Andy Warhol’s Batman vs Dracula
Although it is improbable, the idea of an Andy Warhol Batman movie does exist. Unfortunately for Dark Knight or modern art enthusiasts, Warhol never sought permission from anyone to create his movie, and you can't just make a Batman movie.
In the middle to end of the 1960s, Andy Warhol produced scores of full-length films in addition to hundreds of screen tests. The entire extent of Andy Warhol's cinematic oeuvre is just now becoming clear, thanks to recent restoration efforts and the release of The Films of Andy Warhol Catalogue Raisonné: 1963–1965. Among the disclosures is the ambitious 1964 feature film BATMAN DRACULA, which Warhol co-directed with renowned actor Jack Smith, but was never completed and essentially never screened.
An interesting departure from his other works at the time, the loosely built two-reel film features various shooting locations, extravagant sets and costumes, a story with interconnecting plotlines, and a main character who shifts between the Gothic demon and free-spirited wanderer. In this special presentation, Greg Pierce, director of Film and Video at The Andy Warhol Museum, and SAIC Professor Bruce Jenkins, co-author of the Catalogue Raisonné, present a lengthy excerpt from the project along with stills and historical anecdotes, contextualizing it both within Warhol's overall body of work and recent preservation efforts.
Directed by: Warhol, Jack Smith
