Book Reviews - Reference Books
The True Adventures of the World's Greatest Stuntman
Author: Vic Armstrong, Robert Sellers
Published by: Titan Books, London. (First Edition, May 2011)
Reviewed by: John G. Pierce
This book is the autobiography of Vic Armstrong, a British stuntman who has doubled for, among others, James Bond, Indiana Jones, and Superman. It is the fascinating account of an English boy who grew up around horses, and branched out from there to become a movie stuntman, stunt coordinator, second-unit director, and even director.
Along the way, he meets a lot of interesting individuals, some of whom have contributed tributes to him, which are interspersed at logical spots (mostly, anyway) throughout the book. Names such as Lord Attenborough, Kenneth Branagh, Pierce Brosnan, Harrison Ford (to whom the author bears an uncanny resemblance), Angelina Jolie, Sir Christopher Lee, George Lucas, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Martin Scorsese, and, among others, Steven Spielberg (who wrote the introduction), not only appear in the narrative but offer their personal reflections on Armstrong and his work.
In this book, we learn how numerous stunts (many of which will be familiar to devotees of action films) were performed, the great risks which were taken, injuries incurred, even, alas, on rare occasion deaths which occurred. Since much of Vic's work was done in the days before CGI (which he is not a great fan of) came to predominate, readers should come away with a tremendous appreciation of the extremely hard and dangerous work which has gone into the making of those thrills we see (and possibly have come to take for granted) up on the screen.
It's not a glamorous life, by any means, as we read about location shooting in primitive locations, political hotspots, difficult terrain, and often with uncooperative weather to deal with.
But since our interest here is primarily in Superman, let's focus on that. Vic devotes an entire chapter to the Man of Steel, recounting his adventures in doubling for Chris Reeve and others in many parts of the first two movies. His anecdotes are fascinating and at times humorous. Such as when he was one of the Kryptonians falling to his death in the destruction of Krypton scene, only to be asked by a cameraman if he could "fall slower" on the next take! Or of how Christopher Reeve (whom Armstrong describes as somewhat of a method actor) wanted to do his own stunt work in the scene in Superman II in which Superman is hurled into a car's window. After seeing Vic do it, Reeve changed his mind!
Vic's then-future wife Wendy also doubled Margot Kidder in some scenes, including the helicopter rescue sequence. Incidentally, the first time Superman flew in the movie (out of the Fortress), it was really Armstrong, obviously wearing a very convincing Reeve mask!
My own two favorite anecdotes come from the first film. In one, NYC streets were supposed to be cleared for a chase scene, but somehow one night watchman didn't get the word. He stepped out to read a newspaper, when "Suddenly screaming past him came all these cars, all machine guns blazing, with baddies in the front car firing back. They nearly knocked him over and he was last seen running for his life in the opposite direction."
And in the ending, Armstrong doubled Reeve in the scene in which Superman flies into the prison yard to deposit Lex Luthor. This was done on the backlot of Pinewood Studios, at 2 a.m., with a "monster crane" hired to lift Vic up into the air, as he was framed in a spotlight. "Suddenly I was aware of a car driving along the road at the back of the studio and then the squealing of tyres as it careered into a ditch. This guy had been minding his own business driving back home, seen me spot-lit floating in the sky, cape fluttering in the breeze and {yelled}, 'Bloody hell, it's Superman!' and crashed!"
Since the book was released just this year, it is quite up-to-date, mentioning his coordination work on The Green Hornet and Thor, and there are even references to the upcoming Spider-Man reboot.
My only real criticism of the book concerns Vic's writing style, such as it is. His sentence structure is often weak, with numerous run-ons and often strange punctuation. Also, he wrote in a sort of stream of consciousness technique. Every profanity, four-letter word, or "Jesus!" which passed through his mind, not to mention his own speech and that of others, seems to find its way into his narrative. Although a "with Robert Sellers" credit is present, it does seem as if the book could have used either a strong editor or a ghost-writer.
The text is augmented by sections of both color and black-white photographs. The volume is published by Titan Books, London. First Edition, May 2011. ISBN: 9781848568747.
Comic Book Novelizations:
The Death and Life of Superman
52: The Novel
Movie Novelizations:
Superman III
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
Non-Fiction/Reference Books:
The Gospel According to the World's Greatest Superhero
The Man From Krypton
The Original Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes - Volume 3: Superman
Superman on Film, Television, Radio and Broadway
Beyond Lois Lane
The DC Comics Action Figure Archive
Superman vs. Hollywood
Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman
Flights of Fantasy: The Unauthorized but True Story of Radio & TV's Adventures of Superman by Michael J. Hayde
Our Hero: Superman on Earth by Tom De Haven
Superman On Earth: Reflections of a Fan by Gary D. Robinson
DC Super Heroes: The Ultimate Pop-Up Book by Matthew Reinhart
The True Adventures of the World's Greatest Stuntman by Vic Armstrong
The Ages of Superman: Essays on the Man of Steel in Changing Times
Superman: The High-Flying History of America's Most Enduring Hero by Larry Tye
Superman is an Arab by Joumana Haddad
Superman is Jewish? by Harry Brod
100 Things Superman Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die by Joseph McCabe
Superman: The Persistence of an American Icon by Ian Gordon
DC: Women of Action by Shea Fontana
Stand-Alone/Solo Titles:
Superman: Last Son of Krypton
Superman: Miracle Monday
The Further Adventures of Superman
It's Superman! by Tom De Haven
DC Universe: Last Sons
DC Universe: Trail of Time
Last Days of Krypton by Kevin J. Anderson
Enemies & Allies by Kevin J. Anderson
DC Super-Pets! by Picture Window Books
Dear Justice League by Michael Northrop
Lois Lane Titles:
Fallout (Lois Lane) by Gwenda Bond
Double Down (Lois Lane) by Gwenda Bond
Triple Threat (Lois Lane) by Gwenda Bond
DC Icons Series Titles:
Superman: Dawnbreaker by Matt De La Pena
Smallville Titles:
Smallville: Strange Visitors
Smallville: Dragon
Smallville: Hauntings
Smallville: Whodunnit
Smallville: Shadows
Smallville: Silence
Smallville: Curse
Smallville: City
Smallville Young Adults Series:
Smallville: Arrival
Smallville: See No Evil
Smallville: Flight
Smallville: Animal Rage
Smallville: Speed
Smallville: Buried Secrets
Smallville: Greed
Smallville: Temptation
Smallville: Sparks
Justice League of America Titles:
JLA: Batman - The Stone King
JLA: Wonder Woman - Mythos
JLA: The Flash - Stop Motion
JLA: JLA - Exterminators
JLA: Green Lantern - Hero's Quest
JLA: Superman - The Never-Ending Battle
Superman Returns Titles:
Superman Returns: Strange Visitor
Superman Returns: Novelization
Superman Returns: Coming Home
Superman Returns: Earthquake in Metropolis!
Superman Returns: I am Superman!
Superman Returns: Be A Hero!
Superman Returns: Thank You, Superman!
Superman Returns: The Movie Storybook
Superman Returns: The Visual Guide
Superman Returns: The Official Movie Guide
Man of Steel Titles:
'Man of Steel' Children's Books