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A FICTIONAL LENS
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How Cinema uses the City as a Character to Comment on our Society. BLAIR MILLWARD
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4.4 Case Study One Conclusion
1.2 The Birth of the Skyscraper
3.2 Research Questions
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3.3 Case Studies
Chapter 06 Case Study Three Reeves’s Gotham (112 129)
7.1 Comparative Analysis
3.1 Methodologies Introduction
2.4 Optical Qualities
8.2 Filmography
6.1 Story Synopsis
7.4 Final Thoughts
2.5 Sonic Qualities
2.6 Literature Review Conclusion
Chapter 07 Conclusions (130 137)
4.1 Story Synopsis
1.7 Aims and Objectives
2.3 Spectator Qualities
1.6 Gotham on the Big Screen
3.4 Comparative Analysis
4.3 Burton’s Gotham Analysis
1.3 The City in Science Fiction
4.2 Eighties Society
Chapter 05 Case Study Two Nolan’s Gotham (90 111)
1.1 A History of Urban Settlements
5.1 Story Synopsis
5.2 Noughties Society
7.2 Thesis Conclusion 7.3 Limitations
Contents
Chapter 03 Methodologies (64 67)
5.3 Nolan’s Gotham Analysis
Chapter 01 Background, Context, and Motivations (12 31)
2.2 Narrative Qualities
5.4 Case Study Two Conclusion
8.4 Bibliography Websites
Chapter 04 Case Study One Burton’s Gotham (68 89)
1.4 The Real City in Cinema
Chapter 02 The Literature Review (32 63)
8.3 Bibliography Books
1.5 A History of Gotham
2.1 Literature Review Introduction
6.2 Contemporary Society 6.3 Reeves’s Gotham Analysis 6.4 Case Study Three Conclusion
8.1 Figures
Chapter 08 References (138 149)
Declaration of AbstractAcknowledgementsWork
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12th August 2022 16, 038Blair4% Millward
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I would like to express my gratitude to my dissertation supervisor David Reat. Not only has he been extremely helpful in advising me on my focus of research and the structure of my thesis, but he has also been an inspirational lecturer and given considerable guidance during my time at university.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would also like to thank the visionary filmmakers Tim Burton, Christopher Nolan, and Matt Reeves, as without their creative renditions of Gotham City, this thesis would not have been possible.
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This thesis will examine the modern metropolis, and how society is established within them. A review of key literature will be conducted, to assess a cinematic understanding of the city, via narrative, spectator, optical, and sonic qualities. The literature review will assist in forming the criteria determined for the following case studies. The case studies will provide key representations of Gotham City, aiming to understand how as a fictional place it is successful in reviewing our society.
The nature of the metropolis has been greatly considered throughout the cinematic medium, and fictional cities have been created within as a direct commentary on our own society. What is it about the contemporary urban setting that is so interesting to discuss?
ABSTRACT
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Science fiction for example is a genre which has created futuristic cities which are culturally enriched in realistic elements. Many movies also analyse real cities within their story. The superhero genre however has created fictional cities which analyse society in a modern style. Nowhere is this truer than in Gotham City, the home of Batman.
BLAIR MILLWARD 13 | Page CHAPTER 01 BACKGROUND, CONTEXT, AND MOTIVATIONS
Italo Cavino, Invisible Cities (Figure 1.01).
“Cities, like dreams, are made of desires and fears, even if the thread of their discourse is secret, their rules are absurd, their perspectives deceitful, and everything conceals something else.”
Figure 1.01: Invisible Cities (Google image altered by author).
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Cinema has engaged with pivotal moments in time since its inception. Today, the art form is at the heart of our culture and provides an alternative lens to see the world. It is used to unpack history, which has been explored substantially through its depiction of the city (Boruff, 2018).
Citiesaredefined aslargehumansettlements,andthroughoutthetestsoftime,theyhavegrown and reached incredible heights (Abadi, 2018). During the last nine millennia, they have played a significant role in human development. However, now the world faces the largest wave of urbanisation it has ever encompassed.Overhalfof theplanet’shumanbeings currently identify as city dwellers (Abadi, 2018).
1.1 A History of Urban Settlements
Through our study of history, archaeology, and excavation, we now have knowledge of cities in which ancient civilisations flourished (Hodsdon, 2021). Many ancient cities rose and fell with powerful empires, leaving behind legendary legacies that continue to this day (Figure 1.02).Forexample,Thebes wheremanyofthegreatestpharaohs ruled,Athens thebirthplace of western civilisation, and Rome the heart of the Roman Empire (Hodsdon, 2021).
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Figure 1.02: imageCivilisationsAncient(Googlealteredbyauthor).
This was especially evident in New York City, the epitome of the concrete jungle (Ferguson, 2022). Indeed, skyscrapers built today reach incredible heights (Figure 1.03), with the current tallest building in the world, the Burj Kalifa, standing at 828 meters an unbelievable feat twenty times the height of the first skyscraper, the Chicago Home Insurance Building (Ferguson, 2022).
Figure 1.03: The world’s byimage(Googleskyscraperstallestalteredauthor).
Fast forward in time, following the Industrial Revolution, the birth of the skyscraper was made possible due to the availability of iron and steel (Ferguson, 2022). Large-scale metropolis cities were then built across Europe and the United States to deal with the rapid growth of uncontrolled crowding.
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1.2 The Birth of the Skyscraper
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imageMetropolis(Googlealteredbyauthor).
As cities’ abundance of skyscrapers has grown, so too has their prevalence within cinema. Created by the German director Fritz Lang, Metropolis (1927) brought the fictional city to the big screen anddefinedthesciencefictiongenre Addressing thedystopianrelationship between the city and industrialisation, the movie discusses a vision of the urban future (Mennel, 2008).
1.3 The City in Science Fiction
Documenting the economic concerns of capitalism in the 1920s, the narrative of Metropolis discusses the exploitation of the working classes (Mennel, 2008). The plot of the film focuses on the tension of the upper classes who live in the clouds of the city, being at the expense of the workers beneath them (Dasgupta, 2020). The movie was years beyond its time. It lay the foundations for the portrayal of the city within science fiction and its concerns are visible in capitalist society today (Figure 1.04).
Figure 1.04:
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All three of these fictional cities explore utilitarian and capitalist themes, which echoes the influence of Langs Metropolis. If skyscraper cities were supposed to provide a better world by solving the crisis of overcrowding, then why do they suggest a future dystopia within cinema?
Moreover, Coruscant, the planetary ‘ecumenopolis’ in the Star Wars Prequel trilogy (1999 2005), is a city planet that is the economic and political centre of the Star Wars universe (Page, 2017). The entire surface of the planet is defined by urban sprawl and has 5125 levels of city blocks built on top of one another, with the lowest habitable level being level 5 (Bauer, 2020). Scintillating skyscrapers contrast with layers of criminal underworlds. The levels indeed relate to the contrast of classes, with republic politicians and Jedi at the highest peaks breathing in clean air, and those at the bottom inhaling toxic, industrial fumes (Figure 1.06).
For example, Blade Runner (1982), which is set in Los Angeles during a time of societal decline, depicts technology polluting and taking control of the city (Lachniel, 1998). Despite being beautiful in a dark sense, a closer look conveys that the metropolis landscape symbolises a dystopian society (Figure 1.05). Neon advertisements and television messages above reveal messages to those below, and the contrast of light and dark imagery highlights a city of complete industrialisation and capitalist control (Lachniel, 1998).
In addition, in The Hunger Games quadrilogy (2012 2015), the Capitol of Panem expands the concept of the fictional metropolis within cinema further (Figure 1.07). The city has an aesthetic suggesting “pop fascism,” and its inhabitants lead an extravagant lifestyle (Gemmil, 2018). Panem itself is split up into twelve separate districts, each with a unique purpose to serve The Capitol in its utilitarian rule. The districts reflect inequalities in the real world (Gemmil, 2018). Poor countries are a victim of the decision making of capitalist society, especially through the impact of climate change.
Figure 1.06: Coruscant(Googleimagealteredbyauthor).
Figure 1.05: Blade (GoogleRunnerimagealteredbyauthor).
Figure 1.07: (GooglePanemimagealteredbyauthor).
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aaltered(GoogleDriverimagebyuthor).
The character is a personification of the place. He is always awake in the city which never sleeps. Seeping darkness and negativity filter worst on the lonely, and people can take on very dark and heinous characteristics when they are presented with a grim society (Figure 1.08)
Martin Scorcese’s Taxi Driver (1976), for instance, is a morally challenging film noir, which analyses the deteriorating state of New York in the 1970s (O’Heanna, 2016). A grand city that once endorsed the vision of the American Dream now faced the grimmest era of its history. The theme of existentialism is explored, as the film query’s the insanity of the lead character, Travis Bickle, played by Robert de Niro (O’Heanna, 2016).
1.08:
1.4 The Real City in Cinema
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Figure Taxi
Although the urban metropolis has been explored thoroughly in a futuristic sense via science fiction, cityscapes have also been examined in movies with real-life cities.
The lonely Vietnam War veteran navigates his role as a taxi driver in a run down Manhattan, to deter himself from the endless insomnia of living a life with no purpose (O’Heanna, 2016).
Figure 1.09: City of image(GoogleGodalteredbyauthor).
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Additionally,thethemeofthechanging cityis exploredinthegangsterfilm City of God (2002), directed by Fernando Meirelles. Set in 1970’s Rio de Janeiro, the city is an evolving character which intertwines with the involvement of the people growing up who live there (sjfilmhistory, 2015). Some of these people have dreams and want to rise above the ashes, whereas others want to dominate and orchestrate corruption (Orr, 2004). As they change, the city changes with them. Throughout the film, just like the protagonists, the city begins as a child, grows through adolescence, and becomes an adult (Figure 1.09). Thus, the characters are tied to the cities’ evolution.
Nonetheless, although cities and themes surrounding urban society are portrayed in both movies that depict real places and in science fiction, the metropolis is also explored to a vast extent within the superhero genre, and in particular, the Batman Franchise (Figure 1.10). The fictional city in which Batman inhabits, Gotham, was first introduced in 1940 in Detective Comics #27. Just as City of God explores the growth of its architecture along with the people that reside within it, so too does Gotham evolve with its seedy, criminal underworld (Rowland,
byimage(GoogleComicsGothamalteredauthor).
American metropolis, the city intends to relate to the generic urban jungle so that people from any major city could identify with it (Schizofenik, 2022). The atmosphere itself was defined by Batman writer Dennis O’Neill as "Manhattan below Fourteenth Street at eleven minutes past midnight on the coldest night in November” (Finn, 2018).
1.5 A History of Gotham
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Figure 1.10:
An2018).exaggerated
Gotham City is essential to the Dark Knight's existence. His purpose is to respond to the crime that exists within the city's urban labyrinth. “A nightmare built out of metal and stone, ” as Superman states, throughout the comics the place is synonymous with urban blight (The Templin Institute, 2018). Initially founded by five families, including the Wayne’s (Batman/Bruce Wayne’s ancestry), the city was built with an urban planning initiative that brought an eclectic architectural style (The Templin Institute, 2018).
’
It became a commercial and industrial centre, but, like many other American cities, suffered from the effects of de industrialisation, resulting in a place rife with slums and crime. (The Templin Institute, 2018). Failing infrastructure and poverty devastated Gotham and allowed the criminal element to spread like wildfire. Major crime families such as the Falcone’s fought for power and control (Schizofenik, 2022). Yet, they too were threatened by a new type of criminal metahumans and the criminally insane who were drawn to Gotham and rapidly became the city’s biggest danger (Figure 1.11). Only Batman shines as a beacon of hope a silent guardian in a city sprawling with dark insanity.
Figure Gotham image(GoogleVillainssalteredbyauthor).
