Batman Returns: Scene by Scene

[Homer J. Fong]

[FONT=&quot]11. Snatched and Recovered
[/FONT]
(Running time: 0:33:48 - 0:40:22)

The Rundown
The Penguin stages a kidnapping-and-rescue of the Mayor’s baby during a press conference, announcing his presence to the world and quickly winning over the hearts and minds of Gotham. Seemingly determined to prove that this Penguin is not the sympathetic figure he appears to be, Bruce does some digging into the past of the Red Triangle Circus gang, and, as Batman, some spying on Penguin’s research in the Hall of Records.

The Review
It’s interesting that there’s as much of a question as there is as to how much The Penguin and his actions are sincere and how much is manipulative, or villainous. It’s interesting because this movie really isn’t a mystery, and we have some knowledge that some characters (for instance, Batman) don’t; we’ve seen Max meet The Penguin, and we know that it’s no coincidence when Thin Clown takes the Mayor’s child and The Penguin brings it back so gallantly. As things go on, though, you the viewer find yourself surveying the character, looking into his eyes trying to parse out the truthfulness of his emotion from the gruesomeness of his malevolence. Burton’s famous penchant for the outsider, his deep empathy with the societal outcast, is hugely on display with the Penguin character; we’ve seen him sending his circus gang to terrorize a festive holiday ceremony, we’ve seen him blackmail, in a particularly (gleefully) nasty way, and this scene ends with him suspiciously working on something in the Hall of Records, but even so, when an obsession turns on in Bruce to unearth all the skeletons in his sewer, we want him to do that, because he’s Batman and he’s brilliant and everything…but we also kind of side with Alfred (wise, wise Alfred) when he says, “Must you be the only lonely man-beast in town?”

The Rest
-I remember the shot where Bruce is watching Oswald on TV, with Alfred decorating the tree off in the background, being the first time I saw a rack focus, or at least I found out what a rack focus was through that scene.

-There’s something iconic about Keaton’s delivery or timing on that, “I think he knows who his parents are. There’s something else,” line. Not in the way, say, the image of Batman crashing through the museum skylight is iconic – that’s a big, dynamic image – but there’s a nice strength and trustworthiness to it.

-I love the imagery of the Batmobile cruising through the snow, the streets unusually empty around him; as Burton says it on his commentary, "he's kind ofaccepted, but nobody's rushing out to say, 'Hi!'" It is absolutely my favorite idea of the character - he is The Dark Knight; he'll never be publicly celebrated, but that doesn't matter, it's not about that, he'll always be around to keep evil at bay.

-Shreck has a line coming up in his meeting with Bruce, "Oswald is Gotham's new golden boy. If his parents hadn't 86'd him, you two might've been bunkies at prep school," and there's an angle here that's probably not quite explored enough, of Oswald and Bruce being the enemies, rather than Batman and The Penguin. That's something that will be explicit in the next film, though, with Bruce and his supervillain stalker-secret/not-so-secret admirer Edward Nygma.

 

[The Navigator]

Keep going, youse.

 

[batpirisss]

Only on the hype.

 

[Homer J. Fong]

Okay, so I'm not so disciplined with these, but I do finish what I start. I'm going to try to go through the rest of the film relatively quickly.

12. "I Have a Name!"

(Running time: 0:40:23 - 0:42:59)

The Rundown
The Penguin visits the site of his parents’ graves, then meets the mob of surrounding press and announces, “A penguin is a bird that cannot fly! I am a man. I have a name. Oswald Cobblepot.” He appears to have made peace with his parents and their disposal of him.

The Review
It’s been a long time since I’ve been really moved and taken by a Danny Elfman score, but when he was at his peak, when you have a visual storyteller like Burton and a musical storyteller like Elfman teaming on…well, let’s say Batman Returns as that is the topic of conversation here – the results are often, dare I say, transcendent. Elfman is basically writing a symphony with his Batman Returns score. There’s an argument to be made that he overscores things, but for me, that’s what this movie needs. The images are operatic, so the music should be too. I can’t say that, when we see The Penguin – pardon, Oswald Cobblepot – walking to and from his parents’ graves, that Elfman carries the day, because there’s more to it than that. But the score there does leap out at you and tug at those heartstrings, and it isn’t intrusive, but beautiful.

