My Michelle Pfeiffer Blogathon continues with another look at Batman Returns. Hey, if Catwoman can have nine lives why can’t this post? Meow….
Why do people watch movies? Aside from entertainment, or the hope of learning something about the human condition. Speaking for myself, I used to watch movies in the hope of falling in love. I can recall my cinematic loves, as vividly as Mr Bernstein could recall “the girl with the white parasol”. Glorious technicolor beauties with dulcet voices, captured in two dimensions, and shared with millions of people around the globe. Scarlett Johansson in Lost in Translation. Kim Novak in Vertigo. Meg Ryan in practically everything, but especially Prelude to a Kiss. And Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns.
Did Michelle have any idea what she was doing when she stepped into Catwoman’s knee-high boots? Did she deliberately set out to inflame desires and break hearts? She played the mousy secretary-turned sex kitten with such relish and joy, how could you not fall in love with her performance? The forces that Pfeiffer unleashed were powerful, maybe too powerful for some viewers.
I was a carefree college student in 1992, when Batman Returns was released. Sat in the circle of The Palace Cinema, I wanted to make Selina Kyle smile; I wanted to jump through the screen to give her a hug; I wanted to save Catwoman. Only by looking back, can I recognise my joy, and my heartache. I’m no psychologist, but I’d guess there’s an explanation for how someone can fall in love and have their heart broken at the movies. And Michelle Pfeiffer did it to me in just 121 minutes, one chilly night in sleepy, small-town Stalybridge. 
Of course the great sadness of falling in love with a movie character, is that when the credits roll, it’s all over. Thanks to DVD you can watch the film over and again, but you’re just revisiting a memory. You only fall in love once. And like the holiday romance you’ll never forget, you’re doomed to relive those moments time and again. But like those poor souls who exchange brief-but-meaningful glances from opposing railway carriages, you eventually realize there’ll always be another train approaching. 
We might only fall in love once, but if the string of names I listed above are any indication, we might not. When it comes to the cinema I’ve long since realised that there aren’t plenty more fish in the sea. Maybe there are plenty of fish, but they don’t compare to the first ones I caught.
Thank you, Michelle, Meg and many others, for giving me a reason to go to the movies. Now If you’ll excuse me, I’m off to watch Batman Returns on Blu-ray.
Oh man, Michelle is absolutely beautiful and there will never be another Catwoman (like her). They shouldn’t have even tried. what a crime.
I don’t even like Batman Returns all that much, but her performance as Catwoman is a memory that just doesn’t fade. so graceful, sexy, smooth and just so deliriously feline. yummy.
Pfeiffer owns this movie and this role (although Anne Hathaway was admittedly the best part of Dark Knight Rises for me).
I “fell” for Pfeiffer in “Witches of Eastwick”. When I strapped in for “Batman Returns” I knew what I was getting. Or I thought I did. Pfeiffer’s Catwoman exceeded my high expectations. Which was good because many other elements of the movie disappointed me.
Like you, I was a college student in 1992. We were on summer break, so I had very little to do, I worked part time jobs for my fun money and I watched lots of movies. That summer, I saw “Batman Returns” four weekends in a row. And it had nothing to do with Danny DeVito.
A few years later, I was visiting a movie theater that was about to be closed. I was allowed into the projection room and noticed that a projectionist had taped up a life-sized standee of Pfeiffer as Catwoman to the wall. Since the place was closing, I asked if I could have it. Michelle and I spent many years together after that.
Thanks for sharing your memories my friend, I had no idea you and Michelle had been so closely associated for so long.
The start of my Pfeiffer pfandom just pre-dates yours because Ladyhawke was the first film that brought Michelle to my attention, although it was The Fabulous Baker Boys that sealed the deal, so to speak.
I have fallen in love with every Meg Ryan character. I have been in love with Meg Ryan for years now, I watch her movies again and again just to revisit the whole magic. I forget it’s just a movie and she might not be like this is real life, all I remember is how she smiled, acted or lived the role.
Every time I watch You’ve got Mail I find myself mesmerized by Kathleen Kelly, despite the fact that I have seen it so, so, so many times.
I love Meg Ryan!
It won’t come as a surprise to you to hear…I agree!
You are my new best friend for this.
I also love Pfeiffer and I’m a total Batfanatic.
That banner shot of Michelle standing in the window in full Cat-garb–classic!!!
Meeoww!
Paul S,
My susceptibility to women has at times been a disadvantage, but your site and how I have started to write about them is a celebration of spectacular women – thanks for these inspiring posts.
