Batman: Gotham Knight 2008
Written by Brian Azzarello, Alan Burnett et al...
Voice talents: Kevin Conroy, Gary Dourdan

Acclaimed screenwriters including David Goyer (Batman Begins), Josh Olson (A History of Violence) and Alan Burnett (Batman The Animated Series) join forces with revered animation filmmakers on six spellbinding chapters chronicling Batman’s transition from novice crimefighter to Dark Knight. These globe-spanning adventures pit Batman against the fearsome Scarecrow, the freakish Killer Croc and the unerring marksman Deadshot. Using an arsenal of high-tech gadgetry from Wayne Industries, Batman’s ethical boundaries exist only where he chooses to place them, leaving some fearful of his power. The sharp storytelling, complemented by stylish art from some of the world’s most visionary animators, masterfully depicts the blurred lines of Batman as man, myth and legend.

Director: Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi
Starring: Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve

What does one do, or even say, about a film that is, by any measurement that matters, perfect? When considering Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud's finely etched animated adaptation of Satrapi's two-part autobiographical graphic novel about growing up in Tehran during the revolution and the Iran-Iraq War, the problem (if one could call it that) becomes particularly acute. By compressing into this film the myriad of themes that it handles, from religious oppression to teenage rebellion to cultural dissonance and war, the filmmakers could have easily encumbered it with a weight that would have outweighed its many sharp delights. But by some strange and fortunate circumstance born out of vision, patience, luck, and sheer unmitigated talent, they have managed to incorporate each of those weighty topics into a work of art that's light as a feather, in the manner of the true masterpiece. –Chris Barsanti

Find this DVD in the Library's catalogue