The poignancy of that moment is earned because we opened this film with Oswald’s birth and subsequent dismissal by his parents. Since then, we’ve seen him make a possibly-sincere plea to Shreck that all he wants is to recover his humanity, and a similar statement on television. Max Shreck is the villain of this story, not The Penguin (and not Catwoman, but more on her soon). If you’re familiar with the Tim Burton canon before seeing Batman Returns, you sympathize with him even more, particularly as this movie comes right after Edward Scissorhands. Here we have another painfully relatable Tim Burton Outcast (he patented that, right?). Everything The Penguin is and does stems from being an orphan. His family didn’t want him. Unconditional love? What’s that? Means nothing. When you make your supervillain more human, you run the risk of making them less imposing, but that risk needs to be taken. Oswald’s a beautifully drawn character in this film (and Danny De Vito gives one of, if not the, best performance of his career). He too has used his childhood pain and turned into something that’s kind of grotesque, but unlike Bruce, his solution is chaos and destruction. His surrogate family isn’t that anymore, they’re henchmen, and he seems to regard them as servants more than anything else.

I’m straying, but in this scene, The Penguin declares his name: “A penguin is a bird that cannot fly! I am a man. I have a name! Oswald Cobblepot!” To draw another parallel – possibly strained, but let’s see – between Penguin and Batman, Oswald here is begging to be called Oswald, he wants the public to know his human identity. Whereas Bruce is almost always enveloped in Batman, the fierce, animalistic side of himself, and that’s the identity that the public knows better. “Bruce Wayne” isn’t J.D. Salinger-level recluse, but he doesn’t get out much. One is submerging himself in the creature, the other trying to build his humanity.

The Rest
-The Penguin places a (dead) rose on the grave of each of his parents, mirroring Bruce placing the two roses on the spot where his parents were shot, in the first film. Probably unintentional, but I love that touch.

-“I was their number one son, and they treated me like number two.” I despise puns, but I do like that line.

-“They freaked” sounds maybe a little too modern, but then, there are some contemporary references in Burton’s movies: the American Express quote in the first scene of Batman, the Ted Bundy shoutout later…

-“He’s like a frog that became a prince!” “No, he’s more like a penguin.” Funny straightforward obliviousness on the second line there. And that’s Elizabeth Sanders, the onetime Mrs. Bob Kane, delivering that first line.



[FONT=&quot]13. "Hear Me Roar."
[/FONT]
(Running time: 0:43:00 - 0:44:07)

The Rundown
The much yummier Selina Kyle stops a thug assaulting a woman in an alley – by way of a little game of tic-tac-toe – but not without calling her out on “waiting for some Batman to save you,” announcing the presence of Catwoman. Hero? Villain? Psychotic? Who knows? Hear her roar.

The Review
This is a little tease of a scene, giving us a quick first look at Catwoman. What a first impression it is. This is no light, mischievous bank robbery introduction. This Catwoman isn’t a coy, merry anti-hero rule-breaker. She’s a feminist avenger, and a pretty scary one. The part that carries more meaning or impact isn’t her taking down the brute man, it’s her cornering the woman playing victim: “You make it so easy, don’t you? Always waiting for some Batman to save you? I am Catwoman. Hear me roar.” Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman is a force to be reckoned, and here she’s throwing down the gauntlet, not just to the male criminals but also to the women playing helpless.



14. Gentleman's Disagreement

(Running time: 0:44:08 – 0:48:26)

The Rundown
Bruce Wayne takes a break from brooding in his cave to have a business meeting, going toe to toe with Max Shreck about his power plant plans and his relationship to “crime boss” Oswald Cobblepot. Interrupting the proceedings is the return of Selina Kyle, and Bruce is immediately taken by her.

