A Sparrow With a Machine Gun: Batman (1966)
In anticipation of the upcoming July 27th release of the latest Batman movie, Batman: Under the Red Hood- and as a flimsy excuse to give me something to do- I have taken it upon myself to review all 14 previous Bat-films (14! For reals!), including the one that I have never seen before! That’s right, there’s actually a Batman film I haven’t seen, and no it’s not Batman and Robin (if only I were so lucky).
We begin with the very first Batman film ever, the much beloved and similarly much denounced Batman (1966), Bat-Shark Repellent and all.
The Plot: When Batman and Robin are nearly killed responding to a phony distress call, the two piece together clues to discover that four of their greatest villains- the Joker, the Penguin, the Riddler, and Catwoman- have all teamed up to take over the world and destroy them once and for all! Hijinks, kidnappings, and bombs all ensue as the dynamic duo fight for their lives and try to stop a villainous plot to hold ransom the United World Security council!
My short take: Fuck the naysayers. This film (and the TV series it ties into) has received a whole lot of flack over the last forty years, and some of it is probably deserved. Yes, to the general public, this movie helped solidify the idea that superheroes were a bit ridiculous, and a lot of “serious” superhero people are always pissed off about that. But here’s the thing: superheroes ARE ridiculous. And I can say that, because I love superheroes. Superheroes have been, and always will be about escapism. It’s not supposed to be real, people! This movie is far from perfect (there are fight scenes that are painfully obvious about just how fake they are), but I bet that the kids in 1966 who watched this loved it, and I bet kids today who have watched it love it too.
The Good: This is Batman as 60’s camp awesomeness! You can tell that right off the bat (bad pun) from the title sequence, a darkly silhouetted chase scene of Batman and Robin chasing a criminal, lit only by varying colored spot lights. It’s actually pretty cool. Batman as pop art! The script is far closer to an actual Batman comic script than most Batman movies, though it’s a Batman comic out of the 50s and early 60s. Throw in a spot on parody of the United Nations and Adam West and Burt Ward’s deadpan seriousness about all the zaniness around them? Golden.
The great thing about the West and Ward Batman and Robin was the comedy. The villains are really the main characters, Batman and Robin ever the straight men to their villainous, comedic acts. Cesar Romero rocks the Dick Sprang era giggling, Joker, laughing at anything he thinks is funny, but mostly harmless in his own right. Burgess Meredith IS the Penguin, and if you want to know why a fat man in a tuxedo with a big nose is still popular in today’s world of a dark, brooding, “serious” Batman, you have only to look at Meredith to see why. He made the character, just as Frank Groshin made the Riddler. Few realize that the Riddler only had appeared three times in the 25 years of Batman comics before the TV series began, but Groshin’s interpretation of the Riddler made him one of Batman’s most famous villains. And Lee Meriwether is all kinds of 60’s sexy goodness, both in and out of her Catwoman costume.
There are so many good bits in this movie, it’s hard to lock them all down. Why wouldn’t the Penguin have a submarine? In fact, Batman’s utter disbelief at a Navy Admiral’s total stupidity in selling a military surplus submarine to a Mister P.N. Guin is one of the funniest parts of the movie. Batman gets a bunch of new toys thanks to a movie budget, and using them all manages to make sense. Which, let’s face it, is more than we can say for some Batman movies.
And for the record, NO ONE who’s ever played Batman has rocked their inner James Bond as much as Adam West does when he (as Bruce Wayne) meets ‘Kitka’ for the first time.
The Bad: On the other hand… well… a ballpoint banana and Bat-Shark Repellent. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of the current Grant Morrison “Batman thinks of everything” Batman, but Bat-Shark Repellent? Sigh. Obviously the effects are dated, but when people compare the rubber shark chewing on Batman’s leg to a bad Star Trek special effect, I think they’re doing a grave disservice to bad Star Trek effects everywhere. And why, oh why, couldn’t Cesar Romero shave his mustache? Putting make up over it might have worked for the TV series (though I’m not convinced of that), but on a movie screen? It’s painfully obvious in every scene he’s in.
I have to admit, as much as I defend this movie, there are a number of times when the coincidences and leaps of logic confuse me. I’m honestly not sure how much is supposed to be just campy fun and how much is plain out sloppy writing.
Another thing that seriously bugs me: the costuming department needed desperately to get rid of that one piece Riddler suit. Groshin’s Riddler looks AMAZING in his three piece question mark costume- it’s a phenomenal costume. Honestly, it’s probably the best costume in the movie! So why did the costumer keep taking it away from him and putting him back in the spandex? Maybe because it made Romero’s Joker costume look so boring and flat by comparison. Whatever the reason though, that spandex should never have been brought back, that suit is awesome.
Conclusion: This isn’t today urban vigilante Batman by any means- in fact, Commissioner Gordon states early on in the movie that this Batman is a deputized agent of the police. The logic behind that may seem odd to modern viewers, but in context with the setting of the movie, it works. This is still Batman just as much as Michael Keaton or Kevin Conroy’s Batman are Batman, it’s just a different interpretation. And it’s pretty fun, all around. Plus, a porpoise jumps in front of a torpedo and saves Batman and Robin’s lives. Which is awesome.
And don’t complain about the jetpack umbrellas. Much stupider props have shown up in Batman comics before.
Best line:
Commissioner Gordon (Reading a riddle left by the Riddler): What weighs six ounces, sits in a tree, and is very dangerous?
Robin: A sparrow with a machine gun!
