L'incroyable histoire de Superman

Originally broadcast on the A&E network, this excellent documentary covers the entire history of Superman. From the early 20th century comics to the modern-day television shows and movies, this Kevin Spacey-narrated piece covers much of the Superman mythos. Woven into this story was how all of this was affected by and reflected the culture around it, from World Wars to 9/11.

As a Superman fan, this is a must-see. The A&E (and later in2TV.com) program is 90 minutes. A full 2-hour DVD will be released on June 20, 2006. This viewer is looking forward to not only "Superman Returns", but also the release of A&E's documentary.

I found this to be an excellent documentary of the complete story from the beginning in the 1930's to the present. It covers the early comics, early cartoons, Superman, Superboy, Supergirl (although I wish she would have gotten more time...), Kirk Alyn, George Reeves, Gerard Christopher, and the whole gang. It had some great commentary from Noel Neil and Jack Larson. It also touched on the "mysterious" death of George Reeves. It, of course, had a good bit on Christopher Reeve with some of the auditions of other actors. It even had segments on The Return of Superman and an interview with Brandon Routh. I can't imagine any collection not having this DVD to go along with the other materials that are now available. For a novice as well as someone who has "flown" with a towel as well as in their dreams, this disc will be a treasure to view over and over!

Good for the fans. Definitely good for the fans.

But too much of an Americna style of documentary to be taken serious. Looking at the release date, one can not hesitate to consider this documentary as pure 'propaganda' for the 2006 Superman release.

Footage is superb though. Comments and narratives are awfully bad, just puppets on a string.

This one is only made for hardcore fans of the genre. It could have been done better if longer footage would have been shown from every movie, particularly the older ones, as it would remind us of previous generations.

Also the comparisons with American politics (and, subsequently, gains/failures) is of no issue here, but is deliberately used to support the commercialisation of a product. Peope did like Superman because of the comics and the movies, not because of politics!!!

Only for hardcore fans.

Documentaries detailing the histories of superheroes, particularly Superman or Batman pop up every few years examining the character, its impact on pop culture and the paths of comic books as a genre. This title doesn't really break a ton of new ground in that way but it does perform a well-crafted update of this chapter in Superman's story culminating with the 2006 release of Bryan Singer's excellent "Superman Returns".

Featuring interviews with the comic book's writers, artists and editors as well as some famous fans, we get some good insight into what makes Superman compelling. Lots of attention is given to the film productions featuring of course touching pieces on the late Christopher Reeve and his doomed 50's TV counterpart, George Reeves. Personal note: I thought it was especially nice that both Noel Neill and Jack Larson (Tv's Lois and Jimmy) were interviewed side by side as I have become accustomed to seeing them. (Singer also used both actors in "Superman Returns". Way to go, Bry.) Aside from the film productions, changes in the comic book and the attempts at radio and of course the classic TV versions including Smallville are covered featuring interviews with virtually every living contributor they could track down including the elusive Jackie Cooper, Ilya Salkind, Richard Donner, Margot Kidder and of course, Neill and Larson. Other perspectives are given by comic book smartypants Mark Waid, Tongue jockey Gene Simmons, Luke Skywalker, Sci-fi grandfather Forrest Ackerman and Superman's current golden girl Annette O'Toole. The entire thing is ably narrated by a virtual unknown named Kevin Spacey who gets to refer to himself in the third person right towards the end.

This is a lot of good stuff. It's a rather in-depth retrospective on the iconic superhero and for my money the producers did an excellent job.

This documentary is perfect for anyone wanting to learn more about Earth's greatest hero. Whether they want to know more about the mythology behind the hero, the hero's creators, or his history in comics, movies, television or radio, "The Amazing Story of Superman" has it all.

Documentary master Ken Burns does a fantastic job exploring all of the aspects and mythos of Superman, beginning with the 1930s and going until the present day with the film release "Superman Returns." He explores who Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were, Superman in the proud Golden Age and the strange and not-so-proud Silver Age, and the current day. Burns does a superb job detailing the role that Superman has played in public over the years, and the different symbols he has stood for based on the current status of the country. He excels in making the audience realize that Superman in pop culture has had a very relevant place in society no matter if his popularity has wavered over the years.

The documentary is a high-quality work. Thanks to Burns, you will feel like you know everything about the hero once the film is finished.