Crowds flock to greet Batman

Batman is supposed to fight crime, but this week in Hong Kong he seemed stuck battling disgruntled residents and environmentalists.

But all the complaints stopped yesterday as the stars of The Dark Knight emerged from their luxury suites at the Four Seasons hotel - a little jetlagged but smiling - first to declare their love for Hong Kong and then to film on the city's streets.

More than 500 fans, tourists and curious onlookers armed with cameras jammed Lyndhurst Terrace and the Mid-Levels escalator in Central to watch the action unfold throughout the afternoon.

Director Christopher Nolan and stars Christian Bale (Batman) and Oscar-winner Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox) arrived on Thursday night, but the production team had weathered a tough week without them.

First came noise complaints from Central and Western residents about low-flying aircraft and helicopters used to film certain scenes. Then there were claims that a scene where Batman falls into the harbour had to be cut due to pollution.

And finally there were complaints from environmentalists after producers urged commercial buildings along the harbourfront to keep their lights on all night to better illuminate the city. Only a few more than 20 per cent of those asked agreed to do so.

Nolan said he had the idea to take Batman out of Gotham City and bring him to Hong Kong to capitalise on the spectacular skyline. "Hong Kong is really an extraordinary place to take this character out of his ordinary environment," he said. Freeman said he had enjoyed the view from his hotel room on the 46th floor.

Bale said he was looking forward to "climbing your highest buildings and jumping off them". He did not jump, but standing in his bat suit at the edge of Hong Kong's tallest building, Two IFC, he certainly made for spectacular viewing for those with telescopes and binoculars.

On the escalator, dozens of police struggled to keep control as fans tried to get close to the stars. During the shoot, Bale looked cool in a tie-less suit and sunglasses and waved to fans during breaks in filming. Freeman walked close to Bale and the two exchanged words.

Before action was called, assistant director Gary Mak Wing-lun used hand signals to remind the crowd to keep silent. Shooting finished at 5.30pm. Mak said the day's filming had been "very, very smooth. The onlookers have been very co-operative, although some camera flashes hindered the shooting".

The crowd included Kitty, who had come all the way from New York and dressed for the occasion in a black shirt, skirt and a Batman mask.

"I've been a superfan of Batman for 15 years," she said. "I am very excited and I can tell my friends 'I was there for the movie'."

Lyndhurst Terrace newspaper vendor Cheng Kwong-sum said 20 per cent of his newspapers were unsold but it was a "worthy sacrifice to have such a big movie shoot here".

Johnny Hanson, who owns the shop American Nutrition, had Bale stop and buy some products. "It kills business, but it's good for the neighbourhood in the long term. Last time people came to buy things because they saw us in the movies."