Batman

1. Batman Begins Film Opening Analysis
2 minute film opening analysis of Batman Begins relating to theories.
Elliot Brown
AS Media

2. Todorov’s
Theory
Todorov’s theory is the Narrative theory, which studies devices
and conventions governing the organization of a story into a
sequence.
He believed that stories would start with equilibrium where any
potentially opposing forces are in balance. He then said that
this balance would be disrupted by an event, which would set
chain a series of events. He then said that the problems would
then be solves and order would be restored.
His theory is structured into 5 stages:
• Equilibrium at the start
• Disruption of equilibrium by an action
• Recognition of disruption
• Attempt to repair disruption
• Reinstated equilibrium
This links to the Batman Begins film opening.
One way in which you could argue that it fits with
the opening is by the 5 stages all being shown just
in the opening 2 minutes. In this argument, the 1st
stage (equilibrium) is evident as the young boy and
girl play and all is light and happy. The 2nd stage
(disruption) would be when the young boy falls
down the hall and is fronted by a swarm of bats.
The 3rd stage (recognition) would be when the older
man wakes up and the audience can see that this
was just a flashback to his childhood. The 4th stage
and 5th stage, however, are not evident clearly
although it could be argued that him being in a
prison and acting normal is a reinstatement of
equilibrium.
Alternatively, you could argue that the film opening
would be just the start of the narrative theory and
the film would go on to complete the stages left. In
this argument, the 1st stage and 2nd stage of the
narrative theory is evident. The 1st stage
(equilibrium) would be when the young boy and girl
play and are seemingly happy without any
problems. The 2nd stage (disruption) would then be
from when the young boy falls into the hole, all the
way up until the end of the 2-minute opening
where we can see that the man seems to be in a
prison. The following stages would then follow as
the film continues.

3. Levi-Strauss
Theory
This links to the Batman Begins film
opening.
The way in which this theory links into the
Batman Begins film opening is by the
viewer having an idea of who the bad
characters are in the film by seeing the
contrast, the good. We see the young boy
and young girl playing innocently and we
see them laughing and smiling. From this
the viewer can recognise these as the good.
The viewer then sees the boy grown up and
is imprisoned with others around him.
These people can immediately be
recognised as the bad as they are in this
dark environment with the man we see as
good and they are not acknowledging him.
Another way this theory could be applied to
the Batman Begins film opening is by
recognising the young by seeing the old.
This is by the viewer seeing the older man
and linking him to the younger boy we saw,
so the viewer understands that the younger
boy was the older man.
Claude Levi-Strauss’ theory is the theory
of binary opposition. This theory is that
the audience understand things/words is
by its opposite. An example of this is
that we understand a villain by its relation
to the evident hero. Another example is
that we recognise the young and will then
understand the old.

4. Roland Barthes
Codes
Hermeneutic Code
The Hermeneutic code is the theory that a
story or film will avoid telling the
truth/revealing the facts so that they can
create mystery throughout and can drop clues
about the truth.
Proairetic Code
The Proairetic code is the theory that a story
or film will build tension and leaves the
audience guessing what happens next.
This links to the Batman Begins film opening.
The hermeneutic code links to the film opening
in the scene where the young boy falls into the
cave and is caught in a swarm of bats and we
then see that this is a flashback to an older man.
Later on in the film the audience will find out
that this young boy/older man is “batman”. The
hermeneutic code links in with the film opening
of Batman Begins because the bats are a clue
that the young boy will be associated with these
bats and the fact that this is a flashback will hint
to the viewer that the scene is an important
moment in the mans life.
The proairetic code links to the film opening
because at the end of the opening we can see
that the man is in a, which seems like, prison.
Before this we saw a scene that was a flashback
of this man as a boy who was scared of the bats
in the cave. We then see that it was a flashback
and are shown this man in a prison. The tension
is built throughout the scene of the young boy
and then it is evident that this is the older man.
The audience will then be left asking what
relevance that scene has to the next thing that
happens, which links to the proairetic code of
tension being built and leaving the audience
asking what will happen next.

5. Propp’s
Theory
This links to the Batman Begins film opening.
In the film opening we can recognise some of the
‘typical characters’ in Propp’s theory. From the film
opening we can recognise the hero, false hero/helper
and princess. We can label the hero as the white man
who has the flashback. We can recognise this man as
the hero as he is seemingly innocent and seems to be
the man that is the main character, so immediately the
audience will believe that this main character is likely to
be the hero. We can recognise the false hero/helper as
the people in the prison with this hero. The viewer will
presume these men are either false heroes or helpers.
This is because they seem to be in the same position as
the hero and therefore are likely to be people who will
either help him or block him. The princess can be
recognised as the young girl with the younger boy at the
start of the film. This presumption can be made
because the hero is recognised to be the young boy, and
the girl is likely to have some role later in the film and is
likely to have some significance, so she will be the
presumed princess.
Propp’s recognition scene theory could be applied to
the film opening. This recognition scene would be in
the film opening when the older man has flashbacks to
his childhood and his encounter of bats. He then wakes
up in a prison. The viewer will recognise this character
as the hero as he seems to be the main subject of the
film and is seemingly innocent and substantial to the
film title because he is immediately linked with bats as a
young boy.
Propp’s theory is broken into three parts. One is that there will be typical characters in a film or story
that will have a certain role. Another is that in a “struggle scene”, it will be in a certain order. The last
is that there is a recognition scene.
Typical Characters
• Hero – seeks something
• Villain – blocks hero
• Donor – provides something
• Dispatcher – sends hero on a quest
• False hero – disrupts hero’s success
• Helper – Aids hero
• Princess – Hero’s rewards
• Princess’ father – Rewards hero
Struggle Scene
• Struggle between hero and villain
• Hero is branded
• Villain is overcome
• State of disorder is settled
• Recognition Scene
• The recognition scene is the scene in a film or story in which the audience will recognise a
specific character as the labeled hero.