Messages

I dont know why.

But I decided to watch the trailer Batman 1989 today. I was thinking about the greatness they were going for. The CARE and TIME they put into it, to make it good. Not just like every other action movie or comic hero movie at the time. It paved the way for so many superhero movies of today.

But one part got me..

Its the part towards the end. Where Keaton turns to the camera. And at that moment, as the camera dollies in, I teared up and yelled "Oh my god!" I was wondering why it amazed me. In that shot... Keaton and Burton shut up so many of the naysayers. The odds were against them and they turned the tide in that one shot. People who said "Beetlejuice as Batman? This is gunna suck" went to their video store just to buy a copy of the Batman Trailer.

He looks like a beast, like a gargoyle or demon, he looked threatening and intimidating. I dont get that feeling from any other bat costume in any other movie (even Batman Returns.) That cold stare. I guess I teared up because they did it. They beat the odds and proved that it could be done.

I always remember this being a good movie, but, as a whole, I never thought about how much of an effect it had on superhero movies and even the action genre in general. It just shows how great (and serious) you can make a high-fantasy movie when you put in the right effort.

Colors, well said! I always look at the hatches flying off. It just makes it that more exciting. I never noticed how great the special effects were. But think about how BAD certain things could have been if they didn't do it correctly. Imagine how BAD the concrete could have been at the end when Joker is lying there. Imagine how BAD the bat cave could have looked. Imagine how BAD the batwing could be modeled. But no! They put it in great effort and mastery. The effects are subtle and not distracting.

Keatonis, I love the humor they add to the film. There isn't too much humor or too little. They found a great balance.

The dialogue in the belltower scene was perfect. It's poetic. The line "Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?" is why I always thought that's when the Joker realizes Wayne is Batman. I know there's some debate about it among fans, but I think that's what settles it for me. And he definitely does use his Wayne voice there. That scene had great action and perfect dialogue.

I also remember in the recent WTFpodcast interview, Keaton mentioned that during the date between Wayne and Vale at the long table, he suggested the humorous bit at the beginning. It's where Vicki asks "Can you please pass the salt?" and by the end of it Wayne says something like "You know actually I don't think I've even been in this room before." So everytime I watch that scene I think of Keaton's humor coming through in a behind the scenes sorta way.

Right that's why I saying embarrassingly so. But yeah the reason I didnt get it at first was because it still went up even with the weight miscalculation. I get it now.

What were some things you noticed more recently?

Not necessarily something that no one's noticed before, just personally things that you appreciated more through time or things that resound to you more recently.

I have a vague remembrance of this small story book. It had mostly pictures and was definitely geared towards kids. Similar to those children's book that teach kids how to read. Few words, but lots of pictures.

It may have come out around the time of Batman Returns, but it wasn't called Batman Returns. It had Bruce Wayne seeing a show at a theater, or was it a circus show. Bruce Wayne was definitely drawn as the Michael Keaton version. The illustrations were great! I can't even remember if the villain was Penguin or Joker.

I know it's vague, but if anyone remembers anything like that, or the title, please let me know.

[Movie:]

To this day, I'll notice something new about this iconic movie. They just put in so much effort and detail. They were out to make waves!

What are some things you just noticed recently?



Movie:

- Lighting of the Belltower Scene: No way could I have appreciated this when I was kid. I realize how lovely that belltower scene looks with the blue-ish hue. If it had more of a whitish / greyish look, I don't think it'd look as fairytale-esque. The blueish hue is a nice style choice. And the actual light hitting the Batman mask a certain way, I really love that now. As a kid, I thought these movie scenes happened just like that. But getting older, you realize how intentional it is.

- Alfred!: I always loved Alfred, but getting older I realize how much he adds to the movie. He gives it a sense of fun and humor. He also doesn't say too little or too much. They got his attitude just right.

- Bulletshot in the Shoulder: Sad to say, I have to admit I only noticed this in my latest viewing. Pretty embarrassing, but I never saw it in HD til recently. When the Joker throws the feather pen and kills the mob boss, a few gun shots go off. Bruce gets shot in the arm and keeps on walking. I couldn't tell if the squib's smoke actually came from the arm or just a bullet hit going off in the background. In a following shot, you clearly see a hole in his coat. Alfred even pokes his finger through the jacket hole. I don't know why but I never noticed that til now. By adding that, it makes the metal plate (under the shirt) to catch the bullet, more believable later in the film.

- Batwing detail: This really stood out to me way more as an adult. My eyes saw the deep grooves by the wings and I thought "Wow they wanted to make this look as good as they possibly could." Then they show Batman in the cockpit. And for some reason, I teared up?! I was thinking of how they were out to defy the odds and they truly wanted this to be a memorable experience. The inside of the Batwing cockpit is unbelievable. I'm not just talking about the dashboard, but the areas around the seat. Someone had to design that, cast that, and make sure Keaton could act in it. All these little details stand up to this day. They cared so much about making this good. Even the little white letters next to the missiles are a nice touch. It's the type of lettering you'd see on military weapons and aircraft. It just seems that much more "not just for kids."

- When the Batwing goes down, I notice the lights in the building more often. I usually never care about that stuff. But someone actively "leaves a light on" in that mini-set. It's all intentional. They could have just left all the lights out and visually it wouldn't have the same kick, the same pop. Leaving some lights on made it feel slightly more real and it just reminds me more of the effort put into creating this blockbuster film.

