Dark Knight - a few thoughts
Last Saturday saw the release of Dark Knight over here in Japan. For those of you who have not had contact with civilization over the past month or so, that is the name of the new Batman film. So much has been said about this film, and in particular, about Heath Ledger’s performance as The Joker. Would he surpass Jack Nicholson’s performance in the same role 19 years ago… did his involvement in this particular character help to push him over the edge and have a part to play in his untimely death by overdosing on medication… these were just 2 of the many questions people have been asking about this film. From last Saturday, Japanese cinema-goers had a chance to find out.
First of all, so much has been said about The Joker that we should probably start there. Times have changed, and for those of you with a long enough memory, you will recall that Jack Nicholson was not the first person to play The Joker on the screen. 1966 brought about not only a World Cup win for England, but also the late Cesar Romero as The Joker (see below), fighting against Adam West’s Batman. The Batman TV series was a family show, where punches were not shown on screen in favour of cartoon-like explosions with “POW!”, “BAM!” or “KAPOW!” written over them. It was essentially a show that everyone could watch. While The Joker was the villain, he was a humourous villain and was likeable in the role.
1989 brought about the Tiananmen Square Massacre, but also a new face of the Joker for the first in a new generation of Batman films. This time we had Jack Nicholson in the role (see below), fighting against Michael Keaton’s Batman. I love Jack Nicholson as an actor and he is at his best when playing the villains (take his role in The Shining, for example). The makeup of The Joker changed somewhat, but the character style remained the same. Although we were dealing with a cinematic villain, he was portrayed in the comedy, family-oriented way. His comedy suits, flowers in the lapel that fired out sleeping gas, that kind of thing. Nicholson’s performance was commended by all and people said he was perfect for the role.
So, with that brief history of The Joker, we come right back to 2008 and the release of Dark Knight. The City is the same, and the characters are the same (the hero Batman against the evil Joker), but something here has changed. Dark Knight is an appropriate title for this film as, if there’s one thing this film is, it is dark. From start to finish it’s a disturbing ride, and none more so than when it comes to the psyche of The Joker. His character has changed from likeable villain into sadistic and deranged psychopath, which is kind of how he was portrayed in the original comic books. And Heath Ledger was able to bring this out in his performance perfectly. From the delivery of the lines to the smallest mannerisms, his character had the audience hooked. The first couple of times you laugh at the little jokes he makes, and then you realise there is something much darker & twisted in there as it grips you and pulls you in. Ledger’s career was unfortunately cut tragically short, but it is easy to say he gave the performance of his life here. I always like reading the behind-the-scenes snippets of information about films, and IMDB has a very interesting one about Ledger’s preparation for this role:
“To prepare for his role as the Joker, Heath Ledger lived alone in a hotel room for a month, formulating the character’s psychology, posture and voice (the last one he found most difficult to do). He started a diary, in which he wrote the Joker’s thoughts and feelings to guide himself during his performance. He was also given Alan Moore’s comic “Batman: The Killing Joke” and “Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth” to read. Ledger also took inspiration from A Clockwork Orange (1971)’s Alex and Sid Vicious.”
Every once in a while, you go to the cinema and come out pretty much speechless for a minute or 2. It might only happen once every few years or even longer, but you remember the film clearly. For me, this was one of those films. But it wasn’t just Ledger’s performance that made this movie what it is. Christian Bale was excellent once again as Batman, receiving support from Morgan Freeman, Aaron Eckhart and Maggie Gyllenhall as Rachel Dawes. It’s a shame that Katie Holmes couldn’t have continued her role as Rachel (apparently due to “scheduling conflicts), but Gyllenhall put in a good showing, and has the looks of a younger Carrie Fisher.
One thing I do have to comment on is the rating this film has been given. How the hell has this film been certified as a 12A rated film in the UK. Now aside from the fact that 12A is a joke rating if we are all being honest, there is no way this should be anything less than a 15. OK, there is very little blood shown in the film and a lot of the violence is not graphically shown, but this is a disturbing film. The BBFC is already in hot water about this film, as reported on the BBC. They say the film is a fantasy movie with only implied violence. If we go back to the 1989 film then I would agree it is a fantasy film with implied violence. This movie is dark and looks into the mind of a psychopath. I would definitely not take my 12-year old child to see the movie.
But saying that, anyone who can get to see this film should really do so. I am sure it is going to be the film of the year and will win a number of Oscars in early 2009. Just be prepared for something very different from previous installments of the franchise.
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Thanks for the update Dave. Some nice research by the way!
Am looking forward seeing the movie myself!
Fred West’s Batman? Not certain THAT was a family show (or maybe it was!)
Think you were thinking of Adam mate!
Ste - that has to be the Freudian slip of the decade! Maybe Myra Hindley could have played Catwoman! Have changed it now.
Mark Hamill (yes, Luke Skywalker) also does a highly acclaimed Joker in Batman the Animated Series. Worth Checking Out to complete the list here.
Never watched the animated Batman series, but may have to check it out. Thanks Jay!
Heading to see the film tomorrow night after discussing your review with you.
Though on a lighter note - do you have a 12 year old child you’ve not mentioned??? Bim x
Bim - very possibly!