Cultural Allusions in Batman and Robin (1997)

[Silver Nemesis]

Special thanks to Azrael for restoring the pictures to this thread.
This thread is a companion piece to the Comic Influences on Batman and Robin (1997) feature. While that article examined the film's references to the comics, this thread covers its references to everything else; to other movies, literature, art, architecture, music, real life people and events. This is a tricky subject to cover due to the sheer number of puns scattered throughout the script. But I've had a go at it anyway. If you can think of anything I've missed, please feel free to add it.

The first noteworthy reference in the film is when Batman says "This is why Superman works alone." Obviously this is a nod to Superman, DC Comics' other top tier superhero.

The "anatomically correct" musculature on Batman and Robin's costumes was influenced by ancient Greek and Roman breastplates, which often featured sculpted pectoral and abdominal muscles. Such breastplates were known as 'muscle cuirasses' or 'heroic cuirasses'. The following example is a Greek bronze cuirass from the 4th century BC. Note the sculpted nipples.

Production designer Barbara Ling has cited a Russian Constructivist influence on the Gotham City architecture in the film.

Mr Freeze says "The Iceman Cometh!" during his first scene. This is the title of a 1946 play by American writer Eugene O'Neill.

When Batman first arrives at the museum he re-enacts an iconic moment from the opening credits of The Flintstones (1960-1966) where Fred slides down the back of a brontosaurus.

Mr Freeze says "What killed the dinosaurs? The Ice Age!" Several theories persist as to what actually caused the dinosaurs to become extinct, but the most common hypothesis is that they were wiped out following a catastrophic collision between the Earth and an asteroid. So Mr Freeze's line here doesn't make an awful lot of sense, especially coming from a scientist.

During the sky surfing sequence, Robin yells "Cowabunga!" This word was popular amongst surfers in the mid to late 20th century. It achieved global fame thanks to its usage in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV show and movies.

The stop-motion animated musical Mr Freeze and his henchmen are watching in their hideout is the Rankin/Bass TV special The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974).

The look of Gotham Observatory was inspired by the Palomar Observatory in San Diego County, California.

Ivy's gorilla dance at the fundraiser is based on Marlene Dietrich's 'Hot Voodoo' number from Josef von Sternberg's Blonde Venus (1932). Both scenes begin with performers dancing in tribal clothing while a gorilla takes centre stage. The gorilla sways her arms from side to side and removes one of her gloves to expose a slender female hand underneath.

She then takes off her other glove before removing the head of the gorilla suit to reveal her glamorous features.

The woman completes the striptease by sliding out of the gorilla suit. Underneath she is wearing a revealing outfit that captivates the male audience members.

The music that plays in the background during this scene is an instrumental version of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller's song 'Poison Ivy'. A full cover of the song by Meshell Ndegeocello appears on the film's soundtrack. The song was originally made famous by The Coasters in 1959.

In a nod to the previous Batman movie, the expiration date on Batman's credit card reads 'FOREVER'. When he produces this he says "Never leave the cave without it." This is a reference to a popular marketing slogan used by American Express: "Don't leave home without it."

The gang Bane fights in the Turkish baths are called the Golum Gang, though they are never named as such on screen. Their name, fondness for dark damp hideouts, and peculiar way of speaking ("Hello my pretty, pretty"; "You look good enough to eat") are possible allusions to the character of Gollum/Sméagol from J R R Tolkein's Middle-earth books.

Ivy tells Bane "It took God seven days to create paradise." This is one of a number of Biblical references featured in the film. However, according to the Book of Genesis God created the world in six days; on the seventh day he rested. So Ivy got the reference wrong.

Oxbridge Academy, the name of Barbara's school, is a portmanteau of Oxford and Cambridge, Britain's two leading universities.

The photograph of Alfred's sister Margaret is actually a publicity photo of actress Gloria Stuart, who the following year was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in James Cameron's Titanic (1997).

Amongst the spectators assembled to watch the motorcycle race is a gang dressed like Alex (Malcolm McDowell) and his droogs from Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange (1971).

On a related note, the song that plays in the background during this scene is 'Fun for Me' by Moloco. The word 'moloco' – meaning 'milk' – is taken from nadsat, the fictional slang used by the protagonists in Anthony Burgess' original novel A Clockwork Orange (1962).

The motorcycle race recalls a similar sequence in Joel Schumacher's earlier film The Lost Boys (1987). Both race courses include darkened tunnels and flaming trash cans. And both races end with a gang leader trying to trick the hero into riding their bike over a precipice. Luckily the hero in both films manages to skid to a halt just in time.

The race course is decorated with colourful graffiti art. One of the painted images portrays the likeness of Shaggy Rogers from the Scooby-Doo franchise.

