The Joker has been represented in two films in the last 30 years, Batman (1989) played by Jack Nicholson and The Dark Knight (2008) played by Heath Ledger. Batman’s director Tim Burton gave Nicholson’s Joker an identity outside the Joker persona: an identity that effects his motivations and the overall tone of the film as being filled with revenge. In contrast, The Dark Knight’s director Christopher Nolan focuses on the mental connection between Ledger’s Joker and Batman (Christian Bale) through juxtaposing Joker’s anarchy to Batman’s morality. The motivations behind each portrayal are reflected in the way their respective personas were created. Nicholson’s motivation is all about revenge against Batman (Michael Keaton), Grissom (Jack Palance), …show more content…
His mental connection with Batman comes out in full force in the interrogation scene with Batman after the before mentioned kidnapping, a point Rodriguez mentions in his article “The interrogation scene with Batman exemplifies this point, when the Joker responds to Batman's claim that he is "garbage who kills for money" by saying "you're just a freak like me!" (Physiognomy and Freakery: The Joker On Film). Ledger’s Joker looks at Batman as just like him and he later destroys the insult that Batman throws at him in this scene, when he burns his half of the mob money. This is a major difference between the two portrayals of Joker as Nicholson’s version is trying to kill Batman instead of worrying about some moral code. This difference is a consequence of Nicholson’s character having the identity of Jack Napier, that he has connection outside the villain-superhero feud between the two: a connection exists to the man inside of Batman, Bruce Wayne. Therefore, Batman becomes a revenge film from both sides as Batman is looking to avenge his parent’s death at the hands of Jack Napier/Joker while Joker is on a quest to kill Batman to repay him for his role in making him the …show more content…
However, in The Dark Knight the audience didn’t need a death for closure as the film was a physiological thriller about a clash between the morals of Batman and the antithesis of those morals in the chaos of Ledger’s Joker. Nolan chooses to have the fight for Gotham’s soul to decide the winner and not have a fight to the death. Batman’s refusal to give into the corruption Ledger’s Joker is constantly forcing on his psyche is described in detail in Vilja Johnson’s article “'It's What You Do that Defines You:' Christopher Nolan's Batman as Moral Philosopher”. Johnson focuses on their last encounter in The Dark Knight to demonstrate this “When Batman pushes the Joker off of himself and over the building's edge, he could justify the death as self-defense, and yet he chooses to save the falling villain at the last moment” ('It's What You Do that Defines You:' Christopher Nolan's Batman as Moral Philosopher”). Nolan’s decision to keep the connection between Ledger’s version and Batman mental made this a possible outcome for film in a way Burton’s Batman didn’t. Nicholson’s Joker had no choice but to die to allow Keaton’s Batman to have a closure in his parent’s death that Bale’s Batman gained in Nolan’s first film Batman Begins with Joe Chill’s
It has been eight years since the ending of the previous movie, The Dark Knight. At the end of this movie, Batman took the blame for the people killed by Harvey Dent, the district attorney who set out a war against crime. During The Dark Knight, crime had decreased dramatically because of him and Batman. Numerous criminals were placed in prison because of him. Therefore, Batman took the blame for his murders because he understood that a discovery of Harvey Dent’s killings would allow the numerous criminals that he imprisoned to be set free.
The assumption that everyone makes about the joker is that he is socially awkward and bizarre. It is not okay that people assume that because they are judging him on how he looks and act but never really think if there is something mentally wrong with him. If people keep saying that he’s weird or if they don’t believe that something is mentally wrong with him he probably will get more insane. The truth about the joker is that he actually has something mentally wrong with him.
