(Adnkronos) - A 20 anni dalla morte di Christopher Reeve, Warner Bros. arriva nelle sale con il documentario ‘Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story’ diretto da Ian Bonhôte e Peter Ettedgui. La storia di Reeve è una sorprendente ascesa da attore sconosciuto a star icona del cinema e la sua interpretazione di Clark Kent/Superman ha stabilito il punto di riferimento per i vari universi cinematografici dei supereroi che dominano il cinema di oggi. Reeve ha interpretato l'Uomo d'Acciaio in quattro film di ‘Superman’, prima di rimanere vittima di un incidente a cavallo quasi fatale nel 1995, che lo ha lasciato paralizzato dal collo in giù. Dopo essere diventato tetraplegico, è diventato un attivista nella ricerca di una cura per le lesioni del midollo spinale, nonché un appassionato sostenitore dei diritti e della cura dei disabili, il tutto mentre continuava la sua carriera nel cinema, davanti e dietro la macchina da presa, pur dedicandosi alla sua amata famiglia. Un ritratto intimo attraverso le parole dell’amico di sempre, l’attore Robin Williams, filmati amatoriali intimi mai visti prima, una raccolta di materiale d'archivio personale, le interviste con i tre figli di Reeve e agli attori e amici come Susan Sarandon, Glenn Close e Whoopi Goldberg. In occasione della premiere a Roma, evento nell’ambito di Alice nella Città, i registi e il figlio Matthew hanno raccontato all’Adnkronos l’uomo dietro la tuta da supereroe.
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00:00Everybody's looking for a hero.
00:09I am not a hero.
00:11That was a part.
00:12I played the part.
00:13I'm not that man.
00:18Hands down, he was Superman from day one.
00:21I realized that if I could pull off this part, it would change my life.
00:25John Houseman said, Mr. Reeve, it is very important to become a serious classical actor.
00:30Unless, of course, they offer you a load of money to do something else.
00:36He convinced me when I first met him that he would fly.
00:40I'm lucky enough to say he was just dad.
00:44He was all of those things that you described, but he was just a dad.
00:50He was a goofy, silly, fun guy who also made us eat our vegetables and sit up straight.
01:00It also taught us to play the piano, throw a ball, catch a ball, ride a bike.
01:06He taught my brother Will how to ride a bicycle after he was paralyzed just with his words,
01:12which is remarkable to me as I try to teach my son how to ride a bike, very able-bodied
01:17and struggling.
01:20He was an actor, he was an icon, he was an advocate, and a hero to many, and all of those
01:28things to me, but I'm very lucky that I get to say he was also just dad.
01:33That was the last time I saw him on his feet.
01:40Mr. Reeve currently has no movement or spontaneous respiration.
01:44Superman, crazy.
01:45Just that simple little thing over the horse.
01:48I'd ruined my life and everybody else's.
01:52I won't be able to ski, sail, throw a ball to Will, won't be able to make love to Dana.
01:58Maybe we should let me go.
02:01She came flying in, and she just yelled, I love you, I love you.
02:06And then she said the words saved my life, you're still you, and I love you.
02:15He and Robin were such good friends because they could match each other.
02:19Robin also had struggles that he dealt with his whole life, and I think that they both
02:24were aware of darkness.
02:26Brother Chris is fighting like crazy.
02:28When you find people who fight like that but still keep their humanity, that gives you
02:32great hope.
02:33Actually, I think one of the main, I mean the word amazing is wrong, but the fact that
02:38exactly what you said, many people think superheroes are untouchable, indestructible, they will
02:44never be broken.
02:46And back in the days, in the 70s and the 80s, the fact that Chris managed to make people
02:50believe he could fly, that he impersonated Superman so well on screen, huge amount of
02:58people kind of identify him as the real Superman in his real life.
03:03So when he had the accident, for many, many people, and even the most intelligent people,
03:08you still had this very strong image, but Chris can't be in a wheelchair.
03:13He should be able to move around.
03:15He shouldn't feel so weak and frail.
03:18And I think the fact that weak and frail, many people might want to hide and become
03:24a recluse, where he just said, I'm going to be up front, I'm going to be out there, and
03:30I'm going to be the voice and the heart and the mind of a lot of people, and I'll take
03:35the hit as well, and I'm going to try to move people.
03:37I felt I needed to do something, not just for myself, but for everyone else in the same
03:45condition.
03:46The fact that Superman was in a wheelchair and was willing to go public with it was huge.
03:53Help is on the way.
04:01Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act.
04:04People are literally walking because of him.
04:10I remember vividly this feeling of panic and anxiety when Superman was, his powers were
04:18taken away by Kryptonite, and then the relief when he would get them back again.
04:24But that moment of struggle for me, that was Superman.
04:27That was this person who seemed invincible, who was there to save the world, and suddenly
04:34that wasn't the case anymore.
04:35And it's a bit of a parallel with Christopher's life, that he represented so much more than
04:42Superman on screen.
04:43He was already, before his accident, a profoundly positive influence on the world.
04:51And to see all his power apparently taken away from him, but then how he came back and
04:57used his heart and his mind and his voice to have an impact on the world and change
05:05it for the better.
05:06I think, yeah, that's the true superhero story.
05:09The world does need heroes.
05:11I think not all heroes and not all superheroes are created equal.
05:16I think the world needs real heroes, real leaders, real people who show, by example,
05:29values and a sense of responsibility and strive to elevate the wider public discourse.
05:46What is a hero?
05:50My answer was that a hero is someone who commits a courageous action without considering the
05:59consequences.
06:01Now my definition is completely different.
06:04I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure
06:10in spite of overwhelming obstacles.
06:16I wouldn't have missed this for the world.