In Batman Returns, the lighting is dark and it is representing the darkness of the city. The people in the city are surrounded by evil, the businesses are corrupt and there are villains bringing chaos to the city. The Batman brings fear and darkness, especially since he is working at night. The Batman is representing the fear of not only his fear but of others around him. He is the darkness and brings it with him to scare the bad guys. So his surroundings are either dark or the people that he is facing are dark, this shows that there is a dark side of humans that are going to face each other, Batman’s dark side and the villains dark side. And the Penguin is very evil and brings fear and darkness with him as well, he’s the evil mastermind. The Evil Mastermind takes control of the story to either brake the characters or to control everything. The Penguin is the mastermind of the story and he is controlling the city when he becomes famous and is presented all over the media. He runs for mayor with the help from Mr. Shrek. Once he has control of the city, he can do anything. He has henchman in his office, and with them he can demand them to do anything. What he does is that he causes chaos in the city and Batman comes to the city to stop them but is …show more content…
Both have been the breaking point in film history. Yet they had their differences and similarities. Makeup was heavily used in German expressionist movies, a lot of canted angles and odd shaped environments were used to represent the uneasiness and the use of an evil mastermind was used to represent the evil part of humanity. Film Noir had a lot of darkness, usually it would represent the dark part of humanity. The use of lighting was heavily relied on when it comes to the venetian blinds behind the actors and the low contrast lighting, especially in the doors. Start with the makeup, since German expressionist movies love the
Robert Wonser and David Boyn’s article “The Caped Crusader: What Batman Films tell Us About Crime and Deviance,” explore the “sociology of deviance” within the Batman trilogy (Wonser, p. 1). Throughout discussing the relevancy of deviance and crime in fiction films within modern society, particularly centring on the Batman series over the last decade. Current motion pictures consistently explore criminology in the many forms it presumes in, thus presenting cultural relevant themes of deviance. Wonser and Boyn’s work analyzes the Batman films while discussing the application of sociological concepts, focusing on Batman as one who obeys and breaks social laws (Wonser, p. 2). Fantasy films stimulate the sociological imagination
During the 1940’s and 1950’s, a new film genre called Film Noir became popularized. Film Noir translated from French means “black film” which is what these movies were. Some of the characteristics movies in this genre shared were that they were shot in black and white, there was no happy ending, the protagonist was often a war veterans, the plot was ruled on fate, emotions were usually raw, and the theme dealt with the darker side of human nature.
The first movie I would like to concentrate on is the film that is considered to have started the development of the genre – M by Fritz Lang (1931). Born in Germany and originally starting his career there, Fritz Lang shot this film in Germany as well, before moving to the U.S. later in life. This film was also later translated in the United States in 1933 (Garncarz 219-25). Although, earlier in the 20th century Hollywood had already produced a number of films that had similar features to “film noir” (among them are Nosferatu (1922) and Sunrise (1927)), but which still were shot more in the stylistic traditions of horror (Wexman 49). This film (M (1931)) was also the first one to start a whole line of black and white movies with similar characteristics and techniques used in them. Although color movies have already taken their established place in the film industry, the decision to shoot films in black and white was a creative technique that provided films with a certain atmosphere and allowed using more denominated shadows and light accents. Everything in this film, from complex, maze-like narrative which includes crime, police and court and leitmotif as a background music to the shadows on the columns and in the windows and simple shots that presuppose something horrifying. Lang also explores an unsavory subject in his work which is now considered one of the features of “film noir” (Brégent‐Heald 125-38). M’s plot and narrative shifts from protagonist’s to antagonist’s point of view (the viewpoint of Hans and the cops trying to catch him), blurring the boundary between
Film Noir is a fairly self-explanatory name. French for “Dark” or “Black Film”, this style (not genre) of film is pretty much summed up in those two words. These films started being made in a 1940’s, Post WWII paranoia, with the threat of nuclear missiles looming over the heads of all United States citizens, Hollywood included. This paranoia led to disillusioned attitudes and existential feelings, which in turn were reflected in Film Noirs through things such as characters, with the two most prominent types being hardened male protagonists and femme fatales. Also, the “Darkness” of Film Noirs was not just a metaphor for the content of the film, but also a fairly literal description of the visual style was like. Taking influence from German Expressionism, among other things, the visuals of film noirs were often of gritty city streets, dark alleys, or smoky, cramped-looking rooms. To add to the dark appearance, the lighting included heavy use of chiaroscuro, a style that is characterized by a dark environment with single-source, high contrast lighting on the subject. While many film noirs fall into the crime genre, as well as detective, there are some exceptions, such as the drama/black comedy Sunset Boulevard. Despite it’s setting and characters being a bit unconventional for the Film Noir style (the film was a fairly realistic account of what goes on behind the scenes in Hollywood), Sunset Boulevard is definitely a Film Noir, due to it’s use of an archetypal Film Noir hero, a femme fatale, and conventional film noir cinematography and storytelling.
