"Incredible guy" In 1983 when i was 7 years old, at the grocery store with my mother in New Bedford, MA, we ran into Christopher Reeve.... And 7 year old me went up to him, at my mother's urging (i was shy) and asked "Superman, can i have your autograph?" And Christopher Reeve said "not now kid, i don't have the time." 39 years later, don't tell me what a great guy he was, or how he embodied the character in real life.
Best quote I ever heard about that movie was, "It was as if they held a casting call for Superman, and Superman actually showed up." That's how perfect Christopher Reeve was in the role, and why most people still think of him when you say Superman.
I know I do and I grew up on the George Reeves Superman, whom I loved. But Chris's portrayal was the perfect balance of might and right and he came the Superman we all fell in love with.
What's also so noteworthy about this costume is that it manages to be a 100% comic book accurate rendition of Silver Age Superman, right down to the belt, without looking goofy. Most comic book costumes, if rendered faithfully, don't translate well to "real life" without looking cheap and silly.
Thats true, none of the Batman suits were comic accurate. Everyone kind of followed Tim Burton's all black look. Adam West's was probably the closest and even his wasn't totally accurate.
@@theradioactiveboar I like batman quite a lot and I'm glad they took creative liberty with the outfits. I think the comic look just wouldn't look good in life action.
According to several Christopher Reeve interviews, the studio asked him to wear a muscle suit, but he refused. He instead trained with body builder (and Darth Vader) David Prowse to bulk up. Chris never wore any padding.
I was trying to explain this before, but Reeve's Superman kinda gives you hope, vs just saying it in a throwaway line. Like if he showed up in real life you'd think everything's going to be okay. Annette O'Toole said in an interview, she first met Christopher Reeve on set in his Superman outfit and it gave her chills
The simplicity of this suit compared to modern superhero suits is fitting in terms of character lore as well. Compared to other heroes like Batman, Iron Man, Captain America, etc. who have companies or nations funding them, Superman's costume was made by his mother using only a sewing machine and the blankets he was swaddled in inside his space pod.
Yes, but remember that these were Kryptonian blankets and the material would be very different from simple cotton or denim and could be shaped and stretched by a growing Super baby to boy to man. He basically used the same suit all of his life until he developed a material on his own and made a couple extras.
As the original comic books described the creation of his costume, young Clark had to burn minute holes into the fabric with his heat vision to allow Martha to pass the sewing needle through. Since the blankets were from Krypton, they were as indestructible as Kal-el. The cape was designed with a hidden pouch to allow Clark to hide his civilian clothes which he changed out of.
I’m so sick of seeing comments saying Cavill is the best Superman ever. His version doesn’t get a thing about the character right. Chris Reeve actually understood what Superman represented and brought that optimism to people through his performance. Cavill just knew how to look mean and punch
@@dynaguy3 It can also be due to script and direction problems, not necessarily Cavill's fault. As a DC fan, DC movies suck to be honest. I wish DC movies were directed by Marvel movie makers. And from all the DC movies that suck, Man of steel is probably the better one on the mix, well dark knight had some good parts on it, no all of it though.
Chris was the best. I was never a fan of Henry until i realized that he himself is a nerdy guy and sometimes acts like a Clark Kent naturally. I really think that Zack ruined it and made him that way. I've watched some of his interviews and he isn't acting he's just being a CK... I also like the way Tyler is doing CK and Superman
The thing I love the most about this Costume, is the fact that you can actually See the Stitches. Makes it (IMO) more "Comic Book Canon", as Ma Kent took fabric from his original Kryptonian Blankets found with him in his Rocket, a Sliver of metal from the rocket and with some help from Clark's heat vision (to cut the fabric) sewed his costume by hand.
This is an amazing costume and a breath of fresh air from the all the technology heavy super hero costumes we have today. It’s got such simple lines and clean workmanship (the up-close of the belt and belt loops). It’s such a wonderful thing to see. And that mannequin is so well done. It’s not so close to reality that it’s uncanny valley but it’s not so far away that it detracts from the entire set up.
"This is an amazing costume and a breath of fresh air from the all the technology heavy super hero costumes we have today" What's wrong with costumes that are "technology heavy"? Superheroes go through a lot, their suits aren't heavyweight triple stitched canvas. They have to go through brink walls and still hold up, so it makes sense that they look future tech. Wasn't Superman's costume made from a blanket that was brought with him? So even it was other worldly.
