Workshop: "Batman and Robin"'s Gay Sensibility, by Bradygirl_12
During a period of time several months ago when my health was pretty bad, I managed to relax watching certain scenes of Batman & Robin. What, that chestnut, you say? Hey, it was mind candy that I needed! What can I say? ;)
I did notice a lot of flaws (reviewed here) but I just considered the movie in a campy ‘verse like the 1960s version, and was able to enjoy it.
Curious about what had been said about it, I went on-line and researched message boards, reviews, articles, etc., back in 1997 and currently. I knew that a lot of people consider it the worst Batman movie ever, yadda, yadda, yadda.
But even putting aside dislike for the version of Batman created by Joel Schumacher, I noticed a high level of vitriol. Why?
As I read comments it became clear: some people weren’t just mocking the nipples on the batsuit, or the close-ups of manly butts and, ahem, other places, but hating the whole idea of any hint of homoeroticism in this film.
People still bash gays verbally in our society, but sometimes they have to pretend otherwise. This movie and the overt gay sensibility gave them an excuse to gay-bash Joel Schumacher and veil it as film criticism. The language on message boards was blatantly homophobic, and some of the higher-up critics weren’t much better. They just couched it in politer language.
I’m not suggesting that all critics of this movie are homophobes. Far from it! What I am saying is that the movie’s shortcomings gave some people (most likely already inclined toward disdain toward gays) an opportunity to ridicule and malign the homoeroticism in this film under cover of ‘criticism’.
So what were the gay elements of this movie?
THE MALE AS SEX OBJECT
We saw those lovingly-crafted shots of Batman and Robin’s crotches in the opening scene, clad in skintight spandex and leather! There were the infamous nipples in the bat-and-bird suits.
Not subtle, and neither were the art choices. However, for once the male of the species was the one made a sex object. While Barbara gets the same treatment in her Batgirl costume later on, the camera lingers most often on the males of the cast, Poison Ivy notwithstanding.
Women are the ones usually depicted in artwork, usually naked or half-clad. Instead, we got two and perhaps three examples of male statues as backdrop for Gotham.
The first notable statue is the planetarium. The male statue is holding up the working area of the planetarium, complete with giant telescope. Usually that would be a female.
And what about the giant statue in the middle of Gotham that is prominently featured in the chase after Freeze crashes the rainforest party? Pretty big fella in the middle of downtown! Was he wearing a loincloth? ;) This statue is bare-chested and plunked right in the middle of a major highway in downtown Gotham. The dimensions alone must make the statue as tall as the Statue of Liberty! The male statue is smooth-chested and beardless, and I’m not exactly kidding about the loincloth. Was there one down there? ;)
But as odd as the sticking of a giant statue in a downtown highway setting was, it was refreshing to see a man instead of a woman. About time the ladies and gay men got a chance to ogle inaminate objects in a mainstream movie!
Finally, there is a giant statue grown over by Ivy’s plants in her subterranean headquarters. I can’t tell what gender the statue is supposed to be, but we could probably say it was male after the first two examples. This statue is wearing flowers and vines courtesy of our favorite villainess.
The living males in this movie, Batman and Robin, are objectified by their costumes, but the surrounding atmosphere suggest the same theme.
The male dancers at the rainforest party are wearing very little, muscles gleaming (with oil?) and are used as literal steppingstones for Poison Ivy’s debut as she ‘comes out’ to Gotham society.
She’s a modern Mae West, using her sexuality while surrounded by half-naked men.
HOMOEROTICISM IN GOTHAM?
We all know the rumors of homoeroticism surrounding Batman and Robin through the years. We’ve got them in tight leather and spandex and the flair of capes. Robin does have tights in this movie, but they’re skintight. ;)
Is there homoeroticism between Bruce and Dick? At first glance, you might say no, as they’re fighting over Poison Ivy, but that’s induced by Ivy herself. In the end the pheromones are overcome by loyalty to each other, and you can read into that what you will.
Barbara, the niece of Alfred (changed from Jim Gordon’s daughter), is a female presence added to the Wayne household, but aside from some flirting between her and Dick, not much going on there.
The homoerotic elements continue to be the surroundings of the film via the statuary, costumes, and the overexaggerated heterosexuality of Ivy.
GAY FLAIR
The movie is too bright for a Batman film, but it fits a campy Batman, as in the TV show. The scene in the museum during Freeze’s first robbery is all glitter and glitz due to the ice, but the colors are extremely bright. Oddly enough, Robin is garbed in a dark color through this film instead of his bright comics colors. We do get splashes of color on his batarangs, but that’s about it.
Costuming is always gay-friendly: leather, spandex, boots, and capes. But the added gay element to all of this is costume coordination!
We see a basic ‘working’ costume throughout the movie for the Dynamic Duo, and even Batgirl’s first costume is pretty somber as befitting a Bat.
So what do we see when they rush to save the city from Freeze at the end of the film? A different style of costume for all three! Silvery in shade, the costumes fit the décor of ice!
