Product Description

Jack Nicholson is the Joker, who emerged from a horrible accident as a maniacal criminal. Michael Keaton is the Caped Crusader, who emerged from a childhood trauma to become a masked crimefighter. Kim Basinger is Vicki Vale, the talented photojournalist desired by both men. And Batman is the movie, the all-out spectacular directed by Tim Burton, set to songs by Prince and a music score by Danny Elfman, and an Academy AwardO winner* for Best Art Direction/Set Decoration (Anton Furst and Peter Young).

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Commentary by director Tim Burton
Documentaries:Legends of the Dark Knight Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight Parts 1-3 Beyond Batman Documentary Gallery
Featurette:On the Set with Bob Kane Shadows of the Bat Pts. 1-3 Batman: The Heroes and Villains Gallery
Music Video:Partyman by Prince Batdance by Prince Scandalous by Prince
Theatrical Trailer

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4761 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-10-18
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Dubbed in: French
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 126 minutes

Amazon.com essential video
Thanks to the ambitious vision of director Tim Burton, the blockbuster hit of 1989 delivers the goods despite an occasionally spotty script, giving the caped crusader a thorough overhaul in keeping with the crime fighter's evolution in DC Comics. Michael Keaton strikes just the right mood as the brooding "Dark Knight" of Gotham City; Kim Basinger plays Gotham's intrepid reporter Vicki Vale; and Jack Nicholson goes wild as the maniacal and scene-stealing Joker, who plots a takeover of the city with his lethal Smilex gas. Triumphant Oscar-winning production design by the late Anton Furst turns Batman into a visual feast, and Burton brilliantly establishes a darkly mythic approach to Batman's legacy. Danny Elfman's now-classic score propels the action with bold, muscular verve. --Jeff Shannon

DVD features
Released on DVD the year the Batman franchise was resurrected with Batman Begins, the first four of the Warner Brothers live-action films receive slick reissues, all with a Wayne Manor-sized amount of extras. The 40-minute feature on the history of Batman is deft and conclusive--they talk to all the right people. The three-part documentary on the making of the first film is even better. Every time you think you are not going to hear new interviews, there pops Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson. Everyone seems to have had a grand time on the set, and those vibes continue more than a decade later; even Sean Young is good-natured when interviewed about a last-minute injury that led to Kim Basinger being cast as Vicki Vale. Candid comments from producers Peter Guber and Jon Peters also help. Tim Burton's free-following commentary only mentions the footage you are seeing briefly; it's more of a two-hour riff about his memories of filming and a must-listen for his fans. There's lots of other stuff including an unfilmed storyboard sequence introducing Robin. The film itself is upgraded by a remastered print and a new DTS soundtrack. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews

BETTER THAN CLASSIC AND GREAT
Although this was't precisely the beginning of the revival of comic book heroes as hi-budget color movies, it was certainly one of the mos famous and successful of the transformations. Tim Burton, by casting Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger and Michael Keaton assured at least big headlines for his provocative cast. It was a signal that Button, the arch-eccentric director, intended to do something worthy of notice with this new film. And indeed he did.

The supporting cast was excellent: Billy Dee Williams, and Jack Palance were sensational, each in his own way, and Palance more even than Pat Hingle, captured the public imagination with his characterization.

Myself, I'm impressed mostly by the unique and effective music by Prince, one of yhe most innovative of POP artists. The stuff made for this movie particularly, was outstanding. And, in addition to that, the art design -- of the sets and of the ariel floats -- was brash, sensational and thrilling, like cheap candy. The idea of gassing an entire city by means of festive baloons is a high point in demenedness.

The sight jokes and the staging of them is wonderful. Basinger is exquisite and the perfect foil for the JOKER"S perverse, monomonical lust.

In short, while keeping most of the elemens of the original Detective Comics creation -- the demented, sadistic arch-villain; the beautiful, helpless girl; the bumbling, well-meaning police force; the blithering and spooked population of corrupt Gotham, and above off the appearances and disappearances of the caped crusader -- this version of the BATMAN myth, combines with the 1943 Serial, to offer the careful observer of the changes in American POP culture and behavior, a rich and irreplacable reward. The sexual symbolism is hotter and more overt; the overall feeling of irrational psychosis is more intense and shrill, and the cynicism of the concept thrills the nerves like an Asian aphrodisiac.

This is or can be a valuable addition to your collection of BATMAN POP junk treasure. Long shelf life. It defies time.

ONE OF THE BETTER "BATMAN" FILMS MADE BEFORE "THE DARK KNIGHT"
I PLACED AN ORDER FOR THIS DVD MOVIE ON August 2, 2008, BUT I WAS TOLD IT HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED BUT I WILL BE NOTIFIED AS SOON AS IT BEOMES AVAILABLE! I HOPE SO,THIS "BATMAN" IS A BETTER FILM COMPARED TO IT'S FOLLOW UP'S,EVEN THOUGH I DID ENJOY "BATMAN BEGINS" AND "THE DARK KNIGHT". HOPE IT BECOMES AVAILABLE ASAP OR VERY SOON,HEATH LEDGER MADE A DARK JOKER BUT I STILL ENJOY JACK NICHOLSON AS A FUNNY BUT EVIL JOKER.

The all time Batman classic
After much anticipation, legendary director Tim Burton directs the memorable box office hit "Batman."Set in the brooding and morbid Gotham City, a millionare bachelor, Bruce Wayne dons a persona to make sure that no innocent person faces the fate his parents faced. He calls himself "Batman."

He causes contreversy in the city, which in the polices eyes, he is a criminal who is taking the law in his own hands. Well, soon enough he has a showdown with Jack Napier, Boss Carl Grissom's right hand man.Napier the falls in a vat of acid, which turns him into the homicidal Joker.Joker now sets out on a grizzly crime spree, causing chaos and mayhem for Gotham.

His Big plan:Poisoning all of Gotham with his "Smylex"gas.Batman must stop the Joker before this plan can be set into action.But,Brucie's love interest, photojournalist Vicki Vale(Kim Basinger)gets suspicious of him for his mysterious dissapearances.But soon, Vicki becomes a love target for Joker, and he uses extreme homicidal remarks and gifts to try to get her love.

This film is extremely entertaining, and you will always treasure this in your movie collection.