It looks like the belt loops are stitched to the blue tunic. I wonder how you get this suit on a mannequin? We can move our arms and twist around, but not a mannequin.
@@donmiller2908 there’s nothing wrong with tech suits, but seeing the more simplistic roots of costumes that was so effective despite its simplicity is a cool thing to see.
With ref to using a muscle suit, I vaguely remember an anecdote that they thought they were going to use one because Chris Reeve was so skinny during costume fittings, but then he turned up for the first day of shooting totally ripped so they didn't. Didn't Darth Vader himself, Dave Prowse, sort him out with an intensive workout routine?
So, Adam, I think you might be thinking of George Reeves who needed some padding for his Superman suit on the Adventures of Superman! As far as I can recall, Christopher Reeve worked out to fill out the suit without the use of a muscle suit underneath.
I'd agree. I've never heard of Christopher Reeve ever needing any padding to his costume. It's likely George Reeves (and Kirk Alyn?) had some padding in the chest and/or shoulder areas.
@@SurlyInsomniac Yeah, if ya' search online there's nothing about Christopher Reeve wearing a muscle padded suit, but the contrary is true with George Reeves.
@@SurlyInsomniac That might be so, but also if you look up pictures of Christopher Reeve in the suit, and then pictures of him topless and working out, the suit looks great but also hides a fair bit of just how jacked he really was in a lot of shots.
I was at a Warner Bros studio tour several years ago and turned a corner and there was Reeve's Superman cape on display. I was struck by how emotional I got seeing it in person. I was in awe, and felt like a kid again. I can't imagine seeing the whole suit put together. I'm also really impressed with the likeness of the Reeve on the mannequin in the video here. I love that they spent a lot of time getting that right.
You know that child-like joy and wonder that Adam shows whenever he talks about his favorite films? Yeah, I've got that, too. Superman: The Movie was absolute magic when it premiered. I was nine years old when the film came out, and it was absolutely enthralling, right from the get-go thanks to John Williams' unparalleled score, and the sweeping, epic vision of Krypton's last days. Dick Donner once said in an interview that when they shot the first flying scene, which was Superman leaving the Fortress of Solitude and banking past the camera, Chris was the one who added the bank into the movement, and the entire crew spontaneously cheered because the moment was so special for them. And people in the theater cheered during that scene, too.
I was 5 when my mother took me to see it and during the long youth of Clark sequence, she could hear other kids getting antsy because no Superman, but I was totally silent. She assumed I had falling asleep, she looked and said that I was just staring in awe and rapture at the screen.
I have a friend who is a HUGE Superman fan who actually has Christopher Reeve's suit, signed by Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder as part of his collection, and it was great seeing this suit up close in detail on this video. Thanks for sharing!
@@film79 I know for a fact that his Christopher Reeve suit is actually a combination of the very suits Chris wore throughout the films (easy to get away with, since Chris wore the same costume throughout all his films) and he, my friend Margot Kidder at a convention he was hosting, and she got pretty emotional seeing Chris's name on the suit, and added hers to it right away.
This is the Holy Grail of Costumes. Christopher Reeve was the first Superhero i watched as a kid. Such a charming personality and a role model. He's deeply missed. With such a realistic looking statue of him along with screen used costume whoever owns it would be very lucky.
We all can say that Christopher Reeve Superman was amazing funny comedic and changed DC forever. Rest in peace Christopher Reeve you will always be in our hearts
Amazing. Superman (1978) was the first superhero movie I watched and I was obsessed with it. Used to rent it from block buster every weekend as a kid lol
Lol.1982.we let my dads buddy who had hbo borrow our vcr and he taped superman 2.The Toy and caddyshack all in 1 tape.i watched superman 2 everyday!!!!!lol.was stoked when the richard donner cut came out 30 yrs later.plus we borrowed a neighbors vcr back then and hooked em up together and taped alot of rented movies.rocky3.first blood.unvommon valor.time rider.remo williams.rambo 2 etc etc.all for personal use.still have some
As far as muscle compression goes, I think that was just an issue with the Superman Returns and later suits, where they had no choice but to add in muscle padding because of how tight the suits were on the actors. It's pretty clear in the Reeve movies that he had no padding whatsoever, as it would have been super obvious with such thin material.