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1.11:
1.6 Gotham on the Big Screen
It is a backdrop which has been brought to live action in many eras, each relating to society at the time. In Batman: The Movie (1966), the lead character was played by Adam West and the direction by Leslie H. Martinson. The city complimented the pop art aesthetic of the ‘sixties.’ Filmed in California, Gotham was expressed as a ray of sunshine, which is a complete contrast to the dark city that we see today (Figure 1.12). 1.12:
Gotham City has been explored to a massive extent within the comic book medium. However, the city has been brought to a wider audience through the art of cinema.
Figure
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Martinson’s byimage(GoogleGothamalteredauthor).
It was only until three decades later that Gotham returned, with a much darker tone Featuring Michael Keaton, Batman (1989), and Batman Returns (1992), were directed by Tim Burton, who described the city “as if hell erupted through the pavement and kept on going.” This Gotham reflected the societal fears of the late eighties the upheaval of crime rates in America during the time of Ronald Reagan’s presidency, and the nuclear arms race (Figure 1.13).
Figure 1.13: Burton’s image(GoogleGothamalteredbyauthor).
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Figure 1.14: Schumacher’s byimage(GoogleGothamalteredauthor).
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Figure 1.15: Nolan’s byimage(GoogleGothamalteredauthor).
However, the cinematic role of the Batman franchise took a tone reversal again with the Joel Schumacher films, Batman Forever (1995), and Batman & Robin (1997), which returned to the comic book charisma. Gotham was elaborated with organic shapes and exaggerated colours. The gaudiness of the city however lacked a deeper substance, and the movies were a failure to the franchise (Figure 1.14).
Gotham City then took a necessary cinematic break until it was rebirthed in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy (2005 2012). Following the destruction of the World Trade Centres in 2001, terrorism became society’s biggest fear (Hein, 2021). Those fears were harnessed into the Nolan Batman movies, by injecting a sense of realism into the skyline and establishing darker villains who bring terror to Gotham (Figure 1.15).
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Figure 1.16: Phillip’s image(GoogleGothamalteredbyauthor).
Since the Nolan trilogy, Gotham has been portrayed in various films throughout the DCEU (DC Expanded Universe). For example, in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), directed by Zack Snyder, we see Gotham side by side with Metropolis, the home of Superman (Millner, 2022). In this representation, Gotham is almost abandoned, and in the shadows of its sister city (Millner, 2022)
Joker (2019), directed by Todd Phillips, is a story about mental illness, relating to the existentialism themes in Taxi Driver (Evans, 2020) The Gotham illustrated in Joker is a run down and broken city plagued by crippling income, inequality, and violent revolt from the citizens it has created (Figure 1.16) The movie is indeed a response to the mental health crisis that exists in our society today.
Finally, the most recent cinematic adaption of Gotham is within The Batman (2022), directed by Matt Reeves and casting Robert Pattinson. On this occasion, a dark thriller approach is taken, in a city which is a decaying metropolis that has a vexatious mixture of old architecture and new technology (Figure 1.17) The detective personality of Batman is in the foreground of the film, which is elaborated in this twisted city of gritty mystery.
Gotham City has certainly been reinvented many times within cinema. However, it has also been visualised within Television. Batman: The Animated Series (1992 1995), showcases Gotham in a dark deco aesthetic (Figure 1.18), and Gotham (2014 2019), is a crime drama which focuses on Jim Gordon’s rise through the police force before the time of Batman (Figure 1.19). Moreover, Gotham has also been elaborated within video games, primarily in the Batman: Arkham series (2009 2015), which allows players to thoroughly explore the city in the third person.
Gotham City is a place which has been vastly deciphered, through a range of media and with manydifferent approaches. It is afictional realisation ofthe real city andthesociety that resides within it.
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Figure 1.19: Gotham image(GoogleSeriesTValteredbyauthor).
Figure 1.17: Reeves’s image(GoogleGothamalteredbyauthor).
Figure 1.18: Dark image(GoogleDecoalteredbyauthor).
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This thesis aims to understand the modern city and decipher the related society. It will address how the metropolis is defined, by blurring the lines between reality and fiction. This will be done through a literature review which will discuss cinematic principles in real cities narrative, spectator, optical, and sonic qualities on a similar basis to that of Richard Koeck in Cine scapes Cinematic Spaces in Architecture and Cities (Koeck, 2013)
1.7 Aims and Objectives
The case studies will then be compared with each other to identify the common features and traits used and to then understand why Gotham is concurrent with society in the real world (Figure 1.20)
Following the understanding gained from the literature review, Gotham City will be explored through case studies of the Burton, Nolan, and Reeves Batman films. A thorough analysis of three different portrayals will establish insight into how Gotham relates to our society. This will be realised in an equal format to Kevin Lynches precedent of how to assess urban imageability in The Image of the City, through the means of analysing paths, edges, districts, nodes, and landmarks (Lynch, 1990).
BLAIR MILLWARD 31 | Page Figure 1.20: (StructureThesisDiagramAuthor ’ diagramowns).
BLAIR MILLWARD 33 | Page CHAPTER 02 THE LITERATURE REVIEW
Movement and Passage = Spectator Qualities
Therefore, by analysing and comparing literature from a variety of authors which discuss the narrative, spectator, optical, and sonic qualities of the modern metropolis, we will gain a valuable understanding of the real city, through a cinematic lens.
Rhythm and Sound of Space = Sonic Qualities
Sequences and Events = Narrative Qualities
Framing of Space = Optical Qualities
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This then leads to the concept that “architecture and urban form can be understood as cinematic apparatus.” He provides a thought model of how the previous filmic terminology highlighted can be rendered to fit the assessment of places in real life (Koeck, 2013):
Christopher Morley
These methods are then translated into ways to understand places in real life. Just as when we watch a movie we are immersed in an edited reality, so too can we question the emotional statusofourcities.Hethencontinuestodeliverthecasethatifwebrought acinematicapproach to architecture, we could alter spaces with passion and empathy, and see our cities in a different light (Koeck, 2013).
“All cities are mad: but the madness is gallant. All cities are beautiful, but the beauty is grim.”
2.1 Literature Review Introduction
This chapter will discuss four key concepts that critique the metropolis with a cinematic lens. Indeed, Koeck discusses theories which share commonalities between architecture and cinema. In terms of filmic terminology, the ideas of sequences and events, movement and passage, framing of space, and rhythm and sound of space are all established (Koeck, 2013)
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“Sequences and events” in cinema relate to the selection of shots to edit a film into a sequential order, which in turn produces a distinct narrative unit. This connects to real life in how Koeck defines narrative qualities in architecture as spaces which inhabit “social and cultural conventions” (Koeck, 2013). Therefore, places which establish an influential impact on society within the metropolis will be discussed.
Figure 2.01: Cities’ image(Googlealteredbyauthor).
Narrative Qualities Introduction
2.2 Narrative Qualities
However, in Dianna Budd’s article Inside Brazil’s ‘cautionary tale’ for utopian urbanists (2019), it is shown that the utopian vision planted in Brasilia’s Esplanade of Ministries, is all but distinguished a half century later (Budds, 2019). The wider city today faces inequality, congestion, and sprawl factors which are common in many similar environments across the planet. A “cautionary tale” for urban dreamers, the landscape of the city highlights how wealth has been distributed, indicating a much darker narrative of its political and societal spectrum than what was elaborated when it was first built (Budds, 2019)
If cities gain a narrative through politics and power, then a prolific example of such a notion is evident in The Esplanade of Ministries in Brasilia, the federal capital of Brazil. Many of the modernist buildings were designed in the late 1950s by master designers Oscar Niemeyer and Lucio Costa (Bacon, 1974). In Edmund N. Bacons’ book Design of Cities (1974), he anecdotes that Brasilia was not supposed to be a precedent for other nations, but instead a unique capital which symbolises its country. The buildings are designed to be courageously cinematic. They do not try to limit space but instead play their role in space continuously (Bacon, 1974).
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Initially, the definition of urban culture will be considered. In Max Weber’s book, The City (1921), he states that cities are a " politically autonomous organization of people living nearby, employed in a variety of specialized trades, and physically separated from the surrounding countryside, only fully developed in the West and to a great extent shaped by its cultural evolution." Hence, cities are places in which there is a hierarchy of power. The people within are organised by factors such as social class, nationality, and beliefs. Their behavioural elements differentiate distinctively from that of rural areas (Weber, 1921).
Narrative through Politics
The architectural forms interlock in how the Supreme Court building, the saucer of the House of Representatives, and the twin towers of the Administration Building are all so compelling and reciprocal that they manage their tension successfully across a wider space than most compositions (Bacon, 1974). Although, it is not just the balance of form that creates a narrative in these buildings, but also the ability to express the city’s political prowess through architecture (Figure 2.02).
Figure 2.02:
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image(GoogleBrasiliaalteredbyauthor).
A city’s narrative is also connected to its cultural buildings, which is particularly visible in the idea of the “Guggenheim Effect.” This is defined as when an architectural project manages to transform a dormant city into a bustling metropolis.
Narrative qualities within the metropolis are also noticeable through buildings being layered over time, creating a juxtaposition of many architectural styles. Glasgow, for instance, is rich with such variance. In Adrian Welch’s article Why Glasgow is known for amazing architecture (2022), it is shownhowthe“Second CityoftheEmpire” is enriched with urbanhistory (Welch, Remnants2022).
However, this idea is combated by Rowan Moore’s article The Bilbao effect: how Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim started a global craze (2017). He comments on how the success of the regeneration of Bilbao has allowed the “Guggenheim Effect” to become a staple in city redevelopment, but many without the same success (Moore, 2017) Replication has been a challenge, largely due to economic greed, instead of focusing on the citizens of the city as the biggest priority. Nonetheless, the use of influential cultural buildings to develop a city tells an intriguing story, and in the case of Bilbao, one of progress and triumph.
City Narrative through Culture
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In Mohammad al Asad’s article Urban Crossroads The Bilbao Effect (2010), he mentions how the 1997 completion of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, designed by Frank Gehry, converted a city which had lost its radiance following the effects of de industrialisation, into a popular tourist destination (Al Asad, 2010). The economic cure brought by the project has since enabled Bilbao to become a cosmopolitan, contemporary city (Figure 2.03).
from the Middle Ages, a Victorian legacy, Gothic revival, the influence of Neoclassicism, the unique “Glasgow Style,” and modern glass towers, slalom through one another seamlessly (Welch, 2022). A city centre has been created which is both decorated in the essence of century old eras and modern civilisation (Welch, 2022). Therefore, the city has an intriguing and historical storyline, revealed through its architectural legacy. This creates an intrinsic underlying narrative through its volatile streets.
2.03:
image(GoogleBrasiliaalteredbyauthor).
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Figure
City Narrative through Religion
Moreover, the chaotic impact of religion on the city at a slightly lower level than Al Qaeda is backed up by Peter Geoghegan in his article The Old Firm rivalry returns to Glasgow (2015). His discussion of the “aggression, animosity, and violence” that exists in the sectarian hatred between the fans of Celtic and Rangers football clubs. This highlights how religious sentiment can impact a city’s society, even in sports (Geoghegan, 2015)
Narrative Qualities Conclusion
Babilionia’s argument is backed up by Daniel McCarthy in The War on Terror is a war of religion (McCarthy, 2021). He talks about how the ‘War on Terror,’ which began with the attacks on the World Trade Centres in 2001, should be reworded as the ‘War on Religion.’ He further describes the war as having an objective being the “claiming of territory for the faith andultimatelytheconversionofthepeoplewholivethere.”Religioncanthusstrikethemodern city with perilous force, shaping a darker tone to a city’s story (Figure 2.04).
However, there are two sides to every coin. Although faith can bring a positive storyline, it can also create havoc in a city, which is demonstrated in Shanna Babilonia’s argument in The Problem with Faith (2015).Religionincivilisationhasadarkhistoryofgivingreasontohuman atrocity and horror (Babilonia, 2015). Although in recent centuries science has provided a factual understanding of how our world functions, religious conflicts still clash throughout the urban landscape (Babilonia, 2015).
