Tom Mankiewicz writer of the classic Superman: The Movie and Superman II and a buttload of other movies just died from pancreatic cancer.
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/46015
Superman was my first superhero, my first hero period. I saw Superman: The Movie in theaters when I was just a boy of three. Mankiewicz's words combined with Donner's direction and Chris Reeve's magnificent performance inspired me. They more than made me believe a man could fly. They made me believe in such beautiful intangibles as truth, justice and, yes, the American way. Not such bad things to take away from a silly comic book movie.
Judging from the commentary tracks on the Superman movies Mankiewicz was an intelligent, witty energetic personality. He filed his scripts for the two Superman movies with those qualities. He took what could have been camp disasters and made them crackle with the wit and sizzle of a 1940's romantic comedy, like the ones Leigh Brackett used to write and he combined them with the fast action and big special effects aesthetic of Star Wars and literally created template for all future superhero movies.
Superman could have been a disaster of Quest For Peastian proportions. Thanks to Mank's words we have a classic that will forever stand the test of time.
Goodbye, Mank. And thank you. You not only made me believe a man could you made me believe that I could fly. Time to tuck a towel into the back of my shirt and jump off the old carport. Here I coooooooooome.....
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/46015
Superman was my first superhero, my first hero period. I saw Superman: The Movie in theaters when I was just a boy of three. Mankiewicz's words combined with Donner's direction and Chris Reeve's magnificent performance inspired me. They more than made me believe a man could fly. They made me believe in such beautiful intangibles as truth, justice and, yes, the American way. Not such bad things to take away from a silly comic book movie.
Judging from the commentary tracks on the Superman movies Mankiewicz was an intelligent, witty energetic personality. He filed his scripts for the two Superman movies with those qualities. He took what could have been camp disasters and made them crackle with the wit and sizzle of a 1940's romantic comedy, like the ones Leigh Brackett used to write and he combined them with the fast action and big special effects aesthetic of Star Wars and literally created template for all future superhero movies.
Superman could have been a disaster of Quest For Peastian proportions. Thanks to Mank's words we have a classic that will forever stand the test of time.
Goodbye, Mank. And thank you. You not only made me believe a man could you made me believe that I could fly. Time to tuck a towel into the back of my shirt and jump off the old carport. Here I coooooooooome.....