Chris Reeve refused to use a muscle suit. He was not small, but the producers wanted to use a muscle suit to make him bigger. He refused and said he’d put the muscle on. He trained with pro bodybuilders and worked his *as off and packed on something like 30 pounds of muscle. What you see is all him. 100%
It’s weird how the colors don’t match between films, but I love how much care and devotion went into making the mannequin look like Christopher Reeve. My childhood Superman was Reeve as well, although I watched the films on VHS in the early ‘90s, rather than seeing them in the theater when they were brand new. Reeve perfectly embodied the character, so he will always be my Superman. I loved how the Batman costume in the original Tim Burton film gave him that armored look that distanced itself from the goofy Adam West costume, but I’m also sad that every superhero costume since then has had that same armored look, whether or not it makes sense for the character. The new costumes are generally just so bulky and elaborate, to the point of distraction sometimes. Could Peter Parker, a guy with little money, be able to make a Spider-Man costume with 3D webbing and Oakley lenses? Come on. I mean the costume in the comic books is a bit much too, but the Sam Raimi films made the costume seem even more out of reach for a guy with limited funds.
I think they were still filming against bluescreen back then so your blue had to be a shade off but still visible. Or it could be lighter to contrast against the dirty tunic Superman started wearing in Ep 3 during his fistfight in the junkyard.
I think that the fact that we didn't really reflect on the color issues with the costume is down to the fact that it didn't matter for the story. In a way the superheroes we care about most are those that are those that asserts most human features, not the ones that are excessive. Be it Lou Ferrignos representation of the Hulk, Superman by Christopher Reeve or Wolverine by Hugh Jackman.
@@ehsnils I don’t necessarily mind a difference in color between the movies. I mean I didn’t even notice the difference between the movies until now, seeing the top from one movie and the bottom from another. The mismatched blues in the composite suit in the video looks strange, which is what I was commenting on.
@@mikeuk666 LOL Okay, do you pronounce the end of “colour” the same way that you’d pronounce the end of “sour” or “hour”? English is filled with inconsistencies.
Thank you for sharing this Adam. I actually teared up a bit. Christopher Reeve IS my Superman. It is a time capsule. It is wonderful that the costume is in such great shape. And the mannequin... incredible!
You know when you shop online for clothes and the closeup pictures are so crisp and detailed that you can almost for sure tell what those different fabrics and materials would feel to the touch? That's this video. I'm so thankful to Adam for enabling us to touch this suit with our eyes.
i see that the pose was taken directly from an actual photograph. on the mannequin there’s two slight bumps on the abs right below the insignia that is a bit off and the ribcage arch. but overall you can see the meticulous effort they put into it. keeping the detail of the costume that immaculate after screen-use… amazing.
Just beautiful. I believe the company that made that particular weave had closed down before S IV which is why it is not mentioned here. The suit tunic and leggin material was clearly different in that film. The Supe suit didn't need muscle or padding, the actor, character, and story did all the work. Pure class
I love when he explains a specific component of the costume, but the camera points at the exact opposite point of the costume. Really good camera work guys
I was reminded of some dialog frow CWs Arrow about tights. Someone called Oliver's suit "tights" to which Oliver quickly replied "THEY'RE NOT TIGHTS ALRIGHT! Tights would be a lot more comfortable."
"Complete set." My mind immediately thinks, "Even the cod piece?" Because according to Kidder, he had one. :) Regardless, it's a fantastic set and Reeves will always be my Superman too.
Day late, but they mentioned padding. In the multiple bts of Superman the movie, one of the original pre production suits, was padded. However, Chris was sweating profusely and told Donner, no padding, he will bulk up. That’s what he did. I was hoping you would show this off. Thank you Tested team!
Read the book "Believing A Man Can Fly", by Colin Chilvers and Aaron Lam. It's the autobiography of special effects great Colin Chilvers, who worked on Superman 1, 2 & 3. Chilvers, along with Les Bowie, Denys N. Coop, Roy Field, Derek Meddings and Zoran Perisic, won Oscars for their visual effects work on Superman.
They didn't mention that there's a rubber swim cap sewn into the crotch. While filming the first movie, they noticed that when Reeve ran, sometimes you could see his nutsack bounce so they had to come up with a quick solution. The making of book reported that the script supervisor was asked if Superman was dressed to the left or the right that day. Bonus: Someone took gaffer's tape to Richard Donner's chair, changing the name to HARD ON.
