10-26-2004, 06:36 PM
This is what I quickly scribbled at Comic Widows. Random thoughts, but what I felt at the time I heard the news...
"I BELIEVE A MAN CAN FLY"
Copyright © 2004, Glenn Walker
I was shocked when I heard the news. A piece of my childhood and a good chunk of my adulthood had been chipped away. I figured I could do this one of two ways. A traditional obituary and memoriam like everyone else in the world - or I could remember Christopher Reeve in my own way. Like Chris, I decided to do it my way.
I think every comic book fan back in the day remembers the first time they saw him. We didn't have the internet or even "Entertainment Tonight" or even Entertainment Weekly, so our comic-related movie news (what little there was of it at the time) came from the newspapers. It was in the Sunday entertainment section the summer before the big Superman The Movie event. A full-page photo depicted the new actor who would portray the man of steel onscreen, a young man named Christopher Reeve.
He was tall with blue-black hair and looked like he had walked out of a Curt Swan or Wayne Boring comic panel and his name was even reminiscent of the man who played Superman on TV, George Reeves. Except for the blue boots (groan, why did movies always change the comics? - luckily this was changed before filming) this guy was Superman. We were all excited by the prospect of Superman on the screen after seeing this guy in the tights.
As the release date came closer we all learned more and more about the movie Superman and the rest of the cast. When there was very little going on in the world of comic book movies (as opposed to now) it was a very exciting time. The movie came out and we all ran to the theaters to see the spectacle. And spectacle it was. We were mesmerized.
The tagline for the flick was "You will believe a man can fly." Indeed I did, as did millions. Kirk Alyn was just a cartoon, George Reeves jumped up into the air, but Christopher Reeve... Christopher Reeve flew for real. And it wasn't just the flying, Chris Reeve was Superman. He was also Clark Kent. The tiny nuances in the difference performance of each character not only believe they were two different people, it was tribute to Reeve's amazing acting ability.
He continued as the man of steel for three more movies and also gave exceptional performances in flicks like Deathtrap, Monsignor and the classic love story Somewhere in Time. He also returned to television on occasion, in the "Black Fox" series of western movies and most recently a homecoming to the Superman mythos in "Smallville." Even in bombs like Switching Channels and the remake of Village of the Damned his talent shines through.
In many minds the triumph of his career was the post-accident remake of Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window. Other than the Superman films, my favorite Reeve starrer was the underrated and unfortunately forgotten Street Smart with Morgan Freeman. It's a great film, seek it out if you've never seen it.
He never let his accident get in the way of his work, and no matter whether it was for stem cell research, Special Olympics, or as Superman - Christopher Reeve was always and always will be an inspiration.
"I BELIEVE A MAN CAN FLY"
Copyright © 2004, Glenn Walker
I was shocked when I heard the news. A piece of my childhood and a good chunk of my adulthood had been chipped away. I figured I could do this one of two ways. A traditional obituary and memoriam like everyone else in the world - or I could remember Christopher Reeve in my own way. Like Chris, I decided to do it my way.
I think every comic book fan back in the day remembers the first time they saw him. We didn't have the internet or even "Entertainment Tonight" or even Entertainment Weekly, so our comic-related movie news (what little there was of it at the time) came from the newspapers. It was in the Sunday entertainment section the summer before the big Superman The Movie event. A full-page photo depicted the new actor who would portray the man of steel onscreen, a young man named Christopher Reeve.
He was tall with blue-black hair and looked like he had walked out of a Curt Swan or Wayne Boring comic panel and his name was even reminiscent of the man who played Superman on TV, George Reeves. Except for the blue boots (groan, why did movies always change the comics? - luckily this was changed before filming) this guy was Superman. We were all excited by the prospect of Superman on the screen after seeing this guy in the tights.
As the release date came closer we all learned more and more about the movie Superman and the rest of the cast. When there was very little going on in the world of comic book movies (as opposed to now) it was a very exciting time. The movie came out and we all ran to the theaters to see the spectacle. And spectacle it was. We were mesmerized.
The tagline for the flick was "You will believe a man can fly." Indeed I did, as did millions. Kirk Alyn was just a cartoon, George Reeves jumped up into the air, but Christopher Reeve... Christopher Reeve flew for real. And it wasn't just the flying, Chris Reeve was Superman. He was also Clark Kent. The tiny nuances in the difference performance of each character not only believe they were two different people, it was tribute to Reeve's amazing acting ability.
He continued as the man of steel for three more movies and also gave exceptional performances in flicks like Deathtrap, Monsignor and the classic love story Somewhere in Time. He also returned to television on occasion, in the "Black Fox" series of western movies and most recently a homecoming to the Superman mythos in "Smallville." Even in bombs like Switching Channels and the remake of Village of the Damned his talent shines through.
In many minds the triumph of his career was the post-accident remake of Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window. Other than the Superman films, my favorite Reeve starrer was the underrated and unfortunately forgotten Street Smart with Morgan Freeman. It's a great film, seek it out if you've never seen it.
He never let his accident get in the way of his work, and no matter whether it was for stem cell research, Special Olympics, or as Superman - Christopher Reeve was always and always will be an inspiration.