Superman III (1983)

User Rating:

4.7/10   

Director:

Richard Lester

Writers:

David Newman (screenplay) and
Leslie Newman (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

17 June 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

If the world's most powerful computer can control even Superman...no one on earth is safe.

Plot:

Synthetic kryptonite laced with tobacco tar splits Superman in two: good Clark Kent and bad Man of Steel.

Plot Keywords:

Kryptonite | Computer | High School Reunion | Smallville | Villain

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Christopher Reeve	...	Superman / Clark Kent
Richard Pryor	...	Gus Gorman
Jackie Cooper	...	Perry White
Marc McClure	...	Jimmy Olsen
Annette O'Toole	...	Lana Lang
Annie Ross	...	Vera
Pamela Stephenson	...	Lorelei
Robert Vaughn	...	Ross Webster
Margot Kidder	...	Lois Lane
Gavan O'Herlihy	...	Brad
Nancy Roberts	...	Unemployment Clerk
Graham Stark	...	Blind Man
Henry Woolf	...	Penguin Man
Gordon Rollings	...	Man in Cap
Peter Wear	...	Bank Robber
Justin Case	...	Mime
Bob Todd	...	Dignified Gent
Terry Camilleri	...	Delivery Man
Stefan Kalipha	...	Data School Instructor
Helen Horton	...	Miss Henderson
Lou Hirsch	...	Fred
Bill Reimbold	...	Wages Man
Shane Rimmer	...	State Policeman
Al Matthews	...	Fire Chief
Barry Dennen	...	Dr. McClean
Enid Saunders	...	Minnie Bannister
Kevin Harrison Cork	...	D.J.
Robert Henderson	...	Mr. Simpson
Paul Kaethler	...	Ricky
R.J. Bell	...	Mr. Stokis
Pamela Mandell	...	Mrs. Stokis
Peter Whitman	...	Man at Cash Point
Ronnie Brody	...	Husband
Sandra Dickinson	...	Wife
Philip Gilbert	...	Newsreader
Pat Starr	...	White Coated Scientist
Gordon Signer	...	Mayor
John Bluthal	...	Pisa Vendor
George Chisholm	...	Street Sweeper
David Fielder	...	Olympic Runner
Robert Beatty	...	Tanker Captain
Christopher Malcolm	...	Miner #1 (as Chris Malcolm)
Larry Lamb	...	Miner #2
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Roy Alon	...	Man Trapped in Car (uncredited)
Stan Edmonds	...	Applauding Man (uncredited)
Les Kimber	...	Bus Driver (uncredited)
Grant Lowe	...	Cab Driver (uncredited)
Derek Lyons	...	Commuter (uncredited)
Mildred Shay	...	Woman in Elevator (uncredited)
Aaron Smolinski	...	Boy at Photo Booth (uncredited)
Geoffrey Steele	...	Man in Elevator (uncredited)
David Winning	...	Commuter (uncredited)

Directed by
Richard Lester

Writing credits
David Newman		(screenplay) and
Leslie Newman		(screenplay)
Jerry Siegel		(creator: Superman) and
Joe Shuster		(creator: Superman)

Produced by
Ilya Salkind	....	executive producer
Robert Simmonds	....	associate producer
Pierre Spengler	....	producer

Original Music by
Ken Thorne

Cinematography by
Robert Paynter

Film Editing by
John Victor-Smith

Casting by
Jane Feinberg
Mike Fenton
Debbie McWilliams

Production Design by
Peter Murton

Art Direction by
Brian Ackland-Snow
Terry Ackland-Snow
Bert Davey

Set Decoration by
Peter Young

Costume Design by
Evangeline Harrison

Makeup Department
Paul Engelen	....	makeup artist
Stuart Freeborn	....	makeup artist
Robert L. Stevenson	....	hair department head

Production Management
Michael Dryhurst	....	production supervisor: Alberta
Les Kimber	....	production manager: Alberta
Doug MacLeod	....	unit manager: Alberta
Michael Skeet	....	unit manager: Alberta
Vincent Winter	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Mike Higgins	....	first assistant director: second unit
David Lane	....	director: flying unit
David Lane	....	second unit director
Christopher Newman	....	second assistant director
Dusty Symonds	....	first assistant director
Keith Young	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Richard Holland	....	set designer
Robert Jackson	....	carpenter
Ted Michell	....	scenic artist
Wesley Peppiatt	....	props
Michael G. Ploog	....	illustrator
Michael G. Ploog	....	storyboard artist
Denis Rich	....	illustrator
Andrew Semple	....	painter
Bob Sherwood	....	dressing prop (uncredited)

