Batman Returns - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts

[discussimdb]

Fan of Batman Returns or just want to share your movie knowledge? This topic is dedicated to all trivia and questions related to Batman Returns

[nicholas]

In the comic books, The Penguin's name is traditionally Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot. In the movie, Oswald Cobblepot is mentioned several times, but the middle name is left out.

[ava]

Lena Olin and Madonna were considered for the role of Catwoman.

[gabriel]

Danny Elfman: (at around 1h 30 mins) As one of the off-screen tomato and lettuce throwers during The Penguin's botched speech.

[mathew]

(at around 50 mins) Shreck introduces the Penguin to his campaign staff for a mayoral run. The Penguin asks him: "Elections happen in November; is this not late December?" Shreck waves his hand and says: "Don't worry about it." After all, it wouldn't be the first time a sitting public official was removed from office. Shreck does mention to the mayor early in the film (at around 9 mins) that he has enough signatures to force a recall election, but doesn't have an issue or a candidate to justify one with. The Penguin provides both of these, by using his gang to make the mayor appear soft on crime, and endearing himself to the people of Gotham.

[dustin]

This was the first of the live-action Batman films to use computer generated visual effects: the shield on the Batmobile, as opposed to the previous film, and the remote controlled Batarang.

[chad]

Director Tim Burton, inspired by Lon Chaney in London After Midnight, had re-imagined the character not as an eloquent gentleman of crime, but as a physically deformed lunatic with a childhood trauma. While that Penguin retained a number of trademarks, particularly the variety of trick umbrellas and the use of a monocle, he was given a huge visual makeover: His hands were flippers, with a thumb and index finger, and the remaining three fingers were fused together. Where the comic version varied between a full head of hair and varying degrees of thinning, that Penguin was bald, with his remaining length of hair long and stringy. Instead of a tuxedo, he wore a more Gothic, Victorian-style outfit, with a jabot as opposed to a bow tie. Other instances showed Penguin in black boots, a bib-like cloth around his neck, and something akin to a child's blanket sleeper, or the old long john-style underwear of the 1800's. Combined with his long dark coat, the full white front of the bodysuit gave Penguin an even more penguin-like appearance. One visual aspect that remained fairly intact in that re-imagining was the familiar top hat. Another new touch was his large yellow Duck Car, which had the triple functionality of being a boat, a car, and an elevator-like lift.

[chad]

Dustin Hoffman was originally the first choice to play The Penguin, but he declined. Dudley Moore, Marlon Brando, John Candy, Bob Hoskins, Ralph Waite, Dean Martin, Alan Rickman, Phil Collins, Charles Grodin, Ben Kingsley, John Goodman, Christopher Lee, Joe Pesci, Ray Liotta, Gabriel Byrne, Alex Rocco and Christopher Lloyd were all considered for the role before Danny DeVito got it.

[maureen]

Robert Davi was considered for the role of Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin.

[tom]

The giant rubber-duck boat Penguin uses was actually first seen in the The New Adventures of Batman (1977) episode The New Adventures of Batman: Reading, Writing & Wronging (1977) two decades earlier.

[tammy]

In Batman (1989) and this film, characters are electrocuted beyond recognition: Anton Rotelli in Batman (1989) and Max Shreck in this movie.

[wesley]

Production designer Bo Welch cites Fascist architecture (large, symmetric, pointed designs), general Russian architecture (various designs from different eras), World's Fair architecture (varying designs from different countries), and German expressionism (dark, bizarre, stylized designs) as an influence on Gotham City's look in the film.

[ray]

Danny DeVito, whose make-up as The Penguin took three hours to be applied every morning, removed one of the cabinets in the make-up trailer and put in a LaserDisc machine and a television. While they were putting on the make-up, he brought in his favorite movies and watched them in the mirror.

[jim]

(at around 1h 8 mins) In the second scene between Selina Kyle and Bruce Wayne, when they are talking about the lighting of the tree event, Selina sarcastically says, "It's gonna be a hot time in the cold town tonight." This is a subtle (or maybe not-so-subtle) reference to a line that The Joker said in Batman (1989), when he electrocuted Anton Rotelli.

[carl]

In early script, the taser would have originally been used to electrocute and scar Harvey Dent.

[ivan]

The Penguin's flipper-like hands are suggestive of syndactyly, a condition where two or more digits are fused together.

[aaron]

(at around 1h 40 mins) The note given to The Penguin by the monkey from Batman is in Bob Kane's handwriting. Batman has used notes signed with his logo throughout his entire history.

[leo]

The revolver which Max Shreck uses to shoot Selina Kyle at the end is a Smith & Wesson Model 66.

[duane]

A UK trailer for the film credited the screenplay to Daniel Waters and Wesley Strick.

[christina]

While on The Graham Norton Show (2007) Danny DeVito talked about the first take with the monkey handing him the note from Batman. Apparently, the monkey was frightened by the make-up and the colored drool of The Penguin, and attacked Danny's family jewels region. Lucky the suit he had to wear was very padded and he was fine. They got the shot after Danny put on a new suit.