Batman '89 The Official Batman (1989) Thread - Part 6

[IndyStarlord]

 

[Kane52630]

 

[danlav05]

I notice this (and Superman '78) are not on ComiXology for pre-order yet?

 

[BrollySupersj]

I always thought this shot looked very convincing. Having the little Batman inside the cockpit turn his head as he descends, makes it look real.

 

[Pennywise]

 

[The Caped Knight]

 

[antsman41]

Joe posted a new drawing today…

 

[Drizzle]

Is Babs based on any actress in particular? I'm kinda getting Ally Sheedy vibes from that artwork

 

[The Caped Knight]

It kinda looks like a young Stockard Channing .

 

[Sawyer]

 

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

I thought Quinones hinted at Winona Ryder being Burton's Barbara? Perhaps he was talking about a different character.

 

[danlav05]

It kinda looks like a young Stockard Channing .

Apt, considering Batman Beyond

Most of the characters were part of Joe's rejected pitch, interesting to compare with what we're getting now Check Out Leth And Quinones' Unpublished Pitch For 'Batman '89'

 

[The Caped Knight]

 

[Captain Tired]

Y'know, in the past I've felt the need to defend this movie's choice to hold back on the origin story, on the basis of it presenting Bruce Wayne as this conundrum of a character where you're meant to question the actual reasoning as to why he does what he does and who he really is as a person.

As I was born in '94, it does raise an interesting question I have: were mainstream audiences generally aware of Batman's tragic origin story, given that the '66 show/film and Saturday morning cartoons were the popular perception of the character outside of the comic-book fandom? The film obviously presents the origin as a shocking reveal that we the audience are not necessarily meant to be privy to, and not just because of the Joker tie-in/retcon.

Now, regardless of whether or not mainstream audiences were generally aware of the origin story, I'll still defend this movie's choice to hold back on it. I think it's proven to be a unique creative choice within this subcategory of film, and also a deliciously cool homage to the '40s noir mysteries it clearly takes a lot of inspiration from. But I just thought it was an interesting question to ask.

 

[DocLathropBrown]

Y'know, in the past I've felt the need to defend this movie's choice to hold back on the origin story, on the basis of it presenting Bruce Wayne as this conundrum of a character where you're meant to question the actual reasoning as to why he does what he does and who he really is as a person.

As I was born in '94, it does raise an interesting question I have: were mainstream audiences generally aware of Batman's tragic origin story, given that the '66 show/film and Saturday morning cartoons were the popular perception of the character outside of the comic-book fandom? The film obviously presents the origin as a shocking reveal that we the audience are not necessarily meant to be privy to, and not just because of the Joker tie-in/retcon.

Now, regardless of whether or not mainstream audiences were generally aware of the origin story, I'll still defend this movie's choice to hold back on it. I think it's proven to be a unique creative choice within this subcategory of film, and also a deliciously cool homage to the '40s noir mysteries it clearly takes a lot of inspiration from. But I just thought it was an interesting question to ask.

The average person off the street? They had zero idea what Batman's origin was. The average person off the street doesn't read comic books (obviously), and in a time before the pop culture conversation was hotlinked to details of comic accuracy (thank you 21st century), there was no way for them to gain knowledge tangentially. The origin got a one line mention in the first episode of the '66 series. Which is tremendously blink-and-you'll-miss-it. You prettymuch already have to be a fan to catch it.

Other than that, the only place where the mainstream could have seen his origin is in that Alan Burnett-written episode in the last season of the Superfriends ("The Fear"). But again, adults and teenagers weren't watching that.

So BATMAN was indeed the first time the origin got an effective, wide-reaching presentation of his origin to the masses. Decades ago, I had found a website online that transcribed some article from a magazine where some off-the-street reaction to the movie indicated the interviewee was sure that they made up those details in an effort to make the character darker. That little detail always fascinated me--and it makes some sense. If your only window into the character was the TV series, and if you're an average person, you don't understand why an adaptation would make changes to the source material. You just assume it's 1:1 because you don't have advanced comics knowledge. So naturally, there were probably a lot of people who assumed the darker take on the character was some kind of reinvention--not a return to form.

So what Burton and Hamm did was brilliantly meta--to play with what the audience didn't know about Batman, to tease and mystify the audience about his psychology, so Vicki being the audience's surrogate is more potent. First time viewers who were new to Batman in his purest form were uncovering the mystery of Bruce Wayne along with her. Coming in the third act, you've already bought into this version of the character. You've been bowled over by the subtle nuance and quiet reservation of this guy. A sudden window into why he is that way? That just cements it. I think if the origin had been up-front, it wouldn't have had quite the same punch--and I'm sure Hamm's script starting with the family, echoing Bruce's origin, was done to deliberately mislead fans who were expecting the film to start there.

 

[Captain Tired]

Awesome. I'd suspected as much. Thanks @DocLathropBrown! This only further deepens my respect for the film's creative and unique unravelling of the title character.

So what Burton and Hamm did was brilliantly meta--to play with what the audience didn't know about Batman, to tease and mystify the audience about his psychology, so Vicki being the audience's surrogate is more potent. First time viewers who were new to Batman in his purest form were uncovering the mystery of Bruce Wayne along with her. Coming in the third act, you've already bought into this version of the character. You've been bowled over by the subtle nuance and quiet reservation of this guy. A sudden window into why he is that way? That just cements it. I think if the origin had been up-front, it wouldn't have had quite the same punch--and I'm sure Hamm's script starting with the family, echoing Bruce's origin, was done to deliberately mislead fans who were expecting the film to start there.

Exactly right. That's what I've always said. It's a shame that some don't seem to look upon the film's slow unravelling of Batman/Bruce Wayne's character with that historical context in mind. Instead you get the usual tired criticism that the film's more interested in the Joker than it is Batman. When you look below the surface and actually bother to understand the flow of the narrative and the historical context behind it, you see pretty clearly that the film's all about the mystery of Batman as a character.

What's ironic is that I seem to recall Nolan himself making a positive comment as to that aspect of the film.

 

[Gothamsknight]

I was thinking today that this is probably my favorite track from the film that isn't the main theme. I love the mystique of it!

 

[BrollySupersj]

"Sometimes I don't know what to make of all this. It's just something I have to do".

I liked that the 89 Bruce Wayne couldn't properly explain his reasoning to Vicki as to why he is Batman.

 

[GREEN =w= DAY]

That is a beauty! Please tell me that’s a future release statue. Day one buy for me

 

[The Shape]

"Sometimes I don't know what to make of all this. It's just something I have to do".

I liked that the 89 Bruce Wayne couldn't properly explain his reasoning to Vicki as to why he is Batman.

I absolutely love the explanation Bruce does give.

Vicki: “Why?”

Bruce: “Because nobody else can.”

 

[Solid]

I liked this one more than the sequel, which didn't feel like a Batman film. I usually rewatch it every year

 

[Sawyer]

AAAAAAHHHHHHHH I love it.

 

[Kane52630]

 

[danlav05]

 

[Sawyer]