As iconic as Superman is – a character that gave birth to the modern superhero as we know it today – there has always been a curse that has plagued him. If you believe in urban myths, there have a series of supposedly related misfortunes that have plagued creative people involved in adaptations of Superman in various media, most notably actors like George Reeves, who have gained stardom playing the Man of Steel, but never been able to escape its shadow and eventually fall into some tragic fate.
Although there is never any acknowledgement about the Superman curse, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, does explore how the tragic accident changed the life of the actor, who went from perfectly playing the original American superhero, to becoming a hero in real life through his role as an activist for disability rights. Presented in a non-linear fashion, Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui’s documentary alternates between before and after Reeve’s horse-riding accident that left him paralyzed.
Instead of building up to the events of May 27, 1995, Super/Man starts with the conversations about Reeve falling from his horse, in which he suffered from a cervical spinal injury that paralyzed him from the neck down. As we see the footage of him later regaining full consciousness, albeit with the need for a ventilator, we hear Reeve himself narrating from his audiobooks, musing that he had ruined his family’s life despite the reassurance from his wife Dana that she still loves him, as well as him thinking about his life before.
There have documentaries from the numerous home video releases of Reeve’s Superman series, talking about how Reeve was an unknown actor when he was cast as the Man of Steel, beating every American movie-star who were approached and offered to. For as campy as many would perceive the character of Superman – including his disapproved father Franklin, an intellectual poet in his own right – the Twentysomething Christopher took the role dead seriously and knew that this was art. Not only did Richard Donner’s Superman from 1978 cemented Reeve’s status as a movie star, but showcased how brilliant he was in a role where he had to play two separate characters, as his son Matthew comments on his favorite scene that featured his father.
For as much success Reeve got from playing Superman, it didn’t help the rest of his acting career, where he played roles that subverted his image, even if the mainstream could never see him beyond the red and blue tights. No doubt that the quality of the series that made him a star was really starting to drop, which had a negative effect on his personal life at the time. With his three children being the chief interviewees, Super/Man gets candid about the flaws Reeve went through, including the aftereffect of having a difficult childhood, with his parents divorcing at a young age and his complicated family tree due to his parents’ several remarriages. From not finding that sense of home to never committing to a serious relationship showed that he wasn’t quite the ideal parent, no matter how much he loved his children.
As inspirational he was as an activist for disability rights, his forward-thinking approach in helping the disability community had its controversial moments, causing part of the community to reject him somewhat. This caused his wife Dana to be an activist in caring for those in need at the present. Whatever disagreements they may have had, you can absolutely see the love between Christopher and Dana Reeve through their home videos, which is why it is heartbreaking that these two would have their lives cut short, despite their determination of the former trying to walk again, and the latter fighting lung cancer.
Despite the mostly candid nature, where Super/Man falters in its presentation that leans hard on the inspirational angle with Ilan Eshkeri’s intrusive music playing up the emotions. From its title, as well as being distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Studios, the documentary also leans hard on the Superman theme, including a good portion of CGI to create a statue of Christopher Reeve as Superman in order to frame the documentary’s dramatic moments. Although Reeve’s other film work is referenced, it is rarely explored and would have given more context about how he approached acting, before and after his accident.
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