Superman Page #19

Synopsis: Superman is a 1978 superhero film directed by Richard Donner. It is based on the DC Comics character of the same name and stars Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Glenn Ford, Phyllis Thaxter, Jackie Cooper, Trevor Howard, Marc McClure, Terence Stamp, Valerie Perrine, and Ned Beatty. The film depicts Superman's origin, including his infancy as Kal-El of Krypton and his youthful years in the rural town of Smallville. Disguised as reporter Clark Kent, he adopts a mild-mannered disposition in Metropolis and develops a romance with Lois Lane, while battling the villainous Lex Luthor.
Production: Warner Bros. Pictures
  Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 17 wins & 18 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.3
Metacritic:
86
Rotten Tomatoes:
94%
PG
Year:
1978
143 min
Website
860,631 Views


CMAERA PANS:
CLARK enters, looks around, notices that LOIS' desk is empty, heads

for the REPORTERS.

ANNOUNCER'S VOICE.

It is claimed that the XK101 can hit any target

Completely undetected since it flies well below

all radar systems yet designed ...

ONE REPORTER turns to CLARK.

REPORTER:

Hey, Clark. Chief wants to see you ...

CLARK:

Thanks, Eddie

CLARK crosses back to PERRY'S office.

ANNOUNCER'S VOICE

The ultra-modern, built-in sensory devices can detect

any object in its path and automatic1y avoid it, either

going over, under, or around...

5/5/77 TM

232AINT. PERRY'S OFFICE - DUSK

CLARK knocks. PERRY looks up from behind a stack of news dispatches.

PERRY:

Come in, Kent.

CLARK:

Hi, Mr. White . . .

(gestures)

Is Lois is around today?

PERRY:

She's out west looking into a land fraud deal. I sent young

Olsen with her on his first photo assignment. Some

unidentified joker's been buying up thousands of acres

of worthless desert at incredible prices.

CLARK:

Hmm. Doesn't seem to make sense . . .

PERRY:

The world doesn't make sense, Kent. You should know

that by now.

(tosses dispatch)

Look at this dispatch from Addis Ababa. People break

into a museum in the dead of night - kill two guards - and

what do they take? Some worthless hunk of meteorite .

How do you figure it.

CLARK:

I've never been able to understand violence in any form,

Mr. White.

PERRY:

(sadly)

I know that, Kent. That's part of the reason I wanted

to see you.

PERRY rises ponderously, hands in pockets, strolls pensively toward his half-opened

window, looks out.

16/4/77 TM

232ACONTINUED

PERRY:

I've been in the news business man and boy for

forty years. I got where I am with guts, compassion,

and elbow grease - but most of all with one thing you

sadly lack, my boy - aggression. Take charge, Kent:

Confidence, that's the ticket! Why, when was . .

As CLARK listens, PERRY'S VOICE seems to fade away, is replaced by a high-pitched whine like that given off by a high frequency transmitter. CLARK winces, hearing it, his hand rising involuntarily to his ear. PERRY drones on at the window, apparently oblivious to it.

232BEXT. METROPOLIS ALLEY - DAY

Several stray dogs rummage through turned-over garbage cans, suddenly stop as they hear

The whine, begin to howl and bay excitedly.

232CBACK TO PERRY'S OFFICE

CLARK tries to focus his super-hearing on the sound as it weakens momentarily and

PERRY'5 VOICE .fades back in again at the window.

PERRY:

... get Lois to introduce you to Superman.

Start to hang out with the guy. Give me the

man-to-man angle . . .

More dog howling is heard from the streets through the partially opened window.

232DCLOSE ON CLARK' S EAR

PERRY' 5 VOICE and the dog howls fade away as CLARK'S super-hearing picks up the

high-frequency message.

LUTHOR'5 VOICE

This is Lex Luthor. Only one thing alive with less

than four legs can hear this frequency, Superman,

and that's you.

16/4/77 TM

232EANGLE ON CLARK

CLARK listens, eyes widening as PERRY drones on silently out the window.

LUTHOR'S VOICE

In approximately five minutes a poisoned gas pellet

containing a propane lithium compound will be released

through thousands of air ducts in this city . . .

232FINT. CITY ROOM

CLARK slips out of PERRY'S office, quickly crosses the city room 'where the REPORTERS

cluster around the TV.

