Batman Begins - Scene Analysis
Scene Analysis
The scene selected for analysis is from Batman Begins (2005), directed by Christopher Nolan. The reason why I chose to analyse this movie, is because it was one of the first films that made me appreciate film on a deeper level. Approaching the film as a whole, it is clear that this scene depicting the death of Bruce Wayne’s parents – Thomas and Martha Wayne – is vital to the story. It was, after all, Bruce’s resolve that resulted in Batman existing (McKay, 2011). This is where Batman is born, the war on crime in Gotham begins here.
There have been many Batman films prior to Nolan’s version, each having their own interpretation of the caped crusader. Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992), the hero was part Gothic hero struggling to hold his fragmented self together and part tortured (MoMA, 2010). Next is Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997) which was aimed to be more “mainstream friendly” (Jett, 2006). Personally, these films drove the franchise into the ground. This gave way for Christopher Nolan’s take on Batman, he states: “my intention was to do a superhero film, but treating it in a realistic fashion.” (Nolan, 2005). The director’s idea of a ‘grounded fantasy’ reinvents Batman for the big screen.
As it is mentioned before, the death of Bruce’s parents becomes the catalyst to the birth of Batman. The Wayne’s are seen exiting the opera, where they are fatally held up at gunpoint by Joe Chill. Nolan states that “we wanted to tie together Bruce Wayne’s feeling of guilt over his parent’s death with his fear of bats. We wanted his parents’ murder to be forever associated with the idea of the bat, which is why that symbol becomes so significant in his life” (Duncan & Pourroy, 2012, p. 38).
The individual shots come together brilliantly to support the director’s realistic approach to Batman. The pace of the cutting between each shot in this scene starts off normal, using medium shots to frame the Wayne
The scene selected for analysis is from Batman Begins (2005), directed by Christopher Nolan. The reason why I chose to analyse this movie, is because it was one of the first films that made me appreciate film on a deeper level. Approaching the film as a whole, it is clear that this scene depicting the death of Bruce Wayne’s parents – Thomas and Martha Wayne – is vital to the story. It was, after all, Bruce’s resolve that resulted in Batman existing (McKay, 2011). This is where Batman is born, the war on crime in Gotham begins here.
There have been many Batman films prior to Nolan’s version, each having their own interpretation of the caped crusader. Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992), the hero was part Gothic hero struggling to hold his fragmented self together and part tortured (MoMA, 2010). Next is Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997) which was aimed to be more “mainstream friendly” (Jett, 2006). Personally, these films drove the franchise into the ground. This gave way for Christopher Nolan’s take on Batman, he states: “my intention was to do a superhero film, but treating it in a realistic fashion.” (Nolan, 2005). The director’s idea of a ‘grounded fantasy’ reinvents Batman for the big screen.
As it is mentioned before, the death of Bruce’s parents becomes the catalyst to the birth of Batman. The Wayne’s are seen exiting the opera, where they are fatally held up at gunpoint by Joe Chill. Nolan states that “we wanted to tie together Bruce Wayne’s feeling of guilt over his parent’s death with his fear of bats. We wanted his parents’ murder to be forever associated with the idea of the bat, which is why that symbol becomes so significant in his life” (Duncan & Pourroy, 2012, p. 38).
The individual shots come together brilliantly to support the director’s realistic approach to Batman. The pace of the cutting between each shot in this scene starts off normal, using medium shots to frame the Wayne
Bibliography: Duncan, J., & Pourroy, J. (2012). The Art and Making of The Dark Knight Trilogy. Abrams, Harry N., Inc. Jett. (2006). "The Burton/Schumacher Series," Part 2. Retrieved from Batman On Film: http://www.batman-on-film.com/historyofthebatman_burton_schumacher2.html McKay, A. (2011, November 4). Tim Burton 's BATMAN vs Chris Nolan 's THE DARK KNIGHT. Retrieved from What Culture: http://whatculture.com/film/tim-burtons-batman-vs-chris-nolans-the-dark-knight.php MoMA. (2010). The Gothic Imagination of Tim Burton. Retrieved from ACMI: http://www.acmi.net.au/media/428209/the-gothic-imagination-of-tim-burton.pdf Nolan, C. (Director). (2005). Batman Begins [Motion Picture].