One of the guards watching over Mr Freeze's cell in Arkham is played by former wrestler Jesse 'The Body' Ventura. This is the third time he and Arnold Schwarzenegger had appeared in films together. The first time was in John McTiernan's Predator (1987), the second in Paul Michael Glaser's The Running Man (1987). Both men would go on to become United States Governors. Ventura became Governor of Minnesota in 1999, while Schwarzenegger became Governor of California in 2003.

The scene where the captive Mr Freeze constructs a clockwork likeness of his wife in his cell is a remake of a scene from the Batman: The Animated Series episode 'Heart of Ice' (S01E14, September 1992).

Ivy's hybrid plant resembles Audrey II from Frank Oz's Little Shop of Horrors (1986).

Mr Freeze's line about him and Ivy being "Adam and Evil" is obviously another reference to the Book of Genesis.

Mr Freeze says "If revenge is a dish best served cold, then put on your Sunday finest." The origins of the phrase "Revenge is a dish best served cold" are murky, with several variations allegedly dating back to the 19th century.

The computer simulation of Alfred was modelled on Max Headroom (Matt Frewer), a fictional computer intelligence that first appeared in the Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future (1985) TV movie. The computerised Alfred's appearance and stutter were both patterned after Headroom.

The final line of the film, where Alfred says "We're going to need a bigger cave," may be a reference to the famous "You're gonna need a bigger boat" line spoken by Brody (Roy Scheider) in Steven Spielberg's Jaws (1975).


Well that's all the references I could dig up. Can anyone think of others that I might've overlooked?

[Paul (ral)]

Think you covered everything - I wan't aware about Gloria Stuart...that's great detective work!

[Azrael]

I really like these articles...

Ralf Möller also deserves a mention in the scene with Jesse Ventura.. A fellow bodybuilder and a long-time friend of Schwarzenegger, he's mostly known for small roles in movies like Gladiator, Pathfinder etc. He was the second Germanic actor to play Conan (in the forgettable Conan the Adventurer TV series, late 90s). As this sequence is basically three gym buddies/meatheads having fun, I'd love to see some backstage stills or footage if it existed.

[Silver Nemesis]

Ralf Möller was a beast! His inclusion in the film is definitely worthy of note. Even Arnold looks small next to him. Reminds me of these behind-the-scenes pictures from Conan the Destroyer (1984) showing Arnold with Andre the Giant and Wilt Chamberlain.

In retrospect, it seems like a bit of a waste to have Möller and Ventura in the same movie as Arnold and not have the three of them fight. A three-way brawl between those guys would have been way more entertaining than just seeing Bane push a trolley down a corridor.

[johnnygobbs]

Those 'Conan the Destroyer' pics are amazing.  I thought someone had digitally shrunk Schwarzenegger for a moment.

[Silver Nemesis]

Bizarre though it may seem, there's actually an entire site dedicated to shrunken Arnold picks: http://www.arnoldheight.com/index.html

And there are plenty more where those came from.

[johnnygobbs]

Now I'm confused.  Were the pics of Schwarzenegger with Will Chamberlain and Andre the Giant not real? 

Also, you know what's missing from those pics you've posted?  Schwarzenegger and his taller twin, Danny DeVito.

[DocLathropBrown]

Having once been no more than fifteen feet from Schwarzenegger, I can tell you that he's actually not quite as tall as he looks. I mean, maybe I was overestimating, but I'm 6'1" and he looked like he was about 5'10".

[Silver Nemesis]

Now I'm confused.  Were the pics of Schwarzenegger with Will Chamberlain and Andre the Giant not real? 

It's amazing to think the Conan the Destroyer pics are real. Chamberlain was 7'1 and Andre was 7'4. They really were giants.

Also, you know what's missing from those pics you've posted?  Schwarzenegger and his taller twin, Danny DeVito.

Having once been no more than fifteen feet from Schwarzenegger, I can tell you that he's actually not quite as tall as he looks. I mean, maybe I was overestimating, but I'm 6'1" and he looked like he was about 5'10".

Interesting you should say that, as I've heard other people say similar things about his height. He was billed as 6'2 in his prime, though I've heard he was actually closer to 6'1½. I think he's also lost a few inches in height as he's gotten older. I've seen recent pics where he's not much taller than Stallone, who is about 5'9. But then Stallone supposedly wears lifts in his shoes, so that could be partly the reason.

[johnnygobbs]

Having once been no more than fifteen feet from Schwarzenegger, I can tell you that he's actually not quite as tall as he looks. I mean, maybe I was overestimating, but I'm 6'1" and he looked like he was about 5'10".

Yes, I've heard people say Schwarzenegger isn't particularly tall (he's probably slightly taller than 5'10" but not by much).  It's rather gratifying for my self-esteem to know that I am taller than Stallone, Schwarzenegger and Willis etc (I'm 6'0").  In fact there aren't many big BIG movie-stars in terms of height.  Liam Neeson is one of the only major action-stars I can think of who is over 6'1".