For me, I never get tired of watching the Batwing rising up in the sky as it hovers in front of the moon for a quick second, before diving towards the streets of Gotham City again. I used to press "Pause" on this moment a lot when I was younger.
(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg4.wikia.nocookie.net%2F__cb20111215142222%2Fbatman%2Fimages%2F8%2F8b%2FScreen1989Batwing3.jpg&hash=26f8fe51108793326995e4daf0268815f8f819f3)
A nice little bit of foreshadowing to the Batsignal. 8)
I wonder if film theorists would identify this example as mise-en-scène?
Quote
Mise-en-scène (French pronunciation: [mizɑ̃sɛn] "placing on stage") is an expression used to describe the design aspects of a theatre or film production, which essentially means "visual theme" or "telling a story"—both in visually artful ways through storyboarding, cinematography and stage design, and in poetically artful ways through direction. It is also commonly used to refer to multiple single scenes within the film to represent the film. Mise-en-scène has been called film criticism's "grand undefined term".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mise_en_sc%C3%A8ne
Man. There are so many. After all this is why this particular Batman movie will forever (hear that, FOREVER! so there naysayers! lol) be the greatest one. It's insanely hard to choose...
I'm going to say the very last scene. Vicki and the crowds looking up at the Batsignal, blazing across the night sky for the very first time before Alfred drives her away. No mucking about here with daft ass realism. Just a good, classic, comic book style Batsignal. Then of course the camera panning up, up, up and up to see a tiny Batman standing against it. And then, great big thundering bells (perhaps from a repaired Gotham Cathedral?) clanging away to signal the closing of the movie. They mingle in rather brilliantly with Danny Elfman's single greatest cue next to the title theme. A piece of music like that is simply unbeatable.
No Batman movie has ever ended in such a spine tingling triumphant way. Both for a sense of the character's accomplishments in the story and the filmmaker's exceptional work of pulling off putting the magic onto the big screen in the first place. It's a moment that I sincerely hope the American audiences (known for their tendency to talk back to the screen) stood up and cheered at frankly. If they didn't then why on Earth? A feeling of leaving you on such a high, of having a great time watching the movie and a sense of looking to the future for Batman's next adventures. They have tried once, tried again, several more times in fact and then another time to come up with a better, perfect ending for a Bat film...and they always, ALWAYS fail.
You can even add to that the end titles. This is where it usually gets boring. Unless your a daft film buff like me who actually reads them and wishes to listen to further closing music? Here though the credits are a sparkling yellow on a black background. The color of this Batman movie (remember even the Hot Toys boxes adopted it!). I find it all rather warm and cozy in feel. It's feels as classy as an Academy Award ceremony and you can almost sense the statuette itself coming to the filmmakers in the (then) not too distant future. It's synonymous with the yellow of Batman's shield logo and belt and the unforgettable golden sparkling poster that advertised the movie. After another helping of the thundering Elfman title march you get the music of Prince's "Scandalous" to round the final image off. An unusually calm, romantic song for such a thrill packed summer feature that also sells a suggestion of bitter sweetness about everything. It needed that sense of gently "pushing the boat" out as Ridley Scott describes the ending music of a film like "Alien". It has that similar feel to me. It all couldn't be more perfect.
The descent into mystery.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4006/4472500101_e3d233e1f2.jpg)
As a youngster, this really captured my imagination in a big way. It's probably my most watched sequence from any Batman movie.
It's powerful, mysterious - ha, fancy that, and gorgeous to look at.
Elfman's cue elevates this sequence into something truly special.
Quote from: The Dark Knight on Mon, 4 May 2015, 04:48
The descent into mystery.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4006/4472500101_e3d233e1f2.jpg)
As a youngster, this really captured my imagination in a big way. It's probably my most watched sequence from any Batman movie.
It's powerful, mysterious - ha, fancy that, and gorgeous to look at.
Elfman's cue elevates this sequence into something truly special.
Wow I was going to say this same part. That actual scene your pic is from where the car blasts past the camera and then it shows it driving off into the night. So totally freaking cool.
Everything about the scene is perfect. A completely black landscape, with the yellow headlights the only form of colour. The leaves flicking up behind the vehicle. Those tall trees on the side of the road are almost unearthly for some reason. They're shot from a medium height and we never see the leaves, with the trunks sprouting up into darkness.
This place in general has a mystical feeling. It really does feel like a secret road only Batman has access to. During the scene Batman doesn't say a word. Vicki asks "where are we going?" and he 'replies' by stepping on the gas, driving even faster. He looks straight ahead, focused on his goal and giving nothing away. This section personifies a lot of what I like about Keaton's Batman. He's a mysterious and romantic figure of the night.
Bruce visiting the spot where his parents died and placing the two roses comes to mind. It's short, but the music and Keaton's facial expression really impresses me.
