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| Batman and the Joker's final face-off |
Tim Burton utilizes many elements
of film noir to create his vision of
Batman. The most obvious techniques being used is in the setting. Batman takes place in Gotham, a dark and
urban setting that is littered with criminals. All the buildings are huge and angular;
they are also pressed tightly together. This gives the city a claustrophobic
feeling which is common of film noir.
Another characteristic of film noir is “Harsh, low-key lighting
brought about the high contrast and rich, black shadows.” There is an example
of this in almost every scene. Much of the characters are partially covered by
shadow or are in a setting where there is an opposition of dark and light. The dark
setting of the film matches the conflicted personality of Batman. His life has
been shrouded by darkness from a very young age. The contrast between dark and
light is a representation of the battle between good and evil or Batman vs. The
Joker. The corruption of Gotham city and its dark shadows invoke a feeling of
hopelessness. This caters directly to Burton’s theme of alienation. The city
seems isolated and the citizens are clueless with no direction.
When it comes down to the “conflicted
heroes” of film noir, this film has
two characters that perfectly fit this description. The Batman still suffers
from witnessing the death of his parents and carries around a sense of guilt.
He hides away in his mansion and only feels totally comfortable when he’s
fighting crime in his bat suit. This guilt gives him a sense of responsibility
to uphold the law. The Joker could easily be labeled as a sociopath. He was a “hard-boiled”
criminal to begin with but when he becomes physically deformed he becomes
totally unhinged. The Joker is free of all obligations and isn’t held back by
feelings of remorse. He does whatever he wants and follows through on every
urge he has. The character that best fits the description of the “femme fatale”
would be Vicky Vale. She is a seductive and intelligent reporter that Bruce Wayne
is instantly drawn to. She also fills the role of the “damsel in distress” as
Batman always saves her when she’s in trouble.
I liked the examples you gave for film noir techniques used in Batman. Pretty much every scene has examples of these claustrophobic, twisted up clashes of light and dark that exemplify the film noir style. The theme of alienation is supported by the fact that Gotham isn't even a real city, which makes it sort of mysterious and surreal. One part I liked was the diagonally skewed camera angle when the two robbers were talking about batman at the beginning of the movie. The universe of Batman definitely creates a felling of dread and compliments the personalities of the characters through the way that the camera angles and lighting are presented. Batman is a great example of a conflicted hero. I love the way that the only way he is comfortable is when he is in the bat suit and that without it he is so different. It creates a very well rounded character.
ReplyDeleteTaylor Mroski
I like the way you point out the darkness that is present throughout every scene. A majority of the dialogue and action within these scenes holds dark elements as well, especially behind the motives of some characters (Jack Napier/the Joker, Carl Grissom, etc.) I enjoyed reading how you parallelized the dimness of Batman’s life with the overall dimness of the movie. As a child, Batman watched as the lives of his parents were taken. So as a result, he made his mission to fight crime to avenge the deaths of his parents. However, he invariably finds himself in dark periods because he had no idea who the criminal who killed his parents. On top of that, he’s trying to keep his identity concealed, so the constant struggle within his life causes nothing but darkness for him. The character of the Joker illustrates darkness marvelously because although his character is very vibrant, his vengeful motives and actions say otherwise, and I like that you pointed that out. I also enjoyed reading about the lighting characteristics that you discovered, and I totally agree with your stance. - Akeem Biggs
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