Our next release is none other than Danny Elfman’s score for the 1989 superhero film Batman, based on the DC Comics character of the same name. The film is directed by Tim Burton and stars Michael Keaton as the Caped Crusader, Jack Nicholson as The Joker, and Kim Basinger as the damsel in distress. Supporting characters were played by Michael Gough, Robert Wuhl, Pat Hingle, Billy Dee Williams, and Jack Palance. The film takes place during Batman's war on the wave of crime terrorizing Gotham City, focusing namely on his conflict with his archenemy The Joker. Critically and financially successful, Batman was highly praised for the performances of Nicholson and Keaton, as well as Burton's direction, with special mentions given to its outstanding cinematography, production design, and Elfman's superb score.
This adaptation makes use of a dark tone, showcasing a serious version of Batman, in line with the way the creators of the character, Bob Kane and Bill Finger, had envisioned him in 1939. This approach allowed Burton to not only display his well-known artistic tendencies, but also to explore themes such as good versus evil from the perspective of two disturbed people, Bruce Wayne/Batman and the Joker. At the time of its release, the film was an astonishing success, making over $42 million on its opening weekend. Furthermore, it helped to establish a renaissance of costumed superhero movies that continues to this day.
For the score, Burton hired Oingo Bongo frontman Danny Elfman, with whom he had collaborated on Pee-wee's Big Adventure and Beetlejuice. Elfman had to face not only his concerns about working on a big budget production, but also skepticisms from the producers, who were unsure about the young musician's capabilities. However, Elfman managed to quickly conjure up the Batman theme, which was so remarkable that it quickly convinced everyone that he was the right composer. The theme is epic and full of energy, with nods to Bernard Herrmann, Richard Wagner, and Carl Orff in its orchestral choices. Many fans have even argued that it is the best superhero theme ever, head to head with John Williams’ Superman theme. Elfman’s five-note theme is so catchy and malleable that it is present throughout the score in many forms, either to accentuate the Caped Crusader's ghostly appearances or to accompany the action sequences. The Batman score makes heavy use of percussion, as it is an action-driven score. Nevertheless, Elfman still incorporates many lyrical passages, such as the cue "Flowers" which perfectly elicits the tragedy of Bruce Wayne and his difficulty to cope with the deaths of his parents. Another example of Elfman’s lyricism can be found in the love theme for Bruce Wayne and journalist Vicki Vale, an arrangement for strings and piano of the song “Scandalous” by Prince. For the villain, Elfman resorts to a circus waltz theme, first heard during “Joker Face-Off” and later presented in its full form during “Waltz to the Death”. Another thematic material used for the Joker is an arrangement of Stephen Foster’s “Beautiful Dreamer” in the form of an ethereal treatment with celeste and strings. Both, the music box effect and the waltz performances, provide a dark comedic side to the Joker’s sickness. Yet, it is in the action music where Elfman’s composition truly shines. His orchestrations range from aggressive percussion, to a heavy brass section with several layers of trumpets and tubas, to frenetic piano ostinatos, to an occasional pipe organ. The dynamism of the action passages of cues such as “Axis Chemicals Shootout”, “Batmobile Chase” and “Attack of the Batwing” is simply magnificent. Choir is also quite present in the score, with two major standouts. The first being the female vocals of the first half of “Remembering Childhood”, providing a haunting atmosphere over pulsing low-end piano beats. And the other being the “Descent into Mystery” cue, in which chanting voices resemble the techniques of Carl Orff, providing awe as the Batmobile races through the darkness toward the Batcave.
At the time of its release in 1989, Batman was one of the first films to spawn two soundtrack albums, one being a song compilation, with the other showcasing Elfman’s score, both by Warner Brothers Records. The score was later re-released by the same label as part of "The Danny Elfman and Tim Burton 25th Anniversary Music Box" in 2011, with additional unreleased tracks. La-La Land Records would also issue two releases in 2010 and 2014, containing Elfman’s complete score. Now, Renovatio Records’ release provides a new program of Elfman’s music, which improves the album's narrative by omitting filler cues and incorporating tracks that were missing in the original release, thus providing a coherent listening experience of this classic score. Press play and feel free to dance with the devil in the pale moonlight!
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