A happy one to those who have one, or are one.
Motherhood is a bittersweet thing. Children leave the nest. It is the nature of children to grow up and go off on their own from the individual that they shared life with (especially in the symbiotic relationship of the first nine months, and thereafter increasingly non-symbiotic). It is the very nature of motherhood to include separation.
All that as the preamble to this scene from Superman: the Movie from 1978, directed by Richard Donner, who somehow managed to create something terrific out of the chaos of that production. I remember seeing this in theaters (actually a shortened version of this scene, as this is from the "Extended Cut") and tearing up, as the combination of sentiment, Geoffrey Unsworth's beautiful photography, the "epic" camera moves designed by Donner and camera operator Peter McDonald, John William's Copland-esque prairie score (the least bombastic thing about his music for the film), and the "spareness" of the scene, where so little is said and the content of it is almost comic in its understatement—Clark Kent basically "Tom Joads" but without the speechifying about "whenever you see a cop beating up a guy, I'll be there."
It wasn't necessary. It's all in the actors and the camera and the music, done with restraint but not cutting back on the emotion.
Tom Mankiewicz added a part in his version of the screenplay—the last one*—where Clark (because he can) brings in the wheat at super-speed, not leaving it to Ma and Ben Hubbard to do, but it was cut out—probably for budgetary reasons, but also because the moment should not be interrupted by a stunt. Leave a tender moment alone.
It's where you know that Donner is taking the project—for all its comic book origins—seriously, and more as myth than cartoons, imbuing it with so much homespun Americana that nobody dare laugh.
And as the capper (and a bit of fore-shadowing) he ends it with the camera leaving the wheat-field and vaulting to the sky.
One of the best scenes ever directed by Richard Donner...or just about anybody.
The Set-Up: Rocketed to Earth from the exploding planet Krypton, Kal-el—growing up as Clark Kent (Jeff East, but voiced by Christopher Reeve) is drawn to the ship that carried him (now stashed in the Kent barn), soon after the death of Jonathan Kent (Glenn Ford). Martha Kent (Phyllis Thaxter) starts another Kansas day to discover that her son is missing.
Action.
Note: the pictures don't exactly follow the action. As it plays out, it's a bit more organic.
83 BACK TO SCENE
They face each other for the final time, all emotion, both at a sudden loss for words.
Superman: The Movie
Words by Mario Puzo, David Newman, Leslie Newman and Robert Benton and Tom Mankiewicz
Pictures by Geoffrey Unsworth and Richard Donner
Superman: The Movie is available on DVD and Blu-Ray from Warner Home Video.
* Here's the scene before the Tom Mankiewicz revisions:
60 INT. KENT HOUSE - DAY The following morning.
MARTHA KENT. wearing her apron, stands at the foot of the stairs, calling up.
MARTHA Clark? Clark?
There is no answer. She starts up the stairs. We note how much she has aged.
CUT TO: 61 INT. HALLWAY, UPPER LANDING - DAY
She crosses to the door to Clark's bedroom.
MARTHA CLARK?
No answer. She opens the door, peers in.
HER POV: The room is empty.
ON MARTHA -- who enters. FOLLOW.
CUT TO: 62 INT. CLARK'S ROOM - DAY She crosses to the window and looks out.
CAMERA POSITIONED JUST BEHIND HER, OVER HER SHOULDER, ANGLE DOWN. ZOOM SLOWLY PAST HER To the solitary figure of Clark. He stands alone, out in the field, staring off toward the north.
CUT TO: 63 INT. KENT KITCHEN - DAY MED. SHOT: MARTHA KENT is sitting at the kitchen table, facing TOWARDS CAMERA, looking at photographs in the family album. Her eyes raise from the photographs; we know she senses he has entered, but she does not turn around.
CLARK (awkward, odd) Mom...
MARTHA (eyes front, voice flat) I know.
There is a palpable tension in the room: both people know what is happening and it is terribly hard for them. Both are trying desperately to keep in non-emotional and flat, for fear of breaking down.
CLARK I have to leave.
She still does not turn and face him; trying to keep control of herself.
MARTHA I knew there'd be this day. I guess I knew it from the minute you came to us.
He comes around to her side and touches her hair, thereby making her look up at him. her eyes fill with tears.
CLARK I talked to Ben Hubbard this morning. He'll be more than glad to bring in the crops on shares.
MARTHA He's a good man, Ben is. Your father always said so.
A long pause. It is difficult to say anything.
CLARK (emotionally) Mother...
MARTHA (she pats his hand) I know son, I know...
DISSOLVE TO: 64 EXT. KENT FARM - DAY MED. SHOT at the gate to the road. CLARK in windbreaker and slacks, has a rucksack at his side. MRS. KENT holds out a brown bag, the same kind she used to give him his school lunch in. The wind is blowing.
MARTHA I made you... (fighting back tears) ...some sandwiches.
(she hands them to him, then takes something from her apron pocket)
MARTHA And this...this is your father's
INSERT: Jonathan Kent's old-fashioned pocket watch. She Places it in CLARK'S hand.
CLOSER TWO SHOT
MARTHA You remember this?
CLARK, deeply moved, can only nod.
MARTHA He always wanted you to have it.
Silently, CLARK closes his hand around it. Then. stiffly, he turns away, opens the rucksack and puts the watch and the lunch bag inside.
INSERT: ON THE INTERIOR OF THE RUCKSACK: It glows with green light; inside are all the components and glowing stones and chips and discs seen earlier. He closes the bag. As we SEE this:
MARTHA (O.S.) Do you know where you're headed?
CLARK (O.S.) North. It's north
TWO SHOT: Unable to restrain it anymore, they reach ouch to each other and move into a tight hug.
MARTHA Keep warm now.
CLARK I will. They pull back from the embrace.
CLOSEUP MARTHA
MARTHA And remember us. Always remember us.
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