It has been years since I watched the 1989 Batman film and so I was rather interested to see that it was on Turner Classic Movies. I like watching films on television movie channels, in fact I may even venture that I prefer them to the DVD release or the on-demand services where you can pause or rewind the film. There is an immediacy that television shares with the cinema which you lose with VHS or DVD. You’re forced to sit there and concentrate for the entire length of the film. On TCM you’re not diverted by adverts – it’s just the movie unfolding without your control.

I find that rather captivating as I’m an appalling person to watch DVDs with. I watch them like novels – a chapter here, a chapter there, put them down for a few days and then pick them up again. Or I’ll blast throught the entire thing in one marathon sitting – movie, commentary, extras, the works! The televised film removes those luxuries and forces you to watch it on its terms.

Watching Batman that way was like watching the film anew. In fact, I think I’ve enhanced my personal understanding of the film. Back in the 1980s Burton was talking all about the early Batman strips and how he was influenced by their dark gothic character. And yes there is a very strong element of that Batman in the film, particularly how the Batman treats his enemies, but there is another element that had really passed me by. I’m sure other people spotted it, but I think I was probably trying to ignore the possibility that it was there.

This film for all its curious blend of the neo-gothic with the art deco still owes a huge debt to the pop culture of the 1960s television series. Just count the times you see coloured gas or even the slight camera tilts to add a sense of imbalance to the scene. Jack Nicholson’s Joker is also far closer to Cesar Romero’s Joker than he is to the comic book version of the crown prince of crime (how long since we’ve seen that referenced!).

Joel Schumacher reintroduced camp into the franchise for his two films, but he really missed the trick. The 1966 TV show used camp as a nod and a wink for the adults, but it was never meant to be noticed by the children. All they got was the action, adventure, and the thrill of seeing the Batman in action. Burton’s film keeps that sense of action that we loved as kids, but he doesn’t try to make us grow up (he left that for his sequel). Burton remade a version of the Adam West show what we watched as kids while Joel Schumacher remade the version that we watched as adults.

(Another thing I never noticed: Vicky Vale can’t keep her shoes on. She has dinner with Bruce Wayne and looses her shoes. She goes off running with the Batman and looses her shoes. She goes climbing with the Joker and she… looses her shoes. I don’t know if that’s a metaphor, but it’s in there. )

The other obvious contrast is to Christopher Nolan’s recent Batman Begins. Burton takes the 1939 Finger and Kane Batman and mixes him with a goth version of the 1960s show; Nolan on the other hand takes the 1970s O’Neal/Englehart Batman and mixes in a bit of Bladerunner and Superman: The Movie. Having gone back and watched the first film I think I can honestly say that I think it’s a better film than Batman Begins – not necessarily a better version of Batman, but a definitely a better film.