Sound Department
Roy Charman	....	sound mixer
Gerry Humphreys	....	sound re-recording mixer
Archie Ludski	....	dubbing editor
Robin O'Donoghue	....	sound re-recording mixer
Rocky Phelan	....	dubbing editor
Don Sharpe	....	dubbing editor
Paul Smith	....	dubbing editor
Lionel Strutt	....	adr mixer

Special Effects by
Colin Chilvers	....	director of miniatures
Colin Chilvers	....	special effects director
Chris Corbould	....	special effects senior technician
Ian Corbould	....	special effects
Neil Corbould	....	special effects technician
Paul Corbould	....	special effects
Ricky Farns	....	special effects
Dave Ford	....	special effects
Ginger Gemmel	....	camera operator: model unit
Martin Gutteridge	....	special effects supervisor
Garth Inns	....	special effects
Peter Netley	....	special effects
Zoran Perisic	....	front projection consultant
Roy Quinn	....	special effects
Neil Trifunovich	....	on set effects
Brian Warner	....	special effects supervisor

Visual Effects by
Ken Baker	....	assistant director: process unit
Dennis Bartlett	....	matte supervisor: process unit
Charles Bishop	....	art director: model unit
Janice Body	....	assistant matte artist
Martin Body	....	optical and matte camera
John Deaton	....	focus puller: model unit
Roy Field	....	supervisor of optical and visual effects
Peter Harman	....	optical and matte photography
John Harris	....	photography: process unit
Keith Holland	....	cameraman
Nick Laws	....	second assistant director: process unit
Peter Melrose	....	matte artist
Harry Oakes	....	photographer: model unit
Terry Reed	....	supervising modelmaker
Charles Stoneham	....	matte artist
Steve Wright	....	digital animator: video game computer animation, Atari Inc.
Alan Buchan	....	visual effects (uncredited)
Peter Donen	....	visual effects supervisor (uncredited)
Dion Hatch	....	optical cameraman: CRC (uncredited)
Derek Meddings	....	additional model effects (uncredited)
Paul Wilson	....	additional model photography (uncredited)

Stunts
Roy Alon	....	stunts
Ken Barker	....	stunts
Dickey Beer	....	stunts
Marc Boyle	....	stunts
Sue Crosland	....	stunts
Clive Curtis	....	stunts
Tracey Eddon	....	stunts
Greg Wayne Elam	....	stunts
Richard Hammatt	....	stunts
Reg Harding	....	stunts
Billy Horrigan	....	stunts
Wendy Leech	....	stunts
Wayne Michaels	....	stunts
Colin Prescott	....	balloon stunts arranger
Colin Skeaping	....	stunts
Eddie Stacey	....	stunts
Mark Stewart	....	stunts
Terry Walsh	....	stunts
Paul Weston	....	stunt coordinator
Marc Wolff	....	helicopter stunt pilot
Rick Anderson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Vic Armstrong	....	stunts (uncredited)
Eddie Eddon	....	stunts (uncredited)
Alex Green	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dick Hancock	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ken Kirzinger	....	stunts (uncredited)
Terence Plummer	....	stunts (uncredited)
Greg Powell	....	stunts (uncredited)
Doug Robinson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Paul Weston	....	stunts (uncredited)
Les White	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Stephen Claydon	....	focus puller
Freddie Cooper	....	camera operator
John Deaton	....	focus puller
David Garfath	....	camera operator
Jeff Paynter	....	focus puller
Derek Suter	....	clapper loader
Matt Tundo	....	director of photography: Alberta scenes
David Wynn-Jones	....	camera supervisor
Costas Charitou	....	titles & opticals: Camera Effects Ltd (uncredited)
Vince Goddard	....	electrician (uncredited)

Casting Department
Trish Robinson	....	casting: Canada

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Betty Adamson	....	wardrobe supervisor
Barbara Ann Schoemaker	....	costume assistant

