2nd version of 'Superman II' now on DVD

As if to offer literal proof that "everything old is new again," Richard Donner's version of "Superman II" has landed on DVD shelves this week.

It's the same, only different.

This disc has particular resonance for me, as it was in summer 1981 that I attended my first movie junket, a trip to Niagra Falls (Canadian side) to interview the stars of the new movie "Superman II."

Margot Kidder, who played Lois Lane, was absent, but most everyone else was there — led by Superman himself, Christopher Reeve; the film's Lex Luthor, Gene Hackman; and director Richard Lester.

It was while talking with Hackman that I discovered "Superman II" was as much Richard Donner's film as it was Richard Lester's.

Donner was the director of the first "Superman" movie, so I innocently asked Hackman about the differences in the way the two Richards approached the two "Superman" movies. Hackman off-handedly said he had no idea. All of his scenes were directed by Donner. He never worked with Lester.

Say what?

Today it's well known among moviephiles that Donner had a falling out with the producers and left "Superman II" unfinished, and that Lester was later hired to complete the film. But back then, who knew? (Although it motivated me to do better pre-interview research.)

As explained on the new DVD "Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut" (Warner, PG, $24.98), when Donner was making "Superman," he was simultaneously filming "Superman II." Not back-to-back, like the two "Pirates of the Caribbean" sequels, but at the same time.

When he was shooting on the Daily Planet set, for example, Donner would shoot scenes for both movies within days, perhaps hours, of each other before moving on to a new set.

However, when the film's budget headed north, the producers worried they might never recover.

It's hard to imagine now, but during filming in 1977 and '78, "Superman" was a troubled shoot, primarily due to the time and money spent developing groundbreaking special effects. Especially for the flying scenes.

Donner felt — and rightly so — that if the flying scenes didn't work, nothing would work. But it was no easy task to fulfill the movie's advertising tag line: "You'll believe a man can fly."

So, during the making of the first movie, the plug was pulled on the second movie — after Donner had already filmed about 70 percent.