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While political and cultural spaces have served as part of the narrative in a city’s story, so too does religion. In Chris Ives and Andrew Van Eymeren’s article Religious faith can help people to build better cities (2017), it is shown how faith is intrinsic to how many cities serve and appear. In the past, many cities were built around their place of worship (Ives, Eymeren, 2017) Today, the metropolis often hosts a variety of different religions, with churches, mosques, and synagogues developed all over their land mass. Faith indeed has a social purpose, with the power of bringing people together for celebration, mourning, and helping others (Ives, Eymeren, 2017).
There is evidence that narrative qualities can be developed within the modern city in a variety of ways. The most significant of these qualities are political, cultural, and religious factors, which all intertwine to create distinct and unique societies for every current metropolis.
Figure 2.04: The War image(GoogleTerroronalteredbyauthor).
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2.3 Spectator Qualities
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“Movement and passage” in cinema are described by Koeck as how “film captures movement in live action and replays it through a mechanism that requires movement” (Koeck, 2013). He then mentions how film creates space through movement in the same way that movement in architecture reveals the cinematic quality in space (Koeck, 2013). This explains how spectator qualities in architecture are equal to spaces that create a profound awareness of the body in space (Koeck, 2013). Therefore, the metropolis will be researched in terms of how the human being actively connects with the city, through the act of movement.
There is a lot to take in for the urban wanderer. Colville Andersen describes in his poem Movement Metropolis (2008), “A city is movement. This movement is caused solely by the inhabitants of the city. A city is people moving.” Cities are busy places, a complete contrast to the peaceful countryside (Andersen, 2008). In the metropolis, we all connect to become an organic symphony of motion. Everybody has a place to be, intertwining through the facility of walking (Andersen, 2008).
Spectator Qualities Introduction
Districts Sizable areas of the city which are attributable to a defining indicative. Nodes Focal spaces in which the user can enter, turn, or wait.
Francis D.K. Ching’s book Form, Space, & Order (1943), he considers the elements of circulation, this being approach, entrance, path configuration, path space relationships, and form (Ching, 1943). He explains how all paths of movement are linear, all with a beginning, from which we are taken along a chain of spaces to reach our endpoint (Ching, 1943). At every node or intersection, a judgement must be made on the nature of the route. Cities have a vast opportunity of different routes to take, with decisions made on scenic, safety, or speed, at every twist and turn.
He breaks the city down into “the city image and its elements” in the context of their “urban imageability.” This term is coined by breaking down the city into five elements of its actual physical form (Lynch, 1990):
Paths The “channels” in which the user moves.
Through master planning of urban design, cities are realised through sequences of spaces. No street is the same. A physical hierarchy is created through the arrangement of scale. To understand the process of urban navigation, it is vital to showcase the findings of Kevin Lynch in The Image of the City (1990). He discusses how “an environmental image may be analysed into three components: identity, structure and meaning.”
Landmarks Defined physical focal points. The modern metropolis can therefore be processed through Lynch’s method of urban
Sequence of Spaces
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Where Lynch and Ching assess methods of exploration in the city, in Lessons for Students in Architecture (1991), Herman Hertzberger talks about the “principle of minimal ordering in a city” (Hertzberger, 1991). Many major cities are based on a grid, and Hertzberger comments on the nature of Ildefonso Cerda’s Gridiron plan for Barcelona a district of equal sized housing blocks, which are designed by different architects so that no two places within the system are identical (Hertzberger, 1991). The corner buildings also consistently face the intersecting streets with a diagonal façade, which widens each intersection to create a small
Edges The linear elements which are not treated as paths.
Moreover,imageability.in
A FICTIONAL LENS 44 | Page square (Hertzberger, 1991) Thus, as one travels through Barcelona, these nodes provide relief from the monotony of streets. Although on plan grids within cities could be seen as having tedious routes, this is often a misconception. The grid sets the overall guide, but this is made malleable due to the unique detailing of each site (Figure 2.05) Figure 2.05: byimage(GoogleGridironalteredauthor).
Distribution of Levels
The sequence of spaces corresponds to the horizontal axis of the city. However as one moves through the metropolis, the vertical axis is also relevant, in terms of the distribution of levels.
Streets may be the ground level of the modern metropolis, but below exists movement in subway networks and above in the highways.
Subway networks have been built in many major cities to tackle the issues of overcrowding and limited transport throughout the city, by creating an underground maze of transit tunnels living underneath the urban metropolis. A feat of incredible engineering, the subway is also however a very cramped moving environment. In Charles McCullagh’s article The Psychology of the Subway Car (2015), he acknowledges the curious social culture that exists within the subway journey (McCullagh, 2015). It is a unique setting in which human beings are placed right beside one another yet do not attempt to converse The growing presence of technology has strengthened such a notion, with the modern subway society being a soulless congregation of mobile phones (Figure 2.06)
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Where the subway network personifies the movement in the city’s underground, the motorway dominates the movement up above In Rene Lavanchy’s article Congestion beaters or roads to hell: is there still a place for urban motorways? (2014), he highlights how elevated stretches of risen roads have transformed the landscape of the metropolis into something both futuristic and aesthetically haunting (Figure 2.07).
The morality of city motorway design has also been questioned. An example of this is explained by Gillian McDonald in The lost Glasgow communities destroyed by a controversial motorway (2017), which shows how the motorway which was built to provide a transport link forthe businesses andpeopleof central Scotland, has also lefta scaronthe poorer communities in the city (McDonald, 2017) She expands on how although it had poor living conditions, the district of Anderston once had a generation spanning community (McDonald, 2017). It was however an easy target for developers, who knocked down housing within the area to make way for the motorway. The people within the neighbourhood were re disbursed throughout the city, tarnishing the community that was once there (McDonald, 2017). Therefore, the societal responsibilities of metropolis motorways are challenged. The influence of capitalism is often inflicted on the poorest in society.
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Figure
2.06: The byimage(GoogleSystemSubwayalteredauthor).
Figure 2.07: The image(GoogleM8alteredbyauthor).
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As discussed by Hertzberger, a city with quality urban planning can create a place with a prevalent visual dialogue but still has surprises along the way. Architecture and urban design have a psychological impact on residents, and one can experience various emotions as they movethroughthe city In Michael Bond’s article The hidden ways that architecture affects how you feel (2017), he states that “Urban metropolises juggle layout design, access to greenery, and visual appeal all of which have psychological effects on residents.” Hence, cities which weave open green spaces in amongst areas of dense living environments provide an offset to the stress of claustrophobia in city living (Figure 2.08). However, not all cities have been successfully planned for positive well being in urban living. Conveyed by Chrissy Molzner in her article Urban Loneliness & Isolation: The Dark Side of Living in a Big City (2022), she delivers that “High rise buildings can cause disorientation and depression, while large low income housing complexes can make residents feel isolated from, and inferior to, the rest of the city,” (Molzner, 2022). Districts within the metropolis indeed differ from one another in a wide parameter of wealth, with housing areas on the lower end of prosperity having minimal access to spaces which promote mental wellbeing (Molzner, 2022) Furthermore, urban loneliness is a growing crisis within the modern metropolis, due to the rise of fractured communities, dependence on technology rather than physical interaction, and a city culture of personal ambition rather than social neighbourliness (Figure 2.09).
In Blade Runner 2049 (2017), the themes of urban loneliness are explored. Officer K (Ryan Gosling) lives with his AI hologram love interest Joi, who was designed by Wallace Corp to be the ideal companion. However, despite this being a futuristic setting, the idea of virtual relationships is something that modern society doesn’t feel distant from. The lover is indeed an illusion. However,it questions themeaning oflove andloneliness. Ifsomething has theillusion of being meaningful, is it still meaningful?
Nonetheless, despite Mozlner’s analysis of loneliness in the city, there is still hope for urban psychological awareness. As we move into a more sustainable future, the skyscraper of tomorrow will aim to have more emphasis on mental wellbeing and carbon neutrality, learning from themistakes ofthepast (Ahmed,2021). In SidraAhmed’sarticle Skyscrapers circa 2030: What’s their place in the future city? (2021), she elaborates on how the future skyscraper will have amenities that prioritise health, with breakout spaces bringing in the fresh air, like sky parks and roof gardens (Ahmed, 2021).
Urban Psychological Awareness
Moreover, in the Skyscrapers episode of the 2022 Netflix documentary series The Future Of, created by The Verve and 21 Laps Production, the posterity of urban density is suggested, speculating the potentiality of skyscrapers as living organisms (Netflix, 2022). Our cities could be re imagined with ambitious architecture, such as natural mycelium the root base of a mushroom being used as insulation, tree roots as strong building foundations, and branches with leaves as curtains which would insulate buildings in the winter and block out the sun in the summer (Netflix, 2022).
Although these may be soaring aspirations, exploration of such technologies will undoubtedly create more sustainable cities. The future living metropolis could be thriving with oxygen in a more natural environment. Moving through a renewable cityscape, it is hopeful that psychologically, urban awareness may be one of positive enlightenment.
Spectator Qualities Conclusion
Via the sequence of spaces, distribution of levels, and urban psychological awareness, a cinematic picture is built up of movement through the modern city Some cities may insight a healthier cognitive state, yet an expeditious movement is found within them all. The city of today is a speedy environment, and not every individual can hold the pace.
2.08:
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Figure Central image(GoogleParkalteredbyauthor).
A FICTIONAL LENS 50 | Page Figure 2.09: byimage(GoogleLonelinessUrbanalteredauthor).
Koeck assesses the “framing of space” in cinema as how shots focus on what the viewer can see (Koeck, 2013). He then associates this concept with the ability of architecture to act as an optical device He states that “In situations where parts of a city turn into a framing device, architectural form becomes akin to an optical apparatus that is filled with incidental narratives of everyday life situations,” (Koeck, 2013). Therefore, to gain a further cinematic understanding of the metropolis, the ability of the cityscape to act as a visual frame will be identified.
2.4 Optical Qualities
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Optical Qualities Introduction
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The squares’ point of entry diversifies from city to city. For example, the entrances to the Plaza Mayor in Madrid are emphatic. The square itself is a grand retreat from the narrow, cobbled streetscape of Madrid’s Old Town This is emphasised through the framing of a glorious threshold between street and node, defined via dynamic sweeping archways (Figure 2.10).
In comparison, a smaller archway denotes the entry point of Royal Exchange Square in Glasgow. Appropriate signage pinpoints this arch as the gateway to Merchant City, a culturally thrivingdistrictofGlasgow’sCityCentre(Figure2.11) Thearchwayisdefinedbyneoclassical architectural detailing, and the artificial lighting above, which creates a pleasant atmosphere. It is a charming node which offers respite from the highrise cityscape, which is accentuated because of an architectural framing device.
In Riham Nady’s article What Makes a Public Square, (2020), he describes the importance of squares and plazas within city design (Nady, 2020). They are focal spaces in which cultural life blossoms. Typical of such open areas is the ability of building facades to frame them. This adds visual complexity, which elevates the squares’ optical personality (Nady, 2020)
The Entrance
The first thing to consider about cinematic frames throughout the city is to think about the framing in points of entry and exit. Cities are places with vast configurations of architecture and as Ching shows, entrances don’t only exist on actual buildings, but can also be a “defined field of exterior space” (Ching, 1943).
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2.10: Plaza imageEntranceMayor(Googlealteredbyauthor).
Figure
2.11: imageExchangeRoyalSquareEntrance(Googlealteredbyauthor).
Figure
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Nonetheless, despite the argument that the glazed skyline frames a negative undertone, the urban jungle can also offer exciting views. Skyscrapers of today offer breath taking vantage points in the clouds of the city. In Simon Usborne’s article 'The building creaks and sways': life in a skyscraper (2017), he highlights the peaceful, endless views in such buildings (Usborne, 2017) Theviewpoint is theend ofthejourney arewardforthe climb (Figure2.12)
Many offer a panoramic frame of the entire city, which in its essence is especially cinematic (Usborne, 2017). There’s a reason why the culminating scene in Sleepless in Seattle (1993) takes place at the top of the Empire State Building.
Figure 2.12: View from the skies of byimage(GoogleNYCalteredauthor).