Pretty much sums up the feel of the entire movie, right there: ridiculous, crazy, and kind of awesome. :)
Next time, on Reviewing Batman! The Joker gives a name to his pain! Batman tells a nice girl to shut up! And this town needs an enema! Same Bat-Time, same Bat-Channel!
We begin with the very first Batman film ever, the much beloved and similarly much denounced Batman (1966), Bat-Shark Repellent and all.
The Plot: When Batman and Robin are nearly killed responding to a phony distress call, the two piece together clues to discover that four of their greatest villains- the Joker, the Penguin, the Riddler, and Catwoman- have all teamed up to take over the world and destroy them once and for all! Hijinks, kidnappings, and bombs all ensue as the dynamic duo fight for their lives and try to stop a villainous plot to hold ransom the United World Security council!
My short take: Fuck the naysayers. This film (and the TV series it ties into) has received a whole lot of flack over the last forty years, and some of it is probably deserved. Yes, to the general public, this movie helped solidify the idea that superheroes were a bit ridiculous, and a lot of “serious” superhero people are always pissed off about that. But here’s the thing: superheroes ARE ridiculous. And I can say that, because I love superheroes. Superheroes have been, and always will be about escapism. It’s not supposed to be real, people! This movie is far from perfect (there are fight scenes that are painfully obvious about just how fake they are), but I bet that the kids in 1966 who watched this loved it, and I bet kids today who have watched it love it too.
The Good: This is Batman as 60’s camp awesomeness! You can tell that right off the bat (bad pun) from the title sequence, a darkly silhouetted chase scene of Batman and Robin chasing a criminal, lit only by varying colored spot lights. It’s actually pretty cool. Batman as pop art! The script is far closer to an actual Batman comic script than most Batman movies, though it’s a Batman comic out of the 50s and early 60s. Throw in a spot on parody of the United Nations and Adam West and Burt Ward’s deadpan seriousness about all the zaniness around them? Golden.
The great thing about the West and Ward Batman and Robin was the comedy. The villains are really the main characters, Batman and Robin ever the straight men to their villainous, comedic acts. Cesar Romero rocks the Dick Sprang era giggling, Joker, laughing at anything he thinks is funny, but mostly harmless in his own right. Burgess Meredith IS the Penguin, and if you want to know why a fat man in a tuxedo with a big nose is still popular in today’s world of a dark, brooding, “serious” Batman, you have only to look at Meredith to see why. He made the character, just as Frank Groshin made the Riddler. Few realize that the Riddler only had appeared three times in the 25 years of Batman comics before the TV series began, but Groshin’s interpretation of the Riddler made him one of Batman’s most famous villains. And Lee Meriwether is all kinds of 60’s sexy goodness, both in and out of her Catwoman costume.
There are so many good bits in this movie, it’s hard to lock them all down. Why wouldn’t the Penguin have a submarine? In fact, Batman’s utter disbelief at a Navy Admiral’s total stupidity in selling a military surplus submarine to a Mister P.N. Guin is one of the funniest parts of the movie. Batman gets a bunch of new toys thanks to a movie budget, and using them all manages to make sense. Which, let’s face it, is more than we can say for some Batman movies.
And for the record, NO ONE who’s ever played Batman has rocked their inner James Bond as much as Adam West does when he (as Bruce Wayne) meets ‘Kitka’ for the first time.
The Bad: On the other hand… well… a ballpoint banana and Bat-Shark Repellent. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of the current Grant Morrison “Batman thinks of everything” Batman, but Bat-Shark Repellent? Sigh. Obviously the effects are dated, but when people compare the rubber shark chewing on Batman’s leg to a bad Star Trek special effect, I think they’re doing a grave disservice to bad Star Trek effects everywhere. And why, oh why, couldn’t Cesar Romero shave his mustache? Putting make up over it might have worked for the TV series (though I’m not convinced of that), but on a movie screen? It’s painfully obvious in every scene he’s in.
I have to admit, as much as I defend this movie, there are a number of times when the coincidences and leaps of logic confuse me. I’m honestly not sure how much is supposed to be just campy fun and how much is plain out sloppy writing.
Another thing that seriously bugs me: the costuming department needed desperately to get rid of that one piece Riddler suit. Groshin’s Riddler looks AMAZING in his three piece question mark costume- it’s a phenomenal costume. Honestly, it’s probably the best costume in the movie! So why did the costumer keep taking it away from him and putting him back in the spandex? Maybe because it made Romero’s Joker costume look so boring and flat by comparison. Whatever the reason though, that spandex should never have been brought back, that suit is awesome.
Conclusion: This isn’t today urban vigilante Batman by any means- in fact, Commissioner Gordon states early on in the movie that this Batman is a deputized agent of the police. The logic behind that may seem odd to modern viewers, but in context with the setting of the movie, it works. This is still Batman just as much as Michael Keaton or Kevin Conroy’s Batman are Batman, it’s just a different interpretation. And it’s pretty fun, all around. Plus, a porpoise jumps in front of a torpedo and saves Batman and Robin’s lives. Which is awesome.
And don’t complain about the jetpack umbrellas. Much stupider props have shown up in Batman comics before.
Best line:
Commissioner Gordon (Reading a riddle left by the Riddler): What weighs six ounces, sits in a tree, and is very dangerous?
Robin: A sparrow with a machine gun!
Pretty much sums up the feel of the entire movie, right there: ridiculous, crazy, and kind of awesome. :)
Next time, on Reviewing Batman! The Joker gives a name to his pain! Batman tells a nice girl to shut up! And this town needs an enema! Same Bat-Time, same Bat-Channel!
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