The Review
This is the first time we see Bruce actually acting as the head of Wayne Enterprises. In most incarnations, there are the three personalities of Batman (the creature of the night superhero), Bruce (Batman without the costume, basically – the person he really is), and “Bruce Wayne” (the playboy philanthropist public face). The Tim Burton Batman movies don’t have that third “Bruce Wayne” persona, because this iteration was a reclusive eccentric in too deep as the Batman, a tragic figure who can’t quite connect to other people. The plot needs us to see a bit of Bruce Wayne the businessman right now, though, mainly to meet Selina. That aside, seeing Bruce and Max face each other down is really enjoyable. Christopher Walken just brings it (as if he ever doesn’t bring it) in every second he’s onscreen.

Bruce: Course, I don’t have a crime boss like Cobblepot in my corner, so it might –

Max: Crime boss? Shows what you know, Mister! To the manor born with a silver spoon. Oswald is Gotham’s new golden boy. If his parents hadn’t 86’d him, you two might’ve been bunkies at prep school!

^There we have it, the movie coming right out and telling us that these are two men who were born into the same kind of world, but (by force) ended up going down totally different paths. After this, Returns doesn’t do anything so obvious with that compare-contrast of Bruce and Oswald. You have to read between the lines with this film a lot of the time to really get all of the thematic complexity, but that’s good, it’s refreshing.

I really love this scene. We have here two – and then three – great actors, fair to say all at the top of their game, playing, exchanging witty, insightful dialogue that tells us just enough. “Power surplus? Bruce…shame on you, no such thing. One can never have too much power. If my life has a meaning, that’s the meaning” (one of the great Walken deliveries) and “Mayors come and go. Blue bloods tire easy. You think you can go 15 rounds with Muhammad Shreck?” are not subtle in the slightest, but those lines work, and then once Selina comes in, Daniel Waters’ dialogue for the rest of the scene sparkles further. And it is Daniel Waters dialogue – no one else is writing the line, “And the name of the boy who noticed was Ricky Friedberg. [beat] He’s dead now.” (Hilarious, by the way.) The elevator gag – “I’m listed” “I’m tempted” “I’m working” “I’m leaving!” – is right out of a screwball romantic comedy. No comic book costumes, no special effects, just a solid scene of these three interacting.

The Rest
-Bruce: I mistook me for someone else.

Selina: You mean mistook me.

Bruce: Isn’t that what I said?

Selina: No, I don’t think so.

^It’s a little on the nose, but that’s a funny exchange.

-“Did you injure yourself…on that ski slope? Is that why you cut short your vacation?” Yeah, that look of deadly intensity really sells the lie there, Max, very natural. You’re lucky Bruce is too distracted by Selina to notice.



15. The Candidate

(Running time: 0:48:27 – 0:54:02)

The Rundown
Max visits Oswald with a very emphatic proposition that he run for Mayor.

The Review
De Vito really does commit, doesn’t he? He is all in, whether feasting on that raw fish that Shreck presents him with like so much catnip (he even teases Oswald and makes him jump a little for it), or biting off a piece of a guy’s nose. By the way, is it wrong that I find that hilarious? Probably, but so what? The horrified parents of 1992 would have you believe that moments like that scarred the children of America. I was 3 when BR came out – I may have been a little older when I first saw it, but not much – and it didn’t scar me. Not in a bad sense, anyway. To enjoy something like that “my nose could be gushing blood!” moment, rather than being horrified by it, you need to have a twisted sense of humor and an appreciation of great black comedy. I do, and it’s one of those little things that says “Batman Returns” to me. This movie doesn’t pull its punches. The performance of Mr. De Vito is ample demonstration of that.

The previous scene was funny, but this one’s comic gold. I love that this gothic superhero fable is unexpectedly making room now for political plotting and satire of the whole ‘90s election scene, image consultants and all. All the humor of this scene is there in that shot where Max, back to camera but facing the crowd, proclaims, “Let’s make a Mayor!” right after the whole nose-biting incident and the chaos in the room.

Batman Returns has always been criticized for a plot that doesn’t develop well or that keeps changing. First it’s about the power plant, then The Penguin’s running for Mayor, then he’s just gonna blow Gotham up…that kind of thing. But this development with the Mayoral bid does make sense. I don’t know that it gels so well with Shreck just said about Mayors not mattering, but if you ignore that, it makes perfect sense that he’s in this to manipulate Oswald into becoming Mayor so that he can get a tighter grip on Gotham more easily. And apparently what really seals the deal in the way of manipulation is promising “unlimited poontang.”

