Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s Christopher Reeve’s Superman costume from the 1978 Superman - The Movie. It’s one of two famous outfits Moyse’s Hall Museum has for Bury St Edmunds’ eighth annual Sci-fi and Action exhibition.
Pre-Spandex, Christopher Reeve - who refused to wear a muscle suit - was trained by David Prowse, aka Darth Vader, so he’d look the part in it.
Joining it on show will be Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator outfit from James Cameron’s Terminator 2 - Judgment Day and the costume worn by Kristanna Loken’s TX in Terminator 3 - Rise of the Machines, the franchise’s first ever female terminator; alongside her prop TX cyborg arm which was created by the legendary Stan Winston Studios.
“Bury St Edmunds Sci-fi exhibition has grown in reputation and appeal year after year, so for our eight-year celebration, we knew we needed something special,” says Lance Alexander, St Edmundsbury Borough Council’s heritage operations manager.
“Superman’s original costume is perhaps the most iconic movie costume of all time and it would be hard to think of anyone, any age, the world over who would not be able to tell you exactly what this costume is and who wore it.
“Likewise, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s classic black leather motorcycle costume has become a revered pop culture icon and people can see it in full detail including the heavy studio distressing of bullet holes and rips in the back of the jacket.
“As pieces of movie history, these are amazing additions to the exhibition and a must-see for sci-fi and action movie fans.”
The event will feature more than 100 items of memorabilia from the world of sci-fi and action, special guests, original costumes, prop replicas, artwork, comics and more. Running October 22-November 13, visitors during the opening weekend can also meet Star Wars master prop maker Brian Muir and Phoenix James, who played a First Order Stormtrooper in several key scenes in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
There will also be costume characters, face-painting, refreshments available in the themed Cantina Bar, quizzes, activities and merchandise.
One of this year’s themes is “look sir, droids” which celebrates 40 years of the start of filming of Star Wars. The other looks at the darker side of comics, marking 30 years since the release of Batman – the Dark Knight Returns, which changed the way we read about superheroes and influenceds modern day film adaptations. It’s also the 30th anniversary of the Alien saga and the 50th anniversary of the Star Trek franchise.
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