MovieChat Forums > Batman (1989) Discussion > This film is truly a piece of beauty

This film is truly a piece of beauty

posted 8 years ago by bass-player-blues
7 replies | jump to latest

True beauty in film occurs between the lines. Or as The Joker says - "it's hard to stay between the lines." You just have to enjoy the subtleties; the classic film noir throwback, the steamy Gothic atmosphere, the juicy freedom of insanity, the power struggle between 2 disturbed men united by their demons and primal desires... One views Vicki Vale as a romantic partner and the other views her as a sexual manifestation in the most twisted psychopathic terms. That's where the true beauty of this film lies.

In a decaying society, art is one of the first things to go. We let critics and the media dictate what is "good or bad". True art however isn't bound by those standards, it stands alone to be enjoyed by whoever takes it in. I think the amount of beauty Tim Burton squeezed by Warner Bros. in 1989 for an action blockbuster is not only admirable, but something to be cherished.

So I ask you to try and appreciate beauty in film, as that is what matters. An individual scene in a movie can be so everlasting. For instance, the iconic scene where The Joker first makes an appearance. Despite crime boss Grissom's power and attempt to destroy Jack, he emerges out of the shadows in his new form to get his revenge. He truly was a "wild card".

[–] Picnic10 8 years ago

Nice post. Also fits in with the film that you say 'art is one of the first things to go'. The Joker casts himself as a 'homicidal artist' to free 'the little people' of any class from what he sees as their mundane, superficial, money-focussed tastes. He even goes a bit Jeff Koons postmodernist with his giant balloons. It's as if a 'pop art' look was forced on him by becoming the Joker so he's going to force it on others. He embraces the aesthetic of the mute, misunderstood, poor street mime too. The isolated, inventive, artist, laughed at by the mainstream for living too much in the world of ideas, becomes the physically powerful one. The writer or illustrator's 'pen' becomes physically 'mightier than the sword'. His Joker is a pop artist.

[–] bass-player-blues 8 years ago

Thanks, enjoyed reading your fresh perspective!

[–] ZakkWyldeMyLittlePony 8 years ago

lol I think I need to rewatch it :)

RIP
Jim Morrison
1943-1971

[–] darkzero 8 years ago

Very good analysis. Well put.

Originality needs a reboot.

[–] bass-player-blues 8 years ago

Thanks, I was drunk when I wrote it lol

[–] darkzero 8 years ago

In vino veritas.

Originality needs a reboot.

[–] tubeback 8 years ago

Great theory and critique. The movie had so many avenues that as good as it it, it's still underrated. The written script is just better than decent, but the whole look, direction, and performances set it apart from other type films.