Reisz Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras Craziness

Living in Kentucky and never have even visited New Orleans before, Mardi Gras was a whirlwind culture shock and amazing fun. I loved the festivities, the colors, the craze, and of course the carnival-esque parades.

Having a theatre background, I immediately think of the masks used in carnivals and the parades as a sort of "freeing" source. When one uses a mask in training they are stripped of personal background and traumas so that they are free of any restraints. I can see how the same ideology behind the mask is implemented into the Mardi Gras parades. Every Krewe member on the floats wore masks so that they could free themselves of restrictions during the crazy festivities. This especially makes sense because of the restrictive Catholic mandate of following a very strict Lent. People simply want to get a little crazy before cutting back.

However, I think that most everyone can agree that harmless fun is not the only result of the free spirit and hidden faces ascribed to carnival festivities. People monopolize on the event to the point where public indecency, harmful ruthless behavior, and borderline alcoholism is, not only socially acceptable, but encouraged. While the masks and craze of the event can be a great way to release from the restraints of everyday life and personal insecurities, it can also lead to immoral and regrettable decisions. The mask and nature of carnivals then becomes an excuse for poor decisions that some make during this time of the year. While I think it is important to get lost in the fun festivities of the season and escape the sometimes dull repetition in our lives, we need to remember not to completely lose ourselves or hide behind the mask too much. Using the mask as a freeing source can result in a euphoric and healthy release; however, using the mask as an excuse to lose yourself and morals completely can be very self-destructive.

 I think the Joker from Batman is an excellent example of this carnival mentality. The Joker, clearly a trickster character, uses his mask of scars as an excuse for his malicious immoral behavior. The carnival is similar to the jokester character also since it appears harmless but can have very chaotic results. The Joker’s carnival attracts the masses as he promises to throw out cash (kind of like beads during Mardi Gras), which immediately unleashes chaos in the crowds. I saw this same cause-reaction during the Mardi Gras festivities. Although Mardi Gras is definitely a less drastic event, I think it is important to note the similarities so we do not near the same chaotic events that occur in many of Burton’s films.

Reisz Batman Returns

Sketch of an Emotional Penguin

            Penguin and Batman share eerily similar problems of abandonment among other psychological problems; however, the conflict and large moral of the story is based on how the two similar characters react and deal with their troubles that really platform the movie. The most obvious similarity is the mutual abandonment from their parents, which ultimately affects who they become and the decisions that they make. However, the important difference here is that Batman’s parents were taken from him, leaving him an orphan, and Penguin was literally abandoned by his parents as child because of his differences. The mental impact on the two is actually similar as they act out of rage and vengeance, whether it is from the dark sewers or by the dark night sky. This is a pivotal point of conflict between the two characters. As Penguin acts out as a villain because of his abandonment and identity crisis, Batman avows to stop villains that murdered his parents to cope with the same issue. With this striking similarity and drastically different coping mechanism, the movie creates one of its vital messages: it is not what happens to you but how you handle it and what you allow to define you. Both Batman and Penguin embark on an identity quest in hopes to find something other than their abandonment to define them.

 However, because they struggle with the same issues a latent sense of compassion is embedded in their hateful battle, which ultimately rubs off on the audience. By creating so many similarities between the two characters, viewers try to skew the lines between good and evil. While we never doubt Batman really, he is not a chaste hero after the first film and continues killing others but justifies it, which does not make him a clear perfect hero. Penguin is inherently evil in his actions but viewers are easily pulled into his sob story of abandonment and make some excuses for his behavior. Sometimes the strange and dark are not as evil as they appear. Batman, for example, is cloaked in black just like the Penguin, which is usually associated with evil things. Yet, he is our “good guy.” Penguin does not hide his face, his deformity, or his childhood troubles despite being introverted like Batman, which usually builds trust with people. Again though, everything is not as clear-cut as it seems. Batman and Penguin’s similarities ultimately create a much more dynamic battle between the two that holds emotional substance to draw viewers in; however, their drastic reactions to events in their lives creates excellent commentary on human nature and how we chose to identify ourselves.

Reisz Batman

Batman and The Joker

      Tim Burton practices film noir to create a unique mood throughout his version of Batman. A major element of film noir is the use of stark dark angular shadows mixed with an off-balance feel of the world. Burton’s set embodied this darkness with shadows in almost every frame and a 2-D comic book feel that created an off-balance feel for Gotham City.  Urban modernity is another key element of film noir, which is seen through Gotham city’s filth, industrialization, and heavy population. This urban element aided the dark and detached feel of the city that rubbed off on many of the characters. The urban modernity helped explain why the characters thought and behaved in the dark ways that they did. Burton himself despised suburbs and cities that looked all the same, like Gotham City. He believed that they cut people off from expressing themselves and promoted categorization. Gotham City's dark limitations clearly rubbed off on its citizens as many have become corrupt and backhanded figures.

Another revolutionary element of film noir that is especially prominent in Burton’s film was the depiction of femme fatales characters. The femme fatales characters use their powers of seductive in attempts to attain greater supremacy in society. Vicki Vale embodies this seductive siren role as she is first seen as a pair of long legs in heels. Knox is immediately drawn in as she continues seducing him in order to attain assistance in her quest for the Batman. She then continues to do a similar act with Wayne until she actually begins to fall in love with him. This shift in her motives is a common element in film noir in which the femme fatales becomes domesticated in society.

Other elements of this new seductive woman are portrayed in Jack’s mistress. This plays off of the original reason for the femme fatales characters which was the fear of men during World War II that their wives would cheat on them while they were away at war. Other small details Burton adds to the film that farther promote this include the portraits of harlot women that hang in the gangsters’ rooms and the tight low-cut dresses that many of the women wore. This picture of a woman was something forbidden and scandalous, which adds to Burton’s dark mood and corruption that shocked many viewers.

While many of these film noir techniques enhance the mood of the film, I think that it makes Burton stray from his traditional opinions and his film characteristics. Burton himself said that he felt the most emotionally detached from this film because of the creative restrictions that came with the scripts preproduction and constant changing. While I think that Batman and the Joker prove that people are complex individuals, the overall Manichean worldview of the characters and narrow categorization of women that film noir presents goes against Burton’s usual beliefs. Normally straying from stereotypical archetypes, Burton does fall more in line with it through his depiction of femme fatales women and quick idiotic romances. However, while many of the women are objectified, Burton is also presenting a type of woman that strays from society’s ‘norm.’