Batman on 70mm

Conspiracy may not be the first word that comes to mind for Tim Burton’s foundational, strangely singular superhero blockbuster, yet Gotham City is undeniably a place where everything important unfolds behind a facade, a mask, or a logo. The police deny Batman’s existence even as their commissioner covertly collaborates with him; other cops are entangled in Carl Grissom’s organized crime ring operating through the corporate front Axis Chemicals; the mayor insists on keeping the bicentennial celebration alive while citizens are murdered by toxic consumer products concocted by the Joker, a flamboyant homicidal performance artist hellbent on exposing the city’s “real” ugliness. Released amid the merger drama that created Time Warner, and returning to FLC as Warner Bros. anticipates another new era, Batman—whose 70mm-blow-up print hasn’t screened in New York City since its original theatrical run in 1989—fundamentally redefined franchise filmmaking at the same time it imagined the nightmare version of a consumer culture literally killing customers with a smile. Starring Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Jack Palance, and featuring a few wonderful songs by Prince.

Filmed in 35mm Panavision by Roger Pratt on 35mm Panavision and enlarged to 70mm for select first-run engagements in 1989.

Please note: FLC is screening from one of the original release prints, which uses a vintage magnetic soundtrack. Audio tracks are stored on magnetic stripes attached to the film print itself and are more prone to degrade than optical soundtracks. It will sound louder and richer compared to most 35mm prints and many digital sound systems, but because it’s an older analog format you’ll also hear the wear-and-tear of its many years going through projectors. This is part of the experience, so let every hiss, softness, pop, intermittent silence and visual imperfection remind you of the many audience members who saw this same print before you.