"Batman: The Silent Motion Picture" - I've edited Tim Burton's "Batman" (1989) into one of the silent films that inspired it!

Watch "BATMAN - THE SILENT MOTION PICTURE"

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All rights to the film "Batman" belong to Warner Brothers. This film is a fan edit, not made for profit. I claim no right to the material presented above.
I attempted to upload the project to Youtube, but as the silent auteurs F. W. Murnau and Fitz Lang would have intended - the Prince songs are still included. Prince's estate is notorious for not allowing his music online, so the edit can not be put on Youtube.

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I remember catching the end of Metropolis (1927) when I was a teenager and being stunned. Not only because of the scope of the film, but also because while I was watching it, I said, "Oh my God, this is Batman." I was (still am) a huge Batman and Burton fan and as a result, I took a deep dive into silent cinema.
Roger Ebert recommended everyone watch their favorite color film in black & white to see if it was still effective. For years I've thought it would be an amazing exercise to edit Burton's Batman into a silent film and see if it still worked as well. Seeing it now, I'd argue that "Batman" is even stronger as a silent picture.
- The Danny Elfman score is astounding on its own.
- The lack of dialogue highlights how good Nicholson and Keaton's performances are, how intense their facial acting is since both men are under masks or makeup.
- Tim Burton's art style is right out home as a German expressionist silent classic, it looks like it was always made to be seen this way.

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If you watch just one part of this film, jump ahead to the last 30 minutes and experience something astounding through that climax - a 1920's silent film disguised as an 80's Blockbuster. It really was a gift that Burton ever got to direct "Batman." Even with all the insane notes from producer Jon Peters and the studio system weighing down on him, he made a superhero film that works without anyone speaking. Think of every superhero film since then and now imagine if it'd work without dialogue - with just a score and some title cards.
This was an amazing exercise for me that taught me so much about lighting and scene spacing. I hope you enjoy it! I'm the guy who shared the /r/MuppetsGreatGatsby script last month so I've really been trying to keep myself busy with personal projects as we hopefully near the end of this pandemic.
EDIT:
Here are some still I love from the project:
- Batman at Axis Chemicals
- The Joker plots
- Batman in the cathedral
- Joker with reel change cue mark
- The Bat Signal
- Birth of the Joker
- Descent into Mystery
- "I heard the BAT got him"

Submitted February 28, 2021 at 03:48AM by ScreamingVegetable https://ift.tt/3uCbxsX