Deleted Footage
According to writer Mark Rosenthal's commentary on the 2006 Deluxe Edition DVD, in the gallery of deleted scenes included on the disc, there are approximately 45 minutes of the film that have not been seen by the general public. They were deleted following a failed Southern California test screening. In fact, the Nuclear Man that appears in the film is actually the second Nuclear Man that Luthor created. Cut scenes featured the original Nuclear Man (portrayed by Clive Mantle) engaging Superman in battle outside the Metro Club and being destroyed by the Man of Steel. The first Nuclear Man was somewhat more inhuman-looking than his successor, and vaguely resembled in looks, and significantly in personality, the comic book character Bizarro. Luthor postulates that this Nuclear Man was not strong enough, and hatches the plan to create the second Nuclear Man inside the sun as a result.
The comic book adaptation of the film, as well as the novelization, depicts these scenes and several photos of Superman's battle with the first Nuclear Man can be seen online. Three of the "lost" minutes, consisting of two scenes (the "tornado scene", in which Christopher Reeve's daughter Alexandra plays the girl swept away by the tornado; and the "Moscow" sequence, in which Superman stops a nuclear missile from being launched) were used in the international release by Cannon Films, and in the U.S. syndicated television version prepared by Viacom. At one point the producers of this film considered using all the deleted footage (and presumably shooting new footage) in a fifth film (see Superman Lives), but the poor box office performance of this film led to that idea being scrapped. Rosenthal commented on the DVD commentary that this showed just how out of touch Cannon Films was with reality.
Approximately thirty minutes of deleted footage were included in a 'deleted scenes' section of the 2006 DVD box set, Superman Ultimate Collector's Edition, as well as on the Deluxe Edition DVD release of the film. All of these scenes were taken from a workprint version of the film with temporary music and unfinished visual effects in many places.
Read more about this topic: Superman IV: The Quest For Peace
Famous quotes containing the word deleted:
“There is never finality in the display terminal’s screen, but an irresponsible whimsicality, as words, sentences, and paragraphs are negated at the touch of a key. The significance of the past, as expressed in the manuscript by a deleted word or an inserted correction, is annulled in idle gusts of electronic massacre.”
—Alexander Cockburn (b. 1941)