It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Christopher Reeve!

Pleased with the Promise of Tomorrow

At the end of every Superman movie, Superman flies over Earth with the yellow Sun, the source of his powers, in the background. Before he flies off, Superman looks towards the camera and smiles. This image of Superman flying off in space emphasizes Superman as an alien. However, before the film ends, the audience witnesses Superman look at the camera and smile. Christopher Reeve gives us a very simple and rather cheerful smile, which also emphasizes Superman’s humanness. Even though Christopher Reeve is flying in outer space, this single smile reminds the audience that he is also a part of us. Christopher Reeve gave Superman a very human-like image throughout the movie, and a smile is a very human and universal expression. Not only is Superman a visitor from another planet, but he is also a “down-to-earth” symbol. Christopher Reeve’s image embodies the characteristics of Superman, but Superman seems to also embody a part of Christopher Reeve’s humanity. Christopher Reeve and his character as Superman combine to highlight the meaning to SUPER and MAN. This causes both Christopher Reeve and his star image to be seen as this emphasis in meaning: SUPER and MAN.

Ladies Man

Although Superman is often seen as the family man, he also gets a lot of attention from the ladies. His masculine stare along with his macho demeanor makes him stand out as a star. It also influences Superman's star image in a sense that it makes his character look more appealing to a wider audience. Also, his physical appearance reinforces Superman's identity. Imagine if Superman was thin, short, and gawky. Would people still feel secure about his abilities to save those in need?

Cameo in the Muppet Show

Here you see Christopher Reeve guest starring in the Muppet Show. Even though this is a variety show, Reeve still decides to star in it and illustrate the heroic character he embodies. Instead of wearing his Superman suit, we see him in a doctor's attire playing this professional role. This clip shows him saving the patient while entertaining viewers with his charisma and charm.

Superman to the Rescue

Fast Forward to 3:21.

The scene acts as an example of both action and comedy. We see Clark Kent run towards a phone booth, a comic favorite for a Superman quick-change, which appears to be a newer type of phone booth. Clark Kent runs to some rotating doors, in order to change into Superman out of the public eye. When Superman appears and saves Lois from the helicopter, we end with one of Superman’s most famous lines “You’ve got me? Who’s got you?” The scene is definitely serious, partly because Lois Lane is falling out of a helicopter, but overall, the mood is quite comical and funny. To add to the humor, Clark Kent is changing into Superman, which is in fact Christopher Reeve in disguise changing to Christopher Reeve. Christopher Reeve, in public at least, never wore glasses, so in reality, his face is truly the face of Superman. Superman disguises himself as Clark Kent in glasses, which is exactly what Christopher Reeve has to do for the role. It is very funny and uncanny to watch this bustling scene with ambiguity, which lies between the identity of Superman and Christopher Reeve. Both Superman and Reeve wear glasses as a disguise, emphasizing the combining of identity between Superman and Christopher Reeve.

The American Super Man

Superman fights for truth, justice and the American way. In this image, we see Christopher Reeve as a symbol of personal strength and American strength. Through these strengths, Christopher Reeve displays multiple signs of masculinity, through his broad shoulders and serious face, which illustrates a play on masculinity. He bases his appearance and masculinity on the values he stands for as a super man. Superman standing with the flag in the background emphasizes Superman’s allegiance as an American but also a sign of our country’s founding values. Christopher Reeve, deemed invincible, makes America invincible with this hero as its savior. Superman is the type of superhero that steps into the world during the day as a beacon of hope for everyone to see. Many superheroes, like Batman and Spiderman, wear masks and sometimes fight crime by night, which are away from the eyes of the public. By using masks and even the night sky, many superheroes mask themselves from society and use every bit of themselves to stay hidden from the public. Bruce Wayne and Peter Parker put on masks to become Batman and Spiderman. Clark Kent actually takes off his mask to become Superman, which makes the person playing Superman, like Christopher Reeve, the fully realized character. When you see Christopher Reeve as Superman fighting the bad guys, you actually “see” Christopher Reeve fighting them. With Batman, you see Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne, but you only see the mask when Batman is actually fighting. With a mask-less superhero, Reeve’s countenance became the face of a hero, and not just any hero, but Superman.

Biography

Christopher Reeve was born on September 25, 1952 to Barbara Johnson, a journalist and Franklin Reeve, a university professor. Early in his childhood, Reeve’s parents got divorced. Their divorce led Barbara to relocating Christopher and his brother from New York City to Princeton, NJ.

Growing up many people called Christopher Reeve Toph. He participated in various activities as a child such as swimming, sailing, and playing the piano. Reeve’s first role was in Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Yeoman of the Guard. This experience helped Reeve conclude that acting was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. He fell in love with the idea of playing another character. The various characters he would continue to perform helped him overcome his shyness and lack of self-confidence as a young adult.

After high school, Reeve was admitted to Cornell University. Early in his senior year, Reeve was chosen to attend Juilliard School of Performing Arts in New York. Since Juilliard was famous and hosted a well respected program, Reeve decided to leave Cornell for his senior year to further pursue his acting endeavors in New York City. However, he did graduate from Cornell University in 1974 with a degree in English and music theory.

A couple of years later, Reeve honed his acting capabilities, which helped him land roles in movies like Superman and The Remains of the Day. Reeve starred in numerous films and drew in a large fan base that adored his strong, reliable, heroic star image. To everyone’s surprise, May 27, 1995 changed Reeve’s life. While going horseback riding, his horse failed to make a jump over a fence. As a result, he fell off his horse and was diagnosed with a cervical spinal injury. This incident paralyzed him from the neck down. Even with this disability, Reeve continued to get acting roles in movies like Rear Window and TV shows like Smallville and The Practice until his death in 2004.

Filmography

Christopher Reeve

Monday, November 29, 2010