Sexuality in Batman Returns: an analysis

[GothamAlleys]

I know it's got nothing to do with comic-books

Thats actually very incorrect. Soon Ill be writing an article in the Gotham Alleys blog showing panels from the classic 1940's Batman comics and showing how much Batman Returns took from them and sometimes imitated them shot by shot. It is true that the villains' portrayal and origins has nothing to do with their comic counterparts, but the exact same thing can be said about Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and partially for Batman Forever (Riddler) and Batman & Robin (Bane, Poison Ivy)

 

[JohnnyGobbs]

Thats actually very incorrect. Soon Ill be writing an article in the Gotham Alleys blog showing panels from the classic 1940's Batman comics and showing how much Batman Returns took from them and sometimes imitated them shot by shot. It is true that the villains' portrayal and origins has nothing to do with their comic counterparts, but the exact same thing can be said about Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and partially for Batman Forever (Riddler) and Batman & Robin (Bane, Poison Ivy)

I wasn't saying that Batman Returns had nothing to do with comics. You misunderstood. I was suggesting that Smalley look at the film Heathers, which is not a comic-book film, for his 'sexuality in film' thread.

 

[Smalley]

In the scene after Penguin bites that guys nose, Shreck and he have a conversation about power and lust which I find funny because it doesn't just happen in the middle of the room but around a water cooler.

Yeah, I'll be talking about that scene.

 

[Smalley]

Part 9.5

Meow (cont.)​

Catwoman exits the store and backflips all the way over to Batman and The Penguin (who are having a little war-of-words), who are spellbound by her sudden appearance. She lets out a "Meow", and Schreck's department store violently blows up, due to her having set up a gas leak inside it. Batman, after being momentarily distracted by the explosion and by the Penguin's dramatic exit-by-umbrellacopter, gives chase to Catwoman, who's confidently waiting for him on a nearby rooftop, grinning like the Cheshire cat and leisurely swinging her whip back and forth.

The two start fighting, and Batman is obviously not prepared to meet her onslaught, again, underestimating her because she's a woman. She beats him up pretty badly for a while, then he finally gets tired of it and backhands her, hard. As she's lying on the ground, Catwoman feigns outrage with "How could you...? I'm a woman!", pretending to be a helpless woman that needs to be coddled by a man, hoping that Batman will be gullible enough to fall for it. Indeed, he falls for it, his pre-conceived notions of gender roles overriding his knowledge that she just blew up a building and beat him up, and he apologizes, and tries to help her up.

Catwoman takes advantage of this by kicking Batman back, rising to her feet, and driving him further backwards with savage strokes of her whip, to the point where he falls over the side of the building. Catwoman catches his arm with her whip, and says "...as I was saying; I'm a woman, and can't be taken for granted. Life's a *itch, now so am I!". Batman counter-attacks by throwing napalm on Catwoman's shoulder, almost causing her to fall off a building, but he goes over and pulls her up before she can fall.

Catwoman again decides to use her woman-ness as a tactic against Batman, this time trying to seduce him; she tells him maybe he can help her find "the woman behind the cat", and begins caressing his chest with her hand, and Batman falls for it again, letting her get close, and obviously enjoying the caresses. I guess her sexiness made him forget the ass-beating she just gave to him him, plus the fact that she blew up a building.

Anyway, she uses this opportunity to stab him with a claw, he accidentally knocks her off the building in retaliation, she luckily lands in a passing sand truck, and the fight is over. I imagine that she decided to fight him in the first place as a delayed vengeance for him having refused to respond to her earlier, believing that, like Schreck, he also looked down on her, as well as it being just another way to attack a man, even though he doesn't deserve it from her.

Back at the Batcave, Batman calls for Alfred to bring him some ant-septic ointment, and when Alfred asks him if he's in any pain, Batman replies "No... not really" (I guess getting to meet the ultra-sexy, mysterious Catwoman took the pain away). Batman then says "Meow" to himself, revealing his fascination with the new masked vigilante on the scene; I'm thinking the connection that Selina and Bruce first showed with each other during the meeting with Schreck continued over into Bruce's time as Batman, though not really for Catwoman, as she doesn't really show a genuine attraction to him (it's all manipulation) since he's a man, and she's just too mad at men in general to really love Batman.

Notes: Catwoman spouts some more girl-power! lines in the script:

"The world tells boys to conquer the world, and girls to wear clean panties [reference to the time she forgot her underwear??]. A man dressed as a bat is a he-man, but a woman dressed as a cat is a she-devil. I'm just living down to my expectations."

There's also an additional line back in the Batcave where Batman calls Catwoman a "*itch"; makes sense to leave it out, since Batman's supposed to be hypnotized by her sexiness or something.

