Proposition:

Films are a cultural product and therefore reflect  the period and culture in which they were made.

The super hero then embodies heroic values of a given culture or time.

The binary of the hero is of course the villain and, if the hero embodies our cultural description of heroism, the villain embodies our fears of criminality and ‘evil’ to use a simplistic term.

If we are using Batman The Dark Knight to explore how that Superhero reflect the America Christopher Nolan finds himself in, we can use film to explore other cultures’  values, attitudes and beliefs with regard to the superhero.

In this lesson we are going to look at films from China and Japan and ask ourselves what we can learn about these cultures through their cultural products (films):

Task

Look at the sequences below from excellent films from the orient: What impression do you get of the heroes in these sequences? How are these ideas constructed through the mise-en-scene and cinematography?

Traditional Chinese Superheroes

Hero (2002) Yimou

Modern Japanese Hero

Ghost in the Shell (1995)

Nerdwriter Video

‘The world about us has changed and is continually changing at an ever-accelerating pace. So have we. With the increase in media coverage and information technology, we see more of the world, comprehend its workings a little more clearly, and as a result our perception of ourselves and the society surrounding us has been modified. Consequently, we begin to make different demands upon the art and culture that is meant to reflect the constantly shifting landscape we find ourselves in. We demand new themes, new insights, new dramatic situations.’

‘We demand new heroes.’

Excerpt from Alan Moore’s introduction to the The Dark Knight Returns (if you’re a graphic novel fan you can read the complete article here.

The Evolution of the Batman

TASK

So let’s explore some recent(ish) iterations of Batman. How is he being treated in these films? What ideologies (values, attitudes and beliefs) seem to be attached to this character? How is the audience encouraged to respond to the character of Batman?

How do you know? What clues are you getting from the text that lead you to this conclusion?

Batman The Movie (1966) Martinson (Batman = Adam West)

Batman 1989 (Burton) (Batman = Michael Keaton)

So after all our study and research, lets look at Nolan’s Batman and explore how he is a product of a darker time. How he satisfies our demands for ‘new heroes’.

TASK

Take a copy of the slideshow above discuss and complete.

Embed the slideshow with a brief reflection on the representation of the Batman in Nolan’s trilogy into your reflective journal.

Archetypes in literature are fundamental or prototypical characters that are used in stories. They have recurred in literature and art since the earliest writing. They personify universal patterns of human behaviour.

Film uses and reuses archetypes in various forms and with varying degrees of nuance, between realism and hyperbole.

In this exploration of Batman the Dark Knight we are exploring two archetypes, the hero and the villain. We will explore how the context in America, especially the events of 9/11, have reshaped the superhero and super villain in order to help the audience understand the world they live in and help them contextualise their fears. I want to explore how the superhero has become darker and the super villain has been redefined in this time of uncertainty, terrorism and fear.

Task

Complete one slide in this slideshow with an analysis of one Superhero that you have been given. Mr G & Miss H may be open to alternative suggestions of heroes depending on the quality of argument you make, that this superhero represents a fundamental human quality that is significant for the time.

Miss H’s Superheroes.

Mrs G’s Superheroes.

Independent Study

Read this article from the BBC about Hollywood use of Archetypes and their roots in Greek myth. It also goes on to describe what it is about us humans that continue to retell the superhero story across the generation.

Embed the slide show into your reflective journal and also find a clip of your superhero online and reflect on how the film’s narrative at that moment conveys their heroic characteristics and/or their very human flaws.