The Rest
-I’ve always wanted a spiral staircase. They seem potentially irritating, but also neat.

-“Yes, adulation is a cross to bear. God knows I know.” Shreck just has to find a way to build himself up too.

-“Our research tells us that voters like fingers.”

-“I’d like to fill her void.” Man, Oswald is way horny! He did grow up in the sewers, though, so there’s that.

-I probably don’t want to know what the “French flipper trick” is.

-“Okay, Max, I’ll be Mayor.” I love the simplicity of that.

 

[Smalley]

Yay!!!!!

 

[Brain Damage]

I can agree when someone says Batman'89 is more Batman than Burton...because Burton is a single person. He is an artist with a style. On the other hand I simply cannot agree that Batman Returns is more Burton than Batman.

There's no such thing as "less Batman." Batman is not a single person or even a one shot book character with a definitive style. He is a character that can be interpreted thousands, nay, millions of ways. Is Batman'66 more Adam West than Batman? Is Dark Knight Returns more Frank Miller than Batman? Such distinctions are simply impossible to make.

No, but I would say its safe to say All Star Batman is more Frank Miller than Batman.

Batman Returns is my favorite Batman film along with The Dark Knight, but for completely different reasons.

Could not agree more.

Also Homer, I love your signature t:

 

[marvelrobbins]

Great Thread.Batman Returns Is my favorate of prenolan films.My Third favorate
Batman film and number 7 on my top 10 Comic Book films of all time.

 

[Homer J. Fong]

16. Carnival of Chaos

(Running time: 0:54:03 - 0:55:42)

The Rundown
The Red Triangle gang give Gotham the “catalyst” that Shreck requested, and “carnival of chaos” is indeed the perfect description for what ensues until Batman shows up and systematically takes down each member of the gang…well, except the poodle lady and her poodle.

The Review
From Elfman scoring every one of the poodle’s footsteps to Batman knocking two of the gang members’ heads together to the poodle actually catching the Batarang in its’ teeth, this scene is just a cacophony of cartoonish carnage, and it’s great fun. I remember Mr. Elfman compares his work to the great Looney Tunes composer Carl Stalling, very cue-y, and in an action sequence like this, that’s the highlight. That and the warped-giddy spirit of it. It’s sure not the fight choreography, which is good enough for its purpose, but Tim Burton never has been and never will be considered a proficient action director. Batman still manages to look like a fairly impressive, efficient, and precise fighter, though, even in that cumbersome costume.

The Rest
-Batman programming the Batarang to hit each gang member one after another is a neat idea, I guess, but the logic bothers me. They’re all just standing there waiting to get hit? Batman’s just standing there? Of course, the explanation is probably that the Batarang is moving faster than we actually see it moving, so that our eyes can keep up with it. Yeah…that’s it.

-One of those dudes actually says “Yee-ha!” Cringe.

-Seriously, the poodle catches the Batarang in its’ teeth! I know that has to happen – this plot offers no other way The Penguin could obtain the plans for the Batmobile – but that one gets on my nerves.

17. Cat at Play

(Running time: 0:55:43 - 0:57:54)

The Rundown
Catwoman wreaks her own havoc, in Shreck’s department store, while Batman coldly dispatches some more of the Red Triangle gang.

The Review
Another slight but very fun mini-scene, with Catwoman mirroring the Red Triangle gang and following their lead in treating Gotham – specifically for her, Shreck’s department store – as her playground. However, her destruction is for a purpose. Our first look at the character led us to expect a…well, I can’t think of a better or more pithy term than “scary feminist avenger” right now, so I’m gonna stick with that. Here she is simply tearing apart Shreck’s, though, and even if you can spin that into her making a larger point about masculine oppression, this is no more than Selina starting on a path of revenge that will tear at her soul. That she’s taking revenge on “Maximillions” is clear straightaway, but first, we’re gonna have some fun, because she is. She’s having a good time jumping rope and skipping through the store, some security guards with her bullwhips along the way. We don’t know exactly where this character is going yet, but it’s a hell of a ride finding out.