 

[Smalley]

Part 10

All Dirty​

Back at The Penguin's campaign headquarters, he gives a little speech trashing the current Mayor, and is then praised by a glamorous, beaming young admirer of his: "Mr. Cobblepot, you are the coolest role model a young person could have!". He responds with "And you're the hottest young person a role model could have", and then pins a campaign button on her blouse, taking time to squeeze her breast as he does so. She looks slightly uncomfortable as she's being groped (though not so when she was called hot), but grins and bears it; in this way, she reminds me of the Ice Princess, since both women obviously adore admiration from men, and grin and bear various things in order to get it, the Ice Princess bearing the cold that comes with wearing her outfit during winter, and the admirer bearing the perverted behavior and groping she gets from this twisted Penguin-man. It seems Gotham City has taught both women that being adored by men is their greatest goal, and worth bearing anything in order to get it.

As The Penguin walks up to the second floor of his campaign headquarters, where his gang members now secretly live, he reveals his true overriding motivation for running for Mayor: "I could really get into this Mayor stuff! It's not about power, it's about reaching out to people... touching people... groping people!!!". Upstairs, he finds Catwoman curled up on his bed, and greets her appearance with the incredibly dirty pun "Just the *ussy" I've been lookin' for". She responds by stretching out like a cat, obviously trying to seduce him for her own means.

Catwoman comments on it being "chilly" in Penguin's headquarters, and The Penguin comes toward her lustfully, saying that he'll "warm her". Catwoman stops him by placing a boot on his chest, which he sniffs at, trying to catch her scent, if you will. Catwoman eventually gets fed up with The Penguin's obsession with having sex with her, and almost leaves, but eventually reveals that she has come to Oswald in order to gain vengeance against Batman because he defeated her just when she was starting "to feel good" about herself. The Penguin wants to murder Batman by blowing up the Batmobile, but Catwoman wants to bring him down to size, and believes he'd have "even more power as martyr".

Instead, she plans to "destroy" Batman by framing him for a crime, which Catwoman believes, in the public eye, will turn him "into what he hates the most", i.e. Catwoman and Penguin. However, The Penguin eventually underestimates Catwoman by mistrusting her, and using classic sexist terminology/imagery: "Hey... why should I trust some Catbroad anyway? Maybe you're just a screwed-up sorority chick who's getting back at Daddy for not buying her that pony when she turned 'sweet sixteen'!". However, Catwoman, does convince The Penguin that she's for real, and continues using her sexual whiles to manipulate Penguin by saying "The thought of busting Batman makes me feel all.... dirty. Maybe I'll just give myself a bath right here.", which she proceeds to do, licking the arm of her suit as The Penguin watches on in lust. Deeper analysis of the scene up next.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

Smalley, I am going to copy and paste all this into a Word document and print it out. Really great analysis. This stuff really is my bag, baby. Returns will always have more to offer repeat viewings than any other Batman film because is it so thematically deep. Not to say it is the best of them, simply the one with the most below the surface.

 

[Smalley]

Part 10.5

All Dirty (cont.)​

It's interesting to note here that The Penguin is remaining blatantly perverted even after he's taken up the mantle of mayoral candidate, having replaced his filthy, lumpy pajamas with a old-fashioned, tailored suit and tophat. It seems no amount of window dressing can change what The Penguin is inside, and his desperation to experience sexuality with a woman just remains an un-removable part of his personality. It's also interesting to note that his perverted, groping behavior in front of his entire campaign staff and reporters (plus the admirer herself, of course) isn't a big deal for them; I guess that since he's a man, they think it's alright? A sort of "boys will be boys" attitude among Gothamites, if you will, or maybe they just think women should be sex objects for men, or maybe both? Kind of reminds me of the way our modern society treats gender relations, as regarding sexuality.

With Catwoman, The Penguin shows a warped perception of his own sexual prowess, at one point claiming that he has a "naked sexual charisma" on the same level as her's (which obviously isn't true). It seems that being elevated to the level of an icon in Gotham's sight, as well as being sexually repressed in his sewer-life, has caused The Penguin to grossly overestimate his own sexual powers, believing that acting really creepy and perverted is really "sexual charisma", showing a warped perception of what sexuality should be. Don't even get me started on when he offers Catwoman her choice of "ointment" (shudder).

This scene also reveals that, while the old Selina was too much of a push-over, the new Selina/Catwoman is too much of a ball-buster, since she wants to revenge herself on Batman simply because put a (temporary) stop to her violent revenge campaign, and also ended her winning streak of victories over men (made her stop feeling "good" about herself, so to speak). In addition to her anger over having been put back in an inferior position by a man, it also seems that her anger over the sexism she's suffered extends to all men, not just the ones that have treated her poorly. Granted, The Penguin does act sexist to her here, but she can still use her sexiness to manipulate him into getting revenge on Batman (and save the revenge against The Penguin for some other time), so he's temporarily an exception to the rule.

Notes: In the script, Waters gives The Penguin's young admirer the official character name of "Volunteer Bimbo" (not cool dude!). There's also this deleted bit: "There's an array of closed umbrellas, propped. Penguin picks a disturbingly phallic one, strokes Catwoman's thigh with it. As the umbrella-***** travels up, toward Catwoman's crotch...".
Okay dude, The Penguin's horny, we get it already!!!

