Before superhero films constituted a genre in themselves and Hollywood came to produce them to the point of oversaturation, one film paved the way: Supermanreleased in 1978. One of the main reasons for the film’s resounding success was down to one name: Christopher Reeve, who seemed born to play the title role. So much so that despite good performances elsewhere, Reeve remained associated with the “man of steel”. Hence the shock wave when in 1995, following a fall from horseback, the actor remained paralyzed. With emotion and frankness, the documentary Superman looks back on this destiny that was slowed down, but which flourished differently. Exclusively, we interviewed co-directors Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui as well as the star’s children, Alexandra Reeve Givens and Matthew Reeve.
“The contrast is so striking: on one side, there is all the iconography of Superman and on the other, this man intimately associated with this iconography, who can no longer walk or breathe on his own, but who is rebuilding his life despite everything,” summarizes Ian Bonhôte.
“Peter and I previously realized Rising Phoenixa documentary about paralyzed athletes, so we were familiar with disability activism and the resilience that some people have in their ability to reinvent themselves. It was all part of Christopher Reeve’s journey. What really fueled our passion for the project was this notion that we were making both a documentary and a film about a real superhero. »
However, Superman is not afraid to explore the dark side of the actor and director who died in 2004, at the age of 52.
As Peter Ettedgui notes: “From our first meeting with the children [Alexandra Reeve Givens, Matthew et William Reeve]we were clear and explained to them that we did not want to make a slick, hagiographic celebrity portrait. We wanted to show their father with his fragilities, his faults… For example, he abandoned Alex and Matt as children in England in order to pursue his career in Hollywood, therefore prioritizing his career rather than his family. It was important for us to explore that too, for the sake of honesty, but especially because all of these flaws make Christopher’s subsequent transformation even more heroic. Alexandra, Matt and Will are incredibly smart and have bought into our approach 100%. »
How ? First, by giving filmmakers free access to their entire family archives, which include hundreds of hours of home videos spanning three decades.
“We had been approached previously, but it never seemed like the right time, or the right approach. The meeting with Ian and Peter was decisive,” relates Matthew Reeve, who is himself a director and producer. “They wanted to paint an honest picture, and that’s what we wanted as well. We agreed beforehand, Alex, Will and I, that if we participated, it would be to open our hearts. This included sharing memories we had never talked about before. »
From one superhero to another
In a constant alternation, archives linked to the production of Superman and personal archives, from before and after the accident, challenge and complement each other. We are thus witnessing, in short, the construction of a superhero in the cinema and that of a superhero in real life: a superhero who, by losing his motor skills, found in himself a moral and spiritual strength greater than that demonstrated in his previous life.
The co-directors considered this non-linear structure from the outset, but without knowing exactly how it would unfold.
“It would have been easy to opt for the classic approach,” admits Ian Bonhôte. You know: the youth, the fame, the attempts to escape fame, the accident in the middle, the struggle to continue living, and Christopher’s discovery that he could become a voice for people with disabilities and a force for change for research. But we preferred to explore simultaneously the before and after the accident, evoking the good and the bad of the years Superman and how these resonate in the post-accident years. Peter found this moment in an old interview where Richard Donner [le réalisateur de Superman ; 1930-2021] confides: “Chris managed to make me believe that he could fly, so I have no doubt that he will walk again.” This passage was decisive for us, because it alone embodied this idea of the before and after the accident superimposed on a continuum, rather than each at one end of a continuum. »
A part of universality
Not wanting to interfere in the editing, the late actor’s three children discovered the documentary during its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
“It was an act of faith on our part,” admits Alexandra Reeve Givens. But in this matter, we had a good model, since our father was always very open about what he experienced and felt: we also hear it in the documentary [à travers des extraits de son journal audio] talk about his discouragement, his imperfections… He saw in these admissions an opportunity to grow. And that gave us permission to be open in our way of communicating our father’s story. We were aware that our family context was unique, but the film made us aware of a part of universality: many people face grief, or sometimes complicated relationships with a parent… Many people draw from strength in their family, or with dear friends…”
Responding to his sister’s words, Matthew Reeve concludes: “When the three of us saw the film at Sundance, it was… very powerful. We experienced these things together, but didn’t talk about it that much, or well, not like that. Hearing my sister and my brother open up like they do moved me deeply. What I treasure most from the film is this moment when my father confides that, from now on, he sees his life as a continuous journey, and no longer as two parts, before and after the accident. Coming to this realization was very, very important for him and hearing him say that… it is more precious to me than I can say. »