"The Face of Gotham's Criminal Gentleman Penguin" [Mizumaru Kawahara's CINEMONOLOGUE Vol.67]

Penguin as a strange form that left a big influence

The reason I have such a strong attachment to Penguins is, of course, because of the strong Penguin played by Danny DeVito in `` Batman Returns .'' I have written about this version many times in this series, but I want to draw that portrait over and over again. He was born as the eldest son of a famous family, Cobblepot, but due to his hideous appearance, his parents threw him away in the sewers, and for some reason he ended up in a closed zoo, where he was raised by penguins who had been left behind. Growing up as a Monster who knows no love, he eventually longs for life on earth and comes face to face with Batman.

This version of the Penguin is an entirely new character created by Burton, showing great compatibility with director Tim Burton's style and taste. The unloved freak, the gothic colors, the circus, Christmas...it's Burton's trademark no matter where you look at it, so it tends to be seen as a hobbyist work compared to its predecessor, Batman . I also think this is one of the points in Batman movie history that cannot be ignored. This darkness is another aspect of Batman.

The penguin's appearance, which was designed to resemble a penguin's silhouette as much as possible, leaves a strong impression that it seems like it appears in a dream, but the penguins that appear after this, including the animation work, are played by Danny DeVito. He is forced to choose whether to follow his strange form, or to steer away from it (as if running away) to a more realistic form. In any case, there is nothing to complain about with the ` `Returns '' version of Penguin, which created a wonderful chemical reaction by combining the original image and the unique arrangement. The blue-green liquid that he spits out of his mouth for no reason is also good.

The central story of Returns is Penguin's run for mayor of Gotham. Penguin, who is attracted to him by an offer from unscrupulous businessman Max Schreck, tries to gain popularity with the citizens and overthrow the current mayor. Penguin's candidacy for mayor is a story that can be seen in an episode of the aforementioned ``The Birds'', but now there is a kind of black humor in which a Monster villain runs for election and gains popularity due to his novelty. When I look back at it, I find it very sharp.

The penguin wears formal clothes to run for mayor, but his all-black top hat, all-black gloves, and all-black coat complete his penguin-like silhouette. Incidentally, his appearance is somewhat similar to that of Dr. Caligari , who appears in the German expressionist film ``Dr. He even says that it is.

Realistic penguin appearance with special makeup