How Christopher Nolan improves on Tim Burton's vision of Batman

I decided to do this commentary because there are still people out there who subjectively prefer Tim Burton’s interpretation of the dark Knight in Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992) over the more recent films on the same subject directed by Christopher Nolan, Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008). I will not discuss the abominations directed by Joel Schumacher, Batman Forever (1995) and Batman and Robin (1997) since these films lost all focus and almost buried the batman legacy in ignominy. Tim Burton’s interpretation of the batman as exhibited in Batman (1989) was quite influential on the direction taken by Christopher Nolan. The main failure of Tim Burton’s films was the jumbling of various themes related to Batman which denied them any chance of being developed. In Batman (1989) one finds all the themes that are present in Nolan’s Batman Begins and The Dark Knight however they are only mentioned briefly and the viewer is left feeling no sympathy for Batman’s quest as a hero. The main issue in the Tim Burton films is that there seems to be no quest but a montage of familiar characters from the comic book series. It is these images that brought his movies together and gave them a certain panache however more was required to make them as definitive as Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. It is still clear that Burton’s vision of the dark knight was very influential on the direction taken by Nolan. I will list what Burton did right and what he did wrong and how Nolan was able develop these concepts and present the definitive interpretation of the dark knight on film.

What did Burton do right?

Firstly, Tim Burton did away with the camp element that was normally associated with Batman on television during the 1960’s. Many recall the ‘oh golly batman’ of the 60’s and the boom, zap, pow. Batman paraded like superman without super powers and there was little or no mystery to the character. It was foolish to have Batman appear so frivolously attired during the day since bats are nocturnal. It was a silly mistake and Burton immediately rectified this by having batman appear only at night. He also gave the character some gravitas by exploring the traumatic nature of the main character, Bruce Wayne, whose parents were murdered in an alley. The opening scene of Batman (1989) is supposed to recall this incident where a man woman and child are accosted by petty thieves in an alley. Tim Burton, here,  goes back to the roots of the original character for the camp associated with batman of the 60’s made him seem like a buffoon with no motivation to become an avenger of the night dressed as a bat. Tim Burton however never mentions why Bruce does decide to become an avenger dressed as a bat even though he does show Bruce trying to simulate the actions of a bat in one scene where he hangs upside down or when he states that bats are real survivors. Bats are real survivors but so are rats. The mythic presentation of Batman is also featured in Burton’s version. The citizens of Gotham are taken with the character of the batman that is purported to be supernatural. In one of the best scenes Joker’s henchmen, after shooting down the batman, realize he is human after all and this influenced a later scene in Nolan’s The Dark Knight where Batman, after refusing to kill the Joker in the streets, crashes his batpod and is at the mercy of the joker and his henchmen. A henchman tries to reveal who is under the mask but is thwarted by a security device and Gordon’s intervention. In Burton’s version the henchmen are thwarted by Vicky vale who takes snapshots of the episode thereby drawing their attention to her and sparing Bruce Wayne the embarrassment. In the portrayal of Batman’s mythic characteristics it is clear that after his duel with the joker Batman disappears and his legend looms over Gotham city. In Batman Returns he is back after criminals are again running wild and Gotham calls out for a savior. This was borrowed by Nolan for Batman does disappear however he is expected to return and rise again in The Dark Knight Rises (2012). I say again that Burton does not present the many ramifications that result in Batman fleeing the scene although it seems to be due to the simple fact that he has found his parent’s killer which conveniently happened to be the Joker. He does mention the possibility that Batman will have to flee Gotham for some time until Gotham’s citizenry will clamor for his return. He only mentions it but Nolan develops the premise with its many ramifications. In Burton’s case he  deals only with the ideal as opposed to tackling the material hindrances to this ideal if it is to be triumphant. In Batman Returns it is the woefully underdeveloped catwoman that is given the same legendary status (although she did not do much to be called a legend).

Burton does highlight the rampant corruption prevalent in Gotham city and the new thrust made by Harvey Dent (who eventually becomes two face) in cutting the links between organized crime and leading legitimate corporations in the public light. The presence of a largely corrupt police force on the mob’s payroll was still adhered to by Nolan because this is one major element that hinders Batman’s success. The presence of the business element is crucial in the Burton films and you can see this in Batman Returns with the character of Max Shreck (Christopher Walken) who plans to ally with the Penguin (Danny Devito) and then dispose of him once  he has  helped him take control of the city.  It is not very developed however because it is not quite explained why it is so difficult to disrupt organized crime and the tenuous line that Harvey Dent is walking on. Nolan did the right thing by tracing the actual funds through the accountants that would launder the money as opposed to finding documents that would implicate business men who could always say they were not aware that this business was in the red. It is also not developed how Harvey dent and the police actually disrupt the link between the business element and organized crime. Do they target middle men before going for the bosses?  In Batman there is only one scene showing the corrupt business men racking their brains discussing Harvey Dent’s crusade on crime.

