Force Material Episode XLIX: Superman: The Movie
In honour of Superman: The Movie's 40th anniversary, we explore the connections between Star Wars and Superman!
This week, we discuss the actors (and one memorable prop) that appeared in both Star Wars and Superman (02:07); Darth Vader's contributions to Superman: The Movie (05:12); how both films endeavoured to bring credibility to the genre (10:33); and how Count Dooku missed out on a key role in Superman (18:06).
We look at the way Star Wars production designer John Barry brought Krypton to life (21:08); the influence of Norman Rockwell on Smallville and the parallels between Smallville and Tatooine (24:25); and the magic of John Williams (26:14).
We talk about how Superman: The Movie depicts journalism and fits into wider cinematic trends of the '70s (29:58) and the influence of Superman: The Movie on modern superhero films (38:04).
Finally, we hash out whether or not Superman: The Movie still holds up 40 years after its release (40:37); celebrate the genius of Christopher Reeve (50:02) and Margot Kidder (52:55); explain the original ending of the film (01:02:32); debate Superman's notorious trip back through time (01:07:26); rate our favourite versions of Superman, Lois Lane and Lex Luthor from other media (01:14:47); and have our say on who should play Superman next (01:22:33)!
Force Material is a podcast exploring the secrets and source material of Star Wars with hosts Rohan Williams and Baz McAlister. Listen and subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, Stitcher, PlayerFM and Castro; stay in touch with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram; and support the show by browsing our range of shirts, hoodies, kids apparel, mugs and more at TeePublic.
