Superhero movies have become the most bankable films of the last 15 years, seeing higher and higher budgets, box office takes, special effects quality, and intricately planned plots. But, well before superhero movies dominated theaters, the Man of Steel wowed audiences with clever practical effects and exhilarating heroics, in a mix of action, drama, comedy, and romance.

Superman, often called Superman the Movie, premiered 40 years ago on December 15, 1978. The large-scale movie was directed by Richard Donner, whose lengthy list of credits included episodes of The Twilight Zone and The Man from UNCLE and the suspenseful horror film, The Omen. It stars the relatively unknown Christopher Reeve as Superman with Black Christmas star Margot Kidder as Lois Lane. The cast was rounded out by the talents of Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor, Marlon Brando as Jor-El, Terence Stamp as General Zod, Jackie Cooper as Perry White, Valerie Perrine as Eve Teschmacher, Ned Beatty as Otis, Marc McClure as Jimmy Olsen, and Phyllis Thaxter and Glenn Ford as Ma and Pa Kent.

The movie is told in three acts, set in Krypton during his infancy, Smallville as he grew up, and Metropolis when he emerged as Superman. It provides his origin as infant Kal-El of Krypton being sent to Earth when his home planet is on the verge of destruction, then young Kal-El is adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent, becoming Clark Kent. As he grows, so do his abilities, frustrating the young man until he learns of his heritage on Krypton. The bulk of the movie takes place in Metropolis where he lives as clumsy, mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent and takes the heroic mantle of Superman – much to the chagrin of Lex Luthor.

The well-crafted story showcases Superman’s incredible abilities and his virtues in a largely optimistic superhero film. Reeve gave a terrific performance as the cute, bumbling Clark and the gallant Superman, making the two halves of the character feel defined and real. Kidder’s Lois Lane is insatiably inquisitive and smitten with the Man of Steel and Hackman was delightfully devious as Lex, the very definition of a power hungry villain.

Superman was the most expensive film to date, on a budget of $55 million. It saw positive reactions from critics and audiences and was a financial success with $300 million in box office sales. The movie was nominated for Academy Awards in Film Editing, Original Score, and Sound and in 2017 the Library of Congress inducted it into the National Film Registry.

Producer Ilya Salkind had an idea for a Superman movie in 1973, though it took time to reach agreement with DC Comics to get the film rights. Ilya, his father Alexander, and their partner Pierre Spengler purchased the rights and started work on the movie.

Several writers were considered to pen the script, until Alexander determined that Mario Puzo, author of The Godfather, should helm the project. Rather than writing the script for just the first movie, Puzo wrote a 500-page script for the stories of Superman and Superman II. From the start, the producers envisioned two films, and Puzo’s script was considered a solid two-part story, but was too long.

Robert Benton and David Newman came onboard to do some rewrites, then Benton had to drop out of the project and Leslie Newman, David’s wife, joined the movie. Finally, George MacDonald Fraser was also hired to do some work on the script. Through the collaborative writing and editing, the script was trimmed to around 400 pages.

Directing duties had a similar process, that included the likes of George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, and Steven Spielberg – who was a frontrunner, but had already committed to Close Encounters of the Third Kind. After seeing The Omen, the movie’s producers hired Richard Donner to direct it. He was unhappy that the script was campy, so he brought Tom Mankiewicz in to do rewrites and trim it to a more realistic length for a shooting script.

Principal photography began in March 1977. Since Superman and Superman II were filming at the same time, shooting took over a year and a half, ending in October 1978.

The first movie was filmed at several locations in three countries. Scenes on Krypton were shot at Pinewood Studios and the Fortress of Solitude was housed at Shepperton Studios and Pinewood’s 007 Stage. Alberta, Canada was used for the scenes in Smallville, including the Kent farm, high school, and cemetery. The Metropolis scenes were filmed in New York City, featuring the New York Daily News Building as the Daily Planet office. Additional filming was done in Gallup, New Mexico, Lake Mead, and at Grand Central Terminal in New York.

The movie is known and lauded for its creative visual effects. Since flying was a critical part of movie, significant time and effort was put into those effects. For taking off and landing, they used wire rigging suspended from studio ceilings and tower cranes. They used counterweights and pulleys to simulate flying movement rather than electronic or motorized devices. During the post-production editing process, rotoscope techniques were used to remove the wires. Blue screen matte was used for the stationary shots with a device that would make his cape flap. They used long zoom-in and out, plus dolly work to give the illusion of motion.

Unfortunately, there were problems with budget and scheduling, both going over their allotted estimates. There was also tension between the producers and Donner who were not seeing eye to eye on major decisions regarding planning and execution that impacted the budget and schedule. They decided to stop shooting Superman II, which was about 75% completed, to focus on finishing the first movie. It was determined that if Superman was unsuccessful, they’d leave Superman II unfinished, rather than spending more time and money on a project that might not produce positive results.

The original anticipated release date was June 1978, to coincide with the 40th anniversary of Action Comics #1, but filming issues pushed the movie back by six months, with a nationwide release on December 15. It set new U.S. box office records for the week of its release, for Warner Bros., and for the three-day weekend. Superman was the second highest grossing film of the year, behind the musical comedy Grease. It received largely positive reviews from both critics and viewers, leading to the completion of Superman II and two more sequels to follow.

Superman personified the character, bringing the comic to life through earnest performances and impressive visual effects. The collaborative work done by the cast and crew have made it an enduring classic for Superman’s fans.