Superman Films

"Terence Stamp — General Zod"

"[A cat burglar is climbing up the side of a building. He looks up and sees Superman standing there] Hi there. Something wrong with the elevator?"

"Then, if this is what you wish, if you intend to live your life with a mortal, you must live as a mortal. ~ Lara"

"Non, you are as without thought as you are without voice. ~ Kryptonian Councilmember"

"What kind of a backwards planet is this, where the fighting men wear jewelry and ribbons?"

"Look- they need machines to fly!"

"General Zod does not take orders! He gives them."

"If the whole planet is watching, cannot we show them something more interesting?"

"I have powers beyond reason here!"

"[to Superman] And now, finally- take my hand, swear eternal loyalty... to Zod."

"Come to me, son of Jor-El! Kneel before Zod!"

"I see you are practiced in worshipping things that fly."

"[referring to the President] And he will answer to me! Or all of his cities shall end up like this one!"

"I win! I always win. Is there no one on this planet to even challenge me?!"

"[after shooting himself, unharmed] Crude noisemaker."

"I like the glow. It flashes red, like the Krypton sun. But not this disturbing noise. Make way!"

"So this is planet Houston. A very strange surface!"

"The vote must be unanimous Jor-El. It has therefore now become your decision. You alone will condemn us if you wish... and you alone with be held responsible by me. You will bow down before me, Jor-El! I swear it! No matter that it takes an eternity! YOU WILL BOW DOWN BEFORE ME! BOTH YOU AND THEN ONE DAY... YOUR HEIRS!"

"Think of it. Three… count them, three supervillains! Each one with the powers of Superman! They'll need a contact here on Earth! Someone with the same wonderful contempt for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness!"

"Harry Andrews - 2nd Elder"

"Sarah Douglas - Ursa"

"Marc McClure - Jimmy Olsen"

"Jeff East - Young Clark Kent"

"Susannah York - Lara"

"Phyllis Thaxter - Martha Kent"

"Terence Stamp - General Zod"

"Maria Schell - Vond-Ah"

"Valerie Perrine - Eve Teschmacher"

"Jack O'Halloran - Non"

"Trevor Howard - 1st Elder"

"Glenn Ford - Jonathan Kent"

"Jackie Cooper - Perry White"

"Ned Beatty - Otis"

"Margot Kidder - Lois Lane"

"Christopher Reeve - Superman/Clark Kent/Kal-El"

"Gene Hackman - Lex Luthor"

"Marlon Brando - Jor-El"

"[from trailer] Once there was a civilisation much like ours, but with greater intelligence, greater powers, and a greater capacity for good. In one tragic moment, that world was destroyed. But there was one survivor. Because of the wisdom and compassion of Jor-El, because he knew the human race had the capacity for goodness, he sent us his only son. His name is Kal-El. He will call himself Clark Kent. But the world will know him... as Superman."

"Look, up on the screen! It's Superman!"

"The movie that makes a legend come to life."

"You'll Believe a Man Can Fly!"

"It was Tom Mankiewicz. I had known him since he graduated Yale as an "intellectual writer" who found himself writing James Bond [with his scripts for the 1970s films "Diamonds Are Forever", "Live and Let Die" and "The Man with the Golden Gun"] but always wanted to write something that was going to change the world. When we read what we had and we got permission for rewrite, I approached Tom and told him I was looking for two things: One, we have to convince the audience that a guy can really fly; the other is that this has to be a love story. The minute he heard that, he cottoned to it and decided to make the movie. I have a little cutout of Superman, it shows him flying in the cloud, and he was dragging a word on his cape: Verisimilitude. It came from Tom. We wanted to do this — and it's a comic book, but it had to have its own sense of reality. You don't parody it. That was the most important decision."

"Desk Sergeant: [on seeing a boat in the middle of the street and Superman flying off] Mooney, first bottle's on me, let me get my hat."

"Miss Teschmacher: Why is it I can't get it on with the good guys?"

"Boy: [opening narration] In the decade of the 1930s, even the great city of Metropolis was not spared the ravages of the worldwide depression. In the times of fear and confusion the job of informing the public was the responsibility of the Daily Planet. A great metropolitan newspaper, whose reputation for clarity and truth had become a symbol of hope for the city of Metropolis."

"[to Clark] Hey, dork. Jimmy Olsen."

"Lois, Clark Kent may seem like just a mild-mannered reporter, but listen, not only does he know how to treat his editor-in-chief with the proper respect, not only does he have a snappy, punchy prose style, but he is, in my forty years in this business, the fastest typist I've ever seen."

"There's a strong streak of good in you, Superman. But then nobody's perfect...almost nobody."

"You were great in your day, Superman. But it just stands to reason, when it came time to cash in your chips, this old "diseased maniac" would be your banker. Mind over muscle?"

"Some can read War and Peace and come away thinking it's an adventure story. Others can open the wrappers of chewing gum and unlock the secrets of the universe."