At the recent Sundance Film Festival premiere of ‘Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story,’ Christopher Reeve’s children revealed that he held ‘Remains of the Day’ closer to his heart than ‘Superman.’
‘The Remains of the Day‘ featured Reeve alongside Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson. In the film, Reeve portrayed Congressman Jack Lewis, a role that, as revealed by his son Will, he was exceptionally proud of. Speaking about his father’s career at the Sundance Film Festival, Will Reeve mentioned that when given the chance to screen a film of his father in their hometown, he chose ‘Remains of the Day’ over ‘Superman’:
“In our hometown in Bedford, New York…the local movie theater went through a rebrand a few years ago. The person in charge of that shift reached out to me and said they’d love to have me screen a film of my choice of my dad’s. I responded, ‘Sure, but not ‘Superman.’ We’re going to do ‘Remains of the Day.'”
Will then explained that while his father was proud of his role as Superman, ‘Remains of the Day’ was the film he would have chosen himself:
“He was so proud of his role in that movie. It’s not a big role. It’s an important role in the film. He got to show a completely different side of himself. I knew how proud he was of that. Not that he wasn’t proud of ‘Superman’… but if he were here, he wouldn’t choose ‘Superman’; he’d choose ‘Remains of the Day.’ I don’t think about the ‘Superman’ films as much as I do about the swings he got took beyond this larger-than-life role.”
What’s ‘Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story’ About?
Reeve’s children, including Alexandra and Matthew Reeve, participated in ‘Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story,’ sharing what they know about their father’s professional and personal life. Directed by Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, the film portrays Reeve’s life story, including his rise to fame and the tragic horse-riding accident in 1995 that left him paralyzed.
The documentary also touches upon Reeve’s final days, detailing his last public appearance in October 2004 and his death shortly after from complications related to an infected pressure ulcer.
Reeve, who passed away in 2004, is widely known for his role in ‘Superman‘ (1978) and its sequels. However, his acting career had a range of characters beyond the superhero. After the success of ‘Superman,’ Reeve chose roles in smaller films and plays. Some of his performances include roles in ‘The Bostonians,’ ‘Street Smart,’ and ‘The Remains of the Day.’
Interestingly, Reeve’s children have not watched ‘The Flash,’ a recent Warner Bros. film that used CGI to feature Reeve’s Superman in a cameo. They also had no involvement in their father’s posthumous representation.
