Batman and the Shadow

[ivyfic]

There is a suprising similarity between this incarnation of Batman and the 1994 Shadow film starring Alec Baldwin. Both feature a millionaire play-boy with a secret identity. Both Bruce and Lamont disappeared for seven years, in their way learning the nature of evil. Bruce by making a study of it, Lamont by becoming it.

Many of these similarities date back to the origins of the characters in the 1930s; Shadow was the original, and Batman used a lot of the themes and ideas of it. But I suspect the druglord backstory provided Lamont in the 1994 film owes itself more to Frank Miller's "Dark Knight Returns" and other visions of Batman in the late '80's and early '90's than to anything in the original Shadow stories (which, let's face it, were camp in the extreme).

It's too bad that Shadow film failed to revitalize the franchise. Other than that, there haven't been any new Shadow stories since the fifties, so the whole move away from camp has left this pulp character behind.

Comments

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

While I don't deny the Shadow has its camp elements, I think the real problem with the Shadow dying off is his reliance on mysticism for power and guns for muscle. The mystic power he has is never really sufficiently explained in the movies and I doubt pulp from the thirties explained much of it either. Combined with something so modern-day as his weaponry...it's a strange disconnect there...

I'm not pleased The Shadow didn't make it either. Best-looking Alec Baldwin movie ever.

[ivy03.livejournal.com]

The disconnect is probably because they brought those elements from two different sources. The pulp books had the gun-toting guy in the hat and the cap with the network of spies. The radio shadow had the mysticism and invisibility. They merged the two sources for the film.

[chuckro.livejournal.com]

I'm going to want to read your commentary on Batman and reply, but after I've seen the movie. So give me another week.