The windows of the modern skyrise offer a glance into the corporate atmosphere of office blocks (Nicholson Cole, 2016). One can see into the groundhog lifestyle created by capitalism, framing a view into the lack of soul that such uninspiring buildings have Indeed, the huge repetitionofwindowssymbolisesthereiterationofsittingbehindascreeneverydayofworking life. It is an ingredient of negativity in the modern city aesthetic, justifying the notion of existentialism that exist in many metropolitans (Figure 2.13).
While one way of framing the city is through entrances, another way is by using windows. As David Nicholson Cole comments in Rise of the glass giants: how modern cities are forcing skyscrapers to evolve (2016), glazing now dominates the urban skyline (Nicholson Cole, 2016) Theglassgiantsofferviewsbothinandout of architecture,demonstratedbytheirmulti story glazing.
The Window
BLAIR MILLWARD 55 | Page Figure 2.13: imageWharfCanaryTower(Googlealteredbyauthor).
Figure 2.14: Las byimage(GoogleRamblasalteredauthor).
Streets on average make up 80% of a city’s public space. A street which is well designed is not just a place to walk through, but also one which adds to the city’s culture. This opinion is backed up by Kent Fred in his article A Street You Go To, Not Just Through, (2015). He highlights key principles which focus on how streets interact with placemaking “sociability, uses & activities, access & lineage, and comfort & image,” (Fred, 2015).
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Another way to look at optical qualities within the metropolis is to consider the concept of ‘the urban corridor ’ C.F.J. Whebell associates this term with the linear system in an urban place in his article Corridors: A theory of urban systems, (2005). Naturally, tall buildings frame a street and the life contained within by creating an outdoor corridor in the city (Whebell, 2005)
The Urban Corridor
Some streets are of course more important than others to establish hierarchy within the cityscape, but a great example of a street which expertly frames placemaking is Las Ramblas in Barcelona (Figure2.14).Theframeitselfis ajuxtaposition ofbuildings andtrees which were previously attached to a western medieval wall, and the addition of newer buildings which are diverseinstyleanddecorativedetails,definingaveryvariedbuiltedge(Fred,2015).Contained within the frame is a variety of eateries, shops, and markets, with a mix of activities creating a vibrant cultural street in the heart of Barcelona (Fred, 2015)
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imageWashingtonStreet(Googlealteredbyauthor).
We can therefore gain a cinematic understanding of the city because of urban frames This notion is projected through optical qualities in the metropolis at places of entry, windows, and urban corridors, which all give a lens to behold our society. Of course, the city can be an overwhelming place. Sometimes you need to stop and take in the view.
Optical Qualities Conclusion
Figure 2.15:
Moreover, Washington Street in Brooklyn is a fantastic example of a street which frames a view.Thestreetscapeis dramatic,as thebuildingsaresymmetrical in colour,which emphasises the incredible view Brooklyn Bridge in the foreground and the Empire State Building in the distance (Figure 2.15)
Metropolitan White Noise
Sonic Qualities Introduction
The urban world has a vast soundscape, which when mixed is of a high velocity Urban life is saturated by sonance, which creates a sound personifcation for the city. Many see such an environment as irritating, especially those seeking rest (Greiwe, 2016). However, the acoustic value of the city is also the sound of life, culture, and industry (Figure 2.16). It may not be the peaceful ambience of calming nature, but it is the sound of the world that humans have created an interesting anecdote in the tale of civilisation.
2.5 Sonic Qualities
To understand the soundscape of the city, metropolitan white noise must be looked at initially. White noise is of course the type of noise that is produced by combining sounds of all different frequencies. Thus, the white noise of the metropolis is the merge of all the different sounds of the city put together.
Koeck shows how ‘rhythm and sound of space’ in cinema is how a film is compressed within postproduction into a watchable format, complete with the editing of sound. He then correlates this to the spectrum of sound characteristics that exist within architecture. Thus, the sound signature of the metropolis will be studied in detail.
Thispointisdevelopedbytheanalysisof ElizabethGreiweonthecityofChicago,inherarticle What is the sound of a city? A wail, a thrum, a rustle (2016). She describes how the city hums. Tosomethesound is soothing, andtosomethe sound is harmful. Shedescribes howthe sounds on Michigan Avenue are an amalgamation of buses screeching, tourists chattering, bicycles whizzing, ambulances wailing, trumpets playing, and bridges creaking (Greiwe, 2016)
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Figure Hearing image(GoogleCitythealteredbyauthor).
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2.16:
A Society of Headphones
Figure 2.17: Society byimage(GoogleHeadphonesofalteredauthor).
A
A current urban tendency is the wide operation of headphones. Relating to McCullagh’s description of subway culture, it is true that most people riding the underground network are not listening to the sound of transportation, but music from Spotify (McCullagh, 2015).
This is backed up by Derek Thompson in How Headphones Changed the World, (2012), as he states, “the triumph of headphones is that they create, in a public space, an oasis of privacy,” (Thompson, 2012). People navigate through cities on autopilot, closing themselves off from metropolitan white noise (Thompson, 2012). Although for many this allows a sense of tranquillity when walking through busy places, it can also be argued that it shuts them off from society and sync with the city.
Nevertheless, despite headphones creating a generation of cultural disengagement, their cinematic qualities can also be revealed. This is conveyed by Jane Davidson in Music is the soundtrack to your life, (2014), who cases that modern music streaming allows users to immediately choose the soundtrack of their journey (Davidson, 2014). This creates a personalised cinematic experience in which music and the city are synchronised to their taste (Figure 2.17). The idea of a relationship with headphones is also established in Baby Driver (2017), a movie in which the protagonist and the story move to the beat of the songs that he listens to.
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The work of Anna Codrea Rado elaborates on how nightclubs soundtrack the metropolis culture, in her article Music, fashion and town planning: how nightclubs change the world, (2019). She states how “clubs have been a breeding ground for cultural experimentation.” The metropolis isinteresting,as they arecompletelydifferent betweendayandnight (Codrea Rado, 2019) Nightclubs undoubtedly create a parallel world for the night, characterised by the sound of booming bass (Figure 2.18).
Figure 2.18: imageGalvanisersSWG3(Googlealteredbyauthor).
A cultural phenomenon which is unique to the metropolis, and not the countryside, is the nightclub. In my undergraduate dissertation, The Underground City, (2020), the importance of dance music as a subculture of the modern city was looked at in detail. The music industry is the beat which keeps humanity moving, and I argued that the underground scene forms a cultural identity for each city (Millward, 2020).
Nightclubs offer euphoric escapism from a mundane society (Millward, 2020). Sometimes people need to be liberated from civilisation, and the soundscape below the city offers a place to make that happen. They are locations where strangers can be united through rhythm. Freedom in society is important and nightclubs facilitate such a notion (Millward, 2020).
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The Sonic Underground
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Further cinematic awareness is therefore cultivated by the sonic qualities of the city. Metropolitanwhitenoise,asocietyofheadphones, andthesonicundergroundallworktogether to create a sound for the city, both above, and below. The sound defines the culture of the metropolis and recognises a definition of urban society
Through cinematicprinciples,wegain adeepened understanding ofthemoderncity. ‘Narrative qualities’ are established by political, cultural, and religious agendas, like how a movie has sequential, edited order. Furthermore, ‘spectator qualities’ are created through movement within the city, which is comparable to how cinema captures movement in live action. Moreover, ‘optical qualities’ are harnessed through urban frames which allow us to see the city just as a camera reveals a film. Finally, ‘sonic qualities’ complete the urban puzzle by how we hear the city, identical to the use of soundtracks in the motion picture. Hence, we now have a developed awareness of metropolitan cultural identity. Cities within the real world arediverse, loud, and breathtaking. Anurban fabricwith incredibleheight stimulates endless possibilities for those who inhabit it. However, magnificent as they are, the concrete jungle embodies a considerable carbon footprint. Nonetheless, by learning from mistakes from past design, the future metropolis may be one with sustainable principles.
Sonic Qualities Conclusion
2.6 Literature Review Conclusions
Cinema is therefore a catalyst for provoking commentary on the nature of today’s cities Movies can decipher our world with a fictional outlook. Therefore, although researching the metropolis with cinematic principles has given ample awareness to current society, it is necessary to analyse movies with imaginative cities to facilitate the argument further. Where better to investigate than Gotham?
BLAIR MILLWARD 63 | Page Figure 2.19: imageMetropolisThe(Googlealteredbyauthor).
BLAIR MILLWARD 65 | Page CHAPTER 03 METHODOLOGIES
Following on from the preceding chapter's Literature Review, this section will describe the methodologies used throughout the thesis. It will present the research questions and the main qualitative methods, describing what they will aim to discuss and how they will grow the thesis further. The literature review conclusions formed the foundation for the criteria used to help select the films used in the case studies, as well as the key features and virtues that will be used in their investigation and analysis.
The three key research questions which were settled from the information gathered in the literature review, as well as other background research, are:
2. How is Gotham City defined through analysis of urban imageability?
3. Is Gotham City an accurate representation of our society?
Identifying these key questions made it easier to develop the set of criteria for selecting the most suitable films to include in the case studies and for recognising what the essential areas of study within the media should be.
Figure 3.01: byimage(GoogleCityscapeGothamalteredauthor).
3.2 Research Questions
1. What elements establish Gotham City as an integral character in the Batman franchise?
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3.1 Methodologies Introduction
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To assess how accurate cinema is in commenting on our society, a series of case studies were managed. They aim to explore an in-depth analysis of examples of the fictional city in film, and how they provide a commentary on our society. The literature review looked at real cities cinematically, and the case studies will flip the concept, by looking at fictional cities with realistic analysis. This notion will be evaluated via Lynch’s method of assessing urban imageability, as previously discussed. Therefore, the case studies will look at the paths, edges, districts, nodes, and landmarks of Gotham city.
2. Christopher Nolan’s Gotham in Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008), and The Dark Knight Rises (2012).
3.3 Case Studies
3. Matt Reeves’s Gotham in The Batman (2022).
3.4 Comparative Analysis
Following the completion of the case studies, a brief comparative analysis study will be conducted, allowing the relationships between the films to be easily identified and discussed. Even though all three case studies will meet the conditions set out and represent the same city, they will differ because they have different tones and were released at different times, with the art of production design evolving in the process. There is the possibility of deciding which cinematic resolution of Gotham has been most successful in representing our society, but this analysis may be considered subjective to the individual.
1. Tim Burton’s Gotham in Batman (1989), and Batman Returns (1992).
The films chosen for analysis were decided by picking movies which depict Gotham, which all were filmed in different generations. This will provide a greater understanding of how fiction relates to our society, by expressing the connection over different eras, and how they linked to the metropolis at the time. This piece of work contains spoilers for the following case studies, as the plot narratives had to be deciphered during cityscape analysis.
The three different case studies will therefore be:
CASE STUDY ONE – BURTON’S GOTHAM
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4.01: The byimage(GoogleJokeralteredauthor).
"Decent people shouldn't live here. They'd be happier someplace else."
The Joker Batman (1989)
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Figure
Directed by Tim Burton, Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992) featured Michael Keaton as the caped crusader The story follows Bruce Wayne, a millionaire philanthropist, who after witnessing the death of his parents, develops an alter ego Batman to avenge the city of Gotham’s criminal underworld. When Gotham is challenged by a reign of terror from the ruthless psychopath, The Joker, Batman must face his nemesis to protect the city.
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The movie concludes with Batman saving Gotham from The Joker’s evil tactics of luring the residents of Gotham into the streets with piles of money, only to gas them on arrival. The Joker’s plan is vanquished by Batman and after a confrontation on the roof of Gotham Cathedral, The Joker falls to his death and Gotham is rescued. 4.02:
Figure
4.1 Story Synopsis
screenshotBatmobileThe(Filmalteredbyauthor).
