Christopher Reeve was not the first man to portray the dual role of Superman and Clark Kent on film; he was not even the first man with a last name similar to his (that would be George Reeves), but for many, his Superman, accompanied by John Williams’ theme, is the benchmark Superman with his bumbling awkward Clark Kent. As the documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (from filmmakers Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui) this mantle he bore was an honour and drawback as it kept the Julliard-trained actor from being perceived in any other light despite his best efforts to take roles against type outside of his Superman commitments. And then, he got into an accident that changed his life and the story we know of it.
The documentary expects audiences to know the basics of Christopher Reeve’s story, how he played Superman and then was in an accident that paralyzed him. If they don’t, it lays hints early in the documentary, with one of his elder children talking about the last time he saw his father standing on his feet. But, after giving you a primer about the days leading up to the accident, the documentary goes back to what made Christopher the man he was, the driving forces that made him who he was, both for good and for ill. You learn a lot about his strained relationship with his family, particularly his father, who he could never impress, and his long friendship with Robin Williams.
The documentary portrays a man who was driven to push, strive, and, yes, hope, which is why he left a mark as Superman, but it is the work he did as Christopher Reeve that has left a greater legacy, and that is what the documentary wants to highlight. But the documentary doesn’t overlook pain or setbacks and how, after his injury, Christopher Reeve initially seemed more likely to want to die than fight to live. But, through friends like Robin Williams showing him that he could still laugh and his wife, Dana, telling him, “You’re still you, and I love you,” he found the inner strength and hope to strive to see how he could get better/live and to in doing so inspire others and begin advocacy work.
The documentary showed that his advocacy work wasn’t always without some missteps but that lessons were learned from it, and while Christopher Reeve may have had one perspective, Dana was able to see and understand other perspectives from people in the disability community and why Christopher’s perspective that was more cure based wasn’t for everybody. She focused on more care-based initiatives in the foundation. This nuance was great to see represented, especially in a documentary following events that took place mostly over two decades ago because while one in four people in the US live with disabilities, not all are looking for cures; some are just looking for accommodations and that is something that should be considered. It comes as no surprise when you realize, despite the documentary’s title, that like the foundation that also bears Christopher Reeve’s name, the documentary is just as much about Dana and the legacy she has left behind because of her impact in life.
I had a thought watching Super/Man about a much-maligned film that Robin Williams made, Patch Adams, and if he had been drawn to the material because of his experience making Christopher Reeve laugh in his hospital bed. Creative people are drawn to tell stories they connect with. You can see this in the work that Christopher Reeve chose to direct following his injury. In the Gloaming is about someone coming home to die from late-stage AIDS, but it is more about the second chances of relationships and understanding. The documentary shows how those themes could resonate with Reeve. It’s even clearer with The Brooke Ellison Story, which is about a young woman who has been a quadriplegic since childhood and, assisted by her mother, graduated from Harvard with a degree in neuroscience. Though wildly different from his own story, it would be as close as he would come to narratively telling his own story on film in his lifetime. But legacy is those who remember us and continue our work, and that is being done by The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, of which his three children are members of the board, and this documentary, which serves to remember not only the role he portrayed but the man behind Superman (and in this case, I’m not talking about Clark Kent).
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is available on Max in the US and Crave in Canada.
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