Batman Returns - Catwoman

THE CAT

If Sigourney Weaver and Linda Hamilton introduced a new breed of tough but material genre heroine, then Michelle Pfeiffer's whip-cracking dominatrix of BATMAN RETURNS is their dark, psycho-feminist alter ego. Bubbling just beneath the battered cowl is enough ripe sensuality and twisted rage to make them look like mere kittens to her spitting panther.

Catwoman is a far cry from Pfeifferr's demure perfomances in Dangerous Liaisons and the Russia House. ''I was getting sick of the melancholy roles, so I was delighted when the opportunity presented itself,'' she says. That opportunity arose after Annette Bening's much publicized parting, but Pfeiffer couldn't fully comprehend the magnitude of her decision until it came time to don the head-to-toe rubber catsuit. ''The first few weeks were miserable,'' she groans, ''painful to the point where I couldn't really walk or breath or hear or talk. I kept wondering how I would ever get beyond all of these uncomfortable obstacles to do a decent job.''

Despite the initial discomfort, Pfeiffer found that being inside the suit helped her with the Catwoman characterization, for which she adopted a deep Joan Crawford-inspired voice. ''I found it much easier playing the bumbling, nerdy Selina. I really had to work my way towards Catwoman,'' she says. ''When you look at yourself in the mirror, you can't help but feel different wearing this outfit. And on the last day, it was so liberating finally taking it off, yet at the same time it was kind of sad to hang up my suit.''

While the costume sealed her exterior, Pfeiffer found that raw inhibition was the key to the character. ''I'm dressed up like a cat, totally exposed and behaving in ways that women aren't normally conditioned to behave. In order to do this, I had to let go of all my inhibition in a bigger way than I've ever had to do before. I knew I was in good hands with Tim, but in the hands of a lesser director, it would've been a very broad thing to do.''

Though she had a hoard of stunt doubles and world champion kickboxer Kathy Long doing her flashier routines, Pfeiffer went through her own rigorous training for the role. ''I loved the physicality of the character. I started training about a month before shooting and averaged four hours a day doing kickboxing, some martial arts, yoga and gymnastics.''

She also became proficient with the character's trademark bullwhip, courtesy of maestro Anthony Delongis. ''I loved the whip,'' she laughs. ''There was a beauty and an elegance and a sexuality and almost a graceful dance-like quality to it that at any moment could turn violent. I thought this made it much more threatening and certainly more feline and feminine.''

On the subject of whips and the provocative black attire, Pfeiffer tends to sidestep the more sadomasochistic overtones of her character. ''I don't think it's an issue,'' she says defensively. ''I mean, what, I lick Batman's face. Big deal. I'm not tying him up or beating him up and having sex with him. (Well, I think that in a s/m affair Batman would be the s…) It's all open to interpretation; besides, there are far more explicit things on television.''

Instead, she prefers to take a different slant, saying, ''I look at the movie more metaphoricaly, in that it's a statement aboit empowerment and about this character's coming into her own, and part of that is her sexuality.

It's a strong theme in today's society because there probably isn't a woman alive who doesn't know what it feels like to be in the work force and not be listened to. There are so many out there who are harassed and are terrified of their boss, who haven't been able to find a voice for themselves. I think she's an inspiration and a positive role model for women, even though she's also very tragic.''

According to Pfeiffer, her Catwoman reflects the times as much as the comic book character has over the years. ''When you look a t the evolution of Catwoman in the old comic books from the 30's, she wa sobviously representative of women from that era. And when you look at her in the 50's, she's more voluptuous and kitten-like while in the 70's she became much more muscular and steamlined. The Catwoman in this movie is definitely a reflection of what's happening today.''

With Batman Forever directed by Joel Schumacher, it had been widely reported that Tim Burton was interested in pursuing a separate film featuring Pfeiffer's Catwoman. ''I'd love to do it if Tim were up for it, but these movies take a lot out of him,'' the actress admitted. ''I feel like I just began. Toward the end of shooting Batman Returns, I was really up to speed where I began having lots of fun with the character. I'd really like to see how much weirder it would evolve.''

The Catwoman in the comics:

Catwoman first appeared in Batman #1 in Spring 1940. Selina Kyle had been in an airplane crash which erased her memory and quite clearly caused other pressure on her brain. The previously honest airline stewardess and later, pet-shop owner) took up criminal activity, perhaps in the unspoken hope that apprehension by authorities would provide her with the medical attention she needed. In any case, she too became involved in jewel robberies, using cats and cat-themed operations.

Quite unlike the bloodthirsty Joker, however, Catwoman was not only against killing, she was actually secretly in love with Batman. In her mind's jumbled state, the expression of her affection took the form of a continuous battle of wits with the Caped Crusader, and it continued thoughout the 40's (she appeared nearly two-dozen times between 1940 and 1954). Catwoman has come out of her criminal state at various times in her career, and sometimes manages to maintain her true personality. The latest version is a ex-prostitute and cat-buglar, who learned her defensive and fighting skills from Ted Grant, the original Wildcat. Though she is protective of girls and young women who remind her of her own situation, she is apparently not unwilling to kill. She starred in a 1991 mini-series and in a 1993 on going series.