The essay presents a comparative analysis of the iconic central characters in the two movies, 'Batman Begins' and 'The Queen'. In spite of the presence such an iconic character in both the movies, the movies employ distinct techniques in portraying these characters in a peculiar way. It is important to understand the differences in the genre and the type of audience suitable for the two films. The stage setting of various scenes in both the movies varies distinctly in order to present the required effects. In the movie, ‘The Queen', the stage setting aims at creating an impression about the royal family as distant and distinct from the realism of normal life . The movie also portrays the royal family as an extremely privileged entity. On the other hand, in the movie 'Batman Begins' the techniques used to display the main setting of the story in the city of Gothem portray the city as a sinister and dishonest place . Since the audience for 'Batman Begins' is younger audience, the movie lacks much of violence.
Since there is no violence in the movie, ‘Batman Begins’ makes use of peculiar sounds, such as non-diegetic sound to convey the theme of brutality and aggression. Such a background sound represents the movie as a biography or documentary, thereby suggesting that the visuals portrayed in the movie are the true representation of the happenings of the royal family. ‘The Queen’ displays the emotions of the characters present in the film through the use of dialogue for a major portion of the film rather than non-diegetic sound . One of the interesting features of ‘Batman Begins,’ is the unusual presentation of the opening credits at the end of the film rather the beginning. Instead, the international recognition of the Batman symbol replaces the opening credits of the film. Such a technique appeals to the people who are already aware of the previous Batman series and their franchise. It also shows the popularity of the movie. The introduction of the protagonists in both the movies presents a distinct perspective of their characterization, which is entirely different from each other. However, one of the similarities is that both the characters seem desolated, trying to find an answer for their lives .
Another major difference between the two movies is the target audience. Since the stories of both the movies are unlike in terms of their style and storyline, ‘Batman Begins’ appeals to younger audience and children, while ‘The Queen’ appeals to middle-aged and older audience, even though the young interested in the royal kingdom equally enjoy the movie. Presumably, the audience that possesses interest and prior knowledge about the history of Queen Diana and her death would enjoy the film the most as it provides little information about the background . Similarly, ‘Batman Begins’ also targets the audience who is already aware of the nature of the film and provides little information about the background. Furthermore, it is quite easy to understand the story of ‘Batman Begins’ as there are several TV programs, movies and comics, which portray Batman in different characters . Owing to the nature and action of the movie, it is the young adults that would enjoy the movie the most although the old-aged would find it impressive.
An interesting and distinctive feature of ‘Batman Begins’ and ‘The Queen’ is the ideology pictured in the movies. While the ideology of ‘The Queen’ refers to that of the bourgeois who strives to attain a higher and respectable status, the ideology of ‘Batman Begins’ refers to that of a superhero, who helps the public in the city of Gotham in various situations. The release of ‘The Queen’ is a smaller scale when compared to ‘Batman Begins’ and belongs to the genre of politics in the style that resembles a documentary. On the other hand, ‘Batman Begins’ belongs to the genre of comics and science fiction fantasy with several conventions. It is important to note that the storyline of both the movies undergoes the process of overcoming a crisis. In the movie, ‘The Queen’, the equilibrium situation is when the royal family lives a normal life. All of a sudden the death of Queen Diana and the opposition of the public turn the situation into adverse . Finally, at the end of the film, the speech given by the queen plays a major role in public acceptance, which restores the equilibrium. Similarly, in ‘Batman Begins’, the equilibrium situation is when the protagonist of the movie, Bruce Wayne spends a happy and wealth childhood with his family. It is after the murder of his parents and the fall of the city of Gotham that the situations turn adverse. Finally, at the end of the movie, Batman becomes a superhero and saves the city of Gotham, which restores the equilibrium .
Works Cited
Batman Begins. Dir. Christopher Nolan. Perf. Christian Bale, Michael Caine and Katie Holmes. 2005.
The Queen. Dir. Stephen Frears. Perf. Helen Mirren, Michael Sheen and James Cromwell. 2006.
