Touring Gotham City at Pinewood... A "visitor's map" of sorts. :)

[The Dark Knight]

It was a gutsy move, but when you think about it, it makes complete sense. Gotham is a collection of bricks and mortar, sure. But it takes on a mystical, not from this realm feeling that is difficult to capture. So get an artist to draw something on a comic page and slap it on the screen. Job done, imagination captured. A seamless comic/live action conversion.

[The Laughing Fish]

I'd also say that I prefer how Gotham looks here than it how it does in Returns. I'm sure I'm not the first one to figure this out, but Gotham in the first movie had this noirish, '40s-gangster feel about it, whereas Gotham in Returns came across as a little too Gothic (in the sense that you could tell it had a more Burton influence than the first one).

[The Dark Knight]

Strictly comparing the two shots – with the B89 painting we're getting the whole city in front of us. And it's brilliant. We see the sky, water, buildings, etc. With the BR version, we are in the city. You get the impression that if you were walking the streets, you'd feel mighty small. I wouldn't want to walk in either of them alone. But there's something about that BR one that gives a claustrophobic creep out. This is your enclosure.

[Azrael]

When I saw BR as a kid I wondered.. why is Gotham different, where is the Cathedral? B'89 is still the best, but Welch's designs have their own grandeur. Where B'89 was more noirish and pulp, BR was like a gothic fairy tale (even Edge magazine used exactly the same phrase).

[1989Batmancom]

Thanks for all the kind words everybody (and thanks once again to Mark for letting me use his pictures!). I just did an update today on the article with some new reference pictures that I spotted in one of the DVD special features. Helped clarify the alley a little more, and offered a fantastic aerial shot of the set that I was able to use for location marking. If you have a chance, pop over and check it out:

http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8463951241117197204#allposts/postNum=2

-James

[Catwoman]

wow this was cool. when did he tour it? i didn't see a date. that hair def looks 80s. lol.

*sigh* it kind of makes br's gotham look measly.

[Catwoman]

When I saw BR as a kid I wondered.. why is Gotham different

me tooooooo. weren't the sets in both of joel schumacher's movies different from each other too? lol.

i guess thats one plus for chris nolan doing his trilogy. gotham looked the same all three times. chicAAAgo.

[1989Batmancom]

Did a small follow-up post today with the collected pictures of the items Mark rescued from the set when he visited... Those of you who checked out the original thread have probably seen these already, but if you haven't here is the link:

http://www.1989batman.com/2013/04/special-feature-rescued-from-gotham.html

Thanks!
-James

[Catwoman]

watched the movie again the other day. having read this added to my enjoyment of it