Review(s): DVD Batman - The Complete 1943 Movie Serial Collection
As Serials Go, Not Bad
The very first film adventure of the Batman as he goes up against a Japanese spy plotting to destroy the US and assist the Japanese in taking over the world during WWII. Firstly, I'd like to praise Sony for releasing this uncensored and unedited. There are quite a few racial slurs throughout that were common when we were at war and patriotism is played up here quite heavily. The serial is interesting if just for witnessing the depictions of the Americans, the Japanese, and the sellouts who work for Daka, the villain.
The serial introduced "The Bat's Cave" to Batman and also the grandfather clock entrance to it. There's no Batmobile or much of anything pulled out of the utility belt. Plenty of fisticuffs play out on screen with a fight in almost every chapter. This is not something to watch straight through. It's best to take it a chapter at a time as each subsequent chapter replays how the previous one ended.
Thee acting is good for a 1940s serial. The story is nothing special, to be honest, but it's easy to follow though a bit predictable. Lewis Wilson does look a bit dumpy in the Batman costume, but the costume for this film is probably closest to the original intended costume. There's no rubber armor are.
Overall, an enjoyabel time as long as you don't take it seriously and don't get offended easily. It helps to remember that the Batman character was only four years old at this point so a lot of the mythology had not developed and the character was not engrained into the public consciousness as he is now. Good for what it is.
Who cares!!
Folks that expect some kind of mind-altering experience out of the old serials, will definately not like either the 43 or the 49 versions. For those who grew up in the years when kids used their imaginations and looked forward to seeing the current serial that would pick up where it left off...they are the people that make up the buying audience. Them and the collectors that may be much younger, but have an imagination (something so many children grow up without). I remember the excitement, in the very early 60's, when Lowe's Grand (where "Gone With The Wind" was first released and shown) ran a special one-day-only marathon of both of these Batman collections, 35mm, uncut/uncensored/unedited; popcorn, drinks and candybars were all cheap, as was admission. This was quite an exciting day and everyone that came was just as excited. For me, it was something I never would've thought would be, yet here it was, hours of Batman & Robin serials, complete - I had never seen but a few of the episodes before; and seeing Robin, again, with what was almost an afro was hillarious. I can easily remember the fun I had that day; it was like that whenever the Superman TV series came on. This current hollywood trend of bringing to "life" so many superheros from the past and more recent years is also wonderful; I think many kids will grow up with them and the enjoyment they bring to those who have the spark of an imagination.
Anyway... If you have an imagination and still have that fun loving kid inside, you'll like these. If not, you should know in advance that the Superheros serial-movies from the 30's to 40's aren't going to be slick hollywood productions; they are what they are, e.g. the best of what there was for that genre at the time and really bring back good memories the rest of us. Sure, Republic had a couple of the best special effects guys, and directors, writers etc., but all of the studios involved in this genre of films did the best for their low budgets, and really did a fine job overall. Captain Marvel, the originator of "Shazam!" was a good serial and then there were a couple 15-chapter Superman serials out in 1949-1950. The first set was "Superman" and the second set was "Atom Man vs Superman," both well done. Interestingly enough, Noel Neill played Lois Lane in BOTH of these serial sets, yet she was not the first choice for Lois in the TV series! Even though I believe she was in the pilot, she was not to be cast as Lois Lane until a number of episodes into their production. Seeing her and Jimmy Olsen in the first new Superman movie, even if very short cameos, was a great touch.
In closing, that these movies, serials and virtually anything that was ever filmed are being transferred to DVD (music to CD), the perfect storage medium that has an inherently long life (longer than the majority of folks live at the moment) is great; we get the enjoyment from them and historians will have something to keep documentarians busy in the next century!
These Batman & Robin serials, complete as their original counterparts, are worth the virtually small amount of money spent for the hours of enjoyment you'll get. Go for it and have fun!!
Great serial, very bad transfer.
Jonathan Drake has it right in his review.
Aside from the poor picture quality, the original
soundtrack has been so filtered that the background
music drops out when dialogue stops.
I have seen this serial in 35mm and it was superb
on all counts. Too bad it has been ruined.
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