Gotham is Batman’s hometown and an incredibly corrupt place. It is well known for its corrupt police department, which turns a blind eye to Batman’s questionable actions, since they are for the sake of the city. The city produces deviance because of the officials and police officers which shy away from addressing crimes. Although Batman is committing crimes in order to fight crime, this is not necessarily moral. While Batman is ultimately solving the city’s
Film noir (literally 'black film,' from French critics who noticed how dark and black the looks and themes were of these films) is a style of American films which evolved in the 1940s. " The Internet Movie Database LTD. Film noir typically contains melancholy, and not so moral themes. Another characteristic of film noir is just because the main character has the title hero, that does not mean that he will always be alive at the end of the book, or that the hero is always "good." Marlowe in The Big Sleep is a prime example of this concept.
Instantaneously, the title of The Dark Knight jumps out as a parallel to Jesus Christ. The title is stating that the dark knight, Batman , rises, just like Jesus arose. A Knight is “a man ,usually of noble birth, bound to chivalrous conduct” Referring to Batman as a dark knight gives off the impression that, although he is good, there is something dark about him. The dark side of Batman can be said to be that he is the one who killed Harvey when in reality later throughout the movie it explains that he did not kill him, Batman is indeed good. Although Jesus would be considered a “good knight” some may have viewed him as a dark knight because he disturbed some of the peace. Jesus was viewed as someone who came about to disturb the peace of the
Somebody who had established higher power in their community. Somebody who tried to run from fate, and has the moment of recognition and understanding of their destiny. Batman. Even though he is considered the strong and powerful superhero of Gotham City, Batman's characteristic features show that he relates strongly to that of a "tragic" hero. In the beginning, the Batman is presented at a higher state of appreciation, even though the police see him as a vigilante. Despite his wealth, Batman, otherwise known as Bruce Wayne, is easily relatable to audiences, which makes it easy to sympathize and empathize with the character. Batman is in a constant battle within himself, trying to be the good guy, while defeating the bad guys. His morals prove true when he admits that he won't kill any of the many villians that cause destruction for Gotham City. But, because of this moral, sometimes the villians end up escaping and doing more harm then good. In the end, this interal chaos and internal battle is seen interally and externally through Batman. At the end of the most recent Batman series, The Dark Knight, his exit at the end of the movie is, in essence, his figurative death. Bruce Wayne wants to keep Gotham City safe. And with the "Batman" gone, villians will be least likely to continue to destroy and conquer. As an audience, we cling to the edge of our seats and feel dismay for our beloved superhero and what is to become of
First and foremost, film noir refers to the visual style of a picture. The imagery of film noir was influenced by early 20th century German expressionism, featuring distorted, sinister shapes and shadows. These precursors to film noir used abstract figures and looming shadows for bizarre, emotionally stirring results. Techniques such as chiaroscuro were used to give a dark and minimalistic feeling. In many cases lighting is limited to a single harsh light source, which obscures the image, and even throws shadows across actors’ faces. These elements ensure that an audience regards the actors and the setting with equal importance. Oblique angled shots permeate many film noirs, naturally provoking anxiousness and apprehension in the viewer. In Sun...
