Batman

"A hundred times more thrilling on the screen!"

1943 4h 20m EN

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 133

ActionAdventureCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Japanese master spy Daka operates a covert espionage-sabotage organization located in Gotham City's now-deserted Little Tokyo, which turns American scientists into pliable zombies. The great crime-fighters Batman and Robin, with the help of their allies, are in pursuit.

“A hundred times more thrilling on the screen!”

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Cast

Lewis Wilson
Bruce Wayne
Douglas Croft
Dick Grayson
J. Carrol Naish
Tito Daka
Shirley Patterson
Linda Page
William Austin
Alfred
Knox Manning
Narrator
Frank Austin
Hotel Clerk
Lynton Brent
Intended Lockwood Pilot

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Lambert Hillyer
Writers: Victor McLeod, Leslie Swabacker, Harry L. Fraser
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

At 260 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

83 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Lambert Hillyer, shot by James S. Brown Jr.. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Lee Zahler. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Dwight Caldwell shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Lewis Wilson and Douglas Croft and J. Carrol Naish carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A hundred times more thrilling on the screen!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0035665 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Lambert Hillyer directs. James S. Brown Jr. behind the camera. Lee Zahler scores. Dwight Caldwell cuts. A long sit — settle in. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1At 260 minutes, this is a three-hour-plus commitment — longer than 95% of films ever made.
283 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Lambert Hillyer, shot by James S. Brown Jr.. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Lee Zahler. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Dwight Caldwell shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Lewis Wilson and Douglas Croft and J. Carrol Naish carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "A hundred times more thrilling on the screen!".
8IMDB entry: tt0035665 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: James S. Brown Jr.
Original score: Lee Zahler
Editing: Dwight Caldwell
Runtime: 260 min · 4h 20m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: Batman (1943)

Also by

Lambert Hillyer

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-04-04
★ 5/10
15 episodes bolted into one for this full feature version as "Batman" (Lewis Wilson) and "Robin" (Douglas Croft) must thwack and pow their way to victory against the evil plans of "Prince Daka" (J. Carrol Naish). The Prince's dastardly plot involves using the now largely abandoned "Little Tokyo" area as a base for robotising some prominent scientists so he can complete his take over of Gotham City. Can our dynamic duo thwart his plan? The production is seriously stage bound, the constant fisticuffs are all too repetitive and Croft looks about ten years old. It might have worked better in an episodic format, but as a four-hour piece of entertainment it all just recycles itself far too regularly, with defeat for the Prince and his innumerable henchmen being snatched from the jaws of victory just once too often. There are some lighter moments as the caped crusaders regularly deliver the city's most wanted to the cops but the acting is pretty dreadful across the board. It was probably entertaining enough in 1943, but 80 years later it is pretty feeble stuff.

Production companies