 

[Smalley]

Smalley, I am going to copy and paste all this into a Word document and print it out. Really great analysis. This stuff really is my bag, baby. Returns will always have more to offer repeat viewings than any other Batman film because is it so thematically deep. Not to say it is the best of them, simply the one with the most below the surface.

Thank you Hope reading it gives you great pleasure throughout the years. And I don't know if I'd say Returns is deeper than TDK, but it's definitely thematically deeper than any other Batflick...

 

[Visceral]

Thank you Hope reading it gives you great pleasure throughout the years. And I don't know if I'd say Returns is deeper than TDK, but it's definitely thematically deeper than any other Batflick...

Agreed, batman has been lucky in getting two excellent directors, both Burton and Nolan are very thematic in their approach to the character. though Burton explored the characters sexuality Nolan explores the more existential side.

The scene that you pointed out where Batman is pulling out her claws and he says that he is not in pain, lends itself to the sado masochistic interpretations, where it seems as if both batman and Catwoman have repressed guilt for their counter cultural sexual desires. But I don't want to jump your gun, the floor is yours.

 

[Rebel]

I had just passed puberty when I went to see this in theaters. Not only was I mesmorised by the darkness and adult themes of the movie, but that scene where Catwoman licks Batman on the rooftop had me imaginig "things" for nights, haha.

 

[Smalley]

Part 11

A Dark Side​

In the next scene with Selina, we see her staring at her own reflection in a shop window, and asking herself "Why are you doing this?" [in reference to her actions as Catwoman]. This is the strongest evidence to date of her two sides being in conflict with each other, and also of her being unsure of what she truly wants, and which one is the real her. It's interesting to note that in Catwoman's scene with The Penguin, her costume was unraveling, hinting at a similarly unraveling psyche. I don't think her fall out the window gave Selina brain damage, but rather, her decision to let her suppressed self come to the surface (which has become enraged due to the extreme sexism) is creating tension and confusion with the old Selina personae, which still exists within her. She doesn't know which side she is or wants to be anymore, nor what she wants to do, or even why she's gone to the grotesque Penguin to get petty vengeance against Batman.

Bruce then startles Selina out of her trance by approaching her, and says he "didn't mean to scare" her, to which she responds "Scare me? No, I, was just scaring myself, actually". Bruce seems confused by this at first, but then talks about how nice it is to see her out in "the real world" (him meaning away from Schreck), and she responds with "it's good to be here" (her meaning away from the psychotic personae of Catwoman). He asks her if she's alright, and she responds with an unconvincing, shake-y nod of her head, but the fact that Bruce asks the question in the first place, and can tell that she's not alright, shows that he senses her internal anguish, as he's experienced the exact same thing (though to a lesser degree).

As the two walk down the sidewalk, they notice newspaper headlines about the Catwoman/Batman fight from last night, prompting Selina to call the local newscasters "hacks" for having estimated Catwoman's weight at "140 pounds", and questioning how they can sleep at night. I find this line particularly funny, as it shows Selina still pointlessly caring about how she's percieved by men, even as she rages against them and their society as Catwoman, again, showing a conflict within her. She brings up the planned re-lightening of the tree ceremony to Bruce, and then says "It's gonna be a hot time in a cold town tonight", referring to her planned vengeance against Batman, and showing that she'll be going ahead with the Catwoman side of her's plans, even though she isn't even sure why she's doing it.

Bruce says Selina has kind of a "dark side", to which she responds "No darker than your's, Bruce", again, showing that she can sense the kindred spirit that the two share and recognize in each other. Bruce asks Selina to come over to his mansion that night to watch the re-lighting of the tree and for an "early dinner", and after a little wrangling over the time, Selina agrees, genuinely happy, as she can get further away from the Catwoman side of her through this date, if just for a little while. Again, we see her internal conflict, as Catwoman detests all men and what the society they've created stands for, while Selina is entering into a new romantic relationship with a man she hasn't really known for long, but anyway, end scene.

 

[Smalley]

Part 12

Two Truths​

That night, Selina and Bruce have gathered together on his couch in order to watch the re-lightning ceremony on TV, and after Alfred has left the room, Selina says "I'm sure he's wonderful... company, but doesn't the gold-plated bachelor bit get a little stale?", in a veiled romantic inquiry (which is something that Catwoman would never be caught dead doing, even in such a veiled manner). This time, though, Selina isn't trying to settle for some loser boyfriend just so she can have a loser husband some day, but rather, she's going after an equal for a boyfriend, someone that she actually shares something in common with (the conflicted personalities), and genuinely has an attraction to, as he does to her.

Bruce counters with "A lot like the... lonely secretary syndrome?", which may seem like a verbal barb on the surface, but is also a romantic inquiry back at Selina, as both souls recognize the attraction that they feel, as well as the isolation from society that they share. Selina indignantly replies that she's an "executive assistant", but eventually gives in and concedes she's a "secretary", a concession that her Catwoman side would never make, especially not in front of a powerful man like Bruce, the same kind that she's lashing out against with her vengeance campaign against Schreck. Selina then says "Girlfriend?", to which Bruce responds "Sure", mistaking it as Selina asking if she can be his, revealing an eagerness on his part to begin a romantic relationship with her.