There was a fanfilm called Batman: Dead End. And it captures what you're talking about here, man in tights simplicity that frankly looks better than what is seen nowadays.
Adam should donate $1k to the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation for every time he says Christopher ReeveS. I count at least $5k in donations owed for getting his name wrong.
Awesome story about the mannequin too! People often say "Christopher Reeves" instead of his correct name: "Reeve". This is because, by coincidence, the actor that played Superman in the older TV series was named "George Reeves".
The professional made sure to say his name correctly twice shortly after Adam mispronounced it lol, subtly trying to stick the correct name in people's heads
It's funny talking about trying to prevent sweat stains with the suit material. I think the only time you ever notice any sweat is when Superman lifts up General Zod at the end of Superman II and throws him into the depths of the fortress of solitude. Ole Supes has some pit stains in that one scene.
I'm always shocked that they let that bit in. It reminds me of something from the MAD magazine parody. The bad guys are in East Houston and the locals are collapsing before Non without him even doing anything to them. Ursa: Those people! He has such powers they fall before him without him doing anything! Zod: Yes, it's his Krapton Super Body Odor! All that time in the Phantom Zone will make a guy pretty gamey!
Adam mentions Chris's smile around 7:20, and he couldnt be anymore correct. The end of 1 of the films shows Chris (superman) flying around earth while out in space as he looks left, looks right, then to the camera and smiles. Wow. No words for how he IS the absolute BEST actor to ever wear that symbol and bring this character to life. To my favorite actor, miss and love ya, man.
I'm pretty sure Christopher Reeves didn't wear any muscle padding. He was very determined not to and so he worked out for the role. George Reeves did wear padding for his Adventures of Superman TV series, but Christopher Reeve did not for his superman movies.
This was my Superman too and after we went and seen it twice in a row we got together that night and couldn't stop talking about it.. beautiful suit beautiful display thanks Adam.
I was thumbing through their auction catalog and omg there’s some neat things in there. I do take umbrage with some of their mislabelled items. #1470 is a (I presume) non functional g-suit not “flight trousers.”
My favorite costume it is way better than what they've been coming out with the past 12 years they all look like crap compared to this one I seen his film in 1978 and I've been a fan ever since with this Superman thank you Adam for showing us this classic costume
This is amazing, I just love this suit. But I do wish they'd talked more about the fabric. They mentioned how they needed it flexible but didn't have modern spandex and needed it to not get sweat stained, and that they had to basically have a new fabric invented to achieve that. But they didn't say what the fabric was or describe how it was made or how it accomplished those goals, and I wish they had. It would be cool and interesting to learn about. I really love this suit. It feels so much more real than modern superhero movie suits. In pretty much every one of them that comes out you hear the star talk about how uncomfortable the suit is, and how it's hard to move in and takes forever to get into. And the idea that superheroes would wear suits that are not only uncomfortable but also can't be donned quickly and limit mobility just drives me ABSOLUTELY mad! I want practical superhero suits dang it! Of course you can't say for certain just from this video how practical in those ways the suit would be, but it being made from just light flexible fabric, with none of the pleather or rubber or molded muscles of modern super suits, all leads me to think it would fare very well. But I'd still love to see record of Reeve talking about how it was to wear, if something like that is out there somewhere. And I've got to give praise to the mannequin too. Just AMAZING. They absolutely managed to completely cross the uncanny valley and come out having it look just incredible.
I think the late Roger Ebert said it best: "The original _Superman_ was an exuberance of action and humor, because Christopher Reeve could play the character straight and let us know he was kidding."
thanks Adam, thanks Steven, this video brought back so much memories of those Superman Movies and Christopher Reeve it made me tear up. as you said, this is my Superman and to this day my favorite portrayel of Superman in any movie made up to this day. Christopher Reeve nailed the portrayel of Superman in the Movies and this Mannequin just looks incredible.
Noel Howard was a wonderful man --- worked on so many things, kind of an unknown hero. For example he made the Beatles Sgt Pepper costumes. (and also first three Indiana Jones film costumes with Monty Berman).
I really am taken aback by the care that was taken in making this. The hand stitching is really something else, even using a machine it would have taken quite a while to make. Which fits, as most versions have Clarks mother make the costume. I was also really fascinated by the mannequin, especially the eyes, as I think they where one of the defining features of Christopher Reeve.