LUTHOR'S VOICE

(happy chuckle)

Effectively annihilating half the population of

Metropolis.

232GEXT. SIDE OF DAILY PLANET - DAY

Looking up from the street: CLARK jumps out a window high up on the Daily Planet

building. As he falls, a gradual transformation to SUPERMAN takes place in blurred, overlapping stages.

LUTHOR'S VOICE

I know it all seems a bit much, but how else was I

going to get to meet you, Superman? I knew you'd

never accept an invitation to tea.

SUPERMAN hits the street, the transformation having taken place. He stares up into the sky.

232HANGLE ON METRPOLIS SKYLINE - SUPERMAN' S POV

Seen by SUPERMAN'S X-Ray vision: The pulsating, high frequency sound waves originating from somewhere behind the skyline.

LUTHOR' S VOICE

But a disaster - with people in danger - people

who need help . . .

232IBACK TO SUPERMAN

SUPERMAN takes off in the direction of the sound waves, following them.

LUTHOR'S VOICE

I just knew you couldn't resist the chance of sort of ...

pitch in. Know what I mean?

232JEXT. OVER METROPOLIS - LOOKING DOWN - DAY

SUPERMAN looks down at a crowded city street from mid-air. The sound waves seams to

Emanate through a particular section of the sidewalk.

LUTHOR'S VOICE

There's a strong streak of good in you, Superman.

But then, nobody's perfect. Almost nobody.

232KEXT. METROPOLIS SIDEWALK - DAY

SUPERMAN lands on the sidewalk. Happy PEDESTRIANS start forward with "Hey, it's

Superman," etc. He waves them away.

SUPERMAN:

Everybody back, please! Thank you . ..

Arms folded, SUPERMAN suddenly begins to spin in place like a figure skater, around and around at a dizzying speed, boring a circular hole in the pavement as the startled PEDESTRIANS hold on to their hats.

232LEXT. BELOW METROPOLIS STREET. - DAY

A CUTAWAY SHOT showing SUPERMAN boring through the ground with his spinning

motion, heading down through layers of rock, underground city cables etc.

LUTHOR'S VOICE

Unfortunately I'm not in the book, but a bright boy

like you should be ab1e to find the address ...

16/4/77 TM

232MINT. TUNNEL - DAY

The same tunnel we saw OTIS walk down in an earlier sequence. SUPERMAN bores

through the ceiling, hits the floor directly opposite a high-powered radio transmitter. He

looks down the length of the tunnel at the heavy metal door marked: DANGER - NO ENTY CONDEMEND.

LUTHOR'S VOICE

(now in tunnel)

See what I mean? And not a moment too

soon.

232NINT. LUTHOR' S VIEWING THEATER - DAY

LUTHOR, EVE and OTIS sit in comfortable seats in an elegant viewing theater inside the underground complex. A bank of large TV screensfaces them. TWO of the screens show

the two Danforth missile silos. A third has the image of SUPERMAN staring directly INTO CAMERA from the tunnel. LUTHOR sips a tall drink, smugly adjusts several knobs on a large console next to him. EVE chews gum, stares curiously at SUPERMAN. OTIS munches

on a large candy bar, excited.

LUTHOR:

Look at that overgrown Boy Scout, Miss Teschmacher.

Tell me what you see.

EVE:

(chewing)

Cuteness. Dimples.

LUTHOR'S eyes flash. EVE smiles nervously.

6/4/77 TM

232OCONTINUED

LUTHOR:

You like dimples? I'll give him

dimples

LUTHOR reaches for a button on the console.

232PINT. TUNNEL - DAY

SUPERMAN starts down the tunnel for the door. Suddenly panels open on both sides filled with machine gun barrels. They open fire simultaneously in a withering, deafening barrage. SUPERMAN walks forward calmly as thousands of bullets ricochet off' him.

232Q EXT. DANFORTH MISSILLE BASE - DAY

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Mario Puzo

Mario Gianluigi Puzo (October 15, 1920 – July 2, 1999) was an American author, screenwriter and journalist. He is known for his crime novels about the Mafia, most notably The Godfather (1969), which he later co-adapted into a three-part film saga directed by Francis Ford Coppola. He received the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the first film in 1972 and Part II in 1974. Puzo also wrote the original screenplay for the 1978 Superman film. His last novel, The Family, was released posthumously in 2001. more…

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Submitted by acronimous on February 22, 2016

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