"A purely physical performance"
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https://www.polygon.com/2017/9/4/16252100/superman-christopher-reeve-clark-kent-transformation
But what really made the film so special was the performance of the late Christopher Reeve, the only actor who could make the idea that no one recognized Clark Kent as Superman due to his glasses even remotely plausible. His performance as both Clark Kent and Superman kept the characters distinct, and it was done through his body. Christopher Reeve was his own best special effect.
One scene shows this transformation perfectly.
It happens after Superman takes Lois flying, right before her date with Clark Kent. He nearly tells her the truth, and shifts into the part of Superman to prove he is who he’s about to say he is.
The amazing part of this performance is how clearly you can see Christopher Reeve shift his body from Clark Kent to Superman. His voice changes a bit, sure, but it’s all there in the body language. It’s a powerful, physical performance that doesn’t require a change into the costume or any of the special effects that went into the flying scene. The burden is on Reeve to sell the transition, and holy hell does he do it convincingly.
He appears to grow about a foot taller, his neck lengthens, his shoulders square and he shifts his body weight forward to lead with his chest. His mouth, which is almost turtle-like as Clark, turns into a confident smirk as his jawline somehow seems to square.
The whole thing only takes a few seconds, but Reeve was able to convince the audience that Clark Kent and Superman were two very different people. Of course Lois Lane didn’t realize who he was; every aspect of his body changed when he shifted between these two people.
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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@george-k said in "A purely physical performance":
His performance as both Clark Kent and Superman kept the characters distinct, and it was done through his body. Christopher Reeve was his own best special effect.
Fully agree.