He eventually realizes that she's asking him if he currently has a girlfriend (a more explicit romantic inquiry than the one she made before), and he says that he had one (Vicki Vale, from the previous film) but that it didn't work out, Selina asks him what went wrong between the two, but then guesses that he kept things from her. Bruce says no, and that he told Vicki everything, but that isn't true, as Vicki only found out he was Batman through her own investigative work, so again, Selina is sensing a shared truth with Bruce. She then asks Bruce if the truth about his secret life as Batman scared Vicki, and he responds that "there were two truths", and that Vicki had trouble reconciling them because he had trouble reconciling them. Selina smiles at this confession, a look of recognition in her eyes, as she finds it comforting that another human being is experiencing the same troublesome duality she's going through, even if that other human is a man.

Selina asks Bruce if Vicki was right about his difficulty with duality, and he hesitates, worrying that if he says yes (which is the right answer) then Selina will think of him as a "Norman Bates type", and she might not let him kiss her. She responds with "It's the so-called 'normal' guys who always let you down [like her last loser boyfriend]. Sickos never scare me... at least they're committed.". The obvious understanding and attraction that the two share with each other is finally too much for them to resist, and they crash into each other, passionately making out on the couch. However, as Selina's hand travels down to Bruce's hip, he re-directs her, afraid she'll find out about the wound that he got from Catwoman's scratch. Similarly, Selina breaks up the make-out session when Bruce almost sees the burn wound she got from Batman's napalm, showing that the two's lives as night-time vigilantes are in direct conflict with their day-time selves. The same attraction that they share because of their dual lives also leads to them being torn apart from each other in their "normal" lives, the all-encompassing anger that Catwoman feels at men in conflict with her romantic goals as Selina, and ironically, leaving Selina with a physical wound that keeps her from pursuing romance with a man too closely.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

The scene that you pointed out where Batman is pulling out her claws and he says that he is not in pain, lends itself to the sado masochistic interpretations, where it seems as if both batman and Catwoman have repressed guilt for their counter cultural sexual desires. But I don't want to jump your gun, the floor is yours.

Good call Not sexual as such, but also worth noting is the Frankenstein element of Catwoman; she is a dead woman bought back to life (the bit where her eyes open as the cats reawaken her is a direct reference), literally stitched together - but begins to wonder who she is, and eventually kills her creator (Shreck).

 

[Smalley]

Part 12.5

Two Truths (cont.)​

After their passionate make-out session's over, Selina and Bruce look over to the TV, where they see a news report that the Ice Princess has gone missing, and that a blood-stained batarang was found at her dressing tent (which The Penguin stole from Batman in an earlier fight). This event reminds the confused lovers of the responsibilities of their masked-vigilante sides, as both try to leave the date right then and there, Bruce wanting leaving in order to rescue the Ice Princess, and Selina wanting to leave in order to prevent said rescue. Both have let the desires of their "normal" sides temporarily tear them away from their alter egos, as Bruce shrugged off an earlier challenge from The Penguin for Batman to be at Gotham Plaza to "keep the peace", so that he could date Selina, and Selina forgot about her duty to guard the Ice Princess as Catwoman so she could date Bruce. It's scary how much they have in common, isn't it?

Bruce temporarily convinces Selina to stay put while he goes to tell Alfred to make an excuse for him leaving the date early, a conversation which further delays his rescue of the Ice Princess, again, showing tension between the goals of Bruce's normal and vigilante sides, as one wants to be a hero and fight crime, while the other just wants to pursue a romance in peace. Selina starts to leave herself, but is met by Alfred, who she tells to tell Bruce that her leaving is not a "rejection" of him, and that he makes her feel the way she hopes she "really" is, revealing her reluctance to fully embrace her Catwoman side, and also further explaining why the attraction between them is so strong. They then both go off to suit up in their own ways, Batman, calmly and orderly, possibly showing that he's come to terms with his other side, and Selina haphazardly, suiting up by driving her old Volkswagen one-handed, eyes continually leaving the road and swerving, in order to pull her Catwoman costume out of the clutter littering her car (which represents her mental state), showing that she's far from being able to balance both of her sides, and probably never will be.

 

[Rebel]

Look what I found on an image board:

 

[Smalley]

Part 13

Deadlier If You Mean It​

Batman arrives to rescue the bound-and-gagged Ice Princess (who was only able to be kidnapped because she didn't know about The Penguin, despite his very public doings, nor did she know that a batarang isn't a camera... just watch the movie, you'll see that her fixation on looking pretty for men has lead her to neglect getting smart). Anyway, she's being held in a sort of vacant studio apartment, and Batman is about to untie her when Catwoman drops from the rafters to fight him some more. Here, it's clear that Batman isn't going to put on the kid gloves for Catwoman just because she's a woman, having learned his lesson from the last fight, though Catwoman still more than manages to hold her own against him, and might have even won the fight had she not gotten frustrated and decided to drag the Ice Princess up to the roof.

