Henry David Thoreau and Batman (1989 film): Difference between pages
(Difference between pages)
Content deleted Content added
m →External links: Batman Films is a subcat of Films based on DC Comics |
|||
Line 1:
:''For the 1966 ''Batman'' film, see ''[[Batman (1966 film)]]'''
{{Infobox_Movie |
movie_name =Batman |
image = [[Image:Movie_DVD_cover_batman.jpg|right|250px]] |
producer =[[Peter Guber]]<br>[[Jon Peters]] |
writer = [[Sam Hamm]] (screenwriter)<br>[[Warren Skaaren]] (screenwriter)<br>[[Sam Hamm]] (story)<br>[[Bob Kane]] (comic book)<br> |
starring = [[Jack Nicholson]]<br>[[Michael Keaton]]<br>[[Kim Basinger]]<br>[[Robert Wuhl]]<br>[[Pat Hingle]]<br>[[Billy Dee Williams]]<br>[[Michael Gough]]<br>[[Jack Palance]]<br>[[Jerry Hall]]<br>[[William Hootkins]]<br>[[Tracey Walter]]<br> |
director = [[Tim Burton]]|
distributor =[[Warner Brothers]] |
release_date =[[June 19]], [[1989]] |
runtime = 126 min. |
movie_language = English |
music = |
awards = |
budget = $35,000,000 |
imdb_id = 0096895 |
}}
'''''Batman''''' was released in [[United States|U.S.]] theaters on [[June 23]], [[1989]] by [[Warner Bros.]] and soon became the highest grossing [[film|movie]] of the year. It was directed by [[Tim Burton]] and starred [[Jack Nicholson]] as the [[Joker (comics)#The 1989 film|Joker]], [[Michael Keaton]] as [[Batman]], and [[Kim Basinger]] as reporter [[Vicki Vale]]. Although Keaton played the nominal hero of the film, Nicholson received top billing.
This movie helped usher a return to the "dark" roots of the Batman of the original [[comic book|comics]] and away from the [[camp]]y [[1960s]] [[Batman (1960s TV series)|''Batman'' television series]] and cartoon ''[[Super Friends]]''. Like many film versions of comic book heroes, the ''Batman'' movie told its own version of his origin, and how [[Joker (comics)|The Joker]] figured in that origin.
Many people who recognized Batman from the 1960s television series reprehended the film for being too solemn and humorless; however, it should be noted that the character's original tone was serious-minded and not comedic or mirthful. Another complaint, one that long plagued the Batman films made between 1989 and 1997, was that the films tended to focus too much on the villain and not enough on Batman himself.
Numerous comic book fans were displeased to learn that Michael Keaton (who was better known for his comedic roles at the time) was cast as the title character, and assumed that it was a sure sign of the production taking the same tone of the 1960s television series. The producers hurriedly released a [[teaser trailer]] to prove they were treating the character faithfully. The marketing move was successful and since the film's successful release, many fans consider Keaton as one of the best actors to have played Batman in a live-action film, along with [[Christian Bale]] of [[2005 in film|2005]]'s ''[[Batman Begins]]''.
The minor-key score was written by [[Danny Elfman]], with songs by [[Prince (artist)|Prince]]. Two animated series (''[[Batman: The Animated Series]]'' and ''[[The Adventures of Batman and Robin]]'') were created in the wake of the film's success, and three sequels --''[[Batman Returns]]'' (1992), ''[[Batman Forever]]'' (1995), and ''[[Batman and Robin]]'' (1997)-- were produced. ''[[Batman: Mask of the Phantasm]]'' a spin-off of the animated television series, was released in 1993. ''[[Batman Begins]]'', a successful restart of the saga (but often mistakenly called a [[prequel]]), was released in 2005. A new 2 disc special edition of the first four films will be released on Tuesday, October 18, 2005. All movies include commentary along with other special features.
==Plot summary==
{{spoiler}}
[[Image:Jokermovie.jpg|thumb|left|[[The Joker (comics)|The Joker]], played by [[Jack Nicholson]].]]The main story of the movie is that of Jack Napier, an arrogant hitman working for [[Carl Grissom|Boss Carl Grissom]], and who years before, killed Thomas and Martha Wayne, the wealthy parents of Bruce Wayne. Grissom assigns Napier to break into Axis Chemicals to destroy legally incriminating files, but it turns out to be a set-up. Out of jealousy of Napier's affair with his girlfriend, Grissom hires the corrupt [[Lt. Max Eckhardt]] of the [[Gotham City Police Department]] to kill Napier.
