The Official Batman (1989) Thread - Part 4

[Thread Manager]

This is a continuation thread, the old thread is [split]463863[/split]

 

[Mister Meddle]

I have the digital copies of the comic adaptations, they're pretty easy to find. I find them fascinating because it seems that they're usually based on the original scripts.

Take this as an example.

 

[The Batman]

I get what Timm meant. Much like Keaton, Conroy Batman isn't a guy who's gonna have lunch with you or make social visits. Even before the TNBA era, Robin was commenting on how distant Conroy Bats could be.

 

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

Let me just stick this here (Darn thread manager):

Bruce Timm loves his Batman icy and detached and has said on many occasions that Batman: The Animated Series isn't exactly his pure, undiluted version of Batman.

He had to play ball with many other (sometimes narrow-minded) producers and studio executives. While they wanted B:TAS to retain some of the dark flavour of Burton's Batman, it was still a kids show and had to adhere to the rules for the most part.

Given more freedom, Timm would definitely have inserted more of Keaton's aloofness into his Batman.

 

[shauner111]

That makes sense. I always found Bruce to be a lot warmer in the animated series compared to Burton's. Just like Joker was more playful. Which has to do with the target audience.

 

[I Am The Knight]

Pheiffer, do you have any other quotes about Timm's "undiluted" version of Batman?

 

[BlueLightning]

There is a recent interview with Timm about the "Strange Days" short in which he discusses this matter.

ComicsAlliance: You were heavily involved in the Gotham Knight anthology project, working with anime creators on different visions of Batman, but Strange Days is the first time we’ve seen Batman — your Batman, who we recognize from his distinctive features and your style trademarks — in about a decade. Did you always want to do more with Batman and were simply too busy with Green Lantern: The Animated Series and the DC Universe projects? Or were you just done but missed him and had to come back?

Bruce Timm: Oh, I’m never going to be done with Batman. No, basically what happened was it all came about as a fluke. I was at the premiere of The Dark Knight Returns: Part 2 at the Paley Center. One of the reporters there asked me, of all the different versions of Batman that I’ve worked on, through all the DVDs and the series and stuff, which one was my favorite. I said of course it’s the original, Batman: The Animated Series, because that’s the closest to my own personal vision of Batman. Then I got to thinking, well, you know, even B:TAS was not 100% exactly what I would do with Batman if I was boss of the world and didn’t have to take into account economics or TV executives. If I was the boss of the world, how exactly would I do Batman and some of the things they tried to incorporate into B:TAS but had to change a little for various reasons.

CA: What kind of things?

BT: For example, the look of the show is famously very retro. But if I had my way, I would have made the show a real period piece. I would have set it absolutely in 1939. With 1939 technology, clothes and everything. Not just somewhat retro styled. That made me think, hey, if I was going to do it in 1939, then that means it would be in black and white.
Also, just personality-wise with Batman, I have this idea in my head that it would be kind of neat to play Batman not so much as a human being but almost as a force of nature. Like he’s so focused on his mission that he doesn’t make chit chat. He’s not friendly. He doesn’t make jokes. He only talks when he absolutely has to do so to further his war on crime. Even when he’s with Alfred. Alfred is basically just a tool in his arsenal. He’s not Batman’s best buddy. Same with Commissioner Gordon. No sidekicks. No nothing. He’s just this lone, grim avenger.

Obviously you couldn’t do that as a series. It’s really hard to empathize with a character who is that remote. But I thought I could do it as a short, and fortunately for me Cartoon Network was doing these DC Nation shorts. My good buddy Peter Girardi is in charge of development for the DC Nation shorts, and I pitched the idea to him and he said that sounds great. We were off to the races.


Read More: Bruce Timm On His Return to Batman In 'Strange Days' | http://comicsalliance.com/bruce-tim...ion-75th-anniversary-short/?trackback=tsmclip

 

[The Endless]

Sounds awesome.

Anyone ever read Gotham by Gaslight? That was pretty interesting.

