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75 Years of Batman

by | Dec 20, 2014 | Arts and Entertainment

By Chad Alexander, Fredericksburg.Today contributing writer.

Seventy-five years ago, Bob Kane and Bill Finger created the Bat-Man, a superhero crime fighter who fights against a rogues’ gallery of villains. He first appeared in 1939 in a six-page Detective Comics story titled “The Case of the Criminal Syndicate!” In honor of Dark Knight’s anniversary, I’d like to take a look back at the Batman films, beginning with Batman.

Directed by Tim Burton, Batman was released on June 23, 1989, and went on to generate over $500 million in ticket sales (adjusted for inflation). At the time, the film was the fifth highest grossing film in history, and it placed Tim Burton in high regard as an established director.

Burton is the master of the strange. He is the champion for those who have been the freak in the crowd. His stories instill in all of us that we may be different, but there is something comforting about being weird. Dressing up as a bat and fighting crime is certainly weird. I believe Burton translates Batman to the screen well because Batman is a little “off.” Batman has issues. The murder of his parents, his relationships and his Bruce Wayne persona all give the story a certain human emotional core.

Let’s look at the film from a critical perspective. I look at movies using four aspects: Acting, Sound Design, Cinematography and Set Design/Location Scouting (in no particular order).

Acting
The acting in Batman remains serious without being campy or overly dramatic. It also doesn’t try to be hammy with jokes or go too dark. Michael Keaton as Batman is my definition of this iconic superhero. The staccato delivery of some of his lines or the way he goes “nuts” in front of Joker make the film enjoyable. Jack Nicholson as Joker is still awesome, even when compared to Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight. His Joker portrayal is fueled by revenge, anger and downright silliness. In this film, Joker doesn’t have a master plan to bring Batman down: he just wants to kill people. And Batman has to stop him.

Sound
From the soaring score of Danny Elfman to the satisfying swoosh of the Batarang, Batman’s sound design is great. Minor details such as the sound pollution of Gotham City or the way the armor spreads across the Batmobile give the movie layers. The combat sound effects aren’t varied as they should be with biffs, bams, and booms, much like the 1960’s TV show. Although, Batman uses his smarts rather than his fists in this version, so my complaint is minor.

Cinematography
One of my favorite scenes in the film is when Joker meets up with Carl Grissom. The room is dark, the Joker is hiding in the shadows, and Carl is trying to figure out who is there. I love how Batman glides in this film. Every scene where he busts through a window or clears smoke feels like a comic book; it is all very staged, but artistic.

Sets/Locations
When researching the film, I found out that Warner Brothers actually built a miniature Gotham City. The film certainly shows this level of detail. The gothic architecture takes a note from 1930s noir films, but it emphasizes a corrupt world where the rich live in splendor in high rises, while the poor live in the filth of the streets. It is a familiar, but strange world.

Should you watch Batman? Absolutely. It cemented Tim Burton’s reputation as a capable director, made Michael Keaton Batman and created the template for many other superhero films to follow.

Tune in next week when I review Batman Returns. Same Bat time…same Bat channel!

For more Batman, see these:

Batman (1989) Original Trailer

Batman: A Visual History

21 Things You Might Not Know About Tim Burton’s Batman

1989 Batman

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