WHY IS RICHARD DONNER'S 1978 SUPERMAN FILM ONE OF THE MOST AUTHENTIC SUPERHERO FILMS?

It has often been said that Richard Donner's 1978 'Superman' film is one of the most authentic comic book adaptations to ever hit the silver screen. But why? Why is Richard Donner's version regarded as one of the most authentic superhero films? Well, over the years I've managed to come up with a theory that I think answers this question, and it all begins with just one man... Harold Lloyd.

Name: Harold Lloyd / Born: April 20, 1893, in Burchard, Nebraska, USA / Died: March 8, 1971, in Beverly Hills, California, USA (aged 77) / Occupation: Actor, comedian, and stunt performer / Years active in the industry: 1913 to 1963 / Some of his popular films: 'Safety Last!' (1923), 'The Freshman' (1925), and 'Movie Crazy' (1932)

Fact 1: Harold's initial claim to fame began when he starred in a series of silent shorts where he portrayed a character that resembled the English comedian, Charlie Chaplin, named Lonesome Luke. But after a while his act started to turn stale, so to overcome this obstacle, he devised and embodied another character, one he called 'the glasses character', who eventually influenced the next entry on our list 👇. The film, 'Bringing Up Baby'.

Name of the film: Bringing Up Baby / Directed by: Howard Hawks / Starring: Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and Charles Ruggles / Released: February 16, 1938, by RKO Radio Pictures / Running time: 102 minutes / Budget: $1.1 million

Fact 2: According to the director of 'Bringing Up Baby', Howard Hawks, he originally wanted to cast Harold Lloyd to play the main lead in the aforementioned film. But when his request was denied by one of the film's producers, Pandro S. Berman, he then decided to do the next best thing, which in this case, was to cast a more popular actor, namely, Cary Grant, and instruct Cary to look and behave just like Harold Lloyd. Fortunately, Cary was able to do this, and in turn, his performance helped to inspire another actor in another film 👇.

Name of the film: Superman / Directed by: Richard Donner / Starring: Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Marlon Brando, and Gene Hackman / Released: December 10, 1978, by Warner Bros. Pictures / Running time: 143 minutes / Budget: $55 million

Fact 3: In the late nineteen-seventies, when Richard Donner was making his first 'Superman' film, he managed to coach Christopher Reeve to portray the character of Clark Kent as if he was imitating Cary Grant's character in 'Bringing Up Baby'. Therefore, Christopher Reeve was in fact imitating Cary Grant's version of Harold Lloyd. But what makes all of this even more fascinating, is that in 1938, when Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created the character of Superman, they based his alter ego, Clark Kent, on the comedian, Harold Lloyd. So, they're all connected, Harold, Cary, Christopher, and Clark, and that's why I think the 1978 'Superman' film is more authentic than the rest, without taking anything away from the great acting, the great storyline, and the film's overall tone.

So, what do you think of all that, dear reader? What do you think of my theory? Does it make sense to you? Or do you think I'm talking out of my ass? Either way, please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section below.