In Burton’s sequel, Batman faces The Penguin, who is the hideously deformed son of the wealthyGotham family,TheCobblepots.Hewas abandonedbyhisparents inthecity’ssewers, where he is adopted by a family of penguins. Three decades later, the villain teams up with the corrupt businessman, Max Schreck, to become mayor of Gotham, and then twist the city into a stratosphere of crime. Schreck’s secretary, Selena Kyle, overhears her leader’s plans and is then thrown out the top floor of the Schreck Headquarters by her boss. She survives, is rescued by a family of kittens, and becomes Catwoman in transformative insanity. Following a failed political campaign, The Penguin, in vengeance for his storyline, plots to murder all of Gotham’s firstborn sons.
In the final act, the Penguin sends a missile strapped penguin army to destroy Gotham. However, Bruce Wayne’s butler, Albert Pennyworth, intercepts the signal and commits them back to the abandoned Gotham Zoo, which is destroyed. A showdown ensues in The Penguin’s lair underneath, with Batman and Catwoman facing The Penguin and Max Schreck, seeing the masked vigilantes save the day
aalteredscreenshot(SignalFilmbyuthor).
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Figure Bat
4.03: The
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4.04:
Before 1989, the public perception of Gotham City and the character of Batman in pop culture was the camp aesthetic created in the series featuring Adam West. Of course, this was elaborative of the flower power and hippie culture during the sixties
However, society in the United States during the eighties was of a much darker resonance. Where the sixties personified peace, love, and rebellion, the seventies evoked social change as the oppressed campaigned for equal rights and the eighties were associated with a sense of urgency (Granieri, 2018). There was a focus on technology, a culture of consumption, and a Republican Government with conservative motives (Encyclopedia.com, 2022).
Figure Cold imagePropagandaWar(Googlealteredbyauthor).
4.2 ‘Eighties’ Society
During his presidency, the elected Ronald Reagan attempted to destroy the welfare state, and limit the size of the federal government (Granieri, 2018). Diminishing federal bureaucracy and regulations allowed the country to become a mass consumption society. A generation of ‘yuppies’ profited from the effect of the new government, yearning for status and wealth (Encyclopedia.com, 2022).
threat was also a central narrative during a decade which focused on The Cold War (Granieri,2018) Thenuclear arms race between Reagan’s anti communist government and the Soviet Union was a period of tension within both America and the world (Granieri, 2018). The era in which Burton’s Batman movies debuted was certainly a time of societal fear
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However, this was at the expense of the working class, as the rich poor divide grew exponentially, resulting in soaring rates of homelessness, abuse, and social problems. Conservatism resulted in minor government intervention on any of these issues (Granieri, The2018).nuclear
Figure 4.05: The byimage(GoogleArmsNuclearRacealteredauthor).
The same feeling of fear was realised in the streetscape of Gotham City during this period, designed by Anton Furst. We know through the comics that Gotham was once a city full of wealth, industry, and prosperity. However, in Batman (1989), we can see on the edges of Gotham High Street that any representation of the city's past glory is limited through layers of filth and decay. Decades of unchecked development and neglect have turned the place into a grimy dystopia barely fit for human habitation (Figure 4.06)
Figure Gotham
4.06:
4.3 Burton’s Gotham Analysis
screenshotStreetHigh(Filmalteredbyauthor).
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The city is a metropolis in decline. The streets are a nightmare of different architectural styles moulded together, creating an urban hellscape A constant flow of traffic, both by pedestrians and on the road, only adds to a feeling of urgent hostility. Such murky phantasm emphasises the type of city this is a place riddled with crime and inhumane living conditions.
Figure 4.08: Blade aalteredscreenshot(SkylineRunnerFilmbyuthor).
Figure 4.07: Blade byimage(GoogleStreetscapeRunneralteredauthor).
The noir steampunk aesthetic of the street is reminiscent of Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982). The futuristic style of Los Angeles also negates itself glass towers and pyramids are mixed with revival architecture and previous urban sprawl. Infrastructure is externalised, and the street level is reduced to a service inlet for the skyscrapers above (Figures 4.08 and 4.09)
Where the streetscape in Blade Runner is a warning of the dystopian road that humanity is heading, Gotham is a reminder of where society is already at.
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Furthermore, “the pale moonlight” is also about the alleyway. Covered by a shield of darkness, thealleyway encourages shady activity. Pedestrians avoid themduringcitynavigation forgood reason. They are a breeding ground for the act of criminality, and tall buildings confiding tight, narrow spaces creates an atmosphere of haunting claustrophobia. The alleyway is the domain of Batman. It is where he fights crime because that is where it exists. Like a bat, he hunts in the shadows, seeking robbers and murderers, descending on his prey through the unlit spaces (Figure 1.11).
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The High Street is one way to navigate through Gotham, yet another is by its labyrinth of dark alleyways. With a title that is fitting for its activities, Crime Alley is where we witness the death of Bruce’s parents - Thomas and Martha Wayne. In Burton’s storyline, we see them murdered by two thugs, one being Jack Napier, who is to eventually become The Joker. After killing his parents, he asks a young Bruce, “So tell me, kid, have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?” (Figures 4.09 and 4.10)
Indeed, “to dance with the devil,” refers to the engagement of nefarious acts. The devil tests our morality. Moreover, “the pale moonlight,” translates to the abyss a space of dark hopelessness. Therefore, the Joker’s quote refers to the suffering that he causes to his victims and those close to them The devil can be an influence on anyone, and this is also true for Bruce Wayne.ThesufferingcausedtohimhasresultedinBatmanbeingaprotagonistwithconflicting motives, which is what makes the character so relatable
4.09: CrimescreenshotAlley(Filmalteredbyauthor).
Figure
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Figure 4.10: Jack Napier aalteredscreenshot(Filmbyuthor).
Figure 4.11: Alley of the aalteredscreenshot(BatFilmbyuthor).
Where the High Street and the alleyway focus on the urban imageability of Gotham’s streets, it is also important to analyse landmarks. The landmarks within Gotham are reminiscent of landmarks within the real metropolis. For example, Gotham’s Flugelheim Museum is about the modernist Guggenheim Museum by Frank Lloyd Wright in Manhattan
Figure 4.14: screenshotGargoylesCathedral(Filmalteredbyauthor).
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This is further highlighted by the range of architectural styles within the city’s landmarks. Fragments of art nouveau, gothic, and art deco, create an eerie atmosphere, as the juxtaposition of architectural styles which do not quite work together creates a sense of confusion and disorientation.
Also, Gotham Cathedral, where Batman faces Joker in a showdown, is directly inspired by The Sagrada Familia in Barcelona by Antoni Gaudi (Figures 4.11, 4.12, and 4.13). Both churches combine Gothic and Art Nouveau styles, with soaring conical spires that rise to the heavens. The cathedral is also covered with gargoyles representing the devil (Figure 4.14). Of course, gargoyles within the real world are supposed to ward off dark spirits. However, in Gotham, it could mean that the city is watched over by the devil himself, and “the pale moonlight” does not just refer to the alleyway, but also the entire setting.
Figure 4.12: aalteredscreenshot(CathedralGothamFilmbyuthor).
Figure 4.13: aalteredscreenshot(CathedralGothamFilmbyuthor).
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BLAIR MILLWARD 81 | Page Figure 4.15: image(GoogleSagradaFamiliaalteredbyauthor).
The production design for Batman (1989), was by the late Anton Furst. However, he sadly passed away by suicide in 1991. The reins were therefore taken over by Bo Welch in Batman Returns (1992), who brought a fresh design approach to the same city. Where the previous film had European and Asian architectural influence, Welch focused on the oppressiveness of Russian fascist architecture.
4.16:
aalteredscreenshot(Filmbyuthor).
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Figure Gotham Plaza
This choice was in connection to the nuclear arms race tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, which had only ended a year previously. Gotham is a city of brooding darkness and has a symbolic relationship with the devil. This certainly questions attitudes towards Russia at the time was using Russian influence on the design of Gotham about America’s outlook on communism or was it in respect to the newly found cooperation that the country had with Russia after the end of the Cold War?
4.17: imageKudrinskayaSquare(Googlealteredbyauthor).
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Figure
Many ofthekeyscenes within Batman Returns takeplacein a central node withinthecityscape Gotham Plaza (Figure 4.16). Huge fascist sculptures dominate the space, reverberating a ‘Stalinist’ style of constructivist architecture in Soviet Russia. This is emphasised by rigid, massive proportions within the plaza, and symmetrical design to accentuate a feeling of power. Gotham Plaza is a reference to Kudrinskaya Square in Moscow, in its essence of having a huge symmetrical open space, which faces an imposing façade of a building which was one of the ‘Seven Sisters of Moscow, ’ (Figure 4.17).
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aalteredscreenshot(Filmbyuthor).
Figure 4.19: The Sewer
Within the film, Gotham is covered in a blanket of snow, exploring themes of melancholy during the holiday season for those who aren’t loved. The snow creates a solid black and white visual contrast,whichemphasises this theme.WatchingthelightingoftheChristmas Treefrom the gutter is the Penguin, who lives in the streetscape underneath the city the sewer system (Figure 4.18 and 4.19).
Figure 4.18: A View from the Sewer aalteredscreenshot(Filmbyuthor).
The Penguin’s lair lies deep in the sewer (Figure 4.20) The design of his realm contrasts with the plaza above, in how it is influenced by expressionism, having a stylistic style over realism, and creating emotion through a distorted form. The striking space exists underneath the city and is reminiscent of the themes of levels and class structure explored in Metropolis, (1927).
The above and below narrative within the science fiction classic highlights the contrast of wealth distribution within the city. Metropolis discusses a dystopic version of society in the future The impoverished working class drained by physical labour live on the ground, and the upper class live in the skies of the city, enjoying the fruits of the hard work of those below them (Figure 4.21).
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Figure 4.21: Cogs in screenshotMachinea(Filmalteredbyauthor).
Figure 4.20: The Penguin’s Lair screenshot(Filmalteredbyauthor).
Moreover, the themes of societal order which were portrayed in 1927 are still relevant in modern cinema. Parasite (2019) is a film which uses architecture to discuss social disparity. The plot focuses on the Kim family, who are poor but use their wit to obtain jobs from the Parks one of the richest families in Seoul. Much of the film takes place in the Park home, their luxurious, modernist residence (Figure 4.22).
Figure 4.22: byimage(GoogleParasiteBasement,Thealteredauthor).
The story takes an interesting turn however when we discover that the maid’s husband is living in a secret basement underneath the house, famished with no natural light The Park’s on the other hand live a happy and prosperous life. Undeniably, the levels of the home architecturally emphasise the city’s class structure and how the rich and the poor consume each other. Certainly, Parasite inquiries about what it means to be above someone.
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Figure 4.23: The imageBuildingShreck(Googlealteredbyauthor).
Figure 4.24: The Tower image(GoogleBabelofalteredbyauthor).
Such a suggestion relates to the society of the time, never mind the society of today. The plot of Batman Returns focuses on The Penguin’s attempt at political success in Gotham, which in hindsight connects to the opinion that the villains in the eyes of many within this era were politicians The motives of Ronald Reagan and the nature of capitalism in the eighties have certainly been debated, to say the very least.
Themes surrounding class in cinema have been relatable for decades and are also consistent in Gotham. Batman Returns shows how the shunned of society live within the sewers and the rich businessman within the highest peaks. The Schreck Building itself is a landmark which was inspired by The Tower of Babel, also in Metropolis (Figures 4.23 and 4.24) Such themes question the nature of the villain in Batman Returns. Is The Penguin himself really a villainous character, or is he an evil product created by a capitalist society?
4.4 Case Study One Conclusion
Burton’sGothamisacitywhichisanimportantcharacterwithin hispresentationoftheBatman franchise. This is highlighted by how the grotesque urban fabric comes to life as a breeding ground for crime a genius loci of surreal darkness
Thefilms comment onoursocietybyhow thecity reflects thefeelingoffear thatexisted during the eighties. Burton’s Gotham is the culprit of capitalism, focusing on the themes of level hierarchy and urban dystopia. The debate on the morality of conservative governance was certainly questioned at the time and still is This Gotham held up a broken mirror to reality
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Such a description is conveyed through the city’s urban imageability, particularly via a riddled streetscape. The main streets are a tangle of steel and concrete, unrestrained which perfectly reflects the demented personalities within. However, the city’s urban design is augmented further with a maze of alleyways which induce villainous behaviour. Also, underneath is a ‘sewerscape,’ inhabited by those deserted from society.