The Joker portrayed by Jack Nicholson in Batman is not developed properly and so he seems more like a buffoon who laughs a lot and executes deadly pranks. We are not allowed to view him without his pretensions and glamorous portrayal of violence. Heath Ledger, for instance, imbued the character with the necessary malevolenceor menace required to add depth to the character; it is here that jack Nicholson missed out although he handles the Joker side pretty well. There is also a philosophical undercurrent that was not developed which would give an idea of the Joker’s motivations although it is hinted at in the Tim Burton version. Jack Nicholson’s Joker, however, does present certain features that were to be adopted by Christopher Nolan and Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight with the depiction of the Joker. These features are not developed by Burton as a means of creating an indelible reminder to the viewer of the Joker’s malevolence, but are simply mentioned although the methods of Jack Nicholson’s Joker were utilized in Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the same character.  These are the elements of Nicholson’s Joker:  His grin belies his malevolence; he tries to create chaos in the society by painting the town red (literally) by unleashing his poisonous gas and giving away money as if it’s nothing. He taunts Batman to reveal who is under the mask and he constantly interferes with the news feed to broadcast his messages. He begins as an employee of one of the corrupt business men who eventually betrays him thereby forcing him to turn on his employer by killing him. When he does kill his employer he assumes control of the outfit. He tries to do battle with batman for the soul of Gotham city; this is when he throws money around (recall Heath Ledger’s Joker burning money and saying ‘all you care about is money; this town deserves a better class o’ criminal’) trying to capture the audience of the citizenry and taunts batman to reveal himself.  He seems to be taken with Batman in this film and his gadgets (this was to be mirrored later in Ledger’s performance when he gestured with ‘hmmm’ after Batman’s massive automobile slams into one of his garbage trucks). This is almost identical to the features of the Joker in Nolan’s The Dark Knight although within a different context and trajectory.

Tim Burton also realized that it would be difficult for Batman to fall in love because of his lifestyle but again this is not developed and is jumbled in the main plot. Nolan did the brave thing by allowing  Rachel to step up by saying that Bruce Wayne is the mask and batman is the real character and that he will always be obsessively drawn to it. This is present in Burton’s presentation when Bruce becomes distracted by Ms. Vale’s attentions to pursue his lone wolf status however neither Bruce (Michael Keaton) nor Vicky vale (Kim Basinger) make mention of this dilemma and so it is lost on the viewer. It will be good to see how Nolan portrays Catwoman in his upcoming feature The Dark Knight Rises (2012) because in Batman Returns (1992) she is clearly portrayed as a female version of Batman with her own claims to be a legend. The tension between catwoman and batman in Burton’s version was evident because the individuals under these masked personas were dating (Bruce as batman and Selina as catwoman) so it was interesting to see the contrast between the interactions of  the actual ordinary characters  and  the interaction between the so called freaks. Nolan will explore this dilemma but it will more than likely be portrayed as a doomed romance as it is in Burton’s version especially as Selina will be drawn obsessively to her alter ego, catwoman as Bruce is drawn to his. Well let us see what he does.

What did Burton do that required improvement? Or what did he do that was bad?

Firstly he jumbles all  the pertinent themes of the batman so that it comes across as only a montage. If you do not know the comics you will be lost. For instance when you first see batman you do not know who it is for he comes and disposes of two punks and then says that one of the punks should spread the word. Here Burton is going for the ideal it is only later that the viewer discovers that Batman is actually Bruce Wayne and it is only later that we discover that his motivations to become batman was because his parents were murdered.  The origin of Jack Nicholson’s Joker is however fully explained as if he is the star. He is so all important that batman eventually realizes that it was the Joker who killed his parents. Nolan dispenses with this in Batman Begins by explaining effectively the motivations of Bruce Wayne to become batman. He fears bats so he feels that this bat would become some form of symbol which would thwart the criminals. He first has to understand various things such as the nature of good and bad and how to combat the criminals by night. As Ra’s Al Ghul says, ‘you know how to fight 6 men we can teach you to engage 600.’ It is not simply by brawling with martial techniques( which is necessary but seems to be the sole focus for Burton) but by utilizing several techniques that make one appear invisible or as a symbol of portent or impending doom (fear) that will affect the psyche of your opponent before you strike. ‘You must become more than just a man in the mind of your opponent.’ We have here the motivations for becoming a batman which simply means you become a member of the shadows ready to strike and so any criminal wandering around at night will be fearful. In other words dressing as a batman makes sense in this case. In Tim Burton’s case it does not make sense although the supernatural elements are there and you understand why the criminals are fearful; if you were not aware of the comics batman  looks almost like a buffoon 'I'm Batman'.

