With Batman turning 75 this year, I pondered as to what exactly should I do to mark this grand occasion. Having already briefly explained why the character appeals to me, I now turn to a big project that I have been putting on the back burner for far too long. With Rises now fully entrenched in the public's consciousness, it is interesting going back and watching the the three films as a whole. This is not just from the perspective of viewing it as a solid movie trilogy, but also watching it as a character study of its main protagonist Bruce Wayne. In this series of monthly editorials, I will be looking at the Caped Crusader`s character arc throughout all three pictures in reference to this idea of pragmatism.
What do we mean by it, well quite simply put, it is an approach to life that posits a person should make a choice based entirely on its practical merit. My thesis`s for Nolan`s Batman is that in stark contrast to his comic book counterpart, he is pragmatic and not morally rigid and whether or not this is good or bad and how it affects Gotham, will be discussed through the course of these articles.
Before I round out this introduction, there are a few caveats that have to put forward before we progress. The first and most important of which is that, these pieces will not be a review of any kind, they are entirely focused on examining Bruce Wayne/Batman. The only times external sources will be used for discussion is quoting what the screenwriter or director`s intent was for Bruce/Batman at any particular moment in any of the three films. These will either for strengthening the validity of a point I am making, or perhaps as a counterpoint to something I am saying.
Posted by Sartaj Singh
