How do capes, cowls and cultural context intertwine in some of historys more troublesome Batman movies?

In the 40s, the Bat was a government agent enlisted to bring down a newly-made Japanese villain.

In these cases, Gary Oldman had been right.

But is this always the case?

What did dancing with the devil in the pale moonlight have to do with Tim Burtons world-view?

What did this reinterpretation say for life in the 1980s?

In terms of political clashes, this era was defined by the Cold War.

Two nations poised with twitchy fingers above buttons of unfathomable destruction.

Nations were indeed at war, but it wasnt one that the most people could see.

Aspects of this context undeniably bled into Tim Burtons take on Batman.

The Dark Knight was a dirty secret the police didnt want to admit to.

Culturally, the 1980s has become known as a time of decadence and plenty in America.

Indeed, pop culture was on the rise and Walkmans, VCRs and tapes were flying off shelves.

This production was undoubtedly filled with cultural influence.

Sadly, this is where the hero we deserve theory begins to struggle.

Joking aside, it is films like this which dont do Batman justice.

That isnt to say that social comment isnt completely missing from this era.

The 1949 serial suffered thanks to a lack of having anything to say.

These movies had a cultural message, pointing at the growing gap between the rich and the unemployed/criminal underclass.

In the threequel in particular, Nolan presents Bane and his followers as an Occupy-style group of social activists.

This is mainly thanks to his mythos, which stands as a blank canvas with many possible interpretations.

Comparatively, Batman can be reinterpreted countless times to find new relevance and social meaning.

This is a key function of fictional characters, to reflect and confront real-life issues.

Its only due to sloppy studio-rushed productions and unnecessary cash cow decisions that lead him off track.

Lets hope Snyder takes note of this and doesnt just serve up some destruction porn in May 2016.