Amazing. Christopher Reeve will always be my superman too. LOL I had a superman onesie with a cape in the early 1980's! My older sister used to lay on her back and put let me fly in the sky on her feet.
I've always felt that this particular costume was the perfect superhero costume. It was true to the comic, it translated great to video, it didn't have any useless accessories or pieces, and it was before the era of the "dark and gritty" hero, so its colors still reflected the hope and goodness that was central to Superman (at least when I was growing up)...
I saw Superman at the drive-in theatre. It was the one where the bad guys get trapped in that flat diamond at the end. That scared the heck out of me when I was four.
Absolutely awesome costume. Reeves really was Superman. He made us believe a man could fly! Also fantastic that Steven gave a little shout out to the criminally underrated Billy Zane Phantom film from the 90s.
The Phantom was a great movie, but if they were expecting the draw that Superman had on audiences, they were foolish. Billy Zane continues to be a very good and underrated actor who has yet to perform his best work.
Forget making us believe a man could fly. Christopher Reeve made us believe a man could fool his closest friends with glasses and a hat. 😄 (Just wish modern Superman filmmakers would believe that a man can have the power to crush planets with his bare hands but still be the most humble, inspiring and friendly person you'll ever meet.)
@@TheMimeFromHell I loved The Phantom/before that in the early90,s they did 2series of The Phanton In The 21st Century just before the Billy Zane film got announched
@@charlie-obrien Their,s areally awkward dodgy looking scene near the end of The Phantom. Whereby Drax has all3skulls of Togander he aims them/their combined lazerbeams at The Phantom The Phantom then uses his 4th skull ring to aim right back at Drax. Now what,s really odd Drax is aiming his lazerbeams closer/closer but he has to stand atta really dodgy straight line leaning tilting forward angle to create the illusional effect that he,s almost getting closer to killing The Phantom. Now the actor who plays Drax is being supported by2wires but when you see that scene/inspect up close it just doesn,t look right to me as it just looks abit lame dodgy/tacky lols!
i wish i could take a page from Adam and be able to follow my creative natural drive to build and create as a business or even have the space for my tools
It really sucks what happened to Christopher Reeves, he really was the most awesome G.O.A.T. I rember how upset we were when he first had the accident and again later when he past away, It's a testiment to how loved he was and how he really did embody superman. Reeves exudes a warmth and friendliness that is sadly absent in the later reincarnations of Superman. For me, he is the only person I think of when I think about superman. The mannequin is so good I thought it was 3D printed.
I remember catching him doing a Year 2000 but with Conan O'Brian and the audience gave him like a 2 minute standing ovation and you could see he was moved by it.
@@Beohun Chris was of course "type cast" after that role, but he never showed disrespect to the character or to the audiences that fell in love with him as Superman. A true gentleman and hero that we can all still look up to, for how he lived his life.
@@charlie-obrien I don't think Christopher Reeve was typecast in the role of superman. He did plenty of movies between the Superman sequels (not that anyone remembers them that well) I will say that it's unfortunate that's Superman the character, has been typecast as Christopher Reeve. That's why it's so hard for live-action Superman in the movies to be accepted.
@@jasonjulian1 Oooh! I just assumed from the Class type, thank you for the clarification. I'd still love a close up, guess I can find that on the site though couldn't I.
There's a detail about why the colour of the costume is a turquoise rather than a deep blue, this was to avoid Superman 's arms and legs dissapearing during blue screen vfx work.
The Superman costume itself is the best ever, designed for color comics and that was the goal in the 30's and 40's. As one other comment pointed out, this one was based on the Silver Age Superman of the late 50's and 60's and it just translated so well to film and the aesthetic they were going for in the film. BTW, there were no "muscle pads" added to the suit at the insistence of Richard Donner and Reeves who envisioned Superman, not as some body builder with massive strength, but rather a "Man who could fly" (direct quote and also the movies promotional tagline), uplifted the spirits of those around him. Superman 1 and 2 are still the greatest super hero movies ever made and became the primer for all that followed. The main reasons for that are Mario Puzo's screenplay, Donner's direction along with Reeves intense regard for the subject. It's strange how all recent superhero movies are all dark, doom and gloom until the end when they too use hopeful and aspirational scenes to reward the audience.
“How accurate do you want this Christopher Reeve mannequin?” “I want EVERY budge!” Seriously though, that’s an amazing piece of history. Best Superman bar none.
