BATMAN BEGINS

Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a DC Comics fictional superhero who first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939. Batman was co-created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, although only Kane receives official credit. He has since become one of the world's most recognized superheroes.

Robin appears in 1940

Batman's secret identity is Bruce Wayne, a billionaire industrialist, playboy, and philanthropist. Witnessing the murder of his parents as a child leads him to train himself to the peak of physical and intellectual perfection, don a bat-themed costume, and fight crime. Unlike most superheroes, he does not possess superhuman powers or abilities; he makes use of intellect, detective skills, science and technology, wealth, physical prowess, and intimidation in his war on crime.

Bruce (Robert the Bruce) Wayne (Mad Anthony Wayne

Batman known for technology like Dick Tracy

History

Comic Book History has been divided into periods:

Unlike films that may last several hours, comics last decades. As a result, they change over time and fit the period in which they are being written. In some cases this is possible - the alternations in the characters may or may not allow for such change.

In this respect, comics are more like film or T.V. series which may last over a span of several years. This is one of the few times that an actor may havea better grip on the character than the writer since the writers of series like Star Trek changed on a weekly basis.

The first generation comics were largely comic: Yellow Kid, Katzenjammer Kids, Mutt and Jeff.

The second generation of comics shows the changes of WWI These are the comics which begin to alter the nature of the comic:

The origin tale of Batman (like Superman) takes up two pages. The story involves the killing of Bruce Wayne's parents coming home from the movies. Bruce, now orphaned (like both Superman and Annie) is seen praying at his bed. The caption reads:

"And I swear by the spirits of my parents to avenge their deaths by spending the rest of my life warring on all criminals"

(Remember our comments about the stories being something akin to medieval stories - here is the vow being taken). Such a statement has religious overtones, and strong emphasis in that he is not fighting crime but making a "holy" war. Notice he is also known as “The Caped Crusader”

Batman origin story meddled with in original story Bruce Wayne – in that parents are killed when they leave movie with Bruce. In this version Bruce’ fear of bats causes him to want to leave Boito’s Mephistopheles when the “bats” appear which causes them to meet the thief (who in the original is named Jimmy Cool(?), and is not Joker as is the case in the Michael Keaton one.)

Compare with Alfred's line in this film: Alfred: "It can't be personal"

ORIGIN STORY

He assumes an identity associated with the night, vampirism and the occult on the grounds that criminals are a superstitious lot. He says "But first I must have a disguise. Criminals are a superstitious cowardly lot, so my disguise must strike terror into their hearts. I must be a creature of the night. Black, terrible..a..a "
At that point a large bat flies in through the window and Wayne continues "A bat! That's it! It's an omen! I shall become a bat!"

Wayne is thus involved in a "holy war" on criminals and is doing what he does out of revenge.

Joe Chill was named as the killer of Bruce Wayne’s parents and is NOT the Joker as happens in Batman with Michael Keaton.

The figures' ideology is rather different. Batman for example seeks vengeance.

AFTER THE FILM The history of the Batman comic is not in some ways relevant. Films have to stand on their own merit. None-the-less, it is interesting to look at the changes that occur in the "origin story" which is often thought of as inviable. Clearly, there has been a good deal of change in the story. The entire piece about Bruce's fear of bats has been added. The opera (Boito's Mephistopheles) with bats is used to add guilt to Wayne's motivation rather than have him just warring on criminals as an act of revenge

The decision to use the bat as a symbol also shifts from the original. It is not the criminals who are superstitions and cowardly, but Wayne who has a psychological problem - a unreasoning fear of bats. In the film the decision comes in the line "Bats frighten me. It is time the enemy shares my dread".

Another serious difference between Batman and the other superheroes is that he is human and without superpowers. He relies on his intelligence and physical strength (which while great) is not of the superpower variety

The strip seems not to have been the idea of Bob Kane, nor did he write the first story. If he in fact drew it, it was not alone or without help.