By the time Batman catches up, Catwoman has disappeared, leaving the Ice Princess perilously perched on a windy, icy building edge, and we see the damsel-in-distress archetype again here, while the Princess helplessly stands around, waiting for Batman to come and rescue her, when she easily could've just hopped down by herself. The way she's been taught by Gotham society to be un-assertive and reliant on men proves to be her downfall (literally), as The Penguin shows up and throws an umbrella full of live bats at her, causing her to fall to her death on top of the tree-lighting button, causing a swarm of bats to come out of the tree, further framing Batman.

The Penguin escapes and the cops show up to shoot Batman in the torso some (really, movie?), causing him to fall off the edge to another rooftop, but his armored suit protects him. However, he's still dazed, lying on the ground, a fact that Catwoman takes full advantage of, as she walks over and straddles him, pinning his arms down with her knees. They have the following exchange:

"CATWOMAN
You're catnip to a girl like me: handsome, dazed... and to die for.

[this is just her using her sexiness to manipulate men again; she's not really attracted to Batman. Batman notices some overhanging mistletoe]

BATMAN
Mistletoe can be deadly if you eat it.

CATWOMAN
Mmmm, but a kiss can be even deadlier if you mean it...

[Catwoman licks the bottom half of Batman's face like a cat, again manipulating him, and he falls for it by by slowly licking his lips, seemingly enjoying it]".

Catwoman talks about how Batman is the second man that's "killed" her that week (when he back-handed her off the building), but that she still has "seven lives" left, which is her expressing anger over having been defeated by a man again, but also expressing defiance, and refusing to allow her vengeance campaign against men's society to be stopped. He tries to defend himself by saying that he tried to grab her (which he did), but Catwoman won't have any of this, responding with the savage criticism "Hmm, seems like every woman you try to save ends up dead. [laughs] Or deeply resentful. Maybe you should retire.". Catwoman then again stabs him with a claw, but he throws her off of him, and takes the claw out of his chest. As he's escaping, Catwoman declines to pursue, instead picking up the discarded claw and expressing displeasure that it was ruined by the stabbing, a funny little "broke a nail" moment for Catwoman.

 

[Smalley]

Part 13.5​

​

Deadlier If You Mean It (cont.)​

Later, Catwoman and The Penguin meet up on another rooftop, and Penguin tries to come on to her, remarking "Outstanding! You're beauty and the beast, in one luscious, Christmas gift pack!". Catwoman ignores this come-on, however, and complains "You said you were just going to scare the Ice Princess", though she doesn't sound too upset over her murder; I guess since the Ice Princess represented the kind of shallow Gotham woman/gender relationships that Catwoman is lashing out against, she won't even get upset over her being murdered in order to frame Batman, while I think the Selina side of her would disapprove of this, even the more aggressive, post-murder attempt Selina.

Anyway, Penguin quips about how the Ice Princess looked "plenty scared" to him, and he pours Catwoman some champagn-a (a cookie if you get the reference), trying to get her in the mood. He then hands her an engagement ring, which she holds but doesn't put on, and asks her to "consummate our fiendish union", spinning a vivid fantasy of what their sex life will be like as a married couple, living in "the mayor's mansion". However, Catwoman cuts this off by throwing away the ring and dismissively saying "Oh please; I wouldn't touch you to scratch you". Penguin angrily responds "Ya lousy minx, you sent out all the signals [which she did]! And I don't think I like you anymore!". He then takes out his umbrellacopter and locks her neck into its handle, sending her flying into the night sky, with the intention of an eventual fall "killing" her. Catwoman does eventually break free of it after a while, and falls a long way, finally shattering a greenhouse roof, and landing in a pile of plants. As she sits up, we can see a strand of her hair sticking out of a tear in the face mask, further hinting at a loss of mental cohesion. Catwoman screams so loud that she shatters all the rest of the glass in the greenhouse, and the scene is over.

A few more thoughts here; while most (if not all) men find the "Catwoman straddling-and-licking the helpless Batman" scene to be really hot (I find it hot too), and though Batman seems to enjoy the licking, a few posters on IMDB (yes, that site is good for something) suggested that if it were a man straddling-and-licking a helpless woman, then it would almost be seen as a rape. In our society, women usually aren't viewed as being able to violate men sexually, so it's funny to see men purely focusing on how "hot" the scene is, and not even notice the blatant overcurrent running through it. Catwoman obviously became enraged and frustrated in the last fight scene after being beat up just a little bit by Batman (while he stayed icy every time he got hit, again showing that he's in control of his costumed personae and she is not), so Catwoman felt like she was losing power to a man again this way. So, I see the face-lick as an additional way she's putting a man down and making him into the helpless one (especially since it's a man who she feels has put her down multiple times before), is also her putting herself firmly into the power seat that he formerly occupied, and is a way she can ironically use her sexual un-repression as a weapon against a man.

