Documentary
Christopher Reeve portrayed the Man of Steel in four Superman films and played dozens of other roles that displayed his talent and range as an actor, before being injured in a near-fatal horse-riding accident in 1995 that left him paralyzed from the neck down. After becoming a quadriplegic, he became a charismatic leader and activist in the quest to find a cure for spinal cord injuries, as well as a passionate advocate for disability rights and care.
Directors
Christopher Reeve
Self (archive footage)
Will Reeve
Self - Christopher's Son
Alexandra Reeve Givens
Self - Christopher's Daughter
Gae Exton
Self
Glenn Close
Self
Jeff Daniels
Self
Whoopi Goldberg
Self
Steven Kirshblum
Self
Susan Sarandon
Self
Pierre Spengler
Self
John Kerry
Self
Brooke Ellison
Self
Laurie Hawkins
Self
Kevin Johnson
Self
Matthew Reeve
Self - Christopher's Son
Richard Donner
Self (archive footage)
Robin Williams
Self (archive footage)
Directors
User reviews2
Review
Featured review
Unlike many retrospectives of late lamented actors, this film has a much greater degree of honesty from it's contributors as it takes a look back at the life of the man most famous for darting about in a blue cape saving the world from Gene Hackman and Terence Stamp. It also benefits from being about a man and his family whose lives have been captured to quite an extent by home movies that illustrate the joyous, and heinous, moments as he rose to fame then struggled to come to terms with his life-altering accident. What we are given here is a frank portrayal of an actor - maybe not the most versatile, it has to be said - who tread the boards off, off-Broadway before lucking out at the audition in London the made him an household name. The principal narrative is provided by those closest to him - his long-term ex-girlfriend Gae Exton, the mother of their children Matt and Ali and by Will, his son with Reeve's profoundly stoical and steadfast wife Dana. There is also some insight from Jeff Daniels, Whoopi Goldberg and Glenn Close - and there is an interesting degree of frankness from these people that also touches on issues faced by some of their mutual friends. Though sympathetic and celebratory, these comments are not entirely adulatory. Indeed, his elder son offers us some thinly veiled criticism of a man who maybe didn't focus as he could have on his first family, and who had a reputation as a bit of a rake at times, too. The documentary quite successfully uses more archive to demonstrate this family's determination after his paralysis to do what could be done to raise awareness and funds to improve treatment and support for others. Apparently some 4 million Americans have some sort of disability and in trying to address this, he demonstrates the power of celebrity to stretch far beyond symbolism proving that political connections, pressure and principle can make a profound difference to situations that many would sooner sweep under the carpet. It's not always easy to watch - but then neither were many of his films - but it does make it's point effectively, avoids sentimentality for the most part, and tells us a story of a flawed man whose sheer willpower and charisma helped create a testament the others may still be befitting from decades later.
Geronimo196724 Oct, 2024
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