Batman Week Part 3 of 4: "Batman Begins"

(We continue our discussion of Batman's film and TV history here. Yesterday, I left off with the anticipation and angst felt by fanboys everywhere over the direction that the Batman franchise would take in the post-Joel Schumacher era.)

So now there was a completed script from David Goyer, and the fanboys were guardedly optimistic. The thing about Goyer's screenplay that was new and exciting was the reverence it displayed to the source material. There was no need to kowtow to the demands of the suits in command at WB; the story of Batman, properly told, had everything: murder, intrigue, action, romance, complexity, and, most important, fully developed characters. Goyer's script returned Batman to his role of a detective, fully trained in the deadly arts with a brain that matched his physique and bank accounts. This was the story of the genesis of Batman. It had never before been shown on screen, and in truth, had never before been so wonderfully realized even in comics form.

I had the opportunity to read Goyer's screenplay before Warners made their casting and crew announcements, and I remember the experience as being distinct from the feeling I had when I first read the 3rd draft of Sam Hamm's "Batman" script in mid 1989. Whereas Hamm's script could easily be identified as the perfect summer popcorn flick, Goyer's screenplay had nuances that were more akin to a crime drama than a superhero film. The action sequences that punctuated the story beats grew out of necessity rather than out of a baseless need for spectacle (more on this later). However, even as I was marveling at the job Goyer had done, I knew that there was a long way to go before this script would become reality. There would, no doubt, be a few more bumps in the road. My fears that Warners would drop the the ball, however, were soon assuaged with their announcement of their hiring of a director, Christopher Nolan. This was an inspired choice. Unlike Burton and Schumacher before him, Nolan was not known as a "visual" director but as an "actor's" director. Where Burton and Schumacher placed a much higher emphasis on visual splendor and effects, Nolan's works up to that point ("Memento" and "Insomnia") were quieter pieces that both focused in on the fragility of the human condition (witness Guy Pearce's character from "Memento" and Al Pacino's from "Insomnia".) With the hiring of Nolan, I started to become guardedly optimistic. After all, history has shown us that it is far easier for an actor's director to become a visual director than the other way around (see Bryan Singer's move from "The Usual Suspects" to the "X-Men" franchise and Jon Favreau moving from small films like "Swingers", "Made", and "Elf" to the home run that was "Iron Man."). Maybe actor's directors more easily accept the suggestions made to them as they pertain to visual cues on screen. I don't know. All I know is that Nolan would be responsible for not only saving the Batman franchise but also for raising it to heights never before seen for ANY superhero film.

I am sure that many of those at Warners were nervous about these developments. After all, "Spider-Man" had become one of the top grossing films of all time, and the story was a relatively happy one with bright colors and young adults. This was a film with a brooding main character in a corrupt city surrounded by homicidal criminals. How could they EVER put THAT on a lunch box? Thankfully, their fears did not derail the production. Nolan immersed himself in Batman lore and found his hook: the tortuous childhood of Bruce Wayne, his need (and ultimate failure to achieve) vengeance, and his dedication to his role as the savior of Gotham. Nolan was intimately involved in every detail of the production. For example, his meetings with composers Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard resulted in an AMAZING cinematic soundtrack that, though completely different from the efforts of Danny Elfman and Elliot Goldenthal, accurately reflected the theme of duality within the life and persona of Bruce Wayne. Nolan's casting decisions were spot on, with Morgan Freeman taking on the role of Lucius Fox, Michael Caine taking on the role of Alfred, and Gary Oldman in the role of the young Captain Gordon. Tom Wilkinson, Cillian Murphy and Liam Neeson rounded out what would be a stellar cast (the less said about Katie Holmes, the better). The actors themselves refused to approach their roles in a movie about a comic book hero with the same disdain that thespians such as Kevin Spacey and Uma Thurman (with Uma, I use the term "thespian" lightly) embraced similar roles (in "Superman Returns" and "Batman and Robin", respectively). Indeed, all of the actors did NOT overact and treated their roles as they would if the film were a Scorsese crime drama. The most inspired casting decision was that of Christian Bale in the title role. Bale was not a Hollywood superstar nor was he viewed as a vacuous pretty boy. He had honed his acting chops as a young man in Steven Spielberg's "Empire of the Sun" and had been a steady working actor ever since. Bale LOOKED the part of Bruce Wayne, and after his manic performance in "American Psycho", it was easy to see that he could pull off the duality of nature required for the role of Batman.

For the most part, production of "Batman Begins" occurred under the radar. After all, the general public had moved on beyond "Batman." After the debacle that was "Batman and Robin", no one was particularly looking forward to another Batman film. Only the fanboys (myself included) held out any hope, but even our hopes were guarded. We had been let down by Hollywood to many times. In addition, this was to be the summer of "Revenge of the Sith", the last of the Star Wars prequels. Fox was releasing a "Fantastic Four" film that looked pretty darned good (at the time it did, but the less said about THAT flaming pile of crap the better). The new Harry Potter movie and the first Narnia film were to be released in the fall. There was also a movie that looked to be pretty darned funny; it was called "Wedding Crashers." Even Spielberg had something out that summer: his version of "War of the Worlds." With all of the attention being paid to these films, Nolan was able to toil in obscurity. The crew took over some London soundstages and set to work.