In the American Cinema / American Culture book by John Belton expresses film noir as an American Expressionist movement. Film Noir differs from the Classical Hollywood Cinema with specific elements. Belton explains this differences as “[…] the same old familiar classical Hollywood cinema possessed by a new, recognizably alien spirit […]” (Chapter 10, p. 229). The “possessed” and “alien spirit” refer to the stylistic elements of Film Noir’s. Extreme camera angles of low and high angle perspectives, extreme lighting on actors (dark atmosphere), dramatic or mysterious genre of murder or crime, and a detective to solve the case. Another strong Film Noir element is a visibly narrative presence that turns out to be untrustworthy and/or sometimes a form of flashback changing back and forth to the
Smoke billows out from a Manhattan skyscraper, damaged by a fiery explosion. This could easily be a scene from 9/11, however we see Batman looking grimly on as a poster advertises the film will be released soon. Clearly this film plays on the fears of terrorism. As depicted in The Dark Knight, the Joker plays the terrorist, while Gotham’s leadership struggles to contain him. The film departs from the superhero ideals of pure good versus pure evil, showing a murky world where moral decisions have to be made in order to stop evil. Because of this, The Dark Knight seems to be an allegory for the War on Terrorism. This paper will look at how the Joker represents terrorism, while Batman represents George Bush and his administration’s War on Terror.
When comics were first coming out, they were not all that popular but in todays’ world, they have become very popular and well known. Several of these comics have been turned into films, which is one of the many reasons why the popularity has been rising over the years. One of the most well known comics is Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. This comic was composed and released in 1986 by Frank Miller. With the usage of Frank Miller’s powerful, intense lines and the artwork done by Klaus Janson’s and Lynn Varley’s it has elevated this comic up to the very top of mainstream comics. In Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, the skillful illustrations on the pages successfully create the thought that there are underlying meanings, which makes the atmosphere a very intense one throughout the comic. The work of art that is presented on the pages in this comic are embedded in such a way that the pages become the continuum for the meaning. One of the main themes that are imbedded on the pages through the artwork in this book is the ideological struggle between Bruce Wayne and Batman.
The purpose of this paper is to provide the reader with an insight into the Super Hero Series Batman. This crime fighter originally appeared in Detective Comics issue #27 in 1939. It later became a comic book series, a TV series and a movie series. The character Batman is second only to Superman as a Super Hero. Amazingly Batman has no super powers, but he does have a lot of neat crime fighting gadgets. In this paper, we will explore the creation of Batman, his supporting cast of characters both good and bad and the gadgets he used.
After watching Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, like most people, I enjoyed the well-made movie, without connecting it to reality, thinking that is just another fiction superhero film, where batman shows up in a fashionable ways, beats up criminals, make them look stupid, and saves the day like most previous batman movies, series and comic books. But popular culture reflects society, for example: Steve Schneider said “The 1966 Batman TV series, like most artifacts of its era, is commonly construed as a reaction to the JFK assassination”. Nonetheless most of us have a general idea about what’s right and wrong, good and bad, so pop culture not only reflects our society, but also influence and shape our
In the inky blackness, glistening lights shone bright. Making it easy to see the towering buildings of Gotham City. Overlooking the glittering city, stood the dark brooding hero known as Batman. His black, slick cape billowed with the breeze, as his alert eyes watched for trouble. His costume was charcoal gray, with his his yellow and black emblem on the top center of his chest. The emblem was of the creature of the night, the cave dweller, the bat. His cowl, just like his cape was dark black. He wears his dark yellow utility belt, it's contents have saved him more than can be counted. Now his eyes, they're cold and dark. If you were to look at his eyes, they would make you stop dead. He wore all of his attire, not just to hide his identity, but to also strike fear in the hearts of criminals.