A fan-made edit of Tim Burtons' original 1989Batmanfilm takes the gothic director back to his silent-era roots. The edit, made by userBenjamin Crewand posted to Vimeo, shows Michael Keaton’s Batman in its entirety but redesigned as a silent film.
It’s a fitting re-edit of the film, considering Burton draws so much influence from the silent era, especially the dark and gothic look of a film movement known asGerman Expressionism.German expressionism is a term broadly used to describe a style of German silent horror films made in the early 20th century that came to its peak in the 1920s. These films used exaggerated physical acting, gothic imagery, and deep shadows. Often tackling themes of insanity and death, they can be seen as representing the German population’s reaction to the horrors ofWorld War I.
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One of the more notable examples of a German Expressionist film is Fritz Lang’s 1927 science fiction horror filmMetropolis, which has a clear influence on Burton’s work and other films such asGeorge Lucas’Star WarsandBlade Runner. Other notable German Expressionist films include the infamous vampire filmNosferatuand the carnival-themed horror filmThe Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.Burton’s German expressionist influence can be seen in nearly all of his filmography, especially inEdward ScissorhandsandBeetlejuice.
While Burton relied heavily on the stylistic silent era for his design of the fictional Gotham City, recent live-action versions of Batman’s hometown have gone for a more realistic approach. Christopher Nolans renownedDark Knighttrilogy famously created a more ‘real’ and ‘grounded’Batmanmovie universe, using the industrial landscape of Chicago to portray the city instead of exaggerated sets. InZack Snyder’sBatman v Superman, Gotham is imagined as a poor and rundown city. The Oscar-winning filmJokeralso portrayed the city in this light, but during an unspecified time period around the late ’70s or early ’80s. Furthermore, the Fox TV showGothamwas shot primarily in New York City, once again going for a more true to life approach.
However, it looks like the Caped Crusader may return to his gothic roots in theupcoming Matt Reeves-directed film titled The Batman, which stars Robert Pattinson as the billionaire turned vigilante. Reeves shot the film primarily in London, England, and Glasgow, Scotland, taking advantage of the old and gothic architecture of these cities for his version of Gotham.
A sequel is already confirmed for the film and a spin-off series about the Gotham police department is being produced for HBO Max. On top of all that, Batman actor Michael Keaton is rumored to be reprising the role in some kind of future live-action DC project, possiblyThe Flashmovie.
The Batmanis now set to be released in the US on March 4th, 2022.
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