Napier kills Eckhardt, but Batman has learned of the break-in and confronts Napier, who winds up falling on the edge of a catwalk over a vat of chemicals. When his hand slips from Batman's, he falls into the vat. The chemicals ingrain him with permanent grotesque features, which changes his appearance to that resembling a clown. Naming himself [[Joker (comics)#The 1989 film|The Joker]], he tracks down and murders Grissom and takes over the criminal gang. The violent takeover attracts the attention of both Batman and newspaper reporter [[Alexander Knox (Batman)|Alexander Knox]] and photographer [[Vicki Vale]]. The rest of the film involves Batman trying to stop the Joker, [[Bob the Goon]] and their henchmen from terrorizing the city with shootouts, assassinations, and a deadly chemical which poisons its victims with uncontrollable laughter that eventually leads to death.
== Response and legacy==
''Batman'' was ''the'' most successful movie of 1989, earning $251,188,924 domestically and over $160 million abroad. As a result, the movie spawned all sorts of merchandise: action figures, t-shirts, beach towels, trading cards and even a cereal. The movie received mostly positive reviews, with [[Erik Preminger]] of [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]]'s [[KGO-TV]] hailing it as ''"the movie of the decade"''. [[Jack Nicholson]] was widely praised as ruthless thug Jack Napier and the even more ruthless Joker, while [[Michael Keaton]] won over many viewers with his portrayal of a conflicted Bruce Wayne and Batman. [[Danny Elfman]]'s score received positive feedback, leading to nominations in various institutions (although not for an [[Academy Award]]). The film was criticized, though, for its dark, grisly nature in comparison with the campy 1960s TV show, and for a [[Prince (artist)|Prince]]-dominated soundtrack which was seen as an obvious marketing tie-in. While applauded for its efforts to return to the staid nature of the character, the movie was attacked by many comic book purists who claimed that the film took too many elective liberties with the original character's established backstory and ideals, most notably in Batman's lethal tactics in the film.
==Trivia==
Adam West (the star of the TV series "Batman" (1966/II))wanted to play Batman, but Michael Keaton was given the role after getting the nod from Bob Kane, the creator of the original Batman comic strip.
Sean Young was originally cast as Vicki Vale, but broke her collarbone while filming a horse-riding scene with Michael Keaton. The scene was subsequently written out of the script.
Set designer Anton Furst deliberately mixed clashing architectural styles to make Gotham City the ugliest and bleakest metropolis imaginable.
Michael Keaton worked out for two months to prepare for the role, and learned kickboxing from his stunt double, David Lea. Keaton performed most of the fights himself, and one of the few scenes in which Lea stood in for him is during the fight in the alley with the swordsman.
Director Tim Burton and Michael Keaton did a lot of re-writing during production. The most notable re-write is the opening scene in which Batman says, "I'm Batman." In the script Batman was to reply "I am the night." The other notable re-write is the showdown between Batman and the Joker.
The first draft of this movie was written in 1980 by Superman (1978) co-writer Tom Mankiewicz and told the story of Batman's and Robin's origins. The villains were The Joker and The Penguin, and Rupert Thorne and Barbara Gordon were also to appear. At the end Robin was to appear in costume (much like Batman Forever (1995)). It was going to be released in 1985 with a budget of $20 million, but with producers Michael E. Uslan and Benjamin Melniker booted off the production, the project was shelved until Jon Peters and Peter Guber picked it up. In 1985, after the surprise success of Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985), the studio offered the job to Tim Burton. Unsatisfied with the Mankiewicz script, Burton and his then girlfriend Julie Hickson wrote a 30-page treatment of the project. This treatment was approved by both the producers and studio. In 1986 Burton met Sam Hamm, who had just received a two-year contract with WB, and gave him the job of writing a screenplay based on Burton's and Hickson's treatment. However, the writing process stretched too long and Hamm couldn't write further drafts of the script because of the writers strike. In his place, Burton got Beetle Juice (1988) co-writer Warren Skaaren to continue writing. Nearly three years after working on the project Burton didn't get the film greenlit until the box-office result of "Beetle Juice". "Batman" began filming in October and it only took 12 weeks to shoot.
It made an estimated additional $750 million in merchandising alone.