 

[The Joker]

Well no offense to Timm but I am glad he wasn't allowed go that route. Alfred just being a tool in his arsenal, no Robin, and no friendship with Gordon would have robbed the series of some of it's best scenes, and episodes, too, like 'I am the Night' and 'Robin's Reckoning' (which won the show an Emmy). And just imagine MOTP without the Alfred scenes.

Anyone ever read Gotham by Gaslight? That was pretty interesting.

Is that the elseworlds story set in the 19th century?

 

[BlueLightning]

Agreed. With that vision, Batman would be more like a crimefighting machine. For me, the relationship with the supporting cast is fundamental to the character, making it more rounded and human.

 

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

Pheiffer, do you have any other quotes about Timm's "undiluted" version of Batman?

The above interview pretty much covers it, but do a little search on 'Bruce Timm Batman' and you'll see that he brings the topic up a few times.

He trulys wants to go for that creature of the night thing and while it would be fun as a one off, I don't think the character should become any more detatched than he was in Burton's Batman.

 

[The Batman]

^ Yeah, as detached as Burton/Keaton's Batman was, he still had human relationships.

Keaton Bats is the only time I truly liked "Psycho" Batman.

 

[BatLobster]

This why I think giving a creative person a certain set of parameters to work within is often what produces the best results. It challenges them.

 

[The Shape]

I think I pretty much love every single thing about Keaton's Bruce/Batman. Wouldn't change a thing.

 

[I Am The Knight]

Thanks, BlueLightning.

Well no offense to Timm but I am glad he wasn't allowed go that route. Alfred just being a tool in his arsenal, no Robin, and no friendship with Gordon would have robbed the series of some of it's best scenes, and episodes, too, like 'I am the Night' and 'Robin's Reckoning' (which won the show an Emmy). And just imagine MOTP without the Alfred scenes.

Agreed. I would hate if Batman was fully detached all the time. Also, I love Robin and Alfred.

The above interview pretty much covers it, but do a little search on 'Bruce Timm Batman' and you'll see that he brings the topic up a few times.

Yeah, I figured I would do that, I was just being lazy

 

[Shikamaru]

Well no offense to Timm but I am glad he wasn't allowed go that route. Alfred just being a tool in his arsenal, no Robin, and no friendship with Gordon would have robbed the series of some of it's best scenes, and episodes, too, like 'I am the Night' and 'Robin's Reckoning' (which won the show an Emmy). And just imagine MOTP without the Alfred scenes.

This why I think giving a creative person a certain set of parameters to work within is often what produces the best results. It challenges them.

I fully agree. People cry foul when a producer/director/writer isn't given complete creative control, but the truth is giving someone zero parameters can be just as foolish as hiring yes-men that have nothing but parameters. There needs to be a level of balance present.

I think it happens a lot more often than fans would suspect. There are tons of well-known acclaimed products of pop culture that would have turned out completely different had the producer/director been given complete free reign. That's not to say those products would have turned out bad, since we wouldn't have known the difference, but a lot of the specific content found in those products that people source as having loved wouldn't be present, for better or worse.

 

[Spider-Aziz]

Saw this movie again today
I never had a problem with dead Joker at the end, he fell from a distance and splat, but no blood, and that never bothered me
I find that weird

 

[CountOrlok]

Saw this movie again today
I never had a problem with dead Joker at the end, he fell from a distance and splat, but no blood, and that never bothered me
I find that weird

There's blood:

It's funny because, the blood on his chin from earlier disappeared. A bit of a continuity goof there.

 

[Spider-Goblin]

For me this and Begins are the best Batman movies.

I hate the realistic vibe of TDK and TDKR.

 

[Elevator Man]

Happy 25th anniversary to Batman '89'.

 

[Kane52630]

Happy 25th!


Thought that this needs to be posted again.

 

[Sawyer]

Goddammit, I wish I had been around for this movie's release.

 

[antsman41]

Gentleman... let's broaden our minds, Lawrence! [cue some Prince]

'89 rules. Happy 25th...

 

[Kane52630]

Had to make it.

http://kane52630.tumblr.com/post/89629760204/im-batman-batman-1989

 

[antsman41]

Seeing Partyman at my Prince concert last October was so epic...