I just borrowed and watched the film 'The Dark Knight'. It was pretty good.
I have been a fan of the Batman as far back as I can remember - I guess I was a kid then. I don't remember being a kid, but I have photos.
The Batman was inked, oringinally, by Bob Kane. And the original story was written by Jim Finger. Of course, in the world of comic books, the inker is just as important, if not more so, that the story-line writer. So, only Kane is credited as the creator of the Batman.
Here is a photo of one of the first comics ...
Most who watch the latest series of movies are getting only a partial feeling of the character. In most of the comics, Batman is joined by Robin, his 'sidekick'. Kane intended Bruce Wayne to be modeled after Sherlock Holmes. And Robin was meant to be his Dr. Watson.
The recurring villains were his arch-nemesis, The Joker, The Penguin, Catwoman, and The Riddler. Of course, the Joker was able to hurt the Batman the most. Not physically in a direct sense, but by hurting those around him. Joker is responsible for at least one Robin's death - there were three Robins in all, and in crippling (hmm, is that politically correct) the Batgirl, Commisioner Gordon's daughther. She continues to appear in the story arcs as the Oracle, confined to a wheelchair, but is a computer wizard who assists the Batman in his fight against crime in Gotham City.
The current movie is somewhat accurate in having Bruce Wayne work out of a penthouse in the middle of Gotham City, not because Wayne Manor was still being rebuilt, but because he wanted to be 'in the thick of it', in the middle of the city.
All in all, the movie was pretty good. Heath Ledger, the junkie drug-addict who died soon after completing the filming, was accurate to the character of the psychopath Joker - although interestingly, he is never referred as a psychopath in the movie (and a better protrayal would be hard to find in filmdom of this personality disorder). Christian Bale is fine as the Batman, although I still keep seeing him as his character in the flick 'Metroland.' Hmm, I bet your thought I was going to say 'American Psycho'. And Gary Oldman is, as is always the case, superb as Gordon.
A little long on showing time, a little overly verbose, and a little short on action, but nevertheless, a great flick.
I also watched the 1945 version of Christie's 'And Then There Were None' last night, and I have commented on that in previous posts. It doesn't get any better, even with the Hollywood ending Christie used for her stage production of the novel. I still maintain that the 1987 Russian film is the best, and I have a trailer in a previous post to illustrate that fact.
Tonight, I will watch two John Wayne flicks - 'Donovan's Reef' and 'The Searchers', the latter being considered, all around the block, as the best Western EVER filmed. And I agree. "Donovan's Reef" is sort of in the family, fun type of Wayne film, much like 'Hatari'. And BTW, if you haven't seen 'Hatari' yet, RUN out and get a copy. Yes, it is directed by Howard Hawks - on of my favorite directors. And, it is that good. Elsa Martinelli, the Italian vixen (opps, see previous post) who is now 75 years old - I can't believe it - and lives in Tuscany, and the baby elephants ... it doesn't get any ... well, I have said that too many times here. Henry Mancini's score is alone worth the price of admission - hmm.. Baby Elephant Walk.
Ready? Time for a clip, you bet-cha??
And you would not believe the argument Wayne and Martinelli get into as this clip ends. Seems she didn't realize that a herd (or parade or crash - take your pick - and study previous post) of elephants would be stalking her and the babies. Wayne scares them off.
Rich
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