Editorial Department
Peter Hollywood	....	associate editor
Steve Johnson	....	colorist

Music Department
Robert Hathaway	....	music editor
Ken Thorne	....	conductor
Ken Thorne	....	music arranger

Other crew
Joy Bayley	....	production assistant
Pauline Couteleno	....	production executive
Susie Ford	....	accounting assistant
Robert Harman	....	flying effects technician
Bobbie Johnson	....	assistant accountant
Maria Monreal	....	executive assistant to producers
Mark Mostyn	....	runner
Sally Pardo	....	production assistant
Christopher Reeve	....	production consultant
Philip Seber	....	location and firefighter support
Tana Tocher	....	caterer
Marc Wolff	....	helicopter pilot
Frans J. Afman	....	financial consultant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Cantharaus Productions N.V.
• Dovemead Films
• Film Export A.G.
• International

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1983) (USA) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1986) (USA) (TV)
• Warner Home Video (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Vídeo (2004) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Cannon Screen Entertainment (1986) (West Germany) (VHS)
• Thorn EMI Video Australia
• VTI Home Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Effects Associates

Other Companies

• Dolby Laboratories  sound post-production
• Flying Pictures  aerial filming services provided by

Also Known As:

Superman III (Canada: French title)
Superman vs. Superman (USA) (original script title)

Runtime:

125 min

Country:

UK | Canada | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby (35 mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:All | Brazil:10 | Australia:PG | Canada:PG | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Norway:12 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Company:

Cantharaus Productions N.V.

Trivia:

The little boy who appears waiting by the photo-booth while Clark Kent changes into Superman was actually the same little boy who played baby Kal-El (Superman) in Superman (1978).

Goofs:

Continuity: As the Ultimate Computer starts taking over Vera's body she is not wearing gloves but after Superman destroys the computer when Vera wakes up she is wearing white gloves.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Unemployment Clerk: Next. Name?
Gus Gorman: Gus Gorman.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Science of Superman (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Rock On

Like Office Space With a Super Hero

After making two fairly decent Superman movies, things took a slightly different turn with Superman III. Gene Hackman was nowhere to be found, Lois Lane has such a small part that she's essentially not even in the continuity anymore (Clark apparently forgets all about his love of Lois when he re-meets Lana Lang). And things became really funny, or were at least supposed to be. If you consider "campy" to be funny.

Superman faces off against himself, after being exposed to a new form of kryptonite that has tobacco tar mixed in. Can the world trust a Superman who destroys oil tankers and sleeps with random women on top of the Statue of Liberty? The best part of the "Evil Superman" sequence is when we see Superman drunk, if for no other reason than the thought of Superman getting drunk (or even having the ability to become intoxicated) is a most unusual thought. Good thing Superman doesn't drive a car.

I really enjoyed the entrance of Lana Lang into the film. Lana, in my opinion, was always the more appropriate match for Superman and there is no exception in this movie. She shares a history with him, is more caring than Lois and less dominant. I'm curious where the Lois/Lana thing will go in Part 4, if it goes anywhere. (I am not suggesting dominant women are bad, by the way. But the fact of the matter is anyone dating Superman is going to have to be comfortable with being second fiddle.) What sold me on this movie (and almost scored it a 7 instead of a 6) is the tie-in with "Office Space". In Office Space, Superman III is referenced for a computer program that takes fractions of a cent and puts them in a bank account. The scene in this film was great, and really made me appreciate the way Mike Judge used it many years later.

With nicotine and tar being the secret ingredients in the new kryptonite, was there some message being sent? Richard Pryor was great. He was funny and made the entire film more of a comedy with kitsch than the serious films we had seen before. Many people really didn't like the campiness, I guess, but I thought it was enjoyable for the most part (though they did go over the top just a bit). In my mind, Superman was the light story and Batman the dark story, so I'd rather see a silly Superman than a silly Batman.

The new villain to replace Lex Luthor was okay, but why bother making a new villain if he's going to be the exact same character? I would hope after fifty years of comic books, there would have been at least one other super villain they could have chosen (although the new "Superman Returns" focuses on Luthor again, so I guess creativity is minimal in the Superman world).

If you've seen parts one and two, you may as well see this. But do keep in mind that the world of Superman turns a little "bizarro" for the next two hours of film time...