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Figure 4.26: The Vision of Anton image(GoogleFurstalteredbyauthor).
Figure 4.25: Burton’s image(GoogleGothamalteredbyauthor).
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Rachel Dawes Batman Begins (2005)
“Look around you Bruce.” byimage(Googlealteredauthor).
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Figure 5.01: The Bat aalteredscreenshot(Filmbyuthor).
Figure 5.02:
"Look beyond your own pain, Bruce. This city is rotting People talk about the Depression as if it’s history, and it’s not."
Figure 5.03: screenshotBatmanBegins(Filmalteredbyauthor).
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5.1 Story Synopsis
Each of the three films focuses on independent themes and meanings, but as a trilogy, they tell a coherent tale of Batman’s storyline, portrayed by Christian Bale, and Gotham alongside him. Just as the overarching theme is the salvation of the Dark Knight, so too does the story focus on the salvation of Gotham City.
ChristopherNolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy (2005 2012)breathednewlifeintoboththecharacter of Batman and Gotham City Following the failure of Joel Schumacher’s movies, the franchise neededanentirereset Nolan’smoviesbringbackthedarknatureoftheBurtonfilms.However, they differ in how Gotham is now extremely modernist and is directly relatable to the cities in the real world. Burton’s Gotham on the other hand scopes fantasy darkness as if the production design has been taken straight off pages from the comic books.
Batman Begins focuses on the themes of fear and responsibility. We learn about the upbringing of Bruce Wayne and his struggle with meaning and inner demons. He leaves Gotham as a young man to train at a secret society called The League of Shadows (Figure 5.03). However, when Bruce discovers that their primary objective is to destroy Gotham, he escapes their captivity, returning to his hometown and creates an alter ego to fight crime Batman. Bruce becomes Batman because of the bat’s symbolism. Going back to his childhood, bats have been his greatest fear,andas helearnedfrom his training, “to overcomefearis to becomefearitself.”
The second film, The Dark Knight, is about the themes of chaos and escalating conflict. In Bale’s second outing as Batman, he is now a respected vigilante within the city. Despite that, he is ready to take a step back and allow the District Attorney, Harvey Dent, to become a new symbol for the city as “Gotham’s White Knight.”
The Dark Knight Rises completes the story arc, with themes of pain and consequences Eight years after the previous film, Bruce is a shadow of his previous self. He saved Gotham but lost his love interest, Rachel Dawes, to The Joker along the way, and now has little purpose.
However, when a new terrorist, Bane, arrives in Gotham, Bruce puts back on the mask He is easily defeated by Bane, who turns Gotham into a dystopian state of reality. With the help of Selina Kyle (Catwoman), Batman rises above to save the city once again, and this time for the last. Bane had planted a bomb within Gotham, which Batman martyrs himself with to save the city, faking his death along with it.
He seeks happiness in a distant place far away from Gotham with Selina but knows that he has saved the city. The symbol of Batman lives on. He finds peace, as does Gotham.
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However, The Joker, an anarchistic villain unleashes havoc on the city. The Joker and Batman are the opposite sides of a coin. The Joker creates anarchy, driven by an ideology of chaos, which clashes with Batman who wants to achieve hope, law, and order (Figure 5.04). They are both hunting for the same goal a vision for Gotham City.
Figure 5.04: The image(GoogleKnightDarkalteredbyauthor).
Figure 5.05: The Dark Knight image(GoogleRisesalteredbyauthor).
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Nolan's Batman films were released in theatres during the 'noughties' and early 'teens.' Economic globalisation and corporatisation dominated society at the time (Vanham, 2019)
However, the economic success of globalisation plummeted in the 2008 worldwide financial crisis.Thecrashwasindefiniteandcameduetotheresultofdefaultsonconsolidatedmortgage backedsecurities (Mukunda, 2018) Majorcompanies wereforcedintobankruptcyand aglobal recession had an immensely shattering impact on the entire planet (Figure 5.07).
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smaller countries benefited, but the internet revolution enabled the World Trade Organization to spread capitalism like wildfire (Vanham, 2019). The corporate metropolis, with slick, glass buildings dominating skylines, became a worldwide trend. The number of people engaging in the global economy resulted in a greater global middle class than ever before (Vanham, 2019).
5.2 ‘Noughties’ Society
Following the fall of the Soviet Union, global capitalism became an all powerful force, and multinational corporations dominated the planet. The new World Trade Organization (WTO) allowed nations from all over the world to actively engage in free trade agreements (Figure
Many5.06).
Figure byimage(GoogleonCorporGlobalisedatisatialteredauthor).
5.06:
Figure 5.07: The imageEconomic2008Crash(Googlealteredbyauthor).
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Although the effect of the economy was a huge talking point of society during the noughties, it was overshadowed by the War on Terrorism. In the wake of 9/11, the deadliest historic attack in U.S history, President George W. Bush called for a global "War on Terror," launching an ongoing effort in terrorist prevention (Gardner, 2020) Following problematic wars in Afghanistan and Iraq ensued, and terrorism since has impacted the West (Figure 5.08). The societal fears of the eighties became a reality, with many major cities attacked in the process.
Figure 5.08: The War image(GoogleTerroronalteredbyauthor).
The Dark Knight films were never originally planned as a series which allowed each story to be told with its own identity. The trilogy was therefore revealed in three different genres and a growing version of Gotham along with it Batman Begins was told as a film noir and its Gotham was created with a variety of techniques, using many locations, some miniature and model work, and fully computer generated cityscapes. These elements were all meshed with footage of a real city, Chicago.
5.3 Nolan’s Gotham Analysis
When Christopher Nolan reset the Batman franchise, so too did he revise the image of Gotham City. The director himself has talked about how his second love after filmmaking is architecture. This is evident in his impressive CV, especially in Inception (2010), which explores the city as a dreamscape a metropolis which imagines the city in an envisaged state (Figure 5.09)
Nolan’s cinematic style is synonymous with realism, which is manifested in Gotham. Burton’s Gotham focused on a style of dark fantasy. However, by the mid ‘noughties’ society had changed. The edges of Gotham are now relatable to any modern capitalist cityscape (Figure 5.11). This implies that the most frightening composition of the fictional city is that of our world. The societal fears of 21st century terrorism have inflicted horror on our cities, which shows that the most terrifying Gotham is now the one that is closest to reality.
Figure 5.09: byimage(GoogleInceptionalteredauthor).
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In an aerial shot, the scope of the city is established (Figure 5.10) The buildings extend far past the edges of the frames. This highlights that the city is an endless sprawl. It is the city at the start of Bruce Wayne’s journey dark, frightening, and in need of saving. However, it is not ready to face its demons until Batman is.
Figure 5.10:
Figure 5.11: Gotham’s image(GoogleEdgesalteredbyauthor).
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AerialGothamShot(Filmscreenshotalteredbyauthor).
Urban imageability is assembled by districts. An immense monorail, created by Thomas Wayne, was created as a public transportation system to unite the city’s districts, all connecting to Wayne Tower the heart of Gotham
Just as the imagery of the gargoyle is used in Batman, it is also used in Batman Begins Gargoyles are mythological guardians at the end of the world, and we see Batman standing on the top of rooftops. Like a gargoyle is designed to keep the water out of buildings, Batman’s role is to cover the realm from the forces of chaos that seek to flood it (Figure 5.12)
Figure 5.12: The Gargoyle aalteredscreenshot(Filmbyuthor).
Figure 5.13: The Monorail aalteredscreenshot(Filmbyuthor).
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Figure 5.14: The Island of the
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By analysing the map of Gotham in the Nolan Trilogy, we gather a literal view of social division (Figure 5.14). The upper, middle, and lower classes of Gotham are physically categorised into three major districts Uptown, Midtown, and Downtown. This is emphasised by the separation of water between each area, and all are connected by the Wayne Monorail. Uptown is home to the wealthiest of Gotham’s society, and Midtown is the corporate hub, centred around Wayne Tower. Midtown embodies economic globalisation and the home of capitalism in this fictional city. Towering glass facades dominate the skyline, with glossy, polished finishes.
plannershavedecidedtomaketheplaceevenmoreunsafethanitalreadyisby creating a prison for the criminally insane within its borders, conveying that they have little concern about the security of the inhabitants. Furthermore, the monorail dominates the area’s skyline. Wasn’t the M8 planned within the poorest places of Glasgow?
Lying between Midtown and Downtown Gotham is the Island of the Narrows a dark, lawless slum, home to Arkham Asylum, and the downtrodden of society (Figure 5.15). Such a contrast pinpoints the severe social hierarchy within Gotham What is most impactful is that the notion of areas of such social difference being so close to each other isn’t a dissimilar trait from real Thecities.city
screenshotNarrows(Filmalteredbyauthor).
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This movie is a crime saga, in the same construct as Michael Mann’s Heat (1995). Just as Heat follows the conflict between an LAPD detective and a career thief in Los Angeles, so too does The Dark Knight focus on the rivalry between Batman and the Joker in a ‘Chicago esque’ Gotham (Figure 5.16).
Figure
This Gotham feels like a real place because it is a legitimate city, and the actual world pushes back. The film sets and computer generated cityscapes of previous Gothams are gone. Nolan didn’t need to invent capitalist, alienating cityscapes for The Dark Knight. We have created them in our own metropolis Despite its pristine edges, this Gotham is fragile Nobody knows what The Joker will do next, which highlights the concerns of the city coming down with its unstable society (Figure 5.17)
5.16: image(GoogleHeatalteredbyauthor).
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The Dark Knight continues Bruce’s storyline, with themes of chaos and escalating conflict. Where Batman Begins combines mixed media to create Gotham, its sequel has a skyline of an unaltered Chicago. Nolan’s first two versions of Gotham are different from one another but are both built around the same real city.
Figure 5.17: The Joker’s byimage(GoogleAnarchyalteredauthor).
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The morality of Gotham’s citizens is tantalised by The Joker throughout the story He believes that everyone is an agent of chaos when their darkness is unleashed, and he successfully proves this by challenging the vulnerability of Harvey Dent, “Gotham’s White Night.” He was the representation of moral order in Gotham, but The Joker transforms the righteous citizen into the tyrannical Two Face a villain who decides that murder is susceptible to the flip of a coin. He elaborates that “the only morality in a cruel world is chance.”
Figure 5.18: Two byimage(GoogleFacealteredauthor).
Figure 5.19: The Dark Knight
screenshot(FallsFilmalteredbyauthor).
Two Face symbolises the paradoxical integrity of Gotham City (Figure 5.18) It is a place which tries to look for the light in society but is deeply susceptible to the darkness. Harvey and Gotham are both pushed to their limits by the tragic turmoil inflicted by The Joker. As Dent once stated to Bruce Wayne, “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become a villain.” The same is true for Gotham. The city has two distinct moral faces, one which looks for the good in society through the hope of Batman, and the other which inflicts pain and suffering on those within.
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Figure 5.20: Gotham’s aalteredscreenshot(SkylineCorporateFilmbyuthor).
The trilogy reaches a grand finale in The Dark Knight Rises, which in its essence is a historical epic that deals with the themes of pain and consequences. This depiction of Gotham however doesn’t feature anything from the previous two films, and instead used a variety of metropolia, including New York, Pittsburgh, and Los Angeles (Figure 5.20)
The story is told eight years after the events of The Dark Knight The legacy of Harvey Dent has eradicated crime in Gotham, and the city doesn’t need Batman anymore. Bruce Wayne in retrospect is depressed and trapped in time. He is lost without meaning after giving up the mask of Batman and losing Rachel to The Joker’s anarchy. suggests that in the time that humans, when we accelerate past us. With the expansion of The same has happened to
Figure 5.21: Gotham’s aalteredscreenshot(RevolutionCorporateFilmbyuthor).
screenshotStadiumCity(Filmalteredbyauthor).
