The Play of Fate in the Tragic Life of Christopher Reeve

Superman was released in the year of my birth, and I first watched it on television in my early childhood. At that time, I was "in love" with Superman and his piercing blue eyes that could read you like an X-ray. I asked my mother if he was a real Superman or an actor and if he really flew. Although she told me the truth that it was just acting, I still didn't want to believe it. I wanted to believe that there was someone who took justice into their own hands, that there was someone who did all those incredible things.

Christopher Reeve was born in 1952. He studied at the famous Julliard School for acting, where only he and Robin Williams were chosen for the advanced program. Besides being roommates, they were also close friends until the end of Christopher's life. Susan Sarandon would state that if Christopher Reeve hadn't passed away, perhaps Robin Williams would still be alive. Robin Williams helped Christopher Reeve financially after his paralysis. Comparing himself to Reeve, whom he called a shining prince, Williams said he himself was just a court jester, but that it didn't bother him.

When he auditioned for Superman, his friend William Hurt tried to stop him, believing it meant he would be selling out. After determining that none of the famous actors fit the role of Superman, the casting director decided to go with an unknown actor, but surround him with big names. Christopher had a complicated relationship with his father. When he told him he was chosen for Superman, his father wanted to celebrate with champagne. Christopher was surprised by the reaction because usually, nothing was good enough for him. But it soon turned out to be a misunderstanding. His father thought he had been chosen to act in George Bernard Shaw's play Man and Superman, but when he learned he was chosen to play a comic book character, it wasn't serious enough or academic enough for him.

Superman from 1978 is not just what we imagine a superhero film to be today. From this distance, the film still holds up artistically. Besides the convincing acting of Christopher, who was chosen from among 200 applicants and completely matched the image of Superman, the film also features legends like Marlon Brando, who played his father (and was paid $3 million for less than 20 minutes of screen time), Gene Hackman who played the villain Lex Luthor, and Terence Stamp, who played General Zod. The film's soundtrack (John Williams, known for Star Wars, Jaws, Indiana Jones, E.T.) is one of the most recognizable in film history, and the scenes with the planet Krypton, Superman's icy Fortress of Solitude, and Lex Luthor's hideout transport us into a magical world that manages to etch itself into the subconscious.

As the first significant superhero film, it laid the foundations for the entire genre. The visual iconography of Superman left a deep and lasting mark on pop culture.

Although Christopher Reeve appeared in three more Superman sequels, he nevertheless strove to establish himself as a serious actor with undeniable talent in serious roles. His more prominent roles include the romantic drama with science fiction elements Somewhere in Time (1980), directed by Jeannot Szwarc, where his co-star was Jane Seymour, with whom he genuinely fell in love during the filming. He successfully portrayed the character of an incurable romantic, ready even to go back in time for love, and depicted the deep suffering after losing true love.

Then came the thriller Deathtrap (1982), directed by Sidney Lumet, where he appeared alongside British icon Michael Caine. Caine's performance is perceived as theatrical, but this is part of the style of the work itself – which is based on a play by Ira Levin and deliberately retains that style. As a counterweight to Caine's theatricality, Christopher Reeve's acting appears more subtle. His choice to play a homosexual character after such great success with Superman, where he was already globally recognized as a symbol of masculinity, morality, and "purity," was also controversial. The kiss between Reeve and Caine (although very brief) caused a huge reaction, even negative publicity, and some Superman fans were shocked. This shows that he didn't just want to be an "icon," but an actor with integrity, prepared to broaden his range and challenge societal norms.

Next was the remake of Village of the Damned (1995), directed by John Carpenter, where he appeared alongside Kirstie Alley as a psychologist waging a moral battle with superior alien beings in the form of white-haired children who can kill with a look. The new version is visually, and also psychologically, superior to the original because it deals with the theme of non-acceptance of the "other" and the dehumanization and isolation of society. This film is relevant even today as we ask ourselves how much we can accept and how to deal with new generations fallen into apathy and disrespect for old moral values.

He then appeared in Above Suspicion (1995), directed by Steven Schachter, which was his last film before his accident where he became paralyzed from the neck down after falling from a horse. As an irony of fate, in this very film, he plays a paralyzed police officer – life imitates art, doesn't it? – alongside Kim Cattrall, in the role of his wife, who cheats on him with his brother.

After his accident, although he could only move his neck, he appeared in the remake of Rear Window (1998), directed by Jeff Bleckner, alongside Daryl Hannah who is his partner in his voyeurism. Watching this film, one gets the impression of watching a documentary about people living with paralysis, and many excerpts were used in the documentary about Christopher Reeve. As an advocate for improving the quality of life for people with paralysis, who formed a foundation through which many changes were achieved, this film was likely made on his initiative and as a platform through which to present the challenges and difficulties they face daily. His appearance at the Oscars in 1996 in a wheelchair was a courageous act of a man who was not ashamed of his condition and did not make it taboo, and it was the first time a paralyzed person appeared on the most important film stage in the world, thereby becoming a symbol of strength and dignity. He used his condition to be the face and voice for others in a similar situation.

His incredible life story makes us ponder whether there is such a thing as fate, whether he provoked fate by playing such a powerful man, and because of that, experienced a great twist of destiny – one day known as the strongest man in the world, and then suffering an accident and spending the last years of his life powerless and completely dependent on others and 24-hour care. It also makes us think about America's and Western society's obsession with superheroes and how justified it is. We all want a superhero to appear and solve all our problems and injustices, but unfortunately, none have appeared; we are left to ourselves, and the fight is in our hands. Reeve, with all his life's struggle, not only surpassed his physical limits but also became a symbol of resistance and refusal to accept reality. Watching his life after the accident raises the question of whether true strength lies not in physical power, but in the inner strength to face challenges and overcome them. The strength to continue fighting, even when it seems all is lost.

Author: Leni Geleva, photographer, is one of the most important names in contemporary Macedonian photography and an important voice in the domestic visual identity. She has worked on films, and participated in dozens of group and solo exhibitions over the past two decades. She is a passionate film fan, which spills over into her film criticism.