

Mine:

BATMAN (1989) = 6/10 chance

X-MEN (2000) = 5/10 chance

SPIDER-MAN (2002) = 7/10 chance

THE DARK KNIGHT (2008) = 10/10 chance (lock)

THE AVENGERS (2012) = 9/10 chance

MAN OF STEEL (2013) = 4/10 chance

BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE (2016) = 2/10 chance

SUICIDE SQUAD (2016) = 1/10 chance

WONDER WOMAN (2017) = 8/10 chance

JUSTICE LEAGUE (2017) = 3/10 chance

[CharlesInCharge]

Any predictions for other future selections from the comic book genre?

Mine:

BATMAN (1989) = 6/10 chance

X-MEN (2000) = 5/10 chance

SPIDER-MAN (2002) = 7/10 chance

THE DARK KNIGHT (2008) = 10/10 chance (lock)

THE AVENGERS (2012) = 9/10 chance

MAN OF STEEL (2013) = 4/10 chance

BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE (2016) = 2/10 chance

SUICIDE SQUAD (2016) = 1/10 chance

WONDER WOMAN (2017) = 8/10 chance

JUSTICE LEAGUE (2017) = 3/10 chance

Iron Man (2008) = 8/10 chance

Deadpool (2016) = 7/10 chance

Logan (2017) = 7/10 chance

[adrikito]

great news everyone, 1979's superman the movie has been added to the national film registry and just in time for the film's 40th anniversary too.



https://www.supermanhomepage.com/sup...film-registry/

reeve superman strikes again..

[adrikito]

Mine:

BATMAN (1989) = 6/10 chance

X-MEN (2000) = 5/10 chance

SPIDER-MAN (2002) = 7/10 chance

THE DARK KNIGHT (2008) = 10/10 chance (lock)

THE AVENGERS (2012) = 9/10 chance

MAN OF STEEL (2013) = 4/10 chance

BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE (2016) = 2/10 chance

SUICIDE SQUAD (2016) = 1/10 chance

WONDER WOMAN (2017) = 8/10 chance

JUSTICE LEAGUE (2017) = 3/10 chance

My favorite here is THE DARK KNIGHT 2008... And I would like too see one Spiderman film too..

But.. Even if I never saw this film.. I think that only for the reviews that I know, Wonderwoman (2017) Film should be the next.. One film of one female character..

[Johnny Thunders!]

I just saw the extended cut and it is such a treat. Big long luxurious establishing shots of the different settings and scenes. Tons of extra dialogue and time with these great characters. It's such a terrific encapsulation of 70s filmmaking. Gene Hackman's Luthor is for the ages. Chris Reeve is of course a freak of nature. He looks like Garcia Lopez's Superman. This movie is like the Wizard of Oz, Willy Wonka, King Kong,,, old movies but timeless if you give them a chance. Watching it again, it has four parts, Krypton, Smallville, Metropolis, and Beyond. When he turns back time, he pretty much fixes Earth. He's on a different level.