Here we go – controversy! Did Batman actually kill the tattooed strongman, and if he did, was it murder? As far as I’ve seen, the consensus answers would seem to be, Yes and of course. My answers? No, and of course not. Again, the Burton/Keaton Batman doesn’t have that “one rule” – if he did kill a random thug, he’s not going to lament it – but he’s not a murderer. Yes, he smiles cruelly after placing the bomb there – this Batman’s not one to show much mercy – but the explosion that follows is so comically pathetic, I really doubt the strongman died from it. That’s a bit of sick humor, but I think it’s been blown out of proportion over the years. The larger issue it points to is valid, though – the Burton/Keaton Batman may not be a killer, but he hasn’t drawn that line for himself either.

The Rest
-Batman’s shadow looming large a second before he enters is a great image.

-For as intense and idiosyncratic as Keaton’s Batman was, he’s also damn cool, as seen when he decks a circus member without even looking, then tosses him off like the clown that he is.

18. Creatures Threesome

(Running time: 0:57:55 - 0:59:38)

The Rundown
Batman confronts The Penguin, but after a mere moment, the two are stunned by the entrance – and what an entrance! – of Catwoman.

The Review
Batman: Admiring your handiwork?

The Penguin: Touring the riot scene. Gravely assessing the devastation. Upstanding Mayor stuff.

Batman walks forward a little.

Batman: You’re not the Mayor.

The Penguin: Things change.

Pregnant pause.

Batman: What do you want?

The Penguin: Ah, the direct approach! I admire that in a man with a mask, heh!

Another pause, because, really, Batman needs only look at The Penguin.

The Penguin: You don’t really think you’ll win, do you?

Batman: Things change.

THAT is one of my favorite movie moments. Batman Returns has more than a few of those, but that one’s brilliantly done. The words are effective, and Keaton and De Vito play the interaction perfectly, but those pauses, the way Batman steps forward, the nervous-but-not-scared look on Penguin’s face right before he asks, “You don’t really think you’ll win, do you?” and the things that aren’t said, say more than the dialogue does about how these two men (?) carry themselves. Their communication is charged, tense, and memorable.

Then comes Catwoman to finally fill out the circle and get us to what this film is really about: the troika of “animal people.” More on that later, though, because for right now, she makes a spectacular entrance, leaving the men (?) around her speechless, and then there’s explosive disarray as The Penguin flies off by way of his umbrella and Catwoman tries to make Batman chase her onto a rooftop.

The Rest
-Marvelous forward flips, “Meow,” explosion. It really is one of the best entrances in movie history, for my money.

-I love the elegance of Burton’s camera (not to dismiss Stefan Czapsky or whichever D.P. Burton happens to be working with), in this case particularly with that shot of The Penguin flying by, then panning over to show Catwoman standing on the roof.


19. A itch: Life and I

(Running time: 0:59:39 - 1:02:09)

The Rundown
Sexual politics are just so complicated. Batman and Catwoman have a fight on the roof, but Batman feels all tingly when Catwoman claws at him.

The Review
I am very curious what Christian Bale’s Batman and Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman will be like together, what exactly their dynamic will be. I shouldn’t think of it this way, because it’s a separate series, but…it will be hard to “top” Keaton and Pfeiffer. This scene is electric – nicely choreographed, funny, sexy. Keaton and Pfeiffer have, as you would want and expect, a totally different kind of chemistry as Batman and Catwoman than they have as Bruce and Selina. The relationships develop pretty quickly in this movie, which is because BR knows well the old lesson, “Show, don’t tell.” Right away it’s clear that Catwoman blew up Shreck’s, and if she hadn’t initiated the chase, Batman would have gone after her. Their relationship is set up really, really well – an attraction that’s dangerous and complicated, and incredibly strong. It’s disappointing when the scene ends so soon, because we just want to see more and now.

The Rest
-"A *****: Life and I" is kind of a crappy scene title.

-Batman’s a bit of a sap there, falling for that, “How could you? I’m a woman” business. And if any of us were in his shoes, we’d fall for it too.

-We’re an hour into this movie, so when Catwoman falls into an open truck full of kitty litter, you’re either going with it and laughing at the ridiculousness or you’ve checked out and it’s just too silly for you. Guess where I lean.