Mark
I don’t know which personality posted this comment, but it’s made my day.
Thank you Mark.
Paul:
Thank you for the tribute to Michelle and her Catwoman. Her multi-dimensional approach to the character and her obvious total immersion in the role cause her to stand apart. However, the recent kudos go to the young. Michelle, as she has seemed to do throughout her career has starred in movies that seem to reflect her current stage of life and consequently her current interest. The witch Lamia, the courtesan Lea, and Chris Pines mom, Lillian, are all ageing beauties staring into the “abyss of age and loneliness.”(Rachel Abramowitz, “LA Times”). Consequently, regardless of the relative quality of the performance, youth seems to win out as roles are reprised in more recent films; Catwoman is no exception. Your own inspiration, Meg Ryan, has gotten somewhat sidelined because of the effects of ageing.
It is interesting to note how many of today’s actresses imitate Pfeiffer’s movie hairdos or iconic roles in order to enhance their own appearance in advertisements, magazine photo shoots and red carpet appearances. We Pfeiffer loyalists become deluded and supercilious and then level charges of “arrogance” to the youthful imitators who inject themselves in Michelle’s iconic scenes. Perhaps it is their right as the young, and they should grasp it while they can.
You have shown to me that the celebrity worship that comes with falling in love at the movies has many risks-some of which you have skillfully exposed. Besides, like a dog chasing a car, what would one do if one actually caught the object of one’s desires?
Nonetheless, Michelle looks pretty damn good and continues to hone her skills as a masterful actress , wouldn’t you say?
My best to you,
Alan
P.S. It appears the the hacked website, “Gorgeous Pfeiffer” Is limping back to life.
Alan thank you, as always it’s a pleasure to hear from you.
In an increasingly youth-obsessed industry, Michelle’s tenure as an actress of standing is remarkable. Other actresses may have reigned at the box office and won the Academy awards, but none of them could rival Pfeiffer’s performance in Batman Returns. It’s incredible to think she followed that by playing Ellen Olenska in the following year’s The Age Of Innocence.
Michelle is beautiful without a doubt, but I like the fact that she seems to be remarkably free of conceit; didn’t she once describe her face as being akin to that of a duck?
I wonder if some of her career choices reflect a humble side to her personality? Even at the peak of her powers she often chose to play characters who were tinged with humility and sadness, think of her role in Frankie And Johnny, which was the absolute antithesis of glamorous.
It’s sad that some of those films failed to find an audience, sadly many of the cinema-going public seemed unable to appreciate that behind that beautiful facade dwelt an actress capable of delivering great emotion, subtlety and depth.
Whereas Meg Ryan will always be a 90′s girl, the allure of Michelle is timeless. She wouldn’t have looked out of place in any film, in any era, and she’s also created more memorable characters than any other actress I can think of. More often than not, it’s those characters I remember, rather than the films that she’s starred in.
As long as she enjoys working, I hope MP makes two films a year for the rest of her life!
Paul:
When you have time please list a few Meg Ryan movies that I should watch as my primer for Ryan appreciation; i.e., aside from the popular ones with Billy Crystal and Tom Hanks. I am intrigued plus I need an antidote for my Pfeiffer mania.
My meandering thoughts on Michelle’s Catwoman: As I think about it, Pfeiffer became out of step with the direction in which movies were going particulary as the year 2000 approached. She doesn’t like violence. She refused the iconic Clarice Starling role in “Silence of the Lambs” because of the violence. She complained that she was having a difficult time getting “Love Field” produced becaue it didn’t contain violence and sex (my paraphase) and had a racial theme. She, herself, was appalled at the lack of appreciation for such a a “sweet movie.”
Quenton Tarantino, during a premier of “Pulp Fiction” (an aguably great movie) was scolded by a little old lady who told Tarantino that it was too violent. He suggested to the woman that she might enjoy the Michelle Pfeiffer movie at the theater around the block.
Most recently, Michelle flinched as she mentioned the violent slap that she administered to Chris Pine in “People Like Us.”
A review that I read of the movie, “Skyfall,” proclaimed that it was a bit flat since it lacked the uber-action and violence of such movies as the “Bourne” series and the recent Batman series. Even the Bond films may be getting outrun by the movie violence of the times.
