Batman [2 Discs]

Director: Tim Burton, Peter MacDonald Tim Burton

Overview

"It has taken almost a decade for Warner Bros. to finally release a deluxe edition of Tim Burton's first mega-successful blockbuster Batman flick, so now that it's here, how does it stack up? Could it possible live up to expectations? The answer is a resounding and joyous ""Yes!"" This two-disc special edition release is just what any film geek ordered -- the transfer is stunning and the bonus materials deliver hours of drool-inducing material. Despite all its bells and whistles, though, at the heart of this release lies the 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. It's a crying shame that the folks at WB didn't update the presentation of this film sooner. The previous edition is an utter failure by today's standards and, needless to say, the digital picture remastering and combination of 5.1 Dolby and DTS tracks make for a truly new experience for the viewer. The movie disc comes complete with a Tim Burton commentary that finds the filmmaker scatterbrained as ever, but it's a solid and insightful commentary nonetheless. The real goodies come in the form of the documentaries and featurettes, adding up to over two hours of material dedicated to the various departments of this colossal production. Possibly the most interesting tales are those that present the film's decade-long road to production, spearheaded by a professor who happened to be the first to teach a comic book course at a university (just one of the little-known facts that abound on the bonus disc). Also included is a 40-minute special on the Batman mythos in the comic books that features interviews with past and current creators including Frank Miller and Alex Ross. Packed into the rest of the edition are three music videos from Prince, some smaller featurettes on each main character and character creator Bob Kane, and a surprising storyboard scene that features an early appearance by Robin that was cut (made even cooler by the vocal stylings of Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy doing the voices of the Joker and Batman, respectively). It's a bit of a disappointment that the discs don't include the heavily rumored deleted scenes, but you can bet that they're being saved for some kind of ""Ultimate Edition"" down the road. For now, you can't get any better than this release, compounded by the similar treatments done to all three later Batman films and, of course, Batman Begins, which was obviously the marketing strategy for waiting so long to finally unleash these stellar editions onto the scene."

Product Details

Release Date:	10/18/2005
UPC:	0012569713710
Original Release:	1989
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	STUDIO DISTRIBUTION SERVS LLC
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:06:00
Sales rank:	7,313

Special Features

Commentary by director Tim Burton; "On the Set With Bob Kane"; "Legends of the Dark Knight: The History of Batman" -- The Batman comic book saga as reinvented and reinterpreted over nearly seven decades; "Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight Parts 1-3" -- "The Road to Gotham City," "The Gathering Storm," "The Legend Reborn"; Beyond Batman documentary gallery -- "Visualizing Gotham: The Production Design of Batman," "Building the Batmobile," "Those Wonderful Toys: The Props and Gadgets of Batman," " Designing the Batsuit," "From Jack to The Joker," "Nocturnal Overtures: The Music of Batman"; Music videos by Prince: "Batdance," "Partyman," "Scandalous"; The Heroes and the Villains profile galleries; Batman: The Complete Robin Storyboard Sequence; New digital transfer with both 5.1 Dolby and DTS surround; Theatrical trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Michael Keaton	Batman
Jack Nicholson	Joker
Kim Basinger	Vicki Vale
Robert Wuhl	Alexander Knox
Pat Hingle	Commissioner Gordon
Billy Dee Williams	Harvey Dent
Jack Palance	Carl Grissom
Michael Gough	Alfred
Jerry Hall	Alicia Hunt
Tracey Walter	Bob the Goon
Lee Wallace	Mayor
Marion Dougherty	Actor
William Hootkins	Eckhardt
John Sterland	Accountant
Edwin Craig	Rotelli
John Dair	Ricorso
Philip Tan	Goon
Lachelle Carl	TV Technician,TV Technician
Danny Elfman	Composer
Michael Balfour	Scientist
Garick Hagon	Dad
David Baxt	Dr. Wayne
Sam Douglas	Lawyer
Dennis Lili	Bob the Cartoonist
Paul Birchard	Another Reporter
John Lurie	Actor
Liza Ross	Mom
Philip O'Brien	Maitre d'
Carl Chase	Actor
Elliott Stein	Man in Crowd
Mac McDonald	Actor
Richard Strange	Actor
George Lane Cooper	Goon
Terence Plummer	Goon
Philip Tann	Goon
Vincent Wong	Crimelord #1
Joel Cutrara	Crimelord #2
Christopher Fairbank	Nic
George Roth	Eddie
Kate Harper	Anchorwoman
Bruce McGuire	Anchorman
Richard Durden	TV Director
Kit Hollerbach	Becky
Del Baker	Napier Hood
Jazzer Jeyes	Napier Hood
Wayne Michaels	Napier Hood
Valentino Musetti	Napier Hood
Rocky Taylor	Napier Hood
Keith Edwards	Reporter
Leon Herbert	Reporter
Steve Plytas	Doctor
Anthony Wellington	Patrolman at Party
Amir M. Korangy	Wine Steward
Prince	Composer

Technical Credits

Warren Skaaren

Lorenzo Semple Jr.

Sam Hamm

Sam Hammer

Bob Kane

Tim Burton	Director,Special Effects
Warren Skaaren	Screenwriter
Lorenzo Semple Jr.	Screenwriter
Sam Hamm	Screenwriter
Peter Guber	Producer
Chris Kenny	Producer
Jon Peters	Producer
Benjamin Melniker	Executive Producer,Producer
Michael E. Uslan	Executive Producer,Executive Producer,Producer
John Evans	Special Effects Supervisor
Tony Dawe	Sound Mixer
Eddie Stacey	Stunts
Sam Hammer	Screenwriter
Bob Kane	Screenwriter
Philip Clark	Special Effects
Peter MacDonald	Director
Ken Barker	Stunts
David Allen	Sound Effects

Editorial Reviews

At once whimsical and somber -- and, above all, dark -- Batman remains one of the better adaptations of a comic book character to the screen, and certainly one of the most stylized. This is not your father's Batman, and, given its relentless grimness, it perhaps shouldn't be your kids' either, if they are very young. In a broad sense, the film, falling on the cusp of the 1990s, reflects a final departure from the innocence of previous filmgoing generations to the cynicism and angst of a new one. Cinematic superheroes had moved from the simplicity of Christopher Reeve's Superman to the brooding, tormented, shadow-enshrouded Dark Knight. Michael Keaton, better known for light comic fare at the time, is surprisingly effective as the mysterious Batman, while Jack Nicholson hams it up to perfection as the maniacal Joker. Rounding out the leads, Kim Basinger's slinky, film noir heroine fits the spirit of the film well, even if she and Keaton don't develop much chemistry. More than just a solid achievement of Tim Burton's direction, this is one film in which the contributions of the set designer and the composer go a long way toward rounding out the full experience. Anton Furst won a set design Oscar for his vision of a bleak, soaring urban wasteland, a hodgepodge of architectural styles, reminiscent of Blade Runner and Metropolis, that suggests no particular time period; and Danny Elfman's score is appropriately dark and dramatic.