Batman (PG) PRESENTED IN 35MM FILM

Batman (PG, 1989) Presented in 35mm Film by The Revival House Perth

In a crime-ridden, gothic Gotham City, billionaire Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton) secretly moonlights as the vigilante Batman, waging a one-man war against the corruption plaguing his city. When a violent confrontation transforms sadistic gangster Jack Napier (Jack Nicholson) into the grotesquely disfigured, maniacally theatrical Joker, Gotham faces an entirely new level of chaos as the Joker's flamboyant reign of terror escalates into a citywide crisis. As journalist Vicki Vale (Kim Basinger) becomes entangled in both Bruce's guarded personal life and Batman's dangerous crusade, the Dark Knight must confront his most theatrical and unpredictable adversary yet, in a battle that will determine Gotham's fate.

Director Tim Burton reimagines the superhero genre with his distinctive gothic sensibility, trading the campy tone of previous Batman adaptations for a darker, more atmospheric vision befitting the character's comic book origins. Michael Keaton's against-type casting proved inspired, bringing brooding intensity and genuine vulnerability to Bruce Wayne's dual identity, while Jack Nicholson delivers a gleefully theatrical, scene-stealing performance as the Joker that remains among cinema's most iconic villain portrayals. Burton's elaborate, Gothic production design transforms Gotham into a brooding, expressionistic urban nightmare, while Danny Elfman's now-iconic score reinforces the film's operatic blend of darkness and spectacle. Batman's massive commercial success and its embrace of a darker comic book aesthetic reshaped the superhero genre for decades to come, establishing the template for the modern blockbuster comic book adaptation.

Original format and audio experience of this film faithfully reproduced by The Revival House. Presented in 35mm film unless noted otherwise.

When: Wednesday, November 11th at 7:20PM
Where: The Revival House at the Como Theatre
Rating: PG (Frequent violence)

Burton's gothic reimagining gave the superhero genre its darker template—experience Nicholson's iconic Joker on 35mm film.