Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight - The Legend Reborn (2005 Video) User Reviews

A film evolves and finds itself

[TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews · 7/10 · 21 November 2007]

After what can be argued to be an overlong and overdone opening, this special begins, letting the interviewees talk about how big the film was, in so many ways... the risk of it failing, the cost, the level of detail in it, the marketing, the merchandising(notice what Nicholson is wearing), the media hype(complete with footage from the time covering the level of it, and many, many posters and promotional images) and more. It is mentioned that not everyone believed Burton could accomplish it, and Roger Pratt, the director of photography, reveals that he, too, had those who did not have faith in him, albeit they were subtle about it. Sam Hamm reveals that he was not responsible for two of the unpopular decisions made, script-wise... in fact, he had talked Tim out of one of them(not to be revealed here, for those who have not watched the film). Danny Elfman talked about how difficult and pressured it was for him to work on it. The film's growth and evolution is talked about, offering insight into the creative process. There is a little footage of Burton going over the editing with whom I presume is the editor. Prince's music is mentioned fairly briefly. Possibly the best moment in this is Kane's widow describing his reaction to the turnout. This is a well-paced and all-round well-done special feature, and worth watching for those interested in the film. I recommend this to fans of the film, the character, and the creative process. 7/10