Executive producers Benjamin Melniker and Michael E. Uslan sued Warner Brothers for forcing them into accepting a net profit agreement rather than the gross profit one that was set up for other parties like Jack Nicholson. Warners then claimed that, although "Batman" at the time was the 5th biggest grossing film ever, it was still technically in the red, and offered the two producers a $1 million out-of-court settlement. They naturally rejected this.
Ricky Addison Reed was cast as Robin when the character was part of an earlier story treatment. Robin was eventually dropped, and Reed lost the role.
The plastic surgeon's weird surgical tools are originally from another Warner Brothers production, Little Shop of Horrors (1986). They were the dentist tools owned by Orin Scrivello.
The Batman costume weighed 70 lbs.
The Batman symbol on the costume in this film is slightly different than the version seen in the comic books. It has two extra "points" on the bottom of the black bat emblem. However, the teaser poster and other such promotional materials for the film depict the logo just as it appears in the comics, for copyright purposes (because that specific look for the logo is what DC comics had copyrighted). The Batman costume was slightly modified for Batman Returns (1992) and sported the comic version of the symbol.
At one point during pre-production, director Tim Burton wanted to turn Frank Miller's 1986 comic "The Dark Knight Returns" into the new movie. However, Warner Bros. wanted to introduce the "dark" Batman before having a movie about his last days as a crime fighter. Not to mention that a DKR movie would be about four hours long.
Corto Maltese (where Vicki had been taking pictures) is the name of a popular European comic character, starring in the adventure comic books of Italian Hugo Pratt.
Heavy security surrounded The Joker's makeup.
The throne that the Joker sits on when he spreads money over the citizens of Gotham is a copy of the "Silver Throne", the Royal Throne of Sweden which the King of Sweden used until 1974 at the opening of the Swedish Parliament. The replica was made for the film Queen Christina (1933).
Tim Curry was an original choice to play the Joker.
Ray Liotta was reportedly Tim Burton's first choice for the Joker, and then for the character of Harvey Dent (later to become Two Face), but he turned down both due to his commitment to make Goodfellas (1990).
Robin Williams was considered for the role of The Joker; he would later be considered for The Riddler as well. Jack Nicholson got the role of The Joker but demanded top-billing and a lucrative deal that gave him royalties on all merchandise.
Billy Dee Williams appears as Harvey Dent, who in the comics became Two-Face. Williams took the role with the expectation that he would be brought back to play Two-Face and reportedly had a contract clause added reserving the role for him. During casting for Batman Forever (1995) Warner Bros. decided they would prefer Tommy Lee Jones and bought out Williams' contract.
It is claimed that Adam West was offered a cameo as Bruce Wayne's father but turned it down, though West denies being offered the part.
This was the first film to ever get a "12" rating in Great Britain. The rating was created to prevent young children from seeing the film. It had been in place up until 2002, where it was updated to "12A" for the live-action Spider-Man (2002) movie.
Corto Maltese is also an island country in Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns, one of Burton's inspirations for Batman.
Kim Basinger is only a few inches shorter than Michael Keaton. To make Keaton appear taller, she wears flat heels or is in stocking feet in all the scenes in which they are standing next to each other.
Alec Baldwin, Charlie Sheen, Bill Murray, Pierce Brosnan and Tom Selleck were considered for the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman.
Mel Gibson was the original choice for Bruce Wayne/Batman but was forced to turn down the role due to his commitment with Lethal Weapon 2 (1989).
In the Globe office, a reporter hands Knox a drawing of a bat dressed like a man, poking fun at his belief in Batman. The drawing is signed "Bob Kane - the creator of Batman".
Alfred's story of how Bruce sprained his ankle while horseback-riding is a reference to Sean Young's accident when she was preparing for the film. It also refers to a deleted scene from the script which had Bruce on horseback chasing the Joker.
Martin Landau turned down the role of Carl Grissom.
Michael Jackson was asked to write and perform the songs for the movie, but he had to turn it down due to his concert commitments.
The producers wanted John Williams to write the score, but he had to turn it down due to his commitment to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989).
The studio offered Joel Coen and Ethan Coen the director's chair, before Tim Burton got the job.
Jack Nicholson received a percentage of the gross on the film, and due to its massive box-office took home around $60 million. As of 2003 it is still the single-movie record for actor's salary.
The flag of Gotham City closely resembles the state flag of Indiana. It can be seen briefly in Harvey Dent's office.
When the Tom Mankiewicz script was in development, the directors associated with the project included Joe Dante and Ivan Reitman. Producers wanted an unknown to play Batman and the cast wish-list included William Holden as Commissioner Gordon and David Niven as Alfred, Bruce Wayne's faithful butler.
