Supergirl (1984)

Director:

Jeannot Szwarc

Writer:

David Odell (screenplay)

Release Date:

21 November 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Her first great adventure.

Plot:

After losing a powerful orb, Kara, Superman's cousin, comes to Earth to retrieve it and instead finds herself up against a wicked witch.

Plot Keywords:

Power | Encounter | Monster | Phantom Zone | Beautiful Woman

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Faye Dunaway	...	Selena
Helen Slater	...	Kara / Supergirl / Linda Lee
Peter O'Toole	...	Zaltar
Hart Bochner	...	Ethan
Mia Farrow	...	Alura
Brenda Vaccaro	...	Bianca
Peter Cook	...	Nigel
Simon Ward	...	Zor-El
Marc McClure	...	Jimmy Olsen
Maureen Teefy	...	Lucy Lane
David Healy	...	Mr. Danvers
Sandra Dickinson	...	Pretty Young Lady
Robyn Mandell	...	Myra
Jenifer Landor	...	Muffy
Diana Ricardo	...	Mrs. Murray

Also Known As:

Supergirl: The Movie

Runtime:

124 min (international version) | USA:105 min (theatrical version) | USA:138 min (director's cut) | USA:150 min (original cut) | Germany:89 min (Video Version)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Rankcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

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

Certification:

Germany:6 (re-rating) (2006) | Argentina:Atp | Iceland:LH | South Korea:12 (2006) | Netherlands:9 | Australia:PG | Denmark:A | Finland:K-8 | France:U | Norway:12 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Black Park Country Park, Wexham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Artistry Limited

Trivia:

The film's opening credits cost almost $1 million dollars to shoot.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During the fight with the Invisible Monster in front of the girls' school, Supergirl gets thrown towards the lamppost she later uses to defeat the monster. She is clearly 1 or 2 feet from the lamppost, yet she bounces like she hit it, and falls to the ground.

Quotes:

Bianca: I think you're blowing this thing out of proportion if you want my opinion.
Selena: No, this box is definitely getting bigger... And uglier.
Bianca: All I'm saying is, you can't go nuts over a landscape guy and a teenager in a blue suit.
Selena: She flies. Can you get that through your thick skull and into your tiny little brain, Bianca? The girl can fly.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Killer Drag Queens on Dope (2003)

Soundtrack:

NEW SONG

Beautiful Classic Hard To Beat

Apart from the witchcraft, I LOVE this movie!

This was the first time I ever saw Helen Slater, and rightaway I knew she was the most beautiful lady in the world! (Sorry ladies!)

I think there are some classic lines that have been overlooked: I remember when the Tractor went wild in Midvale, and Linda/Supergirl was searching for a place to change into her costume, she spied the Ladies' Room, and dashed toward it at super-speed, plowing into a woman who was just coming out. Linda apologized, "Sorry, I'm in a rush!" and shot inside. The woman looked wry. "I know what you mean!"

Perhaps Zaltar (Peter O'Toole) wasn't as important as he could have been. Although I thought Faye Dunaway was perfect as Selena (a little type-casting courtesy of Mommie Dearest), I prefer to wonder what would have happened if Zaltar had been just a little more complex (he's an artist, after all!) and a little more selfish, and actually followed through with his plans to see Outer Space with the assistance of the Omegahedron.

Then he might have been the villain of the piece, and the most dangerous kind of villain: the villain an audience can sympathize with. Then the audience would have been torn between wanting Zaltar to succeed, and wanting Kara/Supergirl to stop him before the loss of the Omegahedron destroys Argo City.

Oh! And I would've liked to see how Argo City was torn away more or less whole from Krypton as the planet detonated, and wound up in Inner Space, trapped in a warp that only Kal-El's little spaceship was equipped to navigate and exit.

I don't think it's over for Supergirl, her story could be REtold (a la Batman), but I'd only be interested in a remake if the filmmakers would remain true to the style of THIS movie (Supergirl (1984), rather than opting for a trendy, dark, angst-ridden "hero" (I use the term loosely) in a demented action "adventure". I miss the bright, cheerful style of the old Superman comics, from the 50's, 60's and 70's, and I'd love to see that back on the big screen, like Superman The Movie and Superman II, and . . . naturally, Supergirl - The First Adventure.

This is a beautiful, dream-like jewel of a movie, a real Pink Panther (I refer, of course, to the diamond).

That breath-taking, emotional moment as Supergirl arrives on Earth, and discovers her powers and her new environment, in my humble opinion, is unmatched in all the Super-movies.

Jerry Goldsmith's score, especially the Supergirl March and the Love Theme are stirring and moving respectively, and easily equal to John Williams' contributions to the Superman movies. I have Jerry's score on CD (thanks to Silva Screen Records) and the Supergirl Main Theme is my Favorite Movie Theme of all time.

(Superman was and is my hero, Superman II (1980) was THE defining movie of my youth, and I can probably sing you the entire score to Superman III, but I love the Supergirl themes more.)

And if a widescreen, remastered version of this movie ever becomes available "Down Under" , I want to see it!