Figure Gotham
In the real world, terrorists target landmarks to unleash horror on the entire nation, such as The TwinTowersin2001,TheStadedeFrancein2015,andtheManchesterArenain2017,(Riedel, 2011). Terrorists choose to attack landmarks because they are the symbols of many great nations, harm the most amount of people at one time and inflict the most pain and suffering on The West
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The presence of Batman in Gotham City didn’t stop crime, it instead made its criminals more violent. With his existence depleted, it is the criminals who start changing the world around them, and in the view of this being the capitalists and businessmen (Figure 5.21). They have twisted the city. Gotham’s skyscrapers and spires have grown dense, and its roots burrowed deep. Bruce himself barely recognises it.
5.22:
In The Dark Knight Rises, Bane attacks The Gotham City Stadium, directly after the national anthem, while it is packed with spectators (Figure 5.22). Bane is a terrorist and the chaos he inflicts is not dissimilar to terrorists in the real world. Landmarks are places of human culture and connection. When they are attacked it dismantles the relationship with people and society.
Although Gotham’s society appears to be doing well, it is in fact on the brink of collapse. Just like Bruce, it is in a brittle state of reality, as it is living on borrowed time from its adherence to the lie of Harvey Dent being a good citizen. Bane, the villain, exploits these lies to the public and after defeating Batman, he easily transcends the city back into chaos. This depiction of the city is a scope beyond Gotham because Bane turns the city into a weapon against the whole country, by using the landmark as ammunition.
Bane also destroys Gotham’s bridges and traps its entire police force in the tunnel system underneath the city (Figure 5.23). In a literal collapse of Gotham’s transport routes, Bane shatters the structure of society. Furthermore, in the literal migration of the police into Gotham’s tunnel network, the foundations holding the city together have eroded.
Figure 5.23: aalteredscreenshot(CollapseBridgeFilmbyuthor).
Whilst Bane transforms Gotham into a dystopian society, he has disposed of Batman into a deep pit nowhere near the city. However, returning to Thomas Wayne’s quote “Why do we fall? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up.” Bruce rises from his mental state in a leap of faith out of the pit, in a final strive to save Gotham (Figure 5.24).
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Figure 5.24: The Pit
aalteredscreenshot(Filmbyuthor).
Figure 5.27: ThescreenshotSacrifice(Filmalteredbyauthor).
On his return to Gotham, Batman inflames the symbol of the bat onto the skyline. The bat has become the image of a phoenix rising from the ashes (Figure 5.25). Psychologically, the spirit of the city has been reinvigorated by the symbol of Batman. On a societal level, the struggle for Bruce’s identity is mirrored in a mass clash between the police force and Bane’s Army within Gotham’s streets (Figure 5.26).
Figure 5.26: Fighting in the screenshotStreets(Filmalteredbyauthor).
Figure 5.25: “Light it up.” screenshot(Filmalteredbyauthor).
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Finally, Batman’s ultimate act of self sacrifice saves the city (Figure 5.27). This is the image of a transcendent rebirth. Just as the dark knight has risen, so too has the city risen out of the crumbling ashes inflicted by terrorism. Through heroism, peace, and the symbol of hope, our society too could eradicate the darkness of terror.
Nolan’s Gotham is a realistic interpretation of society.
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The trilogy comments on our society by exploring the darkness of terrorism, the impact of economicglobalisation on theurban skyline,and thepowerofhopeduringthemost frightening of times.
5.4 Case Study Two Conclusion
Throughout his epic trilogy, Nolan creates three different characteristic versions of Gotham, but all with the common ground of appearing like a real city. This directly relates to the overall arc of Batman, by showing the character at three different stages of his life. Each of the three films tells a different story, and each one had to be paired with an appropriate Gotham. Just like City of God (2002) has characters tied to the city’s evolution throughout the film, Gotham City in Nolan’s trilogy begins, grows, and rises at the same time as its central protagonist.
This is emphasised through urban imageability. The glazed edges and modern streets of Gotham’s urban fabric develop throughout the story, telling the tale of capitalism and global corporatisation along the way. Additionally, the master plan of the city is divided into distinct districts regarding the hierarchy of social class. Finally, landmarks are used as explosive devices of terrorism and vehicles for the antagonists to bring horror to the city.
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5.28:
Figure Christian Bale’s image(GoogleBatmanalteredbyauthor).
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Batman The Batman (2022)
“It’s a big city. I can’t be everywhere, but they don’t know where I am. Fear is a tool. They think I’m hiding in the shadows, but I am the shadows.”
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Figure 6.01: “I am the Shadows.” byimage(Googlealteredauthor).
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The Batman (2022), directed by Matt Reeves, is the latest film featuring Gotham City. It focuses on Batman, who is a nocturnal animal played by Robert Pattinson, in his second year fighting crime. He has already established an alliance with Detective Jim Gordon and has an uneasy relationship with the police, as he tries to clean up the criminal state of Gotham with Theyvengeanceseek to capture the sadistic menace, The Riddler, who is murdering Gotham’s elite citizens. The trail of victims leads Batman and Gordon to face the corruption rooted deep in the heart of the city.
The movie is told in the style of a neo noir thriller, like David Fincher’s Se7en (1995) which tells the story of two detectives, the rookie Detective Mills and the veteran Detective Somerset, whoaresimilarlycharacteristicallylikethisdepictionofBatmanandJimGordon(Figure6.02). They track a serial killer whose increasingly gruesome murders befall victims who he believes are responsible for the seven deadly sins. John Doe, the murderer in Se7en follows a similar path to The Riddler in how they believe that their criminal actions are justified by assassinating the prosperous people in society, who they think are the real villains
Figure 6.02: screenshotSe7en(Filmalteredbyauthor).
6.1 Story Synopsis
Figure 6.04:
The Penguin
Figure 6.03: Selina Kyle aalteredscreenshot(Filmbyuthor).
aalteredscreenshot(Filmbyuthor).
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The Penguin is the owner of The Iceberg Lounge, a nightclub which serves as a front for Gotham’s seedy underworld, controlled by Falcone (Figure 6.04) However, when Falcone is captured by the protagonists on the street outside the nightclub, he is sniped by The Riddler from a nearby window before they can uncover information from him
The layers of the city and Batman’s personality are unravelled through the various characters within the story. Selina Kyle is Catwoman, who has become involved with street life because of the death of her parents (Figure 6.03). She forms a relationship with Batman, and together they seek to bring down the gangsters of the city Carmine Falcone, and Oswald Copplebot, The Penguin.
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Figure 6.05: ThescreenshotRiddler(Filmalteredbyauthor).
Batman and Catwoman thwart The Riddler’s plan, and as they lead the survivors to safety, Batman develops his storyarcofbecomingavigilanteofhope,ratherthanvengeance Hevows to inspire belief and optimism in a city which needs him. In the final scene, we discover that Selina believes Gotham is beyond rescuing and attempts to persuade Batman to accompany her to Bludhaven, but he refuses. The couple part ways, as Batman returns to continue his quest of restoring peace in Gotham.
They manage to capture The Riddler, who we discover is an orphan, just like Bruce Wayne (Figure 6.05).As a neglected orphan, he was envious of the sympathy Bruce received after his parent’s murder, which motivated him into becoming a serial killer. Locked up in Arkham Asylum,BatmaninterrogatesTheRiddlerto discover his final clue.Hehas stationedcarbombs around Gotham, which destroy the breakwaters and flood the city.
Figure A Beacon byimage(GoogleHopealteredauthor).
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6.06:
of
Humanity and our ecosystem are facing an atrocious outcome because of global warming. The most abhorrent fact is that billionaires are the leading cause. More than 70% of global commissions are a direct result of the world’s top 100 companies (Darby, 2018). Thus, at a societal level, it is the wealthiest in our world who are destroying our planet. This in turn will turn the metropolis into an apocalyptic state due to overheating and extreme flooding.
6.2 Contemporary Society
Figure 6.07: imageWarmingGlobal(Googlealteredbyauthor).
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The Batman comments on the society of the present. The greatest current threat to humanity and society is climate change. This is defined by the MET Office as the “large-scale, long-term shift in the planet's weather patterns and average temperatures.” (MET Office, 2022). Since the mid nineteenth century and the industrial revolution, humanity has vastly contributed to the release of carbon dioxide into the Earth’s atmosphere, causing global temperatures to rise, and creating long term changes to the climate (Figure 6.07).
Contemporary society is one of many social struggles. The greed of billionaires, a worldwide health concern, and conservative governance have all contributed to creating one of the worst economicstates in recent times. Furthermore,thehauntingcircumstances ourplanet faces from climate change are absolute and only going to get worse
Figure 6.08: Covid byimage(Google19alteredauthor).
Furthermore, societal struggles in recent years have also been a result of the impact of the Covid 19 Pandemic (Figure 6.08). The coronavirus was initially discovered in Wuhan, China in December 2019, and was declared a worldwide pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO) by March 2020. Since then, it has been related to 577 million cases and 6.4 million confirmed deaths. Thankfully, vaccinations have since been successful in providing immunity from the virus (Cuffari, 2022)
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However, the Coronavirus Pandemic has also hugely contributed to the current cost of living crisis and worldwide depression (Partington, Kirk, 2022) Amongst other factors, lockdowns have destabilised the economy and have caused the cost of living to soar exponentially (Mcrae, 2022) Inflation in the UK has spiralled, currently at a 40 year high of 9.1%, (Partington, Kirk, 2022). The poorest of society are suffering the most. We are currently in the worst economic state of the present millennia
Figure 6.10: AscreenshotDetectiveStory(Filmalteredbyauthor).
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6.3 Reeve’s Gotham Analysis
Just like the Burton and Nolan films, so too can Reeves’s Gotham be analysed using Lynch’s method of urban imageability This is a Gotham which stitches together pieces from the 80year span of Batman lore to create a city which is both a fusion of previous Gotham’s and contemporary society. Reeves and production designer James Chinslund have created a gritty and coherent backdrop to match perfectly with the neo noir detective story.
Figure 6.09: Neo screenshot(NoirFilmalteredbyauthor).
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The entire urban cityscape evokes dark character and believability. The cities edges combine the cramped architecture and climate of a European city with the magnitude and skyline of an American metropolis. Much of the film was shot in Liverpool and Glasgow production choices to show that this Gotham has a long, dirty history, highlighted by an old money architectural aesthetic. The stately and ceremonial look of neoclassical buildings within these cities is united with American underground criminal activity. Also, a vexatious mixture of old architecture and modern technology combine to create a moody atmosphere. Nowhere is this truer than in the central node of the city, Gotham Square (Figure 6.11)
Old traditional skyscrapers are bombarded with bright modern screens pasted messily on top. Perpetual traffic and flashing lights add to a feeling of peril. It is indeed a direct reference to Times Square in New York City (Figure 6.12). An old classic style is buried beneath a new money mess. Buildings which have stood for decades have been plastered with advertisements and technology from the modern era. Lucrative tools have obscured the old façade of the city. Gotham Square highlights the corruption caused by Gotham’s gangsters and politicians of the city who make themselves rich at the suffering of those beneath them.
Figure
6.11: aalteredScreenshot(SquareGothamFilmbyuthor).
Figure 6.13: Blade image(GoogleRunneralteredbyauthor).
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Furthermore, the use of pathetic fallacy to show the node infinitely raining is relatable to the impact of climate change on our society. A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, and globally water vapour increases by 7% for every degree centigrade of warming (MET Office, 2022) Dry areas are expected to become drier, and wet areas are expected to become wetter as the climate becomes more extreme (Clark, 2011).
Figure 6.12: Times image(GoogleSquarealteredbyauthor).
Not only does the use of pathetic fallacy in Gotham square comment on climate change, but it is also important in creating atmosphere throughout the film, much in the same way as Fincher’s Se7en This is a movie which uses relentless rain as a textural tool to convey the visceral tone of the story. It is an ideal state to portray a harsh story of detectives tracking down a serial killer. Reeves uses rain equivalently to establish a psychologically violent tone within The Batman, hanging around like a cruel mist the entire movie.