Also, the part where Catwoman talks about how every woman Batman tries to save ends up dead seems to be her trying to shake his confidence in his own power, as he shook her confidence in her power by competently fighting her. Finally, Penguin's mis-belief that Catwoman was genuinely interested in him sexually reveals his fundamental misunderstanding of her intentions with the sexy manipulation; while she did send out "all the signals", a more honest man, maybe one who hadn't been sexually repressed and treated as a freak all his life, who didn't have a sudden rush of power and publicity, and who didn't have glamorous female volunteers lavishing him with praise and willingly letting themselves be groped, such a man might have not have fallen hook, line, and sinker for Catwoman's sexual trap. Then again, such a man might have; she's really hot.

Notes: In the script, after The Penguin says "You sent out all the signals!", Catwoman responds:

"CATWOMAN
(moment of doubt)
Did I? Only 'cause my mom trained me to, with a man... any man, all men --
(slaps her forehead) Corn dog!

Enough self-hate. Catwoman redirects her rage at Penguin.

CATWOMAN
Me, domesticated? By you? I doubt it! You repulsive... awful... penguin".

The line about her mom training her to pretend to be interested in any man is particularly interesting, as it probably reveals why Selina was going out with a loser beforehand, and reveals that her own mother wanted Selina to become reliant on a boyfriend/eventual husband, but it isn't really necessary to have it in the movie.

 

[Visceral]

I just realized that all of the men in this film throw or cause selina to fall to one of her so called deaths, maybe representing a kind of fall from grace?

Also this scene with the mistletoe is one of my favorite scenes, I viewed it again with the sado masochistic interpretations in mind, and so it seemed to me that this scene was the natural evolution of their date from before. When they make out on the couch they each accidentally touch each others scars inflicting pain in the middle of their romantic interlude. Then they both stop stating that they both can't continue and they never explicitly state why they just retreat to thier separate places and return to the romantic interlude once they have donned their respective outfits.

It seems even though selina has become much more fully realized she still cannot express herself sexually unless that other persona comes out.

Also the sudden stop of the romantic interlude make me think that Selina feels guilt for her sexual repressed desires, that only fuel catwoman's rage. So once she felt those desires it was time to switch over to catwoman.

 

[Jeremy Dylan]

Notes: In the script, after The Penguin says "You sent out all the signals!", Catwoman responds:

"CATWOMAN
(moment of doubt)
Did I? Only 'cause my mom trained me to, with a man... any man, all men --
(slaps her forehead) Corn dog!

Enough self-hate. Catwoman redirects her rage at Penguin.

CATWOMAN
Me, domesticated? By you? I doubt it! You repulsive... awful... penguin".

The line about her mom training her to pretend to be interested in any man is particularly interesting, as it probably reveals why Selina was going out with a loser beforehand, and reveals that her own mother wanted Selina to become reliant on a boyfriend/eventual husband, but it isn't really necessary to have it in the movie.

Not exactly the most subtle few lines. Probably a wise move on Mr. Burton's part to cut those.

This whole serialized essay is fascinating, by the way. Can't wait for the next installment.

 

[Rhiannon]

Thoughtful analysis, Smalley. I've never cared for the movie (perhaps I was simply too young the first time I saw it), but this essay provides a new context by which to view it. I'll have to give it another chance thanks to your work. Part of me already wants to skip past the Penguin scenes!...

I eagerly await the next part!

 

[Smalley]

Part 14

Tired Of Wearing Masks​

A few scenes later, Bruce shows up Max's "Maxquerade" ball, held in his re-built department store, purely in the hopes of seeing Selina again. He turns around with purpose in his eyes at one point, almost showing a telepathic sense of where Selina is going to be (again, the connection between them is strong), and lo and behold, there she is, looking the most glamorous she ever has in the movie, with a formal dress, done-up hair, make-up, the works. I view this as her Selina side putting up a front, trying to look her most beautiful in order not to look out of place at this formal social gathering orchestrated by the hated Max, looking very well-kept on the outside all the while she's unraveling inside.

Anyway, Selina and Bruce catch each other's eyes, and walk across the ball room in order to dance with each other, and it's very much worth noting that they're the only people at the ball who aren't wearing disguises, implying that they think of their "normal" sides as their disguise for the public, and their vigilante sides are their true selves. Anyway, after both make up some lame excuse for leaving the date early, they begin to slow-dance, and Bruce asks Selina if there are any hard feelings over him leaving the date early, to which she seductively responds "Actually.... semi-hard, I'd say". She talks about possibly going over to the bedding section of the store for a roll in ze hay with Bruce, and though this might sound like another Catwoman-y manipulation-through-sexiness, Selina genuinely is expressing her sexuality here for a man she really is in love with, and not in order to gain an advantage over him.

