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| Batman at the end of the film, looking upon Gotham City.
Whether it was intentional or not, Tim Buton's Batman shares many elements with the film noir genre. The movie overall does a successful job of creating a very dark and gloomy atmosphere that is so iconic in films of this type. Rarely do we see very much daylight in the film at all and even when there are small portions of it, shadows still linger and provide an eerie feel. There is a sharp contrast between light and dark in the film, which also illustrates the dualing good and evil of Batman and the Joker. Gotham City is extremely isolated and therefore caters to the theme of alienation that both Batman and the city itself can relate to. Corruption lingers within the city, even if it is not visible on the surface. From the beginning, the viewers can tell that something is looming past these dark streets and buildings of Gotham City... perhaps something that is there to cause harm. Burton makes it clear that there is something off-balance in this cryptic place.
In addition to the surroundings, Batman also contains two prominent protagonists that are clearly very conflicted within. The Joker and Batman both have serious mental struggles that they can't seem to overcome and pose an important role in what they are doing today. For most, it's not exactly commonplace to be the maniacal instigator of crime or the hero of the hour, but for them, evidently it's the ever day norm. Their psyche is obviously flawed, and this is a key element for the "conflicted hero" of film noir.
Opposite our conflicted man in black is Vicki Vale-- the quick-witted and glamorous woman behind a camera who steals the heart of Bruce Wayne. In this case, she also seems to fill the role of femme fatale. As a capable and independent woman, she seduces Bruce in such a way that he just can't turn away. Perhaps it's dangerous that she is such a distraction in his life, but that reflects the stronghold she has on him as a femme fatale. Whether he is Batman or Bruce, he always saves her from peril.
With the compilation of all these dark elements and particular characters, Tim Burton creates a kind of film that distinguishes itself as film noir.
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Thursday, January 24, 2013
McCurdy Batman
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I really like how you mentioned the fact that the movie has lots of dark shadows even in the scenes in Vicky Vale’s apartment. I never really noticed it, but there is always some type of shadow even in the light. Maybe this represents the idea that there is always going to be a flaw in someone or something somewhere. If the shadows or eerie feelings were not present in Vicky’s apartment then it would seem pretty out of place. Also I really like how you mention the fact that there is corruption in the city even if it is not completely obvious. There always seems to be something going on in the midst of even the best of times, which maybe parallels the eerie feelings that could be felt in Vicky’s apartment. The film very much includes elements of film noir even through the opening credits with the lighting and the sharp contrast of the dark background with the bright yellow text. It seems that within the film, there cannot be light without some hint of darkness.
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