Batman Begins Death of Parents Scene Issue

[Qoèlet]

I think the abruptness of it was sort of the point. Nothing mystical or mythical, not a dream, not a cliche, no slow motion death scene where beloved ma and pa take ten minutes to expire to the melodramatic sound of violins. Hey, Bruce. Bam. Bam. And you're all alone. It's done, welcome to the real world, kid. It sucks, and very rarely will the execution of awful acts be picture perfect. A graveyard/Crime Alley scene would have been helpful though. Young Bruce Wayne is supposed to be decisive, make a vow and give his life direction. He seemed without any particular direction for much of the film, and that's not the Batman I know.

More important issue about the death scene though: billionaires are stepping out of a concert hall full of rich people watching Opera, and it turns out that they got all dressed up to go see a classy performance in, uh, the middle of the slums? Awesome city planning they have in Gotham. The exit of the Opera hall is conveniently located in a filthy, criminal infested back alley.

 

[Heatwave]

Number one, from what I understand, the whole city was like that at the time. It wouldn't have mattered where it was. Think back to the first of those four movies made a few years ago where a speaker (I forget who - the mayor or something) said, "Gotham City has become synonymous with crime." That was basically the whole jist of what Bruce's father was saying on the train.

Also, Bruce did spend a lot of time deciding what to do with his life before he became Batman. And he was only like seven or eight when his parents were killed. He was still lost when he was told that he didn't know how the other half lived, so that was a part of his becoming Batman: he had to understand the people he was trying to save before he could save them, and that journey defined him when he became Batman.

 

[SHADOWBAT69]

Bruces Father is what ruined it for me. "take it easy" "stay calm" "its alright" Id have shot him too.

"Bruce, dont be afraid" clunk. dead.
ugh.

I think the whole death scene could have been redeemed if there was a grave side scene with the vow.

 

[SHADOWBAT69]

Number one, from what I understand, the whole city was like that at the time. It wouldn't have mattered where it was. Think back to the first of those four movies made a few years ago where a speaker (I forget who - the mayor or something) said, "Gotham City has become synonymous with crime." That was basically the whole jist of what Bruce's father was saying on the train.

Also, Bruce did spend a lot of time deciding what to do with his life before he became Batman. And he was only like seven or eight when his parents were killed. He was still lost when he was told that he didn't know how the other half lived, so that was a part of his becoming Batman: he had to understand the people he was trying to save before he could save them, and that journey defined him when he became Batman.

Bruce didnt spend time deciding what he wanted to do with his life tho. Bruce Wayne dies with his parents that night and Batman was born. He made that vow to rid Gotham of the criminal element so that no one would have to suffer what he had suffered ever again. He grew up that night. Thats the way it was in the comics and to my knowledge, the way its always been.

 

[da3dl3us]

Bruce didnt spend time deciding what he wanted to do with his life tho. Bruce Wayne dies with his parents that night and Batman was born. He made that vow to rid Gotham of the criminal element so that no one would have to suffer what he had suffered ever again. He grew up that night. Thats the way it was in the comics and to my knowledge, the way its always been.

This is true. But I think the movie emphasized Young Bruce's guilt for the whole thing.

Comics wise, it was more, wrong place in the wrong time. The blame was all on the killer.

 

[K.B.]

Jeeze you BB fans are whack lmao...this was one of my biggest problems with the movie and I was lambasted for saying as such.

I think Burton got the death scene perfect right dow nto the image of the pearls hitting the ground. Regardless of the "oh but Joker NEVER killed his parents" argument just watching that whole scene....perfect.

Also the play was diefladermaus not faust.

 

[Qoèlet]

Also, Bruce did spend a lot of time deciding what to do with his life before he became Batman. And he was only like seven or eight when his parents were killed. He was still lost when he was told that he didn't know how the other half lived, so that was a part of his becoming Batman: he had to understand the people he was trying to save before he could save them, and that journey defined him when he became Batman.

The part about the alley was mostly a joke on my part, but on this issue I really can't agree with you. Every version of the story I've ever read, and there have been several, has Bruce decide almost immediately after the death of his parents that he is going to bring an end to the evil that took their lives. Now, he doesn't have to roll out of bed the next day and get started, and of course he has a lot to learn and he's going to make a lot of naive mistakes along the way, but come on, in Begins every implication seems to be that he sulks around for twelve, thirteen years, and then only gets his head screwed on properly when he's 22 (on that note, how is Rachel working for the DA at 22, she should still be in school).

