Figueroa - Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na, Film Noir!

Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na, Film Noir!

Tim Burton’s use of film noir in his film Batman creates a dark and ominous tone that not only fits the film, but also Burton’s directing style. Batman’s story seems like the perfect fit for film noir. Many aspects of the story, themes, and characters lend them self to this style of film. Burton’s use of light within the film is the most prevalent use of film noir within the film. Burton also adds his own touch though his use of fog to create a gloomier feel to the light dispersion. Light and darkness play important rolls in key scenes such as the moment Joker is introduced, Bruce Wayne’s parents’ death, and the final battle between Batman and Joker. I personally enjoyed Burton’s vision of Gotham City. The architecture he uses creates a sense of isolation from the outside world within Gotham. Not only does the city not look like any other city in the world but it also does not function like one. What modern city do you know of that has masked vigilantes and villains running around at night? I also found it interesting that most traditional film noir films are derived from 1930s novels. Batman was first introduced in Detective Comics in 1939, which could be the reasoning behind why Batman fits the film noir style so perfectly. The use of femme fatales can also be seen in Batman. Vicky Vale, Bruce Wayne’s love interest, is a photojournalist who takes risks and does not let anyone tell her what to do. She is a strong female character who brings a refreshing and dynamic feel to the cliché damsel in distress character. Burton later decides to challenge the standard concepts of film noir and reverts Vicky back to the damsel in distress toward the end of the film. Batman is also an ideal character for film noir due to the conflicted nature of his motives and emotions. In fighting the Joker, Batman is conflicted by his motives. He needs to save Gotham, while protecting and saving Vicky, and also seeking revenge for the death of his parents. Batman is also conflicted mentally and emotionally. His experiences in life have left him with a personality disorder, which lead him to create his vigilante alter ego. Batman is pushed to the limits and all of his motives, morals, and emotions are being but to the test at the same time. Tim Burton could not have made this film any better than what he accomplished. His ideas were an interesting, creative and unique take on the iconic character of Batman.