The movie's "Vicki Vale" is actually based on 1970s Bruce Wayne girlfriend Silver St. Cloud, a name deemed too silly for a movie character. However, in the comics there was a character named Vicki Vale, who was a reporter and appeared in the comics throughout the '40s and '60s.
The character of Alexander Knox (Robert Wuhl) was a character created for the movie. In the script the character was killed during the parade scene.
In the original script, the paper Knox and Vicki worked for was the Gotham Gazette, not the Gotham Globe.
The original script featured a bitter rivalry between Bruce Wayne and Knox over Vicki.
In the original script, Bruce Wayne was described as a man with "muscles on top of muscles and scarred from nightly combat".
When Alfred receives Vicki Vale's message a portrait of Thomas Wayne can be seen in the background.
It has been reported that Tim Burton had an uncredited cameo as one of The Joker's goons in the Museum scene.
In the original script with Robin included, the Flying Graysons (John, Mary, and Dick) are introduced at the parade scene. The Joker shoots the trapeze artists sending John and Mary to their deaths and leaving Dick to survive. Dick later becomes Robin in full costume at the end.
According to a Playboy interview with Robin Williams, Jack Nicholson was the offered the role of Joker first. When Nicholson kept delaying his answer, Williams was offered the role. The producers immediately turned around and informed Nicholson that Williams was considering the offer, and Nicholson accepted. Williams has remained bitter about being "used as bait". See trivia for Batman Forever (1995).
For its first video release, the film was graded slightly lighter as cinema audiences had complained that it was filmed so darkly that they could hardly see what was going on.
Anton Furst's designs for Gotham City were incorporated into the comics during the early '90s. The design was removed during the "No Man's Land" arc.
The painting that the Joker spares during his vandalism spree is Francis Bacon's "Figure with Meat."
The design of Gothan City is based on the work of architects Antonio Gaudi, Otto Wagner and Shin Takamatsu.
In a newsroom scene, Vicki Vale and Alexander Knox examine a map of Gotham City which has been marked with Batman sightings. The map is actually a map of Vancouver, British Columbia.
In the film Jack Napier aka The Joker is the murderer of Batman's parents. In the comics the murderer is a character named Joe Chill.
== On DVD==
[[Image:batman2disc.jpg|right|thumb|128px||Cover of the 2-disc Special Edition DVD]]
''Batman'' was given a "bare bones" DVD release when the medium was introduced in 1997-98. However, in 2005, the newest feature film, [[Batman Begins]], spawned Warner Bros. to release a Two-Disc Special Edition set of all four Burton-Schumacher films in ''Batman: The Motion Picture Anthology 1989-1997''.
Features of the original Burton film include:
*Digitally Remastered Anamorphic Widescreen Transfer
*English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Track
*English DTS 5.1 Surround Track
*Audio Commentary with Director Tim Burton
*Legends of the Dark Knight: The History of Batman Documentary
*Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight Parts 1, 2 & 3
*#The Road to Gotham City
*#The Gathering Storm
*#The Legend Reborn
*Beyond Batman Documentary Gallery Including:
**Visualizing Gotham: The Production Design of Batman
**Building the Batmobile
**Those Wonderful Toys: The Props and Gadgets of Batman
**Designing the Batsuit
**From Jack to Joker
**Nocturnal Overtures: The Music of Batman
*"Batdance", "Partyman" and "Scandalous" Music Videos by Prince
*The Heroes and The Villains Profile Galleries
*Batman: The Complete Robin Storyboard Sequence
*On the Set with Bob Kane Featurette
*Batman Theatrical Trailer
==External links==
*{{imdb title|id=0096895|title=Batman}}
*[http://batman.batmanytb.com/ BATMAN '89] at [http://www.batmanytb.com/ Batman: Yesterday, Today, & Beyond]
*[http://www.bullz-eye.com/mguide/reviews_1989/batman.htm Batman review, Batman DVD review]
*[http://www.
*[http://www.geocities.com/burtonsbatman3/index2.html Tim Burton's Batman III]
*[http://terryxart.com/BatmanPage1.htm Tim Burton's Batman Page 1]
{{Batmanmovies}}
{{Tim Burton Films}}
[[Category:1989 films]]
[[Category:Thriller films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Tim Burton]]
[[Category:Controversial films]]
[[es:
[[
[[
[[
| |||