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UNITED STATES · 1992
Batman Returns
Synopsis
The monstrous Penguin, who dwells in the sewers beneath Gotham, joins up with corrupt mayoral candidate Max Shreck to topple the Batman once and for all. But when Shreck's timid assistant Selina Kyle finds out, and Shreck tries to kill her, she's transformed into the sexy Catwoman. She teams up with the Penguin and Shreck to destroy Batman, but sparks fly unexpectedly when she confronts the caped
Cinema Atlas Connection
Tim Burton returned to German Expressionism for Batman Returns, specifically mining The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari for the visual language of psychological distortion. The Penguin's warped posture, the gothic architecture of Gotham that seems to move independently of physics, the shadows that are darker than black—Burton cited Wiene's film as proof that design itself could be a character. Burton showed his crew Caligari before pre-production. The twisted, oppressive world of Gotham is Expressionism made flesh.
Batman Returns draws its visual roots from silent films, German Expressionism, and French Surrealism.
— Tim Burton · Film Freak Central (review of Batman Returns DVD)
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