Now to my point: Batman Returns contains much more campy than realistically depicted violence. Max Shreck’s demise is jolting but wonderfully campy. Michelle played campy as another layer of Selina Kyle’s angry complexity. I find Michelle’s treatment of the complicated Catwoman in Burton’s movie to be on another level from the Selina Kyle who whispers into Bruce Wayne’s ear the prediction of the hyperkinetic action that follows. The times have changed even further and non-stop violence and action is what is required to gain the attention of the moviegoer and the awards judges. Michelle plays characters whose depth can’t be revealed while banking a futuristic motorcycle around a sharp bend while the machine guns are concomitantly blazing.
My best,
Alan
Alan, Michelle and I are on the same wavelength when it comes to films.
Violence, non-stop action and graphic sex scenes are not to my taste, that’s why I rarely visit the cinema nowadays. Although I would make an exception for People Like Us, if it ever gets a UK release.
I’m intrigued that you’re intrigued by my admiration for the films of Meg Ryan. I will post a suitable list in the near future, and I hope it’ll point you in the direction of something you’ll appreciate.
In the meantime, I hope you have a nice weekend.
Paul
I can’t believe I missed this post. So well-written and so true. Falling in love at the movies… I’ve been there! It may sound ridiculous but I was 13 when I watched James Cameron’s Titanic in 1998 and it rocked my world. My love for the movies started there and then and up to this day my heart skips a beat when I see Leonardo Di Caprio on the big screen. You can imagine how overjoyed I was to watch the 3d version last year.
This post was such a treat to read, I’m smiling as I’m typing.
Evi you’ve made my night!
It’s always nice when someone enjoys one of your older posts, even better when they leave such a thoughtful comment.
Thanks for sharing your experiences with Titanic. I wonder if Batman Returns will ever return to the big screen in 3d, I’ll live in hope.
Thinking back, the first time I remember seeing Leonardo Di Caprio was with Johnny Depp and Juliette Lewis in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?
He was brilliant then, and even though I haven’t seen much of his work since, he’s obviously gone from strength to strength.
Have you watched him in Django Unchained yet?
No…
The local movie theater showed it for a week only and I missed it, but I’ll find a way to watch it soon. Have you watched it?
I think I saw What’s Eating Gilbert Grape when I was 14 and I don’t remember much.
And what about Revolutionary Road and Shutter Island? He’s exquisite.
It infuriates me that he doesn’t usually get Oscar nominations for his brilliant performances.
I haven’t seen Django Unchained, but even if I had planned to, the home town cinema I mentioned in this article is sadly long gone.
I share your frustration about Leo and the Oscar nominations. I used to feel exactly the same way about Meg Ryan. It’s too late for Meg now but hopefully Leo’s day is still to come.
Excellent post, for me she is the ultimate Catwoman.
Without a doubt!
This was an absolute blast to read.
Batman Returns has always been one of my favourite Pfeiffer films, primarily for Catwoman and especially for the moment when it all becomes too much for Selina, when Bruce asks her who she thinks she is.
Michelle gives a wild, near-hysterical laugh and replies, tremulously: “I don’t know any more.” It’s a funny line, and you laugh when hearing it; but when you look at Pfeiffer’s face, and you see how lost she looks–a little girl who literally doesn’t know which way is up–the laughter dies in your throat. It’s a poignant moment, and one of the loveliest in a career full of lovely moments.
I don’t remember if I had read this post in the past, but, wow! Delicious!
Me and a friend of mine often quote “Life’s a bitch. Now, so am I” but we both love many of the quotes from this movie. And it IS the best performance ever in a superhero movie… with Heath Ledger a close second!
Happy birthday blogathon Michelle!
I’ve watched this film within the last month, I even made my boyfriend watch it with me. I love it, even though it’s a mess. Michelle is superlative in it, and it’s one of my favourite performances by anyone, ever.
I LOVE this post! Everything about Michelle’s Catwoman “…meow” is perfect, from her expressions to her body language, from the tone of her voice to her timing. Brilliant, brilliant performance.
Um, excuse me, Mr. Pfanatic, but when I tell you that “Batman Returns” — and in essence, Michelle Pfeiffer’s Selina Kyle/Catwoman — was THE defining film of my twelfth year, I offer no lies.
I watched it almost every day, memorized almost every line (well, EVERY Catwoman line), and got the action figures the following Christmas.
Some of my favorites lines:
“Oh, please. I wouldn’t touch you to scratch you.”
“It’s gonna’ be a hot time on the cold town tonight.”
“You’re overpaid. Hit the road!”
“Because he is Batman, you moron!”
I’ve just recalled another line I keep recalling at random times:
“I wouldn’t touch you to scratch you”.
Great delivery again!