Batman (Fictitious character)

Various rights issues kept the original Batman from home-video release until now. young viewers may be surprised by its pop-at sensibility, vibrant colors -- and that it was played for laughs.

The Dark Knight is the most successful film of the summer. Director Christopher Nolan and star Christian Bale can take much of the credit: They've revived a flagging franchise, offering a fresher, darker look at a legend.

Batman should be dark, reviewer David Edelstein says, but Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight is a sadistic film with "no wit, visual or otherwise."

In anticipation of the new Batman film The Dark Knight, which opens in theaters next week, we revisit an archival interview with Bob Kane, the man who drew Batman from its inception in 1939 until the late 1960s.

Actor Christian Bale is Bruce Wayne -- and of course his alter ego Batman -- in the film Batman Begins, now out on DVD. Bale's other films include American Psycho, Laurel Canyon, Capt. Corelli's Mandolin, and The Machinist. Bale is also the voice of Howl in the new Japanese animated film Howl's Moving Castle. Originally aired on June 13, 2005.

Critic-at-large John Powers says that two current blockbusters, Batman Begins and War of the Worlds, are deeply influenced by America's post-Sept. 11 obsession with terrorism.

In his autobiography, Batman and Me, Kane tells how he came up with the idea for the caped crusader, and what influence he had on the TV series and previous Batman movies. Kane drew Batman from its inception in 1939 to the late 60s. DC Comic still publishes Batman. The new movie Batman Begins has just hit theaters nationwide. This interview was originally broadcast on March 23, 1990.

Film critic David Edelstein has a review of the Batman installment, starring Christian Bale, Katie Holmes and Michael Caine. Is there room for one more film about the Caped Crusader? As the title suggests, this one goes back to the origins of a classic American character.

He plays Bruce Wayne -- and his alter ego, Batman -- in the new film Batman Begins. Bale's other films include American Psycho, Laurel Canyon, Captain Corelli's Mandolin and The Machinist. He is also the voice of Howl in the new Japanese animated film Howl's Moving Castle.

He transformed Batman into a brooding, tortured vigilante in his remakes of the classic Batman comic: The Dark Knight Returns and The Dark Knight Strikes Again. Both are now available in hardback editions. Miller also wrote the screenplays for RoboCop 2 and RoboCop 3.