Watched Batman last night and it was superb as always. A thrilling and thoughtful blockbuster. The reference to Corto Maltese (Vicki's pictures) is directly related to The Dark Knight Returns? It has to be in my opinion as this graphic novel came out the year before and Burton has stated that TDC was one of the influences.
Just thought I'd ask as I've thought about it many times when I view the film
It is indeed a DKR reference, considering that Corto Maltese is a fictional island nation!
Also referenced in the Arrow TV series too
Embarrassing (probably not very surprising) that I didn't know until a few years ago that the Corto Maltese wasn't real. :-[
You're not alone. I once thought it was a real country too! Lol. It sounds like a real country doesn't it? I'm expecting reference to it even in the upcoming Dawn of Justice since it's heavily influenced by TDKR, not sure in what context though.
Most of the writing was done before TDKR came out. I assume they just used another country in its place, and then changed it later to tie it in with the comic a little.
Quote from: Slash Man on Sat, 3 Jan 2015, 04:52
Most of the writing was done before TDKR came out. I assume they just used another country in its place, and then changed it later to tie it in with the comic a little.
Actually, the first issue of DKR came out BEFORE Hamm was even hired to write the first draft of the script.
I had no idea just what the hell they were talking about when speaking about Corto Maltese as a child. And I never read The Dark Knight Returns until about 2002 at least.
I do remember being a little freaked by Viki's photograph (the one the Joker admires) because it was a big photo spread in my old Merlin Magazine's Batman movie sticker album book (there's a collectible somebody should post here, never gets talked about). Cloaked up in a shroud it really looked to me like Batman lying dead with his cape draped over his body...or something.
Nice eye noticing that the pic sort of resembles Batman. Vicki is uses to photographing the extreme, that's one of the main reasons she's in Gotham, there is nothing more extreme than a mysterious vigilante dressed up as as bat.
I wonder if Burton was even aware that this was a reference involving Superman? Hamm has said he's not too fond of Miller's Dark Knight series.
It seems like something he would avoid.
I liked that they used a fictional location, it makes the movie feel even more like a comic book.
I think Burton knew of the reference. In script meetings, it was reported he always walked with with a copy of TDKR and used it as reference points for the film.