-It’s oddly practical for this movie, but I like the banality of Bruce calling Alfred to ask for antiseptic ointment. “Meow.”

 

[Smalley]

-Seriously, the poodle catches the Batarang in its’ teeth! I know that has to happen – this plot offers no other way The Penguin could obtain the plans for the Batmobile – but that one gets on my nerves.

I never thought Burton was implying that that was how Oswald got the Batmobile plans; Daniel Waters explained it specifically in an earlier script, but that scene wasn't filmed. I always chalked it up to being another plot hole. But at any rate, keep it up!!!

 

[Homer J. Fong]

I never thought Burton was implying that that was how Oswald got the Batmobile plans; Daniel Waters explained it specifically in an earlier script, but that scene wasn't filmed. I always chalked it up to being another plot hole. But at any rate, keep it up!!!

Yeah, you're not the only person to count that as a plot hole, but I've, obviously, assumed that that Batarang held the plans to the Batmobile, and that explains how The Penguin got it. The way I see it, that's the only explanation that's actually in the finished film.

 

[Homer J. Fong]

20. Mayoral Bid; Framed

(Running time: 1:02:10 – 1:07:41)

The Rundown
Catwoman and The Penguin plot revenge on Batman. Penguin wants to turn his Batmobile into “an H-bomb on wheels,” but Catwoman has something a little more devious in mind: turn him into someone like them….

The Review
Sam Hamm says in an interview, I think on the main documentary on thetwo-disc DVD for BR, that he and Burton went into the second film wanting to use Catwoman, while the studio wanted them to use The Penguin, who they saw as the #2 villain in Batman’s rogues gallery, behind The Joker. So they compromised and decided to use both. Sam Hamm didn’t really find a good way to do that, as evident in his Batman II script, but the idea to team them up was there from the beginning. It’s the obvious but smart way to go, to avoid a movie that’s cluttered with too many conceits and subplots (that’s the idea, anyway – it doesn’t often work out that well). In BR, though, The Penguin and Catwoman only actually unite briefly; it’s more of a dalliance than a true collaboration. That works well, because the movie as it exists doesn’t allow for more than that, it needs Selina to have more screentime with Bruce and Max, because those relationships are more important than the Penguin/Catwoman one-on-one. And it doesn’t feel forced, it doesn’t feel like Penguin and Catwoman are being brought together just for the sake of bringing them together. We have one character creating a fierce and vengeful new animalistic identity for herself, Catwoman, and the other creating a new human identity respected and beloved the city over. Neither one can reconcile their disparate selves, though – as we’ll see in the very next scene, Selina and Catwoman are in deep, tormented conflict, and “The Penguin” never leaves Oswald at all. He is going to use that collection of names, the one that Catwoman mistakes for an enemies list; this is, what, the third reference to this? After his research in the Hall of Records and whatever he’s working on when Max barges in? He’s going to win the hearts and minds of the people of Gotham – which, admittedly, seems pretty easy in Burton’s movies – and then show them his real plan. We need the forces of Catwoman and Penguin to collide.

The scene itself isn’t as complex (or nonsensical, depending on how I said all the above) as all that, but it is a lot of fun. It shows off a lot of witty Daniel Waters writing that I’m sure I didn’t get when I was a kid. De Vito is again milking The Penguin’s vulgarity/sexual urges for laughs, really bordering on making the character too comic. That’s a hard enough tightrope for the actor playing The Joker to walk, let alone The Penguin, a character that is usually supposed to be tragic, menacing, or both at the same time. He pulls it off, but barely. Pfeiffer, who was obviously game for anything, shows off how much she threw herself into this role physically, and again, it’s a tour de force; I’m not entirely sure why I find the way she performs little gags or tricks like the eye flutter before she’s “brought back to life” or the bird-swallowing so impressive – maybe just because Mr. Burton tells me they’re impressive – but I do. Pfeiffer and De Vito are great together, and they seem to be the time of their lives as performers(without making fun of the material, which you cannot do).