All the costumes of Poison Ivy are extremely flamboyant from her emergence in Brazil, to the rainforest costume, and then the third change with the strange beehive hairdo. Finally, we see a red, almost pink, costume at the end, all with elaborate masks and hairstyles, Mardi Gras come to life.
Even Freeze’s costume is bright and shiny, fitting in with the world established in the film.
OVER-EXAGGERATED IVY
Poison Ivy took on the role of Mae West/Madonna in this film, a cliché of ‘gay goddess’ as she vamped and slinked her way from man-to-man, though her true love were plants. Despite her interest in Freeze, a flaw in her characterization (I much prefer an Ivy contemptuous of men and loving her plants instead), she was surprisingly independent and a mover and shaker, setting into motion Freeze’s escape and their joint plot to make humankind ‘pay’ for perceived sins. Freeze’s adored wife was completely passive in this movie due to her ‘frozen’ condition, but Ivy was pro-active in her plan to get rid of her rival for Freeze’s affections.
Sigh. Could they get more stereotypical in this situation?
Ivy’s debut at the rainforest ball, as described above, used semi-naked men in her dance routine, a Mae/Madonna device that puts her in a gay pantheon. She is the character that a gay man would cross-dress as and headline an act in a gay nightclub. Her over-exaggerated heterosexuality is almost a joke, or at the very least, an inside joke. ;)
BODY IMAGE
Body image ties into the overall effect of costuming and sets. A disturbing factor entered into this movie, however: Alicia Silverstone took a lot of grief for being ‘too fat’ during filming. One scene even showed her in a shapeless gunnysack style of shirt as if covering up chubbiness! Now, unless they used a body double for every scene in which Alicia appears in costume, she appeared just fine to me. What, is it because she didn’t look like a half-starved waif?
A curvaceous Batgirl is more appealing than a spindle stick. Ivy was beautiful but hardly voluptuous.
The men were in great shape so no accusations of ‘too fat’ there, but if they had showed any signs of chubbiness, I suppose they would have been bashed, too!
A GAY OL’ TIME
So the film was filled with gay sensibility, and was probably one of the reasons that there was so much vitriol hurled at it. The director was a target as well, since his gayness made him suspect. Disdain for his talent was served up in heaping barrages of words simply because of the homoerotic content of the film that this gay director helmed. He was accused of having a ‘gay agenda’ and other things not printable.
Not everyone criticizing this movie is homophobic. There are numerous valid criticisms that this film deserves. I just found the dynamic interesting that the gayest of all the Batman films drew the most heated response, and I maintain that part of the reason was people seizing the opportunity to gay-bash and dress it up as film criticism.
I did notice a lot of flaws (reviewed here) but I just considered the movie in a campy ‘verse like the 1960s version, and was able to enjoy it.
Curious about what had been said about it, I went on-line and researched message boards, reviews, articles, etc., back in 1997 and currently. I knew that a lot of people consider it the worst Batman movie ever, yadda, yadda, yadda.
But even putting aside dislike for the version of Batman created by Joel Schumacher, I noticed a high level of vitriol. Why?
As I read comments it became clear: some people weren’t just mocking the nipples on the batsuit, or the close-ups of manly butts and, ahem, other places, but hating the whole idea of any hint of homoeroticism in this film.
People still bash gays verbally in our society, but sometimes they have to pretend otherwise. This movie and the overt gay sensibility gave them an excuse to gay-bash Joel Schumacher and veil it as film criticism. The language on message boards was blatantly homophobic, and some of the higher-up critics weren’t much better. They just couched it in politer language.
I’m not suggesting that all critics of this movie are homophobes. Far from it! What I am saying is that the movie’s shortcomings gave some people (most likely already inclined toward disdain toward gays) an opportunity to ridicule and malign the homoeroticism in this film under cover of ‘criticism’.
So what were the gay elements of this movie?
THE MALE AS SEX OBJECT
We saw those lovingly-crafted shots of Batman and Robin’s crotches in the opening scene, clad in skintight spandex and leather! There were the infamous nipples in the bat-and-bird suits.
Not subtle, and neither were the art choices. However, for once the male of the species was the one made a sex object. While Barbara gets the same treatment in her Batgirl costume later on, the camera lingers most often on the males of the cast, Poison Ivy notwithstanding.
Women are the ones usually depicted in artwork, usually naked or half-clad. Instead, we got two and perhaps three examples of male statues as backdrop for Gotham.
The first notable statue is the planetarium. The male statue is holding up the working area of the planetarium, complete with giant telescope. Usually that would be a female.
And what about the giant statue in the middle of Gotham that is prominently featured in the chase after Freeze crashes the rainforest party? Pretty big fella in the middle of downtown! Was he wearing a loincloth? ;) This statue is bare-chested and plunked right in the middle of a major highway in downtown Gotham. The dimensions alone must make the statue as tall as the Statue of Liberty! The male statue is smooth-chested and beardless, and I’m not exactly kidding about the loincloth. Was there one down there? ;)
But as odd as the sticking of a giant statue in a downtown highway setting was, it was refreshing to see a man instead of a woman. About time the ladies and gay men got a chance to ogle inaminate objects in a mainstream movie!
