Catwoman Through the Ages: New Dark Knight Rises Images
Entertainment Weekly magazine has not only revealed a set of 7 new promo images, but also a new, full-bodied, hi-res image of Anne Hathaway as the thief Catwoman in the highly anticipated blockbuster The Dark Knight Rises. She stands in a black leather cat-suit, complete with thigh-high heeled boots, long black gloves, with an eye mask and cat ears replacing the popular cat cowl as her long hair brown flows behind her back. She holds a gun in place of her classic whip, and her make-up is subtler than the dramatic smoky eyed look she usually wears. How does Hathaway’s portrayal compare to previous incarnations of Selina Kyle?
1. 1940s Catwoman
The original Catwoman shows that the tall, black, heeled boots have always been in style and that she is a character that has always been very sexy, but gone is the floating cape and dress in place of tight leather pieces. It’s not particularly practical to get your cape caught on a TV aerial as you jump across the rooftops.
2. 1960s Catwoman (Julie Newmar)
Some influence seems to be taken from the 1960s Batman TV show version of Catwoman as Newmar wears simply cat ears, a long cat-suit with gloves, a utility belt and lets her long hair loose (whereas many incarnations of Catwoman keep their hair tucked inside the famous cat-shaped cowl). But here Newmar dons cat claws on her gloves (probably not too practical for the gun-wielding Hathaway, who would more than likely get her claws stuck in the trigger), a large gold necklace (which again would not be too practical for Hathaway as Christopher Nolan’s versions of Batman feature a lot more fast-paced action than the 1960s TV series – having a large gold necklace weighting you down would not be useful) and golden-coloured utility belt (perhaps a little too conspicuous if caught in the light?). Hathaway wears an eye mask rather than letting her face be completely visible like Newmar’s is.
3. Long Halloween Catwoman
This costume is particularly basic, which highlights the simplicity and possibly influenced Hathaway’s outfit as this version contains only a few key pieces – long, thigh-high boots, long gloves, a full cat-suit and a cowl. However Hathaway’s version does not include the cumbersome bracelets and lengthy tail, and her cat-suit is completely black instead of purple (all the better for hiding in the shadows) and she does not wear the cowl.
4. Batman Returns Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer)
The iconic, gothic Catwoman – complete with skin-tight black leather cat-suit, dark smoky eyes, pale complexion and blood red lips. Hathaway’s incarnation is much more low-key in this respect, as she dons more classy, natural make-up and a cat-suit that doesn’t scream Art Attack.
5. 2004 Catwoman (Halle Berry)
An outfit that most people never want to see again, as Berry wears a stripper-like, not-very-protective outfit of a leather bra, slashed leather trousers with peep-toe heeled shoes, large leather gloves with cat-claws and the classic cowl. If this Catwoman thought this was inconspicuous, she completely failed. She sticks out like a sore thumb, unlike Hathaway’s outfit, which will allow her to hide in the shadows quickly if in trouble.
6. Arkham City Catwoman (Grey DeLisle)
Perhaps the most similar to Hathaway’s outfit after Julie Newmar’s, this version is clad in a full-body black leather cat-suit (which seems more on the biker or military edge and is not as shiny as some of the other Catwoman cat-suits), long black leather heeled boots and gloves with small claws. She also wears the classic cowl, Michelle Pfeiffer-style smoky eyes and red goggles, which allow her to see enemies in an infrared-style vision mode.
The Dark Knight Rises is due to release in the UK on July 20th, 2012.
Anne Hathaway Image Source – I Watch Stuff
News sources – Huffington Post, Entertainment Weekly