On screen, Princeton’s Christopher Reeve was the Man of Steel.
When he became paralyzed after a riding accident, he took on a new role: advocating for the rights of people with disabilities.
Reeve’s journey will be the focus of “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story,” a documentary coming to theaters in September.
The film, directed by Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui (“McQueen,” “Rising Phoenix”), follows Reeve’s life and career, from his rise in the Superman films to his 1995 accident that left him with a spinal cord injury and paralyzed from the neck down, and his work with the Christopher Reeve Foundation – later renamed the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation after his wife Dana (a Teaneck native) died of lung cancer in 2006 at age 44.
Reeve died in 2004 at the age of 52, but his voice can be heard throughout the Warner Bros. film – a co-production of DC, HBO and CNN – and in the trailer for the documentary released Monday.
“What is a hero?” Reeve asks in the film. “My answer was that a hero is someone who does a brave act without thinking about the consequences. Now my definition is completely different. I think a hero is an ordinary person who finds the strength to persevere and persevere despite overwhelming odds.”
His children Matthew Reeve, Alexandra Reeve Givens and Will Reeve were interviewed for the documentary, as were actors Glenn Close and Susan Sarandon. The film also covers Reeve’s friendship with Robin Williams, his roommate and fellow student at the Juilliard School.
“The fact that Superman was in a wheelchair and was willing to go public with it was amazing,” Close says in the trailer about Reeve, who, along with Dana Reeve, dedicated himself to the treatment and research of spinal cord injuries at the Short Hills-based foundation.
“Our father is our hero and we are touched that millions of people around the world see him the same way across generations,” Reeves’ children said in a statement.
“We are proud and thrilled to share ‘Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story’ with fans who loved the Superman films, who were inspired by his courage after his spinal cord injury, who were moved by his enduring love story with our mother/stepmother Dana, or anyone who could use a hero right now. This documentary is a story of perseverance, commitment, love, family, bravery, tragedy, triumph, hope and so much more. Most of all, it is a story of humanity, embodied by an ordinary man who found the strength to persevere and persevere despite overwhelming odds.”
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story will be released in theaters on Saturday, September 21 and Wednesday, September 25, Reeve’s birthday. For ticket information, visit Fathom Events: fathomevents.com/events/super-man-the-christopher-reeve-story
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Amy Kuperinsky can be reached at [email protected] and followed at @AmyKup.
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