Jump to content

Would watching ‘Superman’ (1978) on the big-screen be so bad, now?


SyncMan

Recommended Posts

I’m asking this because at this time, in the USA and Canada, no orchestra has booked the L2P concert of ‘Superman.’  I realize that the pandemic lockdown has caused many orchestras to end their seasons earlier than planned and as a result, there’s less money coming in and in the end there’s a shrinking budget for these orchestras to book these L2P concerts.

What really set me off is a schedule change from the San Francisco Symphony.  They do more of these concerts than any USA orchestra.  They cancelled the world premiere L2P concert of “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon”, and replaced it with the L2P concert of “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” a program they did back in April 2017. 

San Francisco.png

https://www.sfsymphony.org/Buy-Tickets/2020-21/Film-Indiana-Jones

I realize that they need a popular title to attract customers and I’m glad that they thought of John Williams, but why not ‘Superman?’  Wouldn’t Christopher Reeve’s on-screen charm when combined with Williams’s music please the audience?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Raiders is a known entity— it sold x tickets before.  They may have asked around for how tickets have sold (or not sold) and decided Raiders was the safer bet.
 

Or: Raiders requires a smaller orchestra than Superman.  Rights might be less.  There are possibilities.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, bruckhorn said:

Or: Raiders requires a smaller orchestra than Superman.  Rights might be less.  There are possibilities.

 

I feel that the size of the instrumental orchestra between Raiders and Superman in the film’s orchestrations are the same.

It’s the size of the concert orchestra performing on the L2P versions that is smaller than the orchestra’s size called for in the final-film’s orchestrations.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If anything, the LTP screen would be too small for this film (as it's often the case in these concerts). Superman - The Movie was, is, and will always be a perfect movie to watch on the largest screen possible.

 

On 5/23/2020 at 2:40 PM, SyncMan said:

Wouldn’t Christopher Reeve’s on-screen charm when combined with Williams’s music please the audience?

 

I'm sure it would. I think that most people still see them as the icons that represent the man of steel on the big screen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, Gruesome Son of a Bitch said:

I think today's audiences prefer the Zack Snyder version.

 

Of course they do. It has new school effects and a Clark Kent that isn't goofy. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

While we JWFans know the greatness of Superman: The Movie, that and Close Encounters are not really known to younger people the way Raiders and maybe even Jaws and ET are (not to mention Star Wars, obvs). I hope to see Superman in LTP form one day, but I doubt it'll sell as well as some others.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

an antidote to all this vacuous, hand-wringing, CGI-ladened,

 

Yeah, because an optical-effects-ladened film is somehow better.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, Chen G. said:

 

Yeah, because an optical-effects-ladened film is somehow better.

 

The laziness of producing CGI environments instead of going to the lengths of putting something physical on screen that will look better EVERY TIME is nowhere more palpable than in those intolerably self-important Marvel/DC flicks. 

I'd take optical effects over dull-colored angsty Henry Cavill flying through CGI clouds to Hans Zimmer new age guitar shite any day of the week. 

 

Those messy Avengers movies look like video game cut scenes 80% of the films' run time. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

But we’re not talking about putting something physical on the screen: we’re talking about optical effects, which are as much of a trick as CG.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The biggest difference is that movies today are way more special effects-driven. Literally everything has become possible so writers are no longer restricted. Almost every shot has CGI involved, while in the '70s, every scene that needed SFX formed a serious technical problem and therefore SFX were used sparingly. If they were able to create a super convincing shark for Jaws, that movie would featured a lot more shark shots.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I prefer filmmakers to have the option rather than not.

 

Even with all the possibilities, you still get films with a great sense of temperence, Gareth Edwards Godzilla comes to mind. Its not always an "if you can do it, you will."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 minutes ago, Chen G. said:

I prefer filmmakers to have the option rather than not.

 

Even with all the possibilities, you still get films with a great sense of temperence, Gareth Edwards Godzilla comes to mind. Its not always an "if you can do it, you will."

 

To give a little more VFX insight on the making of Godzilla, there are 960 visual effects shots through the whole film, and 327 shots specifically of the monster. "

 

Is that temperance? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, Chen G. said:

But we’re not talking about putting something physical on the screen: we’re talking about optical effects, which are as much of a trick as CG.

 

It's still a real dude on the screen instead of a noticeable CGI model. 

CGI work is only getting worse and more noticeable in the last 15 years, not better. LotR and Star Wars looked better than movies today, and that was 20 years ago. 

 

When Superman picks up Lois and flies away with her, or lands with her, looked better 40 years ago with wires, than for example the horrible CGI shot in Justice League when Superman flies away with Lois after his resurrection. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've heard that the digital removal of Cavill's Mission Impossible beard in Justice League looks particularly shoddy. Shaving/stick-on beard obviously too much of a low-tech and low-cost solution. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Guidelines.