- Dave Lea: I notice him way more now. He's largely responsible for Batman's confident body language and fighting style.

- Bell falling from the Belltower: I'm not sure how they did this exactly. Wires, mixed with breakaway floors. It looks visually stunning and we truly believe that bell weighs a ton. The bell falling never phased me as a kid. But getting older and seeing more movies, you realize how BADLY they could have done that haha. It was done so well.

- Broken concrete from the Joker fall: I know it's just what the movie prop masters are supposed to do, but the broken-in concrete after the Joker falls is fantastic! When I looked at the detail, a day ago, I realized there are SO many special effects in this movie that are done subtley. Love it!



Script:
- Sam Hamm = played a huge part in creating the Batman we got. The producers had an amazing vision. But Sam Hamm's screenplay from 1986 would help get the gears in motion. So much of that script survived into the actual movie.

- How much do you weigh?: I'm a little embarrassed about this too. When I saw it in the movie, I thought it was just to have a little flirty humorous banter between Batman and Vale. But the script says they don't fly all the way up to the platform because she weighed more than 108 lbs.

" Her additional weight is too much for the reel mechanism. They're
     stranded two stories up -- SITTING DUCKS. "

It's underlined in the script. Did anyone get this the first time they watched?

- Destroyed Leg: In the movie we got you can tell Batman is battered. The script really drives the point home.

" BATMAN. Broken, beaten, his right leg useless, he hauls
     himself up the steps one at a time. He should be dead.
     Dried blood cakes his face, his chest. "

In the ending Vicki helps him rehabilitate his leg. The script lays everything out clear as crystal.




General BTS:
- David Lea's inspiring story: The way Dave Lea got picked to be the other man inside the Batsuit, almost seemed like accident. He was just going to be doing some stunts, but ended up a huge part of Bat-lore. He's the real deal and had a big background in martial arts. They saw him do a few moves and said wow let's see that inside the suit, right? But what if he didn't have the moves or frame? What did they have planned for Keaton's stunt double? Needless to say they lucked out with Dave and perhaps, Dave looking so much like Keaton, influenced the shots we got in the final film (how close you can get, what angles they show the moves from, etc.)

- Elfman's story: It stood out to me when Elfman told his story on the making of documentary. They were doubting him, not really feeling it at first. Then he played the iconic theme and right then he was hired. Much like the making of this legendary movie, Elfman's story was that of triumph and beating the nay-sayers. The first time I teared up at a behind-the-scenes feature. With that legendary piece of music, he shook their doubts and landed the job. It would eventually cement him as one of the best composers in movie history. He did other movie work before this, but this project made his career.

- The Producers + The Belltower Scene: Only now, with all the behind-the-scenes info in mind, do I realize how much of this movie is theirs. I used to think "Oh Batman 1989, yeah Burton's Batman." But they had so much creative control, and knew what they wanted to go for.... And it worked completely! Producers tend to a bad rap for forcing a movie, for rushing things, for making crazy illogical decisions. They tend to be the source of blame for fans. In this movie, however, they got it right! Burton did as much as he could under their guidelines. That final belltower scene is my favorite. They made some huge last minute changes to cause that scene to happen. The results were epic. Everytime I see the belltower scene now, I think of the producers.


Name everything that hit you after revisiting the movie!

Just heard this recently. I was surprised at how recent it was. Possibly the latest longest interview with Keaton? A real treat. He's very intelligent. These guys really understand how to talk to actors. Very insightful.

This is all amazing to hear. I never saw this trailer as a kid. The most I could find about it was a through the Batman documentary and a few articles here and there.

It's VERY cool to hear the hype was just like I read about. Batman was the first movie I've ever seen and I wish I could have seen the early trailer.

Someone mentioned it's a little rough and I do agree. No background music or voice over, it's more of a teaser. But I really do love it. I was surprised they showed that much in the trailer.

I love how they pretty much "flexed" and showed how different Keaton looked in the suit. You get that effect right away. In the final shot, it's like a full transformation. I would never have guessed thats Keaton. That trailer may be responsible for a lot of the success of the movie (it garnered the initial hype, which transferred momentum into the next trailer, press talk, batmania before the movie was even released, etc.) I'm sure it would have sold even without that trailer, but I think that first trailer put away the objections and plant the seed in people minds that "Yes this CAN and WILL be a great movie."

Am I crazy or does the footage also look like it has less contrast than in the actual movie? It feels like you can see some extra detail in some shots. Also the final close up with keaton in the mask, it's amazing! I think there's a few seconds more of that take than what we got in the actual movie.

Yeah that's nice as well. The way he walks stands out to me. It's almost like a strut or march.

Been rewatching more 89' Batman clips and I just keep thinking he looks more twisted in this. Almost like a demon. Maybe it's the actual eye sockets of the mask. In some shots it's really hard to tell where the mask and (skin with make up) begins. Definitely a nice blend. Funny as, at one point the mask from 1989 was my least favorite of all Batman films. It's now my favorite.

In 89' he seems more stoic and moves less. In Returns Keaton is a bit more animated in his expressions and choices inside the suit. But I would say that came with the change in tone from Batman 89 and Batman Returns.

I may have been too young to remember it. But for those who got to see it way back when, what were your initial thoughts when you first saw it?

Were you originally skeptical of Keaton before seeing it? How did you feel by the end of the trailer?

Wow very good to hear. Definitely needs me more Keaton!