Top 10 Differences Between The Gothams Of Nolan And Burton
We know that comparing the Batman universes of Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan is like editorializing on apples and oranges, but what if he look at how the directors treat the infamous Gotham City?
Amazingly, Bruce Wayne is about to don his Batsuit for the seventh time in a little over 20 years, with the role of Batman becoming a nouveau-James Bond of sorts—a grand total of 4 actors have portrayed him thus far. When the original BATMAN came out in 1989, superhero films were far from guaranteed successes; effects and makeup still hadn’t quite risen to the standards of what the deliriously imaginative comic creators could come up with. Nevertheless, Tim Burton’s BATMAN was a commercial and (mostly) critical success, enough to ensure delivery of the (arguably) better sequel BATMAN RETURNS three years later. Fast forward (remember that?) to 2005, and MEMENTO director Christopher Nolan resuscitated the franchise with the much more realistic BATMAN BEGINS, which in turn was also followed by a superior sequel, THE DARK KNIGHT.
While comparing the drastically different Batman universes of Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan might seem a fruitless endeavor, an interesting way to explore them is through the directors’ treatment of the Dark Knight’s beloved Gotham City.
Author: Dan Heching10. Product Tie-ins: Coca Cola vs. Mountain Dew
It’s a sign of the times and how things have evolved since 1992, when McDonald’s discontinued a Happy Meals tie-in for BATMAN RETURNS as a result of angry parents protesting the film’s violent and sexual content. To their chagrin, however, the Coca-Cola Company went ahead with its promotional run for the film. Today, we are presented with a Mountain Dew tie-in for the new DARK KNIGHT RISES, and the fairly lame tagline “Rule the Streets with Dew”. Surely, parents have moved on to far bigger fish to fry in the quest to protect their children from inappropriate content, or more likely, what was once considered inappropriate is now absolutely fine.
Author: Dan Heching9. Jack Nicholson vs. Heath Ledger
Most would agree that Gotham’s baddest bad guy is none other than the Joker, a favorite villain within the Batman mythos long before Jack Nicholson first committed him to celluloid in 1989. Additionally, both Nicholson and his Joker-successor Heath Ledger were accused of stealing the spotlight from the hero of the hour, which basically stands true: Ledger’s work in the film remains chilling to the nth degree. Although his posthumous Oscar win all but eclipsed the work of Nicholson in the first Batman film, let us not forget that Jack knows how to be scary with the best of ‘em (anyone remember THE SHINING?). Re-watching BATMAN now, it’s clear he was going for camp with a tinge of pretty serious psychopathic tendencies, while Ledger did just the opposite: a core of terrifying insanity peppered with the lightest touch of kitschy theatricality (which makes him all the more scary).
Author: Dan Heching
8. The Bat-Signal
On a purely visual level, Gotham serves as the backdrop for the Bat-Signal: the bright Batman logo appearing in the night sky as a call for help from the Caped Crusader. A more rounded version is used in a rather marketing-heavy way in the Burton films, appearing with much pomp and circumstance in the last shot of BATMAN RETURNS as Michelle Pfeiffer looks on. A much more angular, horizontal Bat-Signal in the Nolan franchise has more of a functional purpose: in THE DARK KNIGHT, Jim Gordon projects the updated Bat-Signal to warn Gotham criminals of Batman's continued presence. The Bat-iconography serves its purpose, scaring the bejesus out of various riffraff (as well it should; Christian Bale is a lot scarier than Michael Keaton).
Author: Dan Heching7. Greys and blacks vs. Washed out ochres
True to form, Burton’s BATMAN films are studies in blacks and greys, with measured out pops of bright color much in the style of a comic book. The second film in particular has a muted color scheme that holds up quite well, thanks in no small part to the villains’ complementary monochromatic costumes (DeVito and Pfeiffer’s scene together in the office attic is still a favorite). On the other hand, BATMAN BEGINS has a warmer (but still effectively unsettling) color palette, typified by the Scarecrow’s horrifying burlap mask and the evil visions he inflicts on his victims.