I distinctly remember seeing the first trailer for the film. At the beginning of the trailer, I had no idea it was a film about Batman. It was a scene between Liam Neeson's character Ducard and Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne fighting with swords on an ice lake in the mountains. Neeson is taunting Bruce, and with the strains of Zimmer and Newton Howard's track "Eptesicus" in the background, Ducard taunted Bruce "Your parents' death was not your fault." Bruce starts. Ducard continues: "It was your father's." Bruce, enraged, rushed Ducard who promptly taught him a lesson in the importance of controlling one's emotions when in combat. It was a powerful scene, and I was dumfounded. This was a studio film about Batman????? HOLY S--T!!!

Still, though, I was worried. Studios had a tendency to put their best stuff out in the trailers, and I was thinking that there was no way the entire film could fulfill the promise of that scene. Boy was I wrong. The weekend it was released, I went to an early morning show of the film. I enjoy morning shows, as they are usually less crowded with annoying personalities and I usually have no problems finding a seat that I like. As the lights went down, the deep, resonating purcussion of the score started playing over the speakers, the DC emblem and WB emblems came and went, and a flurry of bats flew across the screen. Barely visible within that flurry was the iconic emblem of the bat...and then we were off and running with a young Bruce and a young Rachel on the grounds of Wayne Manor. We see Bruce fall through the old rotted boards covering a dried out well and we see him fall. We also se his horror as his impact has disturbed the bats that nested in the cave adjacent to the well, and the bats swarm all around the Bruce. The action then takes us to Bruce Wayne in a Chinese prison, where he meets Ducard. Ducard has an offer for him, an offer to provide Bruce with the gifts he needs to combat evil. All along, we, the audience, are treated to glimpses of Bruce's childhood and the events that led Bruce to be incarcerated in China. What follows is my list of sequences that are immediately unforgettable.

1) The image of Thomas Wayne coming down via rope, reaching out to his son, and intoning "It's all right, Bruce, you are safe."

2) The death scene of the Waynes. It was wonderfully shot (pardon the pun) and realized from Frank Miller's graphic novel "Batman: Year One." I also thought Thomas's dying request of Bruce that he not "be afraid" was extremely touching. Nolan and Goyer successfully illustrated the reason why Bruce was SO devoted to his parents and their memory.





3) Young Bruce and Alfred after the funeral of the Waynes, where Bruce breaks down because he believes that he was the cause of his parents' death. Michael Caine did an AMAZING job in this scene as Alfred. I also enjoyed this as it was a continuing reminder of the relationship young Bruce had with his parents. Nolan and Goyer successfully humanized Bruce with scenes depicting loving family scenes with the Waynes, and it was these scenes that served to give the film its heart.

4) Alfred's admonishing of Bruce when Bruce intones that he would rather Wayne Manor were torn down. This scene was followed by Bruce reminiscing about he and his father and how his father allowed him to play with his stethoscope. I smiled when I saw this on screen, as my own father, a physician, did the same with me when I was a child.

5) Bruce throwing away the gun that he had intended to use to kill Joe Chill.

6) Bruce's rediscovery of the Batcave. The image of the bats swirling about his stationary figure in the space that was to become the Batcave is an indelible image. The music in this scene is AMAZING, and I loved how Nolan pulled the camera's back to give the audience a greater sense of perspective.

7) Bruce and Alfred in preparation for Batman. I loved seeing how Bruce was making each of his "throwing bats" and his explanation to Alfred concerning the symbolism of the bat.

8) Batman's first battle. When the thug screams in fear "Where are you???" and Batman whispers "Here", that was the moment Bale became Batman for me.

9) Batman's call for "back-up" in Arkham Asylum, a scene lifted directly from Frank Miller's "Batman: Year One."

10) The flight of the batmobile and the cops communication therein. Once again, the music MADE this sequence.

11) The final fight sequence. Wow.

12) The coda to the film and the introduction of the Batsignal. Gordon's warning of escalation was perfect for it set the stage for the creation, over time, of what (hopefully) will become Batman's Rogues Gallery. With one final scene lifted from "Batman: Year One", Nolan left no doubt as to where he would go in the sequel:

Gordon: What about escalation

Batman: Escalation?

Gordon: We start carrying semi-automatics, they buy automatics. We start wearing Kevlar, they buy armor-piercing rounds.

Batman: And?

Gordon: And *you're* wearing a mask and jumping off rooftops. Now, take this guy: armed robbery, double homicide. Got a taste for theatrical, like you. Leaves a calling card.
[Gordon presents Batman with a clear plastic evidence bag containing what appears to be a single playing card; Batman turns it over to reveal a "Joker"]




Batman: I'll look into it.

Nolan had accomplished the impossible. He had successfully revived a dead franchise and made it relevant in the minds of movie goers everywhere. I remember walking out of the theater later that day, mesmerized by what I had watched. That next weekend, I told my brother about it, and he purchased IMAX tickets for the film. It was even better the second time around. My enthusiasm for the film has not diminished even after several screenings. It is simply that good.

When the film was released, it grossed just north of $50 million during its opening weekend. While that was respectable, it was no where near the blockbuster neighborhood of the opening weekend grosses of the "Spider-Man" films. And then a funny thing happened. Word of mouth started to spread, and "Batman Begins", against all odds, became one of the highest grossing films of the year. With a worldwide gross in excess of $377 million, a sequel was inevitable.

Now, after 3 years, it is upon us. Advance word on the film has been stellar, and "The Dark Knight", unlike its predecessor, has become THE event film of the summer. Will it live up to the hype? My expectations for it are pretty high. Check back here on Sunday evening to find out!