The Rest
-The image of The Penguin that adorns all the campaign paraphernalia – before he even starts his campaign, even – depicts a much more refined, gentlemanly interpretation of him. 1) This serves as a nice homage to the Bob Kane version of the character, which was never going to make it to the screen post-Burgess Meredith, let’s face it, and 2) it’s really interesting as an insight into Shreck’s thought process. He’s trying to make Oswald “Gotham’s golden boy,” but when he pushes Oswald to run for Mayor, the posters, buttons, and all the other marketing tools are showing a man that doesn’t look anything like the real deal.

-“There’s somebody here to see you.” Yep, right emphasis there.

-“…he knocked me off a building just when I was starting to feel good about myself.” I like that she turns into an issue of her self-esteem.

-Catwoman’s desire for revenge against Batman comes so quickly, it does feel like a wild overreaction. Of course, we’re dealing with a superhero movie, one that isn’t going for realism, and also a character that would attack Batman as a symbol of all masculine oppression.

 

[JohnnyGobbs]

No mention of The Penguin's letching and "you're the hottest young person a role model could have" line?

 

[Homer J. Fong]

No mention of The Penguin's letching and "you're the hottest young person a role model could have" line?

Well, I mentioned his "vulgarity and sexual urges" and in an earlier scene noted his being "way horny." I just didn't have anything to add on that line, although it is clever.

 

[PublicEnemy]

Nice screen capture dude lol. The analysis I am looking forward to is the one of the Penguin dying, my favorite scene of the film. The music and visuals are perfect in the scene.

 

[Homer J. Fong]

Nice screen capture dude lol. The analysis I am looking forward to is the one of the Penguin dying, my favorite scene of the film. The music and visuals are perfect in the scene.

That "analysis" will likely just consist of a lot of uses of the word "brilliant!" I'm not even thinking of this as a critical analysis, I'm just enjoying saying pretty much everything I have to say about each scene.

 

[PublicEnemy]

That "analysis" will likely just consist of a lot of uses of the word "brilliant!" I'm not even thinking of this as a critical analysis, I'm just enjoying saying pretty much everything I have to say about each scene.

Batman Forever and Batman and Robin will be more in depth right?

 

[The Navigator]

Batman Forever and Batman and Robin will be more in depth right?

It will be an elaborate series of facepalms, many by Patrick Stewart.

 

[JohnnyGobbs]

It will be an elaborate series of facepalms, many by Patrick Stewart.

On the contrary, Patrick Stewart will be counting his lucky stars her wasn't cast as Mr Freeze.

 

[Homer J. Fong]

Batman Forever and Batman and Robin will be more in depth right?

I can't really say yet. In the next scene by scene thread, the posts'll definitely be longer, though, because I'm doing a joint Batman Forever/Batman & Robin thread.

 

[PublicEnemy]

I can't really say yet. In the next scene by scene thread, the posts'll definitely be longer, though, because I'm doing a joint Batman Forever/Batman & Robin thread.

Be sure to not focus on just the bat nipples

 

[JohnnyGobbs]

Any more updates Homer? The next few scenes are amongst my favourite in the film so I look forward to your write-up.

 

[Homer J. Fong]

I think I'll post the next one, with scenes 21-23, on Thursday.

ETA: Okay, so I wasn't able to get to that. I'll have something up soon, though.

 

[Homer J. Fong]

21. Kind of a Dark Side

(Running time: 1:07:42 – 1:09:55)

The Rundown
Bruce and Selina arrange a dinner date; The Penguin attacks the Ice Princess.

The Review
Bruce: I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.

Selina: Scare me? No, I was just…scaring myself actually.

It’s not one of the flashiest or most intense scenes for Pfeiffer, but this is actually an incredibly important one for Selina’s character. She gazes into her reflection in that shop window and asks, “Why are you doing this?” and there we have the first sign that she’s aware of this massive change that she’s gone through, and that it’s about more than just taking revenge on Max and “feeling good about herself.” The timid, doormat Selina Kyle is gone; the bolder, edgier Selina is almost who she wants to be…and then there’s Catwoman, and that’s who Selina is looking at in that reflection. Selina may be giving herself a new lease on life and realizing a power that she didn’t know she had, but Catwoman is also a dangerous distortion of all that. Selina is now starting to see that she’s utterly broken, psychologically, not really knowing where “Selina” ends and “Catwoman” begins, but knowing that “Catwoman” represents a sick, brutal part of her that she wishes wasn’t there.