At the risk of stealing another poster's line, it helps when you're not playing the character, but you are the character. :)
Quote from: Edd Grayson on Sun, 7 Jun 2015, 23:46
Bruce visiting the spot where his parents died and placing the two roses comes to mind. It's short, but the music and Keaton's facial expression really impresses me.
At the risk of stealing another poster's line, it helps when you're not playing the character, but you are the character. :)
Totally this, or well maybe the final battle between Batman and Joker, but really the scene where he visits the alley and places the roses, man, the feels!
the batwing/joker parade. Far more epic than anything Nolan came up with
As you can see on the 2:03 mark, the latest Tom & Jerry trailer pays tribute to the iconic shot of the Batwing. Very nice. 8)
https://youtu.be/kP9TfCWaQT4
Quote from: Edd Grayson on Sun, 7 Jun 2015, 23:46
At the risk of stealing another poster's line, it helps when you're not playing the character, but you are the character. :)
No other Batman has moved like the way he does in 89.
For example, this:
(https://64.media.tumblr.com/ef56c4e01c20809cc3fec2423f711e62/tumblr_puw1vjiiYT1qdhps7o1_540.gif)
Nobody is around to see him do the cape swish, but he still does it. He's completely in character and moving like an otherworldly being. Nearly everything he does has a flourish of some kind. Just love it.
(https://i.imgur.com/gIHnLLw.png)
Looks better in motion, admittedly. But still a very powerful image for me.
I think this is the single greatest shot of Batman in any media.
(https://c.tenor.com/SkPjRu7ykTsAAAAC/michael-keaton-batman-keaton.gif)
But, come on, the best moment is from another movie:
(https://media.giphy.com/media/YBe3QTM5igTSxuF7kt/giphy-downsized-large.gif)
Quote from: Gotham Knight on Wed, 29 Jun 2022, 19:53
I think this is the single greatest shot of Batman in any media.
(https://c.tenor.com/SkPjRu7ykTsAAAAC/michael-keaton-batman-keaton.gif)
Batman works best for me when he's treated operatically. It's difficult to depict as well, because it really can come off as a man who just happens to be wearing a batsuit. He has to be elevated above humanity through lighting, mannerisms and score. I'm reading The Phantom of the Opera again now, and while Erik's not a direct translation there's a similar spirit. A human who is thought to be a ghost, has an underground lair and communicates through letters. Batman shares the traits of villains while not succumbing to their evil. Burton and Elfman really tapped in to that.
Quote from: The Dark Knight on Thu, 30 Jun 2022, 00:08
Quote from: Gotham Knight on Wed, 29 Jun 2022, 19:53
I think this is the single greatest shot of Batman in any media.
(https://c.tenor.com/SkPjRu7ykTsAAAAC/michael-keaton-batman-keaton.gif)
Batman works best for me when he's treated operatically. It's difficult to depict as well, because it really can come off as a man who just happens to be wearing a batsuit. He has to be elevated above humanity through lighting, mannerisms and score. I'm reading The Phantom of the Opera again now, and while Erik's not a direct translation there's a similar spirit. A human who is thought to be a ghost, has an underground lair and communicates through letters. Batman shares the traits of villains while not succumbing to their evil. Burton and Elfman really tapped in to that.
I think Batman is also effective when his ways and means are left vague and unexplained. The bit above where Batman swoops in is a good example. Is his cape serving as a makeshift glider? Does he have a zip line attached to his belt? Could be anything.
That's one aspect of Batman where I think Nolan sort of missed the boat, honestly. After a fashion, I enjoy Nolan's movies. But he tried too hard to explain too much.
I mean, Superman works well with defined parameters and established limits. Because his vast powers sort of demand that.
But Batman has human limitations. So, I rather enjoy when Batman is shown circumventing human limitations through unknown means.
Begins made an important point about making yourself more than just a man. It's about being a terrible thought, and such a reputation can't come exclusively from bashing criminals. I think it goes back to a childhood fear of the dark. Anticipation creates uncertainty and a loss of control. Such as what the Arkham games depicted - goons have hammering heartbeats before they even encounter Batman because he's picking off their crew unseen. They know he's a man, but the tactics and abilities make him pretty much supernatural anyway. Scared is scared.
Quote from: Edd Grayson on Sun, 7 Jun 2015, 23:46
Bruce visiting the spot where his parents died and placing the two roses comes to mind. It's short, but the music and Keaton's facial expression really impresses me.
At the risk of stealing another poster's line, it helps when you're not playing the character, but you are the character. :)
Still think the same.
Great posts, everyone!
A question was asked of me in regards to Batman's most badass moments, be it from film, comics or animation. The Axis Chemicals destruction was one of the first things I replied with. That prompted me to assess the sequence in totality, and to my strange amazement I considered something so obvious that for some odd reason never entered my mind beforehand. The fact a device so small as the circular bomb the Batmobile drops could cause such a large explosion in the first place. Digging in to the topic, it's explained that the area is a critical area of the facility, and the explosion caused a 'chain reaction'. Not completely sure if I buy that myself, but I guess I'll roll with it.