Batman 1943

Batman 1943

IMDB: 6.7

PLOT: A 15 chapter serial sees Batman on the screen for the first time, being portrayed here by Lewis Wilson. Douglas Croft plays Robin, William Austin is Alfred and together they face off against J. Carroll Naish's nefarious Japanese agent Dr. Daka and his pseudo zombie making machine.



My Thoughts: Ugh. There is some good stuff here, some important stuff. This serial is the first appearance of The Batcave and it's secret grandfather clock entrance. It also changed the look of Alfred, up to this point Alfred of the comics was overweight but the success of this serial changed him to the thin gentleman we know and love today because of William Austin's portrayal. Lewis Wilson is awesome as Batman, he manages to be tough in the cloth costume and convincing as the aloof buffoonish Bruce Wayne, I dare say he is one of the best in that aspect.

But it's hard to get past the poor pacing that comes with most serials and the overall racist overtones in this one. This film was shot during WWII and it can be hard to look at them without today's standards, when a chapter opens in a lil Japan section of Gotham and the narrator remarks it's a ghost town since the government rightly rounded up the untrustworthy shifty eyed Japs or characters keep yelling Jap in fear and disgust when confronting the villain. There is not much here for modern audience, this is strictly for the most curious most obsessive fans. 

Not Recommended.

this however is



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