Modern audiences like to think that what they are watching is the pinnacle of entertainment. In the case if the Caped Crusader Batman, that is the case.
The most recent film version of the Dark Knight Detective is so painfully amazing that it could easily set a new standard of excellence in the medium… if it were not so damned good. After the closing credits, I found it almost entirely impossible to imagine another Batman film. What could Chris Nolan do in a third film that he had not accomplished in two? To add fuel to this feeling, the director himself has pointed out that there are relatively few film franchises that can escape the curse of a lousy third outing.
So we may be looking at if not the last Batman movie, the last very good Batman movie in 2008’s Dark Knight. Enjoy the DVD in any case.
This has lead me to look for my kicks elsewhere, chiefly in the dusty annals of black and white serials. 
Cheaply and hastily made with no real Batmobile, gadgets or batarangs, the Batman serials are… an acquired taste.
Given that these scratchy featurettes are so hard to watch, I find them oddly comforting. At the expense of a budget, big name actors, special effects and stunts, the emphasis would presumably fall to the plot. In this case, the plot is so drawn out and faint that the real pull ends up being the mystique of the thing.
A poor Batman costume is at first distracting and unintentionally hilarious but after watching 5 or 6 chapters (the entire film is 15 parts) you get used to it and fall prey to the almost hypnotic appeal. A pulpy film series based on a kid’s comic book stretched out over 15 weeks sounds absolutely absurd these days, but here it works.
The entire serial focuses on Batman as a kind of secret agent working for the US government against the underworld. The chief threat comes from the mustache-twirling Daka who has assembled an army of cyborg zombies who all look like Mr. Mooney. Why that would be imposing or threatening, I don’t know but Daka feels the need to step up his armory with a radium powered death ray… if he can ever get his hands on some radium. The whole piece is a run around with Batman trying to unravel the criminal plot and Daka resisting the urge to kill his useless henchmen who seem incapable of stopping a man dressed in a silly bat costume.
Filmed in an era of rampant paranoia, this particular Batman serial was held back from release until recently due to its very vocal anti-Japanese message. In Gotham City, all of the Japanese-American residents have been rounded up for fear that they would be collaborators with the ‘Yellow Menace.’ To mix salt in that wound, the only business still operating in Gotham City’s Japantown is a kind of hall of horrors ride depicting the evil Japanese throughout history… inexplicably ending with a demented Japanese cave man. Honestly, this is a speed bump to enjoying the serial and I wouldn’t blame anyone for avoiding it because of the racist angle.
However, it’s also a lot of fun. From Bruce and Dick playing pranks on their fey butler Alfred to Batman’s underworld persona Chuck White, the serial keeps things interesting. The character of the evil Japanese mastermind Daka (oddly a blood-thirsty Buddhist if his decorator can be trusted) starts off as a jaw-droppingly bad stereotype but grows into an interesting character piece. By the 5th chapter, Daka steals the show in a brilliant scene depicting the shrewd villain feeding his pet alligators.
Batman creator Bob Kane reportedly (and rightly) hated the serial and tried his best to distance himself from it. It was not until Hugh Heffner began showing the serials at his parties that it reached the ears of NBC’s production department and launched the 1966 Batman TV series. So if nothing else, this odd bit of memorobilia saved the Batman franchise, ensuring that the excellent Dark Knight film could get released in its limited edition collector’s case.
As the wintry season approaches and we all face long hours stuck in doors, there are worse ways to spend your time than visiting this serial. At its worst, it is still wildly entertaining.
Recommended:
Batman – The Complete 1943 Movie Serial Collection
The Dark Knight (Two-Disc Special Edition + Digital Copy)
Batman and Me
Batman
Batman: The Complete History
