With the Batman property being reconfigured constantly through remakes across different universes, the Caped Crusader's arch nemesis' are also being re-examined. Catwoman, for instance, the antiheroic burglar who acts as the foil to Batman, has had recent portrayals with Anne Hathaway in The Dark Knight Rises and Zoë Kravitz in The Batman. Both have been impressive and unique in their own right, showcasing the talents of the actors and complementing their respective film's tonal style. However, no portrayal has satisfied these elements quite as proficiently as Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman in Batman Returns. Not only is the character in costume a dynamic screen presence and an ideal complement to the gothic loneliness of Tim Burton, but Pfeiffer also mastered the performance of the woman behind the mask: Selina Kyle.
Michelle Pfeiffer Keeps Her Catwoman Grounded
Selina Kyle, Catwoman's alter ego, has been close to being disregarded in the character's iterations by Christopher Nolan and Matt Reeves. When the human side of a comic book character is not fully fleshed out, they naturally become lacking in three-dimensional characterization. By proxy, the rigorous focus on the vigilante side of Selina Kyle makes her more reliant on Batman's narrative. The two most recent Catwomen strictly operate as foils. In Batman Returns, Burton sets up Selina's character in the rising action economically and thoroughly. By the time she is reincarnated with nine lives as Catwoman, the audience is capable of following her as a main character. Burton was committed to treating comic book villains like Catwoman and The Penguin (Danny DeVito) as sympathetically tragic oddballs, so much so that Batman's (Michael Keaton) limited screen time tests the validity of the 1992 movie as a Batman movie at all.
The sequences leading up to Selina's birth as the villainous feline define the character and her motivations without any use of a MacGuffin or forced side plot in Bruce Wayne's story. From her introductory scene, being shown as a meek secretary for the corrupt business tycoon, Max Shreck (Christopher Walken), it appears that this portrayal of Selina will be a familiar and cliche-filled caricature of an awkward and emotionally reserved woman. Michelle Pfeiffer's performance is far too nuanced to fall for tropes. Her Selina could only exist in a comic book world adapted by Tim Burton, and she thrives in the duality of his spin on the DC comic.
On the surface, Selina is the stereotypical lonely "cat lady," but Michelle Pfeiffer infuses her performance with a proper amount of humility to draw viewers into the character, rather than making her a punch line. One does not necessarily feel sorrow for Selina, but her plight in life is at least understandable, as her romantic single status acts as the root of her insecurities and sexual repression. Without being too bogged down on the details of her lore and possible traumatic background, this version of Selina is practical in showing someone who has clearly been through an extensive ordeal in life. The most substantial character trait of Pfeiffer's Selina stems from sexual repression. When we first see her enter her home, she asks the cat that walks through her open window if it is "back for more sexual escapades you refuse to share?" Her tortured soul is not played for manipulative melodrama or darkness like in recent DC Comics adaptations but rather an enticing character study. Considering that Selina is a disregarded oddball in a cruel world in a Tim Burton film, the audience is sure to receive a compelling character arc.
Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman Has an Intense Energy
Michelle Pfeiffer also satisfies the flip side of Tim Burton's affection for lonely outcasts — the relentless and depraved realization of a gonzo universe. Despite the human qualities she brings to Selina, she lives like a bubble that is about to burst, ready to unleash her insanity onto the world. Only in Pfeiffer's case, Selina is more ominous when out of her costume. Mirroring the psychological quagmire of Bruce Wayne/Batman, Selina has a way of desperately attempting to act "normal" around other people that convey a menacing condition.
This is precisely what made Michael Keaton brilliant as Batman, and Pfeiffer elevates the unknowable aspect of the film's band of misfits. She will appear to be meek in Max Shreck's office in one moment and then will pick up and use a taser on the unconscious body of one of The Penguin's goons in another instance. As evident by her eventual creation of her alter ego, she has an affinity towards chaos and violence hidden inside her. While most Batman films are eager to pit the beloved hero against his foes in costume, the most engaging dramatic draw of Batman Returns arises when Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle are talking and briefly romantically entangling with each other.
Tim Burton’s World Allows Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman To Thrive
These interactions are the keys to understanding what thematic idea Burton was striving for in his two Batman films — an idea that future installments of the character's saga failed to consistently touch upon. What is immediately palpable from their face-to-face exchanges is that both Bruce and Selina are uncomfortable in their own skin. While this element was exercised in the 1989 Batman, this particularly pertains to Selina because it puts the crime-fighting billionaire on the same wavelength as a quirky outcast. One dresses up like a bat. One dresses up like a cat. Both are peculiar in their own right. Before Heath Ledger's Joker explicitly noted this observation in The Dark Knight, Pfeiffer's Selina subtlety identified through behavior that Batman and his villains are two peas in a pod. At a costume charity ball, the only party guests who are not wearing a mask or headpiece are Bruce and Selena. In essence, their unmasked human selves are their costumes in life.
Just as effectively as his more overtly personal characters, such as the titular Edward Scissorhands or Ed Wood, Burton identified with Selina Kyle, and Pfeiffer raised the bar to the limits of a comic book character regarding sheer shock value and complexity. There is no surprise that McDonald's was apprehensive about marketing this film with Happy Meals. The character in and out of costume acts as someone pushed to the edge due to sexual repression. Compared to the sterility of today's comic book adaptations, it is a miracle that audiences were given such an envelope-pushing character and film altogether.
Every facet of Pfeiffer's performance is worth a deep dive — from her body language when she walks into a room to the way she looks people in the eye. Most notably, Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman depiction is still indelible to this day because of the character's independence. By taking on the life of her feline alter ego, Selina is freed of her bumbling ways and submissive life as an employee of Max Shreck. She is as integral to the narrative as Batman, Gotham City, and the familiar gothic themes and style of Tim Burton as a result of a show-stopping, comic, twisted, and committed portrayal of Selina Kyle by the great Michelle Pfeiffer.
The Big Picture
- Michelle Pfeiffer's portrayal of Catwoman in Batman Returns is considered the most proficient and dynamic, complementing the gothic style of Tim Burton.
- Selina Kyle's character in Batman Returns is thoroughly developed, making her a compelling main character rather than a mere foil to Batman.
- Pfeiffer's performance brings depth and complexity to Selina, showing her as more than just a punchline or cliche-filled caricature. She embodies the character's sexual repression and turmoil in a captivating and enticing way.
ncG1vNJzZmibn6G5qrDEq2Wcp51kuqqvx56jpZ1dpbOmtcWfnKtlk5bBuLvMmqVmmpWowW6%2FxKWgp5ldoMatsY4%3D