This notion is also displayed in both Blade Runner (1982), and Blade Runner 2049 (2017), in how the films show a vision of a futuristic Los Angeles in which corporations cause considerable harm to innocent citizens lives (Figure 6.13). This recurring theme is represented in its torrential rain. This is meant to depict the effects of the cities' frighteningly excessive pollution levels, which is a similar theme in The Batman.
Lounge is a frosty façade for money laundering The interior is industrial, and the dark clothing worn here is like the fashion style of Berlin’s clubbing scene. The fact that one of the key landmarks within this depiction of Gotham is an underground nightclub highlights the gritty society of this city. Culturally, the people want to escape the urban hell in which they live and lose themselves to music. This is natural, as many people use cultural spaces such as nightclubs, cinemas, or stadiums to liberate themselves from the struggles in their life.
Figure 6.14: The byimage(GoogleLoungeIcebergalteredauthor).
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Above the ground, the city is a damp, clustered maze. Persistent rain makes wayfinding difficult. Therefore, the central community space within Reeves’s Gotham is found underneath the skyline. Freedom is important within even the moodiest of cities, and although it is run by thecities’criminalmasterminds,TheIcebergLoungecreatesaspaceofescapismforthepeople of Gotham. The space comments directly on real society in how many people detach themselves from their struggles by evading reality in cultural places.
The6.14)Iceberg
Not all landmarks are towering feats of engineering. They can also be significant spaces of the city’s cultural identity. In the case of The Batman, The Iceberg Lounge is a landmark which focalises the underground culture and criminal underworld within this grungy city (Figure
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The main turning points in the plot of The Batman all relate to the cityscape. This is made most clear in the street outside The Iceberg Lounge. Following Batman’s investigations within the nightclub, the transition into the final act twists the story when we discover that The Riddler has been living across the road the entire time.
Throughout the film, clues are given to the audience that this is where The Riddler lives. An earlier shot ofthe street showshim taking photos fromhis apartment onthe corner ofthe screen (Figure 6.15), and in a previous scene, it is in this street that he abducts the district attorney, Gil Colson, after a night in The Iceberg Lounge.
The Riddler’s apartment itself is a twisted hideout which is in reference to John Doe’s apartment in Se7en. The chaotic mess inside correlates to The Riddler’s character. Doe’s is the same, in how vicious ramblings are discovered in his abode (Figures 6.16 and 6.17). The sadistic attention to detail creates fear and unease for the viewer. Such a feeling of anxiety is leftinconfusionstraight aftertheapartmentscenewhenafterhismeticulousplanning heallows himself to be caught in a diner just outside his apartment.
By using one street we discover The Riddler’s proximity to the club, which tells us how he has been able to stay one step ahead of Batman during the investigation. Gotham is a mysterious place, and the location characters live within it is significant to the plot
Figure 6.15: The ScreenshotStreet(Filmalteredbyauthor).
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This use of referential imagery, therefore, conveys that The Riddler, a sadistic psychopath, is a product of loneliness in a fast, vast city. He was an orphan that no one paid any attention to In a society that didn’t take any notice of him, he decided to take out his vengeance on the wealthiest of Gotham, who he believes are the true villains. Thus, this highlights how Gotham creates its own villains. The city is a victim of its own narcissism.
The imagery of the Riddler sitting in the diner is in reference to Edward Hopper’s famous artwork Nighthawks from 1942(Figures6.18and6.19) Thepaintingdepicts fourpeoplesitting in a diner late at night not talking to one another. It creates feelings of both warmth and loneliness. This demonstrates that although in the busy life of a city you are surrounded by people, there is often no connection between them and you. People can get lost in a big city, and sometimes places with the most people in them can feel the loneliest.
Figure 6.17: John Doe’s byimage(GoogleApartmentalteredauthor).
Figure 6.16: The Riddler’s aalteredScreenshot(ApartmentFilmbyuthor).
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Figure 6.19: The Riddler in the(dinerFilm Screenshotalteredbyauthor).
Figure 6.20: A screenshotRiddle(Filmalteredbyauthor).
Analysis of urban imageability shows that the story unfolds to the audience because of where places are situated in the city. One single street can convey details of Gotham’s characters, and cleverly unveil the plot of the story.
Figure 6.18: imageNighthawks(Googlealteredbyauthor).
Pandemic, global warming, and the cost of living crisis In the same way that Blade Runner shows what our cities could look like in a future of a polluted atmosphere and greed, The Batman also creates a hellscape to show where our society is headed.
Reeves’s Gotham is a filthy city which is an intrinsic character to The Batman. It is a dark and gruesome take. It has a dreary atmosphere because of the constant flow of rainfall, which personifies the consistent rot eating away at the city The shadows in the city are alive with the threat of Batman, who, just like The Riddler, is a product of its horrific environment.
6.4 Case Study Three Conclusion
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The city comments on our society in how the use of pathetic fallacy reflects the impact of climate change. Moreover, much of the corruption within this Gotham is a result of the politicians and wealthiest in society, just like ours with the handling of the Coronavirus
An analysis of urban imageability has highlighted the city’s urban character. The central node of Gotham Square is a space which exemplifies this Gotham’s personality perfectly as a place which is eerie because of the contrast between old buildings and new technology. Furthermore, one of the city’s main landmarks, The Iceberg Lounge, is a place of underground wayfinding which demonstrates both Gotham’s cultural identity and the functions of its criminal underworld.Finally,one street showsthatwherepeoplearesituatedwithinthecityis important to both the relationships between Gotham’s main players.
Reeves’s Gotham is a representation of the future urban dystopia.
Figure 6.21: Reeves’s aalteredScreenshot(GothamFilmbyuthor).
Figure 6.22: The Bat and the image(GoogleCatalteredbyauthor).
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BLAIR MILLWARD 131 | Page CHAPTER 07 DISCUSSIONS AND FINAL CONCLUSIONS
This thesis has discussed three different Gothams created by three different filmmakers. Each of the case studies has shown how separate yet distinct versions of the same fictional place have been created. Although the city itself has been reinterpreted through varying media, it is these three case studies which have been most significant in relating to our society and are the most appreciated by the film industry and audiences.
(ScaleGenerationalTheAuthor ’s diagramown).
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7.1 Comparative Analysis
Despite all three conceptions of Gotham providing a societal critique, they also differ because they have generational points of view (Figure 7.01). Burton’s Gotham comments on the ‘eighties,’ Nolan’s Gotham the ‘noughties,’ and Reeves’s Gotham the present. Therefore, each realisation relates to the period of that time. Burton for example disputes the societal fears during the Cold War and the post industrial state of many ‘metropolia’ during that time. Nolan’s on the other hand is in connection to the War on Terrorism, and the sleek metropolitan aesthetic created by global corporatisation. Whereas Reeves’s reviews the impact of climate change and the living crisis. However, Burton’s and Reeves’s Gotham’s are similar in how they both elaborate on the polluted state of our world, caused by industrialisation and the greed of billionaires.
Figure 7.01:
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The three Gothams also differentiate in terms of the scale of fantasy to realism (Figure 7.02) Burton’s Gotham is the most unrealistic. It is a Gotham which has been taken straight off the pages of a comic book. The scenes were filmed on a Hollywood film set rather than real locations, making this Gotham’s believability have little credibility. Reeves’s Gotham is in the centre of the scale. Its grittiness and obscurity are exaggerated. It is also stylised like a Gotham within the comic books. However, unlike Burton, he filmed in real cities such as Liverpool, Glasgow, and London. It is therefore a distorted version of real cities. Nolan’s Gotham is the most realistic out of the three case studies. In The Dark Knight especially, Gotham is Chicago. Nolan chose to make his Gotham as realistic as possible, to convey that the most terrifying place is our actual society, not somewhere imaginary.
Figure 7.02: The RealismScale (Authorsdiagramown).
Therefore, the three renditions of Gotham differ because they are created by three unique directors, who have established their own styles, genres, and themes. Burton is acclaimed for his takeon gothicfantasy and a dark, twisted style. Nolan is legendary for aesthetically realistic blockbusters, focusing on embedded narratives and intricately detailed stories. Reeves is known for films which are in the style of found footage and horror science fiction. Each of these case studies takes on a different genre dark adventure, crime drama, and detective noir. Thus, each genre creates a different version of Gotham (Figure 7.03)
Figure 7.03: Genre’s (Author’s diagramown).
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Batman, unlike most other superheroes, is a malleable character. He does not have superpowers, which makes him more grounded. He is human and therefore relatable. The character itself is a foundation and can be interpreted in many ways. As Batman has such a strong connection to Gotham, each different version of the caped crusader must relate to a different version of the city. Thus, the flexibility of the franchise is intriguing to directors, as they can spin their own style onto the story to such a gigantic audience. Batman gives filmmakers immense creative freedom, as the studio is less likely to intervene with their approach, as the films will always do well at the box office
All three Gotham’s are unique, but they are similar in how they all comment on the dark truths of real society.
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From the literature review, the methodology was undertaken, providing three key research questions for the thesis asking how the character of Gotham City is established, how this is defined through analysis of urban imageability, and from the analysis does this prove Gotham City as an accurate representation of our society?
Initially, it unravelled the background of the subject. This was gauged through research on the history of urban settlements, the birth of the skyscraper, and history on an exploration of the city throughout cinematic history, particularly Gotham.
The three case studies chosen were Tim Burton’s, Christopher Nolan’s, and Matt Reeves’s cinematic visions of Gotham City. Each filmmaker brought a different unique style to Gotham. Astheywerefilmedduringdifferentgenerations,theyeachcommentedonsocietyatadifferent period. Nonetheless, the three case studies are synergetic as they all demonstrate the dark realities of society.
7.2 Thesis Conclusion
From the background, aims and objectives were presented, and a literature review was conducted using secondary resources. The literary investigation discussed contemporary metropolitan society, by using Richard Koeck’s method of analysing architecture with cinematic principles. Narrative, spectator, optical, and sonic qualities were reasoned to provide a cinematic understanding of real cities.
This paper set out to find out close fictional cities relate to the real metropolis. It intended to discover what distinguishes current society, and how this is abstracted into a cinematic format.
Nolan’s Gotham as a case study had so much to evaluate. His trilogy was so vastly detailed with intrinsic themes that the thesis could have been written on this case study entirely. Many elements of the city were left unanalysed as there was not enough space to write about it.
Although there were lots to write about regarding Gotham, each of the three case studies provided its own limitations. Burton never had the chance to complete a Batman trilogy as Nolan did. The franchise’s direction had been taken over from him by Joel Schumacher for Batman Forever. If Burton had had the chance to complete a Batman trilogy, it would have created a more complete story and setting.
Is Gotham a commentary on our society, or is our society a commentary on Gotham?
7.4 Final Thoughts
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Reeves’s Gotham is limited as the first movie only came out this year. The city will evolve as the story does. It is now confirmed he will direct an entire trilogy, and once the story is complete, there will be much scope for analysis.
The literature review was limited as only secondary research was conducted. Primary research would have provided a deeper cinematic understanding of the modern metropolis.
Some versions of the city have been more successful than others. However, the debate on the most impactful realisation is subjective. Nonetheless, I would argue that Reeves’s vision has been the most outstanding in creating a place which resonates as both the home of Batman and a commentary on our society. It is in the centre of the scale between fiction and reality.
Gotham City has been reinterpreted over multiple generations. The defining characteristic of the fictional metropolis is that there is always crime. As society and culture evolve, so too is there a greater opportunity to create a new version of Gotham
Just like the literature view of this thesis was analysed using cinematic principles, and the case studies were evaluated using realistic principles, this Gotham City blurs the lines between fiction and reality.
7.3 Limitations
BLAIR MILLWARD 137 | Page Figure 7.04: image(GoogleGothamalteredbyauthor).
BLAIR MILLWARD 139 | Page CHAPTER 08 REFERENCES
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