Milk Does a Body Good

Citizens,

As a film studies major, I just wanted to call your attention to one of the very suttle, and yet humorous punches made in "Batman" (the 1966 movie of course ;-)) In film, there is a french term called "Mis-en-scene." Basically, it means controlling all the visual elements in a shot to convey a point. My favorite example is in the movie, "The Godfather" a ganster walks into a bar and the door is covered in fish designs. Later in the scene, that ganster is killed in the bar and is sent to, "sleep with the fishes."

So, what does this have to do with Batman? Namely, in most scenes Batman is scene holding a drink. But, have you ever looked at what the drink is? Joey and I have concluded that it is indeed milk. Milk held in a brandy siffter. Point being? I think it is a very humerous joke by the show. Bruce is serious, yet childish. I love it.

And, loyal to the tradition, you will see Joey and I have interwoven this theme into our movies. In most of the Wayne Manor shots Joey drinking something from a margarita glass (because I don't own a brandy sifter). Yes, it is milk. Does Joey like milk? Nope. Does he like doing multiple takes while having to drink milk? No. His solution? Drink as little milk as possible. To his credit, Joey did have to drink a very large thing of milk for his role as Batman at one time. In our first episode Joey and I had a shot set up where Batman and Robin are rushing off to save the day when they come across a tray full of fresh milk that Alfred has left them. Robin argues they don't have time but Batman hushes him with a speech on the value of milk and so Batman and Robin consume the two rather large wine glasses full of milk. Of course, we kept laughing hearing Joey's speech so we had to stop several times and re-fill our glasses. None of which was very fun and produced that weird sick feeling when you drink/eat too much dairy. But, we got the shot done. Finally, it is poisioned milk that leads Robin into the clutches of the derivative when he drinks a spiked glass of milk at the theater.

In other words citizens, milk does a body good. But, if a strange man comes up to you wearing a "henchman" shirt and offers you a drink, don't accept it least you fall into a manical madman's clutches!

ZWANK!

Robin