Bruce says "We take off our costumes?" (again, referring to their respectable public sides), and Selina responds "I guess I'm tired of wearing masks", showing that she's tired of being Selina and Catwoman, and being confused as to who she is/what she really wants. Bruce does say he's tired of wearing masks as well, but I suspect he's just tired of having to be Batman, because doing so is interfering with his romance with Selina. Anyway, he asks Selina why she came to the ball, she tells him to first say why he came, and Bruce says it was just to "see you". Selina responds that she wishes she could say the same thing, but admits that she came to murder Max, while simultaneously pulling out a small pistol and showing it to Bruce.

Bruce starts to freak out over this, and Selina goes on this little rant as to why Max's death will solve things (at least, it will for her, as killing him would be the ultimate fulfillment of Catwoman's quest for vengeance against patriarchal Gotham society). Bruce asks her who the hell she thinks she is, and a look of horrified realization appears on Selina's face as she responds "I don't know anymore, Bruce", followed by a crazy, nervous laugh. The two continue dancing, and make out a little (probably done by both in order to calm Selina down), and Selina notices some mistletoe hanging from the ceiling. In her confused, mixed-up state, she repeats Batman's line about the deadliness of mistletoe, and Bruce, because of his fascination/lust for Catwoman, repeats her line about a kiss being even deadlier if you mean it. The two lovers realize what their alter-egos are, and Selina asks if this means that they "have to start fighting", horrified at the prospect of combating her love. Bruce says "Let's go outside." (hopefully just to talk...?), but The Penguin crashes the party before they can do so.

 

[Smalley]

I just realized that all of the men in this film throw or cause selina to fall to one of her so called deaths, maybe representing a kind of fall from grace?

Also this scene with the mistletoe is one of my favorite scenes, I viewed it again with the sado masochistic interpretations in mind, and so it seemed to me that this scene was the natural evolution of their date from before. When they make out on the couch they each accidentally touch each others scars inflicting pain in the middle of their romantic interlude. Then they both stop stating that they both can't continue and they never explicitly state why they just retreat to thier separate places and return to the romantic interlude once they have donned their respective outfits.

It seems even though selina has become much more fully realized she still cannot express herself sexually unless that other persona comes out.

Also the sudden stop of the romantic interlude make me think that Selina feels guilt for her sexual repressed desires, that only fuel catwoman's rage. So once she felt those desires it was time to switch over to catwoman.

Not a fall from grace as I see it, just the old Selina falling from her notions of girly-ness and subservience to men to a different mode of thought. And I doubt Selina was feeling guilty over the make-out session, she just knew she couldn't explain the napalm scar on her arm.

Thoughtful analysis, Smalley. I've never cared for the movie (perhaps I was simply too young the first time I saw it), but this essay provides a new context by which to view it. I'll have to give it another chance thanks to your work. Part of me already wants to skip past the Penguin scenes!...

I eagerly await the next part!

Yeah, Penguin's kind of too-gross. Still, after I had a few viewings to get in sync with Returns' sensibilities, I loved it.

 

[Smalley]

Part 14.5

Tired Of Wearing Masks (cont.)​

The fact that Schreck has been able to re-build his department store without any interference from Catwoman shows that Selina has lost focus on her vengeance campaign against the guy who really matters; she showed up at The Penguin's final campaign rally in order to get revenge on him for "killing her", but Bruce engineered a public confession out of a previous recording of Penguin, the crowd turned on him themselves, and Selina didn't even bother trying to hurt him. This shows that, because of her denigrating mental state, she has lost focus focus on the man who truly deserves her vengeance the most, the one who abused her first and turned her into what she is now, and her rage at all men is distracted into attacking people like Batman and The Penguin, who don't deserve it as much as Max does (hell, Batman hardly deserves any revenge).

I find it ironic that Selina makes herself up to look ultra-glamorous at the ball, fitting in with traditional notions of what women should look like, notions upheld by people like Schreck, just so she can attend the ball and murder Schreck, which people like Schreck would probably consider the very height of unlady-likeness, heh. Anyway, after Selina discovers that Bruce is also Batman, her two sides provide her with two different emotions, a Catwoman-derived hatred for Batman, since he's a powerful man, and a Selina-derived love for Bruce because he's the only one who understands what she's going through, and this tug-of-war only serves to worsen Selina's already-substantial identity confusion.

It seems Selina is caught in a kind of Mobius Strip psychologically, as her earlier push-over attitude lead to her almost being murdered by a man, which made her angry at men's society and caused a split in herself, a split which causes her to be attracted to the also-split Bruce, which is something one half of Selina would disapprove of, and is actively working against as Catwoman. Whew!

 

[Smalley]

Part 15

Just Couldn't Live With Myself​

After The Penguin abducts Max from the party and brings him down to his lair, Selina gets dressed up in her tattered-and-torn Catwoman costume (reflecting her tattered-and-torn mental state) and follows them down, and while Batman is defeating The Penguin for the final time, Selina attacks Max. Max tries stave off his death by trying to bribe Catwoman/Selina, but she says all that she wants is his "blood", "gallons" of it, showing that nothing will stop her from getting her ultimate vengeance against him now, "a die for a die", as she says.