 

[Comic Book Boy]

And on a similar note, I felt a scene with Bruce visiting his parents grave or crime alley was really needed.

I agree, hopefully we will see this in THE DARK KNIGHT.

 

[BubbaGump]

Bruces Father is what ruined it for me. "take it easy" "stay calm" "its alright" Id have shot him too.

You don't expect fathers to be caring for their kids?

 

[KenK]

Jeeze you BB fans are whack lmao...this was one of my biggest problems with the movie and I was lambasted for saying as such.

I think Burton got the death scene perfect right dow nto the image of the pearls hitting the ground. Regardless of the "oh but Joker NEVER killed his parents" argument just watching that whole scene....perfect.

Also the play was diefladermaus not faust.

The thing with Burton's film was, there's a more plausible progression from being stopped in the alley to both parents being shot. Jack shot Thomas cause he was struggling over the pearls, then shot Martha because she was screaming her head off.

In Begins, it really just looks like Chill shot both of them for no good reason.

 

[SHADOWBAT69]

You don't expect fathers to be caring for their kids?

sarcasm

 

[BubbaGump]

sarcasm

Didn't seem like it to me.

 

[Ibn]

I've got issues with this scene too. That kid was bad so that didn't help, Linus Roache and Michael Caine carried the young Bruce Wayne scenes. Hell Gary Oldman's scene with him was like 4 years worth of acting lessons for him. So his reactions to the faust play really didn't sell what influenced them to leave in the first place.

I know they were following a theme (fear...Fear....FEAR!!!) and the inclusion of faust was also an allegory for Batman and Ra's but a lot of came across as false and forced to me. Also the cinematography while consistent with the look of the film didn't really set any atmosphere for me during that scene. Call me a purist but I guess I'm too attached to the seedy dark alley that looks like the pits, parents and there son walking away from The Mark of Zorro happy, the irony is that the son becomes an orphan that night thanks to a murdering thief.

Cue the sheltered boy finally realizing what the real world is like and how harsh it could be, the vow etc.

Still the best Batman movie around but I do feel it could've been better, but hey the sequels coming and sequels are usually "bigger and better" in the case of Batman Begins that's a good thing t:

That also dissappointed me. I was watching the scene at the play and kept saying to myself "No. No. This can't be the part".

 

[K.B.]

Originally Posted by SHADOWBAT69
Bruces Father is what ruined it for me. "take it easy" "stay calm" "its alright" Id have shot him too.

Same here. There should be no "goodbye speech" when he get's shot. He just dies. It's a part of the sudden growing up Bruce does in that second as well as the whole "in one second his whole life changes" thing.

In Begins, it really just looks like Chill shot both of them for no good reason.

Which was really stupid. I mean f**k, he coulda at least yelled "You can't walk out of a play!" then BAM slug in the gut.

 

[SHADOWBAT69]

Didn't seem like it to me.

oh well. dont take things serious on a message board, it'll make life easier.


On the subject of his father tho, it dont have anything to do with a father caring for his child. The dude was too calm for having a gun pointed at him and his family. That whole scene was poorly written and poorly acted. Totally dry acting and annoying. Thats what the comment was for.

 

[K.B.]

^ whenever I've brought up the "to calm for getting shot" point I was/am told by BB fans "well he was a doctor he would know to be calm" which is just stupid.

I don't care what your job is, it all goes out the window when your laying there dying in a blood/seman/urine soaked allyway from a gunshot wound to the crapfactory.

 

[Keyser Soze]

I thought the scene was perfect. The murder of Bruce Wayne's parents had already been done (and very effectively too) in "Batman". So for this scene, they had to create a different dynamic for it.

It seems like the idea they went for was stripping away the mythology of it, and making it feel more real. So instead of Joe Chill being some demonic "BWAHAHAHAHAHA me so eeeeeeeevil" supervillain, he's scared, on the edge of panic. And both Bruce and his father take a share of responsibility for what happened. And stripping away the predictable cinematic techniques like slow-motion made it feel more gritty, and less like a fairy-tale superhero origin.

And in this thread, I believe nobody's mentioned the closing moment of the scene, one of the best shots in the film. Young Bruce, kneeling between the bodies of his parents, as the camera pulls away to emphasise his isolation. It was a moment lifted perfectly from "Year One".

 

[SHADOWBAT69]

It seems like the idea they went for was stripping away the mythology of it, and making it feel more real.

AAAAAAAAHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhh






Thats a funny avatar btw.