Finally, there is a giant statue grown over by Ivy’s plants in her subterranean headquarters. I can’t tell what gender the statue is supposed to be, but we could probably say it was male after the first two examples. This statue is wearing flowers and vines courtesy of our favorite villainess.
The living males in this movie, Batman and Robin, are objectified by their costumes, but the surrounding atmosphere suggest the same theme.
The male dancers at the rainforest party are wearing very little, muscles gleaming (with oil?) and are used as literal steppingstones for Poison Ivy’s debut as she ‘comes out’ to Gotham society.
She’s a modern Mae West, using her sexuality while surrounded by half-naked men.
HOMOEROTICISM IN GOTHAM?
We all know the rumors of homoeroticism surrounding Batman and Robin through the years. We’ve got them in tight leather and spandex and the flair of capes. Robin does have tights in this movie, but they’re skintight. ;)
Is there homoeroticism between Bruce and Dick? At first glance, you might say no, as they’re fighting over Poison Ivy, but that’s induced by Ivy herself. In the end the pheromones are overcome by loyalty to each other, and you can read into that what you will.
Barbara, the niece of Alfred (changed from Jim Gordon’s daughter), is a female presence added to the Wayne household, but aside from some flirting between her and Dick, not much going on there.
The homoerotic elements continue to be the surroundings of the film via the statuary, costumes, and the overexaggerated heterosexuality of Ivy.
GAY FLAIR
The movie is too bright for a Batman film, but it fits a campy Batman, as in the TV show. The scene in the museum during Freeze’s first robbery is all glitter and glitz due to the ice, but the colors are extremely bright. Oddly enough, Robin is garbed in a dark color through this film instead of his bright comics colors. We do get splashes of color on his batarangs, but that’s about it.
Costuming is always gay-friendly: leather, spandex, boots, and capes. But the added gay element to all of this is costume coordination!
We see a basic ‘working’ costume throughout the movie for the Dynamic Duo, and even Batgirl’s first costume is pretty somber as befitting a Bat.
So what do we see when they rush to save the city from Freeze at the end of the film? A different style of costume for all three! Silvery in shade, the costumes fit the décor of ice!
All the costumes of Poison Ivy are extremely flamboyant from her emergence in Brazil, to the rainforest costume, and then the third change with the strange beehive hairdo. Finally, we see a red, almost pink, costume at the end, all with elaborate masks and hairstyles, Mardi Gras come to life.
Even Freeze’s costume is bright and shiny, fitting in with the world established in the film.
OVER-EXAGGERATED IVY
Poison Ivy took on the role of Mae West/Madonna in this film, a cliché of ‘gay goddess’ as she vamped and slinked her way from man-to-man, though her true love were plants. Despite her interest in Freeze, a flaw in her characterization (I much prefer an Ivy contemptuous of men and loving her plants instead), she was surprisingly independent and a mover and shaker, setting into motion Freeze’s escape and their joint plot to make humankind ‘pay’ for perceived sins. Freeze’s adored wife was completely passive in this movie due to her ‘frozen’ condition, but Ivy was pro-active in her plan to get rid of her rival for Freeze’s affections.
Sigh. Could they get more stereotypical in this situation?
Ivy’s debut at the rainforest ball, as described above, used semi-naked men in her dance routine, a Mae/Madonna device that puts her in a gay pantheon. She is the character that a gay man would cross-dress as and headline an act in a gay nightclub. Her over-exaggerated heterosexuality is almost a joke, or at the very least, an inside joke. ;)
BODY IMAGE
Body image ties into the overall effect of costuming and sets. A disturbing factor entered into this movie, however: Alicia Silverstone took a lot of grief for being ‘too fat’ during filming. One scene even showed her in a shapeless gunnysack style of shirt as if covering up chubbiness! Now, unless they used a body double for every scene in which Alicia appears in costume, she appeared just fine to me. What, is it because she didn’t look like a half-starved waif?
A curvaceous Batgirl is more appealing than a spindle stick. Ivy was beautiful but hardly voluptuous.
The men were in great shape so no accusations of ‘too fat’ there, but if they had showed any signs of chubbiness, I suppose they would have been bashed, too!
A GAY OL’ TIME
So the film was filled with gay sensibility, and was probably one of the reasons that there was so much vitriol hurled at it. The director was a target as well, since his gayness made him suspect. Disdain for his talent was served up in heaping barrages of words simply because of the homoerotic content of the film that this gay director helmed. He was accused of having a ‘gay agenda’ and other things not printable.
Not everyone criticizing this movie is homophobic. There are numerous valid criticisms that this film deserves. I just found the dynamic interesting that the gayest of all the Batman films drew the most heated response, and I maintain that part of the reason was people seizing the opportunity to gay-bash and dress it up as film criticism.