Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is a documentary feature from Passion Pictures and Misfits Entertainment. The film recounts the story of Christopher Reeve, his rise from unknown actor to iconic movie star, and his near-fatal horse-riding accident in 1995 that left him paralyzed from the neck down.
After becoming a quadriplegic, Reeve became a leader and activist in the quest to find a cure for spinal cord injuries. The feature includes never-before-seen home movies and a trove of personal archive material, as well as extended interviews with his three children.
Ilan Eshkeri composed original music for the feature and says the initial challenge was to get out from under the seminal John Williams theme that is so tied to the Superman films.
"It was clear that this story was about Christopher and not about Superman," Eshkeri relates, "and I had to find his theme, not a new theme for Superman. The music had to work side by side with the Williams theme, so I blended traditional Hollywood scoring with synths and intimate, avant-garde string techniques to capture the nuances of his transformation — from an actor known for playing a hero, to someone who, in real life, came to symbolize courage and resilience."
Scoring a documentary presents a unique challenge, Eshkeri explains. Whereas a piece of fiction leaves room to push the boundaries of emotion, a documentary's score should not leave the audience feeling manipulated.
"Striking the right emotional tone, musically and narratively, is a very fine line and is crucial to the success of the film," says Eshkeri. "I spent many hours with the directors and the editor in the studio and the edit suite, refining the score so that it complemented the film’s emotional arc with honesty whilst still opening the door for the audience to connect deeply with the story."
While he thought having his music sitting side-by-side with the iconic Superman theme was going to be the biggest challenge, in reality, it was getting the emotional temperature correct that was, in fact, the most challenging aspect of the project.
"After meeting the Reeve family, I asked if they felt like I had captured some of their experience in the music," he reveals. "Their positive response meant a great deal to me. It was the greatest compliment I could have hoped for."