On my most recent viewing of the film, I was really taken by the way Pfeiffer does a kind of variation on Keaton’s “focused distraction” approach here. She’s lost in her own dark tunnel while making conversation with Bruce. The two have a funny-oblivious dialogue, referring to their superhero alter egos without knowing they’re referring to their superhero alter egos, but she’s not all there, and that’s one connection that shows us that, yeah, these two are right for each other.

The Rest
“He probably saved millions of dollars in property damage alone.” Funny that in a movie that’s otherwise so not concerned with practicality or logic, there’s a line of dialogue that references something that most superhero films gloss over.

 

[JohnnyGobbs]

You not covering the amusing Penguin kidnap scene Homer?

 

[Homer J. Fong]

22. Gold-Plated and Lonely

(Running time: 1:09:56 – 1:13:02)

The Rundown
Bruce and Selina discover their mutual scars in their first date.

The Review
What is there to say but that here is a showcase for just how good Michael Keaton and Michelle Pfeiffer are together in this film? Batman Returns doesn’t entirely rise or fall based on the Bruce & Selina romance, but if it doesn’t work, then the film as a whole doesn’t come together. Well, it works. It works brilliantly. I don’t know that you can really discuss chemistry (or create it); you either feel that the actors you’re watching have it or you feel that they don’t. I put Keaton and Pfeiffer in BR up there with the very best screen couples. The scenes they share are electric, funny, sexy, awkward, charming, haunting, or even all of the above. It’s a romance that builds very quickly – the movie has other things to attend to, after all – but very believably. Burton, a marvelous visual storyteller anyway, understands that with actors like Keaton and Pfeiffer, who bring a lot to the table with a slight look or a raise of an eyebrow, Bruce & Selina’s connection can be shown powerfully and subtly. The dialogue in this dinner scene is good, but if you turn the sound off, it resonates just as much. Bruce and Selina are forming a genuine relationship here, seeing in each other a similar “difficulty with duality” – not an alter ego/secret identity divide, but total fragmentation – and doomed as I know they are, when I watch this scene, I root for these two crazy kids to make it.

Of course, what stands out in this one is Bruce and Selina finding each other’s scars (after she pounces on him, by the way), coming oh-so-close to the truth about one another’s double lives. It makes for a memorable love scene and a great comic moment, and such a clever idea.

The Rest
-“I’m sure he’s wonderful…company, but doesn’t the gold-plated bachelor bit get a little stale?” I love that Selina’s prickly; her first line in this scene, she calls Bruce out on his lifestyle a little bit and seems a bit cold toward Alfred. Everything about this character and this romance is a breath of fresh air after Bruce/Vicki.

-Speaking of Vicki, the mention of her here (“Vicki? Ice skater or stewardess?”) is the first of only two outright references to the first film. I doubt anyone was asking, “Hey, where’s Vicki?” back in ’92 (if they were, they quickly forgot thanks to Selina Kyle), but the dialogue is well done.

-“It’s the so-called normal guys who let you down. Sickos never scare me. At least they’re committed.” See, again, there’s a pun that would ordinarily make me cringe, but I like that line, and Pfeiffer’s wry delivery.

-The Burton/Keaton Bruce Wayne may not be the playboy we’re accustomed to seeing, but he does have a way with the ladies. He got Vicki in bed on the first date, and here he is making out with Selina within, what, a few minutes

-Note that this awkward-first-date scene takes place in a far more intimate setting than the awkward-first-date scene in the first movie.
(1) Of course, it’s best not to simply repeat that setting and that scene.
(2) That vast dining room set location served to illustrate how removed Bruce was from even his own home, but it wouldn’t need to serve the same purpose this time around.
(3) The intimacy of the two of them sitting by the fireplace suits Bruce/Selina far more than it would have suited Bruce/Vicki anyway. I’ve never bought into Bruce/Vicki as a real relationship – I just don’t feel it, I don’t think there’s anything there beyond Bruce’s infatuation with her and idea of what she could represent for him. Bruce & Selina, though, already feel like kindred spirits. So the settings really do serve the characters in the particular moments.