Psycho - Analysis of the Batman Movies

Growing up with Hollywood movies, superheroes are fantasy to many young children. Boys spent their childhood imitating these supermen while girls dream to be saved by one. Among all the heroes, Batman is the classic among the classics. He has all the traits that a typical superhero should possess: powerful, competent, masculine while at the same time cool and cynical. Yet despite this constant impression created by the Hollywood industry, the characterization of the characters did not remain the same in different movies. The two versions of contest between Batman and the Joker by Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan were significantly dissimilar, reflecting not only differences in directing style but more importantly changes undergone in the American society in the two decades. The changes in the new version have indicated how the more established symbolic order in 2008 has grow even more eager to create the impression that it is in control by stressing its improvements, though at the same time recognizing that it is not because of the arise of new challenges.

The background setting of the Gotham city as the reflection of the symbolic order has changed a lot in the two movies. While the older Gotham is a darkly styled and poorly lighted that encourage its audience to witness the society's flaw, the new modern and advanced metropolis urges the viewers to have faith in the new symbolic order because of its technological advancement. The writer of Dennis O'Neil has once described that "Gotham City is Manhattan below Fourteenth Street at eleven minutes past midnight on the coldest night in November." (O'Neil,344) and Burton was true to this description. His depiction of the Gotham, whose name interesting resembles "Gothic city", was bleak and gloomy. This dreary and sombre construction of the city echoes with the rampant and corruption Police force and social institutions. In Burton's portrayal, the Gotham City Police Department was corrupted from the inside. Police officers like L.T. Eckhardt worked with the big syndicate and tried hard to prevent the newly elected chivalrous District Attorney from uncovering their crimes. Harvey Dent the District Attorney as the morally upright and strong upholder of law and order has the same characterization at Nolan's movie. Yet, the corrupted police force did not actually appear in the movie at all. They are not given any attention but only almost the end of the movie, who revealed that she betrayed the police force since she was forced to turn to the syndicate because her mother was sick and was caught by the . This change takes place alongside with the setting of the story. Gotham was no longer the poorly lighted city that was at mid-night forever. Nolan has transformed it to a technologically advanced metropolis. As technological progress was a source to attain power and dominance to the symbolic, this new Gotham has revealed how the symbolic is now even more eager to present itself as a better version than the past and is in control by both an improvement in science and the social institutions.

The changes of the two films have also revealed the symbolic's improvement with the overturning of the restrictive gender notion. The role of the female protagonist has changed from a objectified beauty who has to be saved to a sacrificial career woman fully adapted to the symbolic. In Burton's characterization, Though Vicki Vale was a photographer who worked with a more aggressive male partner. She acted the role of bringing visual pleasure to the Joker since he was sexually attracted to her by her appearance when they first met. He did research on her and she was gazed at voyeuristically. Every time she appeared with the Batman she was to be saved and at one point Bruce even has to use himself as bait to the Joker such that she can escape. In this sense, Vicki was a bearer of meaning rather than a maker, and indeed her characterization and specialty was unclear when compared with other male characters, not even to the butler Alfred Pennyworth. Nolan's treatment of the female protagonist is dramatically different. Rachel Dawes who is romantically involved with both Bruce and Harvey is independent, strong and career-oriented. As a lawyer, she is well adapted to the symbolic and she relied herself to neither male character. She was courageous as she is bold enough to confront the Joker in the party and asked him to stop all his "nonsense". When the Batman has decided to save Harvey over her, she said that "it was good" since she knew Gotham need Harvey. Her ultimate deaths place her at the same level as other important male characters who are as well mentally potent and sacrificial. This difference in characterization revealed the improved symbolic now after twenty years is now able to incorporate female in it and the trend of objectifying female characters has ended.

However, the new symbolic order was also well aware of its setbacks and new challenges in the 21st century; it has become less powerful since new threatening keep on popping up in the new Gotham city. Ever since the 9-11-2001 world trade center bombing in U.S.A., the American society was has been panic about terrorist attack and bombings. The incident that happened in New York, which was indeed a big city like the new Gotham, has forced the symbolic to admit the truth that it cannot control the world as it would like. The symbolic felt harmed and threatened by the terrorists, who are represented by the unrestrained and appalling Jokers who has no rules and could not be bribed with money. Not only was the terrorists the only intimidation to the symbolic order in the movie, the rise of other nations including China and Russia was as well a concern as represented in Nolan's film in 2008. While Burton's movie set entirely out of the boundary of nationality, the matter was a main focus in Nolan's theme. The culprit of the case of the black money Mr. Lau was obviously Chinese, and the syndicate in the movie was composed solely of people who speak English with accents without a single American. Another reference to China was made in the court by Harvey when he was confronted by the criminal with a gun. He as the powerful D.A. subdue with the rogue immediately and realizing the gun in China, Harvey commented that "if you want to pull a gun to the officer in the court, I recommend you use one made in America." All these references to China was not only humorous in a sense, but has also reflected how the symbolic as represented by the Hollywood industry

The threat faced by the symbolic as represented by the two jokers in the movies are thus very different, with Burton's more associated with the unrestrained id that pursue after money and power and Nolan's totally submerged into