I’ll fess up, upfront: I LOVE the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy. The Dark Knight holds a special place in my heart, and I’ll say more about that next week. But I’ve been very excited for this stretch of movie-viewing delight. Among these stories’ many pleasures: the on-point chemistry among Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale), Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine), Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman), and Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman).
I picked July, bright and hot, as the month for “blockbusters.” Hollywood cherishes a summer action film with big budgets and much bigger profits. I’ve forever cherished the darkened, air-conditioned movie theater that beckons: come in, have a seat. Spend some time in a fantastical world.
Sure, these days, I can do this from my couch as well. But I rather think the old ways are best.
Anyway, hello, welcome, and thank you for stopping by. For new visitors, here’s what this situation is all about:
With Savor the View, we’ll watch, think, and talk about movies and the things that matter. A special welcome and thanks to our regular crew!
Each Monday, I share brief, spoiler-free remarks and questions to frame viewing a movie on our own.
Each Thursday, I share post-viewing questions to poke at the issues, ideas, quandaries, inspirations...whatever...that movie might have summoned (spoilers, ahoy!).
Paid subscribers can talk it all out in a weekly Discussion Thread.
Overview
Batman Begins (2005): Have I mentioned Christopher Nolan yet in this newsletter? Rhetorical question. Nolan directed and co-wrote this Batman re-boot with David S. Goyer, radically reimagining what a superhero story could be. The last Batman film in theaters had been the dreadfully received Batman and Robin (1999). Batman Begins would serve as, well, the beginning of a new vision situating the Caped Crusader in a dark but plausible world saturated with violence, corruption, and injustice.
2005 was no slouch of a year for Hollywood. Jane Austen fan? You got Pride and Prejudice. Oscars-watcher? You got Brokeback Mountain. How about Star Wars? You got (like it or not) Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. There were also Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Sin City, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (the Johnny Depp version), Jarhead, War of the Worlds, Revolver…I could go on. So many options for so many kinds of viewers. What was not like all the others, but would beget many more like itself? Batman Begins.
In 2005, September 11, 2001 was still a fresh memory and The War on Terror was in its relative infancy. Batman Begins asks us to consider what it means to live in a world of hard choices and high stakes – with or without the expectation that someone could or should save us from ourselves. Much more on this when we spend time with The Dark Knight next week…
The universal/general
Be vigilant while watching because Big Themes abound. You’ll notice these words and principles pop up often, so be prepared to ask yourself: What is justice? Mercy? Revenge? Fear? Right? Wrong?
The specific/unique
How is Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) introduced? How is Batman introduced? What do we know of Wayne/Batman?
Gotham throws off serious vibes. When the city itself fills the frame, try to put your finger on what feelings the setting evokes and how it does so.
Which of the movie’s other characters influence Wayne/Batman? In what ways?
The viewer is always present
What impressions of Wayne/Batman are you developing? How does this work (or not) with your existing expectations about this well-known story? Can we really be OK with this – let’s face it – really weird dude?
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