TRIBUTES AND RETROSPECTIVES

Double Take

Batman Returns

Tim Burton
1992 - United States - 2h06

Screenings : monday 22 - 2:00 pm - Pathé - 1 - presented and followed by a debate with Abdoullah Ait Bella - sportif

Christmas is coming, and Gotham City is terrified. For several months now the city has been the scene of strange events. Dangerous criminals have surged up from the bowels of the city disguised as clowns and acrobats, working for the mysterious “Penguin”, spreading fear in the streets. Violence, attacks, kidnappings, extortion and bloody practical jokes are on the increase and everyone is asking “who is The Penguin?”

The story is well-known: the dazzling success of Batman in 1989 immediately called for a follow-up. But Tim Burton, who was exhausted by the first film, with which he was not entirely happy, hesitated for a long time before accepting, and on the condition that he should have a totally free hand. The real question behind this Batman is knowing who is monstrous and who isn't. The open scene muddies the waters: during the Christmas holidays, a couple abandons their deformed child in a river. In this world there are three animal-people: Batman, Catwoman and the Penguin. The latter is wonderfully played by Danny DeVito, bursting up from the sewers, dressed like a slimy and ambitious 19th century lord. “What I like about Batman's world, as opposed to Superman's, is that nothing is black and white. You're constantly on the borderline between the two, and to a certain extent, that's a good parallel of what's happening in the US. In this environment, the baddies aren't as bad, which is very troubling for the character of Batman, who doesn't really know where he stands either. Going deeper into this ambivalence motivated me when I was writing the script, and the Penguin was the ideal vehicle”. (Tim Burton; Positif)

CAST AND CREW

Cast : Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Michael Gough
Screenplay : Daniel Waters, Sam Hamm
Cinematography : Stefan Czapsky
Editing : Bob Badami, Chris Lebenzon
Music : Danny Elfman

Production : Warner Bros., PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

French distributor : Warner Bros