Burton on adapting Batman and Joker

[The Laughing Fish]

I've been curious to know Burton's insight about the accusations over him being more interested in the Joker than Batman, and today I stumbled across this extract from the book Burton on Burton. Here is his explanation from a creative point of view.



I think his reasoning makes a lot of sense, and certainly describes the two characters' personality traits.

Batman fights crime by lurking in the shadows to surprise and intimidate criminals when they least expect it, giving him a tactical advantage. As Bruce Wayne, he only makes public appearances if he has to, but prefers stay away from the spotlight and avoids drawing too much attention on himself.

Once Jack Napier becomes the Joker, not only does he become completely insane, but his narcissism grows out of control. He challenges Batman over who the bigger freak is and seeks attention by committing crimes right out in the open. When the media keeps focusing on the unknown Batman, Joker becomes more outgoing in each public appearance and his crimes get even more bizarre and deadly.

It also describes how cunning the Joker is by playing up as the extrovert during the lead up and during the parade scene, particularly as he taunts Batman on live TV while inviting the idiotic public with free money. This satisfies the Joker's narcissistic need for attention as he stands at the center of the action before attempting the massacre.

I think it's pretty obvious to say that the Joker here is one the most extreme forms of extroverts you'll ever see.

[Kamdan]

Definitely a great take on these characters. Those who criticize this aspect don't understand the "less is more" aesthetic and that inherently, your villain is typically more interesting than your hero. Glad he brought up Beetlejuice, because that's another case where the title character is barely in it, but makes a lasting impression.

[thecolorsblend]

I have always admired Burton for taking the time to develop a vision for the characters. He didn't take the path of least resistance in concocting the world of B89 and how Batman and the Joker would relate to each other. It would've been easier to do the movie in a cartoonish way but obviously he wasn't interested in that. He did a yeoman's job in crafting a modern (for the time) take on the character that still holds up all these years later.

[BatmanFurst]

Here's a vid where he also discusses some of the same points.