For an entire generation of people born in the seventies, Superman is not George Reeves or Henry Cavill. It’s Christopher Reeve.
On May 27, 1995, “Superman” was thrown from a horse and, as a result, was paralyzed from the neck down.
The story of Christopher Reeve’s life, career, accident, and amazing comeback is told in the aptly titled Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story. Through archival footage and new interviews, directors Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui provide a detailed account of Reeve’s rise to fame, the tragedy that almost took his life, and the activism that followed.
The interviews in Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story include the usual suspects of fellow celebrities and political figures, but the most impactful segments are the interviews with Reeve’s three children. Bonhôte and Ettedgui are granted unprecedented and honest access to Will, Matthew, and Alexandra Reeve, and the stories they tell about their father and his struggles are raw and emotional.
The stories also, predictably, include many mentions of Dana Reeve, Christopher’s wife, who supported and cared for Reeve all through his recovery and rehabilitation. Sadly, Dana passed away from lung cancer in 2006, so all of her interviews in the film are archival, but the tales told by the children of her dedication and devotion to Christopher in his time of need are inspiring and admirable.
The way that Bonhôte and Ettedgui tell the story is unique. Rather than just march through the events of Reeve’s life chronologically, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story jumps back and forth between his pre-accident career and his post-accident activism. And it does so seamlessly, always leading from one scene to another with the perfect quote, soundbite, or piece of footage.
So the movie will go from Reeve auditioning for Superman to him not being able to breathe on his own (the documentary actually begins with Reeve’s accident). And while the juxtaposition of the Man of Steel being unable to move is jarring, it also shows both Reeve’s vulnerability and his determination. His big acting comeback came in 1998 when he did a television remake of Hitchcock’s Rear Window (and drew upon real-life experiences for the performance), but he also found a new showbiz niche in directing. He never really made much of a splash behind the camera, but just seeing him back in the industry is a sight for sore eyes.
While Dana Reeve was Christopher’s rock during all of this, the unsung hero of Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is, surprisingly, Robin Williams. Reeve and Williams were classmates and best friends at Julliard, and the two actors shared a special bond. In one archival interview segment, Williams talks about visiting Reeve shortly after the accident, dressing as a doctor and wearing a surgical mask. Williams recounts exactly when Reeve realized it was him, and how he could tell just from Reeve’s eyes that his friend was laughing.
Robin Williams and his wife, Marsha, were important both to Reeve’s recuperation and to his paralysis foundation. But Reeve was also important to Williams. One of the more somber moments in the documentary comes when Glenn Close says that if Christopher Reeve hadn’t died, Robin Williams would probably still be with us.
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story isn’t as tear-jerking as one might expect, mainly because it’s not a sad story. Of course it’s tragic, but the main theme is one of positivity and light in the middle of a bad situation. It’s more uplifting than depressing, which is the way Reeve would probably rather be remembered – for the way he lived, not for the way he died. And that’s what Super/Man: The Christoper Reeve Story shows: how he lived.
GRADE: B
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some strong language and thematic elements
Release Date: September 21, 2024, Limited
Running Time: 1 hour 44 minutes
Distributor: Fathom Events
This post was last modified on November 11, 2024 12:16 pm