After Batman defeats The Penguin, he comes down to try to save Max from Catwoman/Selina. Max tries to thank him, but Batman won't hear any of it, placing his hand over Schreck's mouth and pushing him back, and saying that he's "going to jail". Catwoman/Selina responds by cracking her whip at him and calling Batman naive, and saying that "the law doesn't apply to people like him [Schreck] or us". She's probably right about the law not applying to Schreck, as he had absolutely no qualms about leaving Selina's body right outside his building after he threw her out the window, but her line about "us" reveals that she believes the two damaged, mentally-split vigilantes exist in this sort of twilight zone, where they're free to avenge the wrongs done to them as they please.

Batman asks Selina why she's doing all this, and pleads with her to just take Schreck to the police with him, and then come home with him. Catwoman/Selina cracks her whip one more time, but has this look in her face like she really wants to go home with Bruce. He pleads with her to see that the two of them are the same, "split... right down the center", and tries to appeal to her by ripping of his Batman mask, revealing his fully-Bruce side to her, the one that she's in love with. He pleads with her yet some more, and the visually-agitated Selina responds "Bruce... I would love to live with you in your castle... forever and ever, just like in a fairy tale", a rather naive vision.

Catwoman/Selina herself soon admits this when she scratches Bruce/Batman on the cheek, and says "I just couldn't live with myself! So don't pretend this is a happy ending!", showing that she has finally decided to fully reject her Selina side and embrace Catwoman's hatred for men, as she couldn't stand the thought of getting married to one and relying on him for the rest of her life. Selina/Catwoman decides to be her own person to the end, and never anyone else's "appendage" to any degree. Max then shoots Bruce on the neck in order to prevent his own arrest, remaining an evil bastard all the way to the end, and Catwoman decides to take her final vengeance on the man who first "killed" her while Batman is down, advancing on Max with whip a-crackin', while he shoots her multiple times.

She tauntingly, defiantly makes up a rhyme after every two shots, counting off her remaining lives: "Four, five... still alive!", "Six, seven... all good girls go to heaven...". Max runs out of bullets, and Catwoman insanely laughs at this, then grabs on to an electrical cable above Schreck and activates her stolen taser, placing it between her and Schreck's mouths (possible use of phallic imagery against a man?), giving him a literal "kiss of death", charring him almost beyond recognition, while she escapes unharmed.

 

[Smalley]

Part 15.5

Just Couldn't Live With Myself (cont.)​

Later, after Alfred's picked up Bruce in order to drive him home, Bruce sees the outline of Catwoman's shadow running along an alley wall, as if she's taunting him about how he didn't get the girl this time, in stark contrast to the end of the previous film. He orders Alfred to stop the car, and gets out in order to find Catwoman again, but only finds her cat, Miss Kitty, in the alley. He scoops the animal up and climbs back in the car, cradling it in his arms. Alfred wishes Bruce "merry Christmas", and he responds in kind, saying "Good will toward men... and women", showing that his experiences with Catwoman/Selina have changed his previous male-oriented worldview, and given him a new appreciation and respect for women's role in society. We pan up through the Gotham City skyline to see the Batsignal come on, then Catwoman pops up defiantly, her costume repaired and her back to us, watching on and sort of taunting Batman that she will keep on doing her own thing as a man-hating female vigilante, having finally rejected all of her Selina side, I believe. End film.

It's interesting to see the difference between Catwoman and Batman's concept of justice, as, while Catwoman tries to work completely outside of the law in order to avenge the wrongs done to her, Batman decided to work within the law in order to cope with his parents' murder. If it had been him that was almost murdered, like Selina, and he had some underlying psychological issues at the time, again, like Selina did, would he be murdering people just like she is?

When Bruce says that the two of them are the "same", "split... right down the center", he could be talking about how both of them are individually split, or he could be saying that they're different sides of the same coin, and by living together happily ever after, they could both work in concert to heal each others' damaged psyches. That'd be an interesting outcome. By ripping off his Batman mask, he seems to be temporarily discarding his vigilante side in favor of Bruce, to try to get Selina to discard her Catwoman side for Selina, but her anger is just too much in the end to go through with that kind of life.

I think Catwoman left Miss Kitty in the alley for Bruce as a sign that she's abandoning all vestiges of her life as Selina (even her pets), as well as intending it as a sort of taunting going-away present for Bruce, a continual reminder that he almost had, but still lost her. It's also interesting to note that Selina kills Shreck with a deadly "kiss", using a normally-welcome expression of sexiness (at least in Gotham City) in order to kill Shreck; all throughout the film, we see Catwoman ironically using expressions of sexual un-repression as a weapon to use against men, using the trappings of a dominatrix (like a whip) to attack men, double entendres ("Be gentle, it's my first time"), and her general sexiness in order to fake-seduce men, and manipulate them. A miscellaneous section is coming up, in order to write down what I didn't before...