Anthony Bergamini
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is the story of the life of the Superman: The Movie (1978) actor Christopher Reeve, showing the man he was before and after the accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down. This film also happens to be the first film that is under the DC Studios banner, highlighting James Gunn and Peter Safran’s faith behind the project, as well as the importance they view in the story that the film tells. Ultimately, the film paints a picture of a triumph of the human spirit, all while showing who Reeve was as a man, and how that projected onto his family and friends.
From start to finish, this film makes its intention clear, to show how Reeve was Superman on and off the stage. This starts in a more nuanced fashion with the title, where the film clearly separates the words “super” and “man” with a slash. This immediately tells the audience that this is a film about the man that Reeve was, as well as how the “super” aspect can be viewed in multiple fashions. First and foremost is the obvious connection, the character Superman. Reeve not only portrayed the character in four films, but he also has grown synonymous with the role. For many, Reeve is Superman and is the person you imagine when you hear the character’s name. But, the flip side of this is who Reeve actually was as a man, someone who fought for and promoted the causes he believed in, both before and after his accident. In this vein, he may not have had the superhuman abilities, but many did view him as a hero for climate change and then later for those who are paralyzed.
The film does a fantastic job of telling this story, first with the way that it is structured. This is not the type of documentary that tells the story from start to finish, but instead it transitions between Reeve’s life before and after his accident. To accomplish this, the film starts with identifying who Reeve was as a person and showcasing the details of his accident right off the bat. Following this, the film juxtaposes his journey to learn how to live with his disability with his journey growing up and starting his career in show business. Because of this format, the film is able to tell Reeve’s story through a series of parallel actions that mirror the way that Reeve had viewed his life for a long time, a group of jumbled events that are partitioned before and after the accident. This is an example of how the film pairs its own storytelling with the way that Reeve understood his own story.
While the story is structured in a way that mirrors Reeve’s own mindset, the way that it is told is also fundamental to the themes and meaning behind the picture. While the events on the screen depict the life of Reeve, they are told through a mix of archival footage and interviews conducted with Reeve’s close friends and family. Much like the structure of the film has its own purpose, so does the way that the filmmakers choose to depict the content. The archival footage serves as a way to show Reeve’s actions as he lives and learns and grows through his various challenges, which are then paired with his friend’s and family’s recollections of the events and how they were impacted. One example of this is when the film starts discussing Reeve’s desire to act in roles outside of the Man of Steel and when he returned to doing theater. Jeff Daniels then recounts a time where he and Reeve were co starring in a theater production that saw them kissing on stage, leading to a member of the audience exclaiming out loud that they did not feel that Superman should be kissing another man. The archival footage showcased how Reeve struggled to find footing outside of his Superman role, whereas the interview with Daniels showed how that experience felt from the perspective of someone working directly with him.
With the structure and events of the film working in tandem to tell the story of Reeve, the subject matter and theming become the forefront of the journey, all easily tying back into the theme of the triumph of the human spirit and how Reeve was a hero off and on the stage. This paints a tale of a man who struggled to be seen outside of the Superman role, constantly telling people that he was not Clark Kent and that he is not a hero, but then going on to redefine what a hero can be with his insistence on activism towards the causes that could save lives. All tying back to that title of Super/Man, the film showcases how Reeve became a hero for those in a wheelchair like him because of the hope that he exuded. That hope is what really makes him the hero that he will always be remembered as.
So with that all defined by the film, the question is posed, what is the legacy of Christopher Reeve? Well, as much as Reeve felt that he was not the Superman that his fans saw him as, he was a hero to many and filled them with hope even in their and his darkest hours. For fans of the Superman character, his greatest power is his hope. In many ways, Reeve embodied the hope of Superman in the activities he participated in every day, living his life in service of something greater. By the end of the film, it becomes clear that Reeve is not just Superman in body and image, but also in the spirit of what really makes the character who we identify with today.