One analysis says that the strips popularity is rooted in the idea that "he symbolizes and represents in personal and concrete ways basic American beliefs. He is a pietest-perfectionist who makes it HIS duty to right all wrongs. (Pietism was a German religious movement that stressed over formalism (i.e. going to meetings etc.) hence. an excessively religious person. In this sense it also refers to the problem of the individual having to decide on the rightness and wrongness of all issues in terms of a higher moral law

Leads to guilt because of "Americans inability to rise up to impossible ideals. Guilt in effect comes from compromise. Batman as an orphan is free to act while the police are fettered. (Note Batman's "I don't have the luxury of friends" in this film.

Batman is an intermediary between a weak society hampered by "laws" and master criminals

Like Dick Tracy the villains in Batman are grotesque: The Joker whose pale skin and grin give him the image of death itself or at best a messenger of death. Penguin an animal named characters..

Another argument that has been made is that the “orphans” are common because they break with a heritage and reflect America’s disassociation with its European past which is seen as “evil” as a result of Americans being mostly immigrants who left a country that was persecuting them. There exists as a result a love-hate relationship with “the homeland” which is both despised and glamorized. The first generation wants their children to get rid of all the markers of their ethnic identity and then second and third embrace a romanticized homeland.

DISTINCTION BETWEEN LAW AND JUSTICE

Batman (along with other superheroes) are involved in justice without law.
There is always a problem about arguing that you are after lawbreakers,
because it is wrong to break the law, and then breaking the law to get them.
"I didn't have time to observe the rules of the road.." (Sort of OK because police cars and ambulances are exempted from the rules.) But this is not the only breech of law.

"I got to get me one of those". ("Where does he get those wonderful toys from Batman")

What kind of villain appears in this film? Is he a super villain? The villains here dispose of corruption by exterminating the population (i.e. the extermination of the city). Superheroes need super villains and super villians must do crimes of epic proportions. Even in Sherlock Holmes, the crimes with Moriarty are invariably epic - detroying world economy etc.

Father now the victim of major criminals not some little petty thief.

The film also adds an “Asian” component of martial arts training reflecting some of the interest in American in the martial arts. There is an odd mixture of Asians and Americans and good and bad in the film.

Wayne’s refusal to become a killer (rather than executioner making the distinction between lawful and unlawful murder) in a sense reverse the older Batman/Superman idea in which justice triumphs over law.

The film sets up a number of dichotomies which it fails in some way to resolve: law:justice revenge:justice revenge:punishement The "state" has been defined as something which takes all forms of villence to itself.

murder:execution
kidnapping:arrest
extortion:taxes

Initially the superheroes tend to be "outside the law". The government is corrupt, tied down in red tape, incapable of acting, involved in prisoners' rights etc.

The superheroes cut through this and in someways are conservative forces. As times change they become more liberal and work more within the legal framework - with the police, law enforcement agencies etc. In one snese it is difficult to deal with superheropes who are forced by contemporary standards to operate within the law when their who purpose was to operate outside it since it didn't work. The films tend not to look to resolve this, but ignore the past. In Batman when Bruce Wayne decides to kill Chill, he is still acting outside the law. Falconi saves him from havingto do this and he is ultimately brought "into the fold".

The film has a darker look, and less like a comic than the T.V. series with Adam West or even the Michael Keaton version.

The training house, the batcave, Gotham City are often dark and rainy. Water, rain and vapor are elements of the spread of the gas at the end of the film.

Bale effectively produces two voices - one for Wayne and one for Batman which are described in the comic (interesting to note how many British performers have leads).

The parallel stucture between the destruction of the training house and Wayne mansion are commented on by the characters.

That Batman and Ras are similar in some ways is clear, but they are also different. The differences are not clearly worked out. Is Batman accurate in saying "I won't kill you, but I don't have to save you" after he arranges everything to cause the train to crash.

If compassion is the difference - what happened to it in Batman?