I just finished watching Tim Burton’s ‘Batman’ last night having not watched it for almost ten years! It reminded me of why it garnered so much critical praise back in 1989.
What separates this from other comic book films is that Burton inserted some excellent metaphors and subtexts to stir things up a bit.
I was reading through a message board on IMDB about the film and someone asked the question; how did Batman miss the Joker in the scene towards the end of the film? The scene in question, in which Batman fires a whole arsenal at the Joker and misses completely, only for the Joker to then destroy the Batwing with one shot, is one such scene that has a subtext that is worth mentioning.
Previous posters on the message board had said that this scene is a joke and not to be taken too seriously and they are correct, on the surface at least.
Batman and the Joker from Tim Burton's 'Batman' (1989)
This is my view of the scene:
When you strip away the surface you are left with a much more interesting view of the scene. Batman, the hero, is struggling. His battle is certainly not easy and he is even having trouble keeping the girl interested.
The fact that all of Batman’s weapons do nothing to the Joker is, for me, a symbol of the former’s impotence against the world. Everyone hates him, the police are after him, he can’t seem to catch/kill his parent’s killer and he can’t satisfy (mentally at least!) the girl of his dreams.
After the hail of bullets and bombs is over, the Joker calmly pulls out a long gun from his trousers. Now, you can’t deny that a gun is phallic at the best of times, but to be produced from the trousers and to be an exaggerated length makes it even more so. I am not claiming that the scene is purely about sex, but it is about our basic instincts.
The Joker is essentially saying ‘mine is bigger than yours’. The symbolism is complete when one single shot takes Batman down.
This scene is basically a metaphorical way of Burton showing us the personal struggle between Batman and the Joker. Batman is the nerd in the playground while the Joker is the bully stealing his lunch money.
It works on a different level in that it is hilarious and rude at the same time – while still actually driving the story forward to its ultimate climax. In the finale Batman kills the Joker (after barely over-powering him) and in doing so removes the threat to his status, thus allowing him to rescue the girl, winning her once and for all and proving himself to the city of Gotham. In a sense he gets his libido back, or more precisely his power to use it.
I am not saying that I am right, this is just my opinion.
thought exodus 