"WRITER'S CUT": A collection of previously-published posts that have been thoroughly reexamined and re-edited by yours truly. (The following piece was originally posted on June 30, 2014.)
The conventional view of comic-books, particularly of superheroes, consists of the battle between good and evil, the hero and the villain, the right and the wrong. In the early twentieth century, superheroes (including but not limited to Superman) were seen as mere perfect and extraordinary characters that were too great and too mighty to be taken seriously--apart from, of course, saving various people in the fantastical adventures that readers would escape into.
In the late-1930s, graphic artist Bob Kane and co-writer Bill Finger were inspired to create a character that was based in reality. Kane's influences consisted of Leonardo Da Vinci's diagram of a flying machine known as the ornithopter, and popular masked figures like Zorro and the Shadow. Thus, the "Bat-man" and his alter ego Bruce Wayne were born.
In recent decades, various artists and writers have done more than provide escapism for comic-book readers. They've helped form and develop a modern mythology full of characters dealing with real situations. Many of today's filmmakers, from Sam Raimi to Christopher Nolan, have followed suit. But prior to the late-1980s, a young Indiana University alum named Michael E. Uslan had long dreamed of producing a "definitive, dark," and serious Batman film, as Kane had intended from the character's inception.
Following his debut in 1939, Batman found his way into serials of the 1930s and 1940s. However, his popularity would decline in the mid-1950s, due to the nation’s belief that comic books were brainwashing children. As a result, the character radically shifted to lighter, more cheesy, fare in the 1960s with the popular television series starring Adam West and Burt Ward.
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| Batman's debut in Detective Comics, Issue No. 27 |
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| Adam West and Burt Ward |
"Is There A Six-Foot Bat In Gotham City?"
The legacy of DC Comics in film became widely successful with the release of Superman in 1978. Directed by Richard Donner and starring a then-unknown Christopher Reeve, it was the first movie of its kind that gave audiences a glimpse at what a cinematic superhero could be. It featured a compelling and captivating story with an A-list cast and enough spectacle and action to spare. It would take ten years for Batman to officially follow the Man of Steel's lead. In the mean time, writer and artist Frank Miller released his graphic novels, "The Dark Knight Returns" and “Batman: Year One," which helped change the public's perceptions of Batman by harkening back to Kane’s original intention a “dark vigilante,” thus paving the way for what was to come.
Shot in Pinewood Studios in London, Batman took full advantage of minimal effects and practical sets, including a haunting Gotham City and slick Batmobile. Late production designer Anton Furst succeeded by echoing back to the classic serials and expressionism of the Thirties and Fourties. With an up-and-coming Tim Burton (fresh off of the Warner-produced Pee-Wee's Big Adventure) in the director's chair, Batman unsurprisingly faced numerous controversies, particularly with the casting of Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne. (Keaton had been known for comedic roles like Mr. Mom and Night Shift, and had headlined Burton's previous film Beetlejuice.)
To reduce such negative speculation (and to prove that it wasn’t another campy rendition), a 90-second trailer of the film was shown in theaters in the fall of 1988, much to the surprise of audiences and fans. The advertising campaign (featuring the newly-refined and now-iconic bat symbol) became a phenomenon, as well as an unprecedented marketing connection between the comic-book and film industries. Still, there was some concern from theater owners, who wondered if the film was going to be too dark.
Upon its release in the summer of 1989, the film was a mega hit. It is dark and brooding, to be sure, and should not be taken lightly. (It could've done without some of the Prince tracks, especially during the end credits.) And even though it does spend more time with Jack Nicholson’s unforgettable performance as the Joker--and lest we forget a couple of controversial third-act scenes--it does (more than the other movies in the original series, courtesy Burton and Joel Schumacher) tap into the mystery, trauma and darkness of Bruce Wayne.
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| Gotham City |
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| "Duel of the Freaks" |
"I Made You, You Made Me"
Looking closely at the film's various elements (imperfect as they may be) in recent years, I find the story to be effective and thoroughly riveting. In fact, one could argue that it follows a brilliant three-act structure, holding its own alongside other brilliantly-made blockbusters of the time (1985's Back to the Future, 1988's Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and soon 1990's Home Alone).
The opening credit sequence (zooming through the aforementioned Bat emblem against Danny Elfman's chilling and powerful score) foreshadows the darkness and mystery ahead, as the world of Gotham City is presented in all its blackness and corruption, and the mysterious figure who stalks and scares criminals in the shadows.
Politicians and authorities are introduced, including Commissioner Gordon (the late Pat Hingle) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Lando Calrissian himself, Billy Dee Williams), dedicated to cleaning up the crime waves of the city. There are the police, particularly the dirty cops, who are aware of the news of the "Batman". There are the crime lords, including mob boss Carl Grissom (the late Jack Palance), and his right hand man Jack Napier (Nicholson) who eventually becomes the Joker.
There's also reporter Alexander Knox (Robert Wuhl), who searches high and low for a story on the masked vigilante, and celebrated photographer Vicki Vale (Kim Basinger) who arrives in Gotham, intrigued by stories of the "Bat". And, of course, there's the rich, neurotic, enigmatic, and traumatic Bruce Wayne (Keaton), who, like Charles Foster Kane, you want to know, but can't.
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