Nolan correctly focuses on the struggles that Batman must endure before he truly becomes a legend which is why it has taken three films to establish. Batman is flesh and blood and for his ideal to rise above he must endure hardships which are associated with the material world which includes villains who see him for what he is a man in a bat suit driving fear into criminals just as they drive fear into law abiding citizens. The Joker and Bane will not be intimidated by batman for they understand his motivations and so cannot fear him like the ordinary criminal. In Burton’s case Batman is an idea or absolute to the viewer as he is to the joker. We cannot understand him we are simply to assume that he is batman and leave it at that. Nolan does the reverse where he makes the villains absolute and gives us insights into Batman/ Bruce Wayne’s character since it is his struggle to become a legend. His story is to serve as a prototype for the ordinary man who wants to make a change. Look at the great Marcus Garvey who was once a great orator; he used to break down on stage due to nerves before he could master himself and become a symbol of black resistance. All great men emerge from the shadows to become a symbol for resistance; the problem is that some people only catch on when you become this great symbol hopelessly unaware of the struggles it took for you to reach this far. Nolan allows us to appreciate the struggles of Bruce Wayne to become Batman whereas Tim Burton focuses on the ideal that is already made. Tim Burton’s mistake was to make us understand the villains thereby relegating batman to the shadows because they perish at the end in ignominy ( see penguin and the joker in Batman Returns and Batman respectively) apart from say catwoman. Nolan makes the villains absolutes and places Batman at the centre. These villains just represent stepping stones for Batman and they are measured by how much they test Batman’s resolve. The Joker seemed to beat it out of him at the end but as is the case with Nolan’s third film, The Dark Knight Rises he is supposed to surmount this obstacle.  It is Burton’s mistake that led to the later abominations of Batman Forever and Batman and Robin where the villains were the stars and Batman was there hanging around until he could stop them at the end. Lastly, Burton makes his Batman seem more like a vigilante than a legend. Nolan clearly states in Batman Begins that ‘a vigilante is just a man lost in the scramble for his own gratification but if you make yourself more than just a man you become something else entirely… a legend Mr Wayne’. In Burton’s version it is convenient that the Joker was the one who killed Batman’s parents so when he is defeated Batman fades out never to return. It seems that Batman was driven more by revenge than maintaining social order which is the main aim of justice. Rachel and Bruce discuss this in Batman Begins where she tells him to look beyond his own pain. In Burton’s, and later Schumacher’s, versions batman cannot seem to look beyond his own pain.  For instance in Batman it was Joker who killed his parents and in Batman Forever it was two face who killed them so this is the motivation batman needs to fight; he is a vigilante not a hero. It is no wonder the franchise collapsed with Batman and Robin. It does not matter who killed Batman’s parent for they were killed however to be great you have to look beyond your own pain. Who can forget Tom Joad's famous testament in the masterpiece The Grapes of Wrath (1940): ‘If there’s a cop beating up a guy I’ll be there. Where there is a fight so that people can eat, I’ll be there.’ He has learned to look beyond his own situation to the wider struggle or the ideal.

Batman’s relationship with commissioner Gordon is poorly developed in Burton's versions of Batman because it is this relationship that allows Batman to get away with so much. Nolan did the right thing by giving some back story to this relationship where Gordon was a sergeant when he first met Batman and then became a lieutenant and then commissioner.  With Gordon first meeting Batman while he is a sergeant he would be more willing to support Batman for he recognizes the high levels of corruption in the force and the utter hopelessness of the entire situation of crime in Gotham. Some top critics thought it was mere convenience not realizing how necessary it was. If he met batman as commissioner he would act like his own boss in Batman Begins who wants to bring him down since the activities of batman exposes the corruption of the police force. The commissioner in Burton’s version is in the same shoes as he tries to thwart batman because it will look bad on his department to have this masked menace around the place. Harvey Dent is also woefully developed because his effort to tackle crime as an idealist is significant due to the entrenched corruption within the force and the overwhelming influence of the mob in the city. He is encountering the same troubles facing Batman: the temptation to go over to the other side. His tragedy is that he cannot look beyond his own pain and becomes a vigilante later to be known as a criminal but for Batman’s sacrifice in The Dark Knight.

Lastly, Nolan does not make every villain as important by relegating some of them to middle men roles. In Burton's version which influenced Schumacher every villain has the same weight however Nolan makes it clear that the mob is the real source of crime in Gotham and not the freaks. The freaks only emerge when the mob has lost control. Nolan develops this well. The mob therefore represent a realistic element in Nolan's portrayal of crime and they are superseded by the absolute supernatural criminals who have their own ideals. Ra's al Ghul in Batman Begins and the Joker in The Dark Knight.  In the Schumacher versions a character like the scarecrow would be the subject of one whole movie but in Batman Begins he is clearly a a minor villain as he acts as a middleman for Ra's al ghul and his dealings with Gotham. The main villains are the ones that have an ideal or vision of society that will significantly challenge Batman. In the case of Ra's al Ghul he wants to create a system of chaos that will level out Gotham so that it can build again and the Joker simply wants to institute chaos and bring down the facade of society. Batman as a hero represents order or  the maintenance of order and social harmony. Again it is all mentioned in Burton's films but as we have no sense of Batman's ideals we do not see how these villains clash with his philosophy. In Nolan's version it is clear that Batman wants to represent an incorruptible symbol whereas with Burton batman is there simply to stop the villain at the required moment in the plot.

Nolan has, therefore, built on the platform set by Burton by developing the themes and showing the motivations of the Batman and his struggle to become a symbol of resistance in the crime infested Gotham city. I hope this brief commentary allows you to appreciate the significant leap taken by Nolan and why his franchise is so successful artistically and commercially.