Author: Dan Heching6. Henchmen
Burton clearly enjoyed the circus-freak motif for his gangs of villainous sidekicks, since both his Joker’s henchmen as well as the Penguin’s costumed child-stealing crew (actually called the Red Triangle Circus) follow this trope in his take on Batman. On the other hand, the folks that Nolan’s villains choose to associate with are often just regular old street thugs wearing black; in the case Heath Ledger’s Joker, those he recruits for his chaotic firestorm on Gotham are patently terrified of him.
Author: Dan Heching5. Crowds of Gothamites
Gotham City dwellers spend lots of time looking on as super villains reign down upon them with various dastardly deeds, and the retro opulence of these folks in the Burton films is starkly replaced by people who look like, well, you and me in the Nolan updates. Details like these help to further distance these films as practically of two distinct genres: the earlier films are escapist, edgy comic book capers, while the later films succeed as brooding urban crime thrillers that just happen to have a tall gravely-voiced man in a latex bat suit.
Author: Dan Heching4. Soundstages vs. On location
A quick glance on IMDB reveals perhaps the most vital difference between these filmmakers’ approaches: clicking on filming locations for Burton’s 1992 BATMAN RETURNS reveals that the entire film was shot in Burbank CA (which is Burton’s hometown, by the by), while Nolan’s 2008 sequel THE DARK KNIGHT includes such diverse locations as Hong Kong, London and Chicago. This is just another ingredient in the larger distinction between these two universes, one that makes them virtually incomparable: Tim Burton set out to make a comic book film (but a comic book film his way), while Christopher Nolan’s intentions surpass the comic book element and place Batman (and Gotham) in the context of our reality. Re-watching the Burton films, it’s extremely clear how everything looks artificial, but it was made to be so. The Nolan films looks like they could have actually happened, just outside on the street (and to that end, be careful of anyone you see traipsing around in rubber suits or with clown makeup on).
Author: Dan Heching3. New York vs. Chicago
As an extension of the previous entry, it’s interesting to note which cities may have inspired each Gotham. Of course, Gotham is a moniker for New York, which (it can be argued) serves as the basis for Burton’s version: a mayhem-filled artsy metropolis filled with crowds of onlookers. Nolan, who shot many key scenes of his first two films in Chicago, wanted a decidedly un-New York sensibility for his sometimes unpopulated-feeling Gotham.
Author: Dan Heching2. Pat Hingle vs. Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon
Gotham City is nothing without its stalwart police commissioner, the surly lieutenant who is ready to get his hands dirty but sometimes just as ready to leave the heavy lifting for his friend in the mask and cape. The late Hingle (who died at age 84 in 2009) made a career out of being Gordon, having reprised the role through both Burton films as well as the two unmentionable and very adolescent Joel Schumacher misfires BATMAN FOREVER and BATMAN & ROBIN. On the other hand, Oldman’s take on Gordon is much more personal and haunting, giving the character depth and justice as a major player in the new franchise’s plotlines.
Author: Dan Heching
1. ‘Stylized’ Dark vs. ‘Bleak’ Dark
Tim Burton had already proven himself as a master ‘film aesthetician’ by the time he made the BATMAN films, with his trademark look featured in BEETLEJUICE and EDWARD SCISSORHANDS. The style for his BATMAN films is no exception, with gothic architecture and artfully macabre scenery galore. While everything in his films has a specific design and influence, Christopher Nolan’s style is entirely more haphazard, gritty and, well, bleak. Before production began on BATMAN BEGINS, Nolan invited the entire crew to a private screening of Ridley Scott’s BLADE RUNNER, and went on record saying, “This is how we're going to make "Batman"." That in a nutshell captures the different priorities, notions and visions of these two Bat-directors.
Speaking recently at Comic Con, Tim Burton mused on how his Batman films look now, stylistically: "I recall at the time, people worried about our version being too dark. It's like, well, it looks like a lighthearted romp in comparison." And what is he comparing his films to? The Nolan films of course, which he is thoroughly impressed by.
Author: Dan Heching
