![``Supergirl'' Why didn't Superman appear in ``Supergirl''? [That's when movies were born Vol.2]](https://cinemore.jp/images/3fff5c6093d4e8d426462b01a4dd3c50f26fbf44dfeda5fce5b117f23bc5fb81.jpg)
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``Supergirl'' Why didn't Superman appear in ``Supergirl''? [That's when movies were born Vol.2]
Abandoned "Supergirl"
After filming was completed and editing was underway, a disagreement arose between the Salkind family and Warner Bros. over the release date. Salkind insisted on releasing the film during the Christmas season at the end of 1984, but Warner said they only had a slot available in July of that year. However, Salkind wanted to avoid releasing it at this time at all costs.
July 1984-- It's the opening of the Los Angeles Olympics. Looking at the North American box office rankings for this year, 1st place was `` Ghost Busters '' (released on June 8th), 2nd place was ` `Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom '' (released on May 23rd), and 3rd place was `` Gremlins ''. (released June 8th), 4th place `` The Karate Kid '' (released June 22nd), 5th place `` Police Academy '' (released March 23rd), and no movies released in July were ranked. It used to be common sense for movies aiming for blockbusters to avoid July.
However, Salkind's request would have been granted in the days of `` Superman '' and `` Superman II '', but with the failure of `` Superman III '', his power had declined. Warner was no longer attracted to the Superman brand. Also, the poor reaction to the test screenings of ``Supergirl'' took things in the wrong direction. The Phantom Zone, which had not been directly depicted in the previous series, was beautifully visualized, and Jerry Goldsmith's theme song was so perfect that it could have been used in the " Superman " series, but the producers , it seems that I failed to grasp the charm of this work. Eventually, a rumor began to spread within the industry that ``Supergirl'' was a throwaway movie.
In order to revise the film, Salkind re-edited the 138 minutes of the test screening based on the audience's reaction and created a 126-minute version, and decided to release this version overseas first as an international version. . Although the film was released in Japan on July 14, 1984, its early release overseas sent an even greater sense of crisis back home.
It was released in the United States in November 1984 by TriStar Pictures, a subsidiary of Columbia Pictures, but in the United States it was shown in an even shorter 105-minute version, with Argo City at the beginning and a lakeside scene resembling an underwater ballet. Scenes of dancing in the sky, episodes inside the girls' school, descriptions of the town, etc. were shortened, and many scenes that did not affect the majority of the story were deleted.
But aren't these unrelated scenes the most fascinating parts of Supergirl? The vividness of the flight scenes, which are different from Superman's, cannot be conveyed unless they are shown in plenty, and the uniqueness of Supergirl is its depiction of life, such as fighting back against bullying at school and using superpowers in class. . I would go so far as to call it a trivial story, but this shortening reduced its appeal as a youth fantasy film. In fact, although it reached number one in its first week of release, it was a major failure at the box office, far below Superman III . The plan to create a trilogy series was scrapped, and the series was canceled after just this one film.
“Supergirl” trailer
In addition, in 2018, a Blu-ray containing the "Director's Cut" (138 minutes) of this work was released, although it was only available in the United States. Overall, each scene is longer, allowing you to fully appreciate the original intent, and I recommend fans of this work to take a look.
Ilya Salkind later said that he should have chosen Brooke Shields for the role of Supergirl. The reason for this is that she was able to mobilize more male audiences. It is true that male audiences might have been more satisfied if she had played the role, but I don't think the decision to choose Helen Slater was wrong. The fact that Slater is a superheroine who is supported regardless of gender can be convinced from her appearance, which is both cute and dignified. Even now, 38 years after I saw it for the first time when I was a child, its brilliance is still as strong as that of Christopher Reeve.
And just as Reeve played the role of Doctor in the TV series " Young Superman ," Slater also played Superman's mother Lala El in the same series, and she also starred in the TV series " SUPERGIRL," which began on CBC in 2015. In ``Girl ,'' she played the role of Dr. Eliza Danvers, Superman and Supergirl.
As mentioned at the beginning, Supergirl will reappear on screen for the first time in 39 years in ``The Flash,'' which will be released next year. Sacha Calle was chosen from among 400 people to play the role. From now on, let's hope that the series can be rebooted as a standalone series, and that the misfortune of ``Supergirl'' will not be repeated. And I would love to see him fly across the screen with Superman this time.
After writing this article, it was announced that Henry Cavill, who played Superman in Man of Steel (2013 ) and other films, would be returning to the role in a DC movie.
[References]
"Kinema Junpo" "Screen" "Movie Information" "Movie Shooting" "Weekly Myojo"
"Superman III" script, "Supergirl" plot, "Supergirl" script
“ Superman III: Electronic Fortress ” theater pamphlet, “Supergirl” theater pamphlet
“ 75 Years of Superman Living The Truth, Justice, and the Star-Spangled Banner ” (written by Larry Tye, translated by Kaoru Kumi, Gendaishokan)
" Richard Lester, the man who photographed the Beatles " by Andrew Yule, translated by Yoko Shimada, Produce Center Publishing Bureau)
" Burton on Burton - A filmmaker talks about himself " (edited by Mark Salisbury, translated by Sumio Toyama, Film Art Publishing)
“ Superman vs. Hollywood ” Jake Rossen, Mark Millar (Foreword), Chicago Review Pr
https://meatfighter.com/superman3/part4/s3_original_idea.pdf
https://screenrant.com/superman-3-original-plan-story-not-happen-reason/
https://13thdimension.com/director-richard-donner-talks-supermans-legacy/
https://maidofmight.net/film/interview-with-supergirl-director-jeannot-szwarc/
https://www.supermanhomepage.com/movies/movies.php?topic=interview-helenslater2
https://comicbookmovie.com/batman/batman-a-retrospective-of-tom-mankiewicz-unfilmed-script-a21031
https://indiegroundfilms.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/batman-jan-10-84-2nd-tom-mankiewicz-version.pdf
" Superman Motion Picture Anthology Special Value Pack " Blu-ray (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment)
" Supergirl Special Edition " DVD (Geneon Entertainment)
“ Supergirl (1984) ” Blu-ray (Warner Archives)
Text: Ichiro Yoshida (guinea pig Yoshida)
Born in 1978. Movie critic. He has written for ``Eiga Hiho'', ``Kinema Junpo'', ``Eiga Geijutsu'', ``Scenario'', etc. His books include ``Introduction to film criticism! ” (Yosensha), co-authored with “Film director Takeshi Kitano. ” (Film Art Company) and others
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