Batman (1943)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Lambert Hillyer

Writers:

Bob Kane (character)
Victor McLeod (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

15 April 1943 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

A HUNDRED TIMES MORE THRILLING ON THE SCREEN! (original 1943 one-sheet posters)

Plot:

Japanese spymaster Prince Daka operates a covert espionage organization located in Metropolis' now-deserted Little Tokyo which turns American scientists into pliable zombies.

Plot Keywords:

Japanese | Bat | Espionage | Batman | Spymaster

Cast

Lewis Wilson	...	Batman / Bruce Wayne
Douglas Croft	...	Robin / Richard 'Dick' Grayson
J. Carrol Naish	...	Dr. Tito Daka / Prince Daka
Shirley Patterson	...	Linda Page

Also Known As:

An Evening with Batman and Robin (USA) (reissue title)
The Batman (USA) (poster title)

Runtime:

260 min (15 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved

Filming Locations:

Iverson Ranch, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

This is the first filmed appearance of Batman.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Strings are attached to the bats as they fly around in the cave.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator: High atop one of the hills which ring the teaming metropolis of Gotham City, a large house rears its bulk against the dark sky. Outwardly there's nothing to distinguish this house from many others, but deep in the cavernous basements of this house is a chamber hewn from the living rock of the mountainside...

Movie Connections:

Featured in Action Heroes of the Cliffhanger Serials (1992) (V)

Soundtrack:

Symphonie Fantastique

Great fun

This serial is nothing short of a total blast, a fun romp from start to finish. You gotta love that the first thing you see at the start of chapter one, is Batman at his desk in his Batcave with bats flying all around, and you only see their shadows, but you also see the shadows of all the thick control wires making the fake bats fly around. That sets the tone perfectly!

No crappy computer effects to muck things up here. Of course this is a serial and it's all great fun, and you have to laugh that the film takes various dramatic license, such as why are Batman and Robin never just shot at, and why they don't fear guns (while always being unarmed themselves).

Truth is, this serial is non-stop, it's virtually always exciting and there's a lot of cool fights. One thing I noticed is that Batman is either always getting his head bashed in, or he's getting into some trouble where Robin has to save him (at the start of the next chapter of course). You'd figure since Robin saves Batman so many times, Batman would treat Robin a little more equally!

And about the 'racist' stuff...it was made in 1943 folks. Consider the climate in America at the time and who our enemies were, and just let it go. No matter how much the revisionists try, you can't change the past, and it should not be hidden, either. And in no way does the tone of the storyline detract from the fact that this serial is such a blast. This should be released on DVD in its original uncut form, the way it was meant to be seen.