USA, UK, 1988
121m (UK), 125m (Argentina), 126m (USA)
35mm film, 70mm film (blow-up), Technicolor, 1.85:1
70mm 6-Track, Dolby, English
An American/British science fiction film directed by Tim Burton. Production began in September 1988 and the film was released in the States on 23 June 1989.
Plot Summary
Gotham City is a desperate, lawless place, its police ineffectual and corrupt. Its citizens have only one hope against the rising tide of violent crime – the mysterious caped superhero, Batman. But beneath the mask, Batman, alias millionaire Bruce Wayne, battles his own demons, which come to the fore when he goes up against a hideously disfigured and insane criminal known as The Joker. But how does the Joker fit into Wayne's memories of his parents being murdered? And will Wayne be able to suppress his darker side and save the city from the maniacal Joker?
Credits
Crew
Director: Tim Burton
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, Warner Brothers
Executive Producer: Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan
Producers: Jon Peters, Peter Guber
Co-producer: Chris Kenny
Associate Producer: Barbara Kalish
Script: Sam Hamm, Warren Skaaren
Story: Sam Hamm
Characters: Bob Kane
Director of Photography: Roger Pratt
Editor: Ray Lovejoy
Music: Danny Elfman
Sound Mixer: Tony Dawe
Costume Designer: Bob Ringwood
Chief Make Up: Paul Engelen
Chief Hair: Colin Jamison
Joker Make Up Designer: Nick Dudman
Prosthetic Make Up: Suzanne Reynolds
Special Effects: The Magic Camera Company
Special Visual Effects: Derek Meddings
Production Designer: Anton Furst
Cast
Michael Keaton (Batman/Bruce Wayne)
Jack Nicholson (The Joker/Jack Napier)
Kim Basinger (Vicki Vale)
Robert Wuhl (Alexander Knox)
Pat Hingle (Police Commissioner Gordon)
Billy Dee Williams (Harvey Dent, Gotham District Attorney)
Michael Gough (Alfred Pennyworth)
Jack Palance (Boss Carl Grissom)
Jerry Hall (Alicia)
Tracey Walter (Bob the goon)
Lee Wallace (Mayor Borg)
William Hootkins (Lt Eckhardt)
Richard Strange, Carl Chase, Mac McDonald, George Lane Cooper, Terence Plummer, Philip Tan (goons)
John Sterland (accountant)
Edwin Craig (Antoine Rotelli)
Vincent Wong (crime lord 1)
Joel Cutrara (crime lord 2)
John Dair (Vinnie Ricorso)
Christopher Fairbank (Nic)
George Roth (Eddie)
Links
Sequels
Batman Returns (1992)
Batman Forever (1995)
Batman and Robin (1997)
See also
Barb Wire (1996)
The Batman (1943)
Batman (1966)
Batman and Robin (1949)
Batman and Robin (1964)
Batman Fights Dracula (1967)
Batman Begins (2005)
Charlie's Angels (2000)
The Dark Knight (2008)
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Dracula (1931)
Il fantasma dell'opera (1998)
Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
Hak hap (1996)
James Batman (1967)
Last Action Hero (1993)
Mystery Men (1999)
Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994)
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
The New Batman/Superman Adventures (1997)
Perdita Durango (1997)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Repossessed (1990)
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Toy Story 2 (1999)
Troll 2 (1992)
True Romance (1993)
Vertigo (1958)
Wallace & Gromit: A Close Shave (1995)
Wayne's World 2 (1993)
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Les Yeux sans visage (1959)
Zongsheng sihai (1990)
Extracts included in
100 Years at the Movies (1994)
1,001 Movies You Must See (Before You Die) (2014)
References
Periodicals
- Bild & Bubbla no.148 (March 2000) pp.18-26 (Sweden) – article (Batman på film by David Haglund)
- The Dark Side December/January 1994 p.38 – credits, review
- Empire February 1999 p.130 – review (by Andrew Collins)
- Interzone no.32 (November/December 89) p.32 – review (by Nick Lowe)
- New Musical Express 19 August 1989 p.22 – illustrated article (Ride the Dolphin! Batman by David Quantick and Steven Wells)
- New Musical Express 9 September 1989 p.31 – uncredited review
- Première September 1989 p.12 – review (by Jean-Paul Chaillet)
- Slaughterhouse no.5 p.9 – note
- Studio September 1989 p.7 – review (by Jean-Pierre Lavoignat)
- Variety 5 April 2023 p.48 – illustrated article (The Warner Bros. century: Characters of Steel by Adam B. Vary)
Books
- The Batman Filmography (2nd edition) by Mark S. Reinhart pp.99-120
- The Best 80s Movies by Helen O'Hara pp.164-165 – illustrated review
- The BFI Companion to Crime by Phil Hardy (ed.) p.45 – credits, review
- Creature Features Movie Guide Strike Back by John Stanley p.34 – credits, review
- The Encyclopedia of Superheroes on Film and Television by John Kenneth Muir pp.118-119
- The Films of the Eighties by Douglas Brode pp.266-269 – illustrated credits, review
- Hoffman's Guide to SF, Horror and Fantasy Movies 1991-1992 p.34 – credits, review
- Horror and Science Fiction Films IV by Donald C. Willis p.33
- Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Film Sequels, Series, and Remakes by Kim R. Holston and Tom Winchester p.47-50
- Sleaze Artists: Cinema at the Margins of Taste, Style and Politic by Jeffrey Scoce (ed.) p.192
- Terror Tracks: Music, Sound and Horror Cinema by Philip Hayward (ed) pp.176, 177, 178, 181, 183
- The Vampire in Science Fiction Film and Literature by Paul Meehan p.210
- Variety Science-Fiction Movies by Julian Brown (ed.) pp.15-16 – illustrated credits, review