Instantaneously, the title of The Dark Knight jumps out as a parallel to Jesus Christ. The title is stating that the dark knight, Batman , rises, just like Jesus arose. A Knight is “a man ,usually of noble birth, bound to chivalrous conduct” Referring to Batman as a dark knight gives off the impression that, although he is good, there is something dark about him. The dark side of Batman can be said to be that he is the one who killed Harvey when in reality later throughout the movie it explains that he did not kill him, Batman is indeed good. Although Jesus would be considered a “good knight” some may have viewed him as a dark knight because he disturbed some of the peace. Jesus was viewed as someone who came about to disturb the peace of the
Somebody who had established higher power in their community. Somebody who tried to run from fate, and has the moment of recognition and understanding of their destiny. Batman. Even though he is considered the strong and powerful superhero of Gotham City, Batman's characteristic features show that he relates strongly to that of a "tragic" hero. In the beginning, the Batman is presented at a higher state of appreciation, even though the police see him as a vigilante. Despite his wealth, Batman, otherwise known as Bruce Wayne, is easily relatable to audiences, which makes it easy to sympathize and empathize with the character. Batman is in a constant battle within himself, trying to be the good guy, while defeating the bad guys. His morals prove true when he admits that he won't kill any of the many villians that cause destruction for Gotham City. But, because of this moral, sometimes the villians end up escaping and doing more harm then good. In the end, this interal chaos and internal battle is seen interally and externally through Batman. At the end of the most recent Batman series, The Dark Knight, his exit at the end of the movie is, in essence, his figurative death. Bruce Wayne wants to keep Gotham City safe. And with the "Batman" gone, villians will be least likely to continue to destroy and conquer. As an audience, we cling to the edge of our seats and feel dismay for our beloved superhero and what is to become of
The antithesis of Batman - The Joker, a terrorist and deranged killer. He is madness incarnate. However there is a profound simplicity, a calm at times within The Jokers brutal character “Why so serious?” (Joker The Dark Knight). The character treads a fine line between insanity and great brilliance. It is this menacing attitude that makes him such a prolific villain, he wants nothing but to be “an agent of chaos” (Joker The Dark Knight). He stands for anarchy and madness, the creation of a changing society post 9/11, a terrorist threatening to voice out and defy the government going against the dominant system. He sets about knocking out the system from the ground up, one by one creating fear and anarchy “the only sensible way to live in this world is without rules”...
James Holmes went to see the film The Dark Night Rises. He was in the theatre for twenty minutes, left, then came back with full tactical gear on and weapons in hand. He shot smoke and gas canisters on innocent bystanders in the theatre. He then shot into the crowd. He killed twelve people and wounded another seventy people. When he was taken the police station they asked for his name. He identified himself as “The Joker,” the main villain in the movie. James Holmes clearly saw the movie and imitated the
Batman (Christian Bale) is hoping to hand on his crime fighting duties to D.A Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) yet when Batman’s cards are on the table the twisted mastermind who goes by the name of the joker (Heath Ledger), forces the masked vigilante to go against everything he ever stood for.
Smoke billows out from a Manhattan skyscraper, damaged by a fiery explosion. This could easily be a scene from 9/11, however we see Batman looking grimly on as a poster advertises the film will be released soon. Clearly this film plays on the fears of terrorism. As depicted in The Dark Knight, the Joker plays the terrorist, while Gotham’s leadership struggles to contain him. The film departs from the superhero ideals of pure good versus pure evil, showing a murky world where moral decisions have to be made in order to stop evil. Because of this, The Dark Knight seems to be an allegory for the War on Terrorism. This paper will look at how the Joker represents terrorism, while Batman represents George Bush and his administration’s War on Terror.
He was faced to let the Joker murder a person everyday he didn't come forward or risk his secret identity and the people in his life get killed. While Joker and Batman were arguing Batman asks why Joker hasn't just killed him yet, and Joker was basically saying because it wouldn't be fun, so Batman says “You’re garbage. You kill for money.” Which is true, Batman is there to save innocent people and get rid of the criminals like the Joker. Batman decides to still keep his identity a secret. Batman should have just came forward so that innocent people wouldn't have had to
Why so serious? If I were to ask you that question six months ago, you wouldn’t understand the phrase. Now that The Dark Knight has been made though, most people will understand what I am talking about. Ever since The Dark Knight was created, the joker has been thrust back into the public eye. Most people only know the joker from the performances of Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight and Jack Nicholson in the 1989 film Batman. Most people forget that the Joker has been a villain since 1940 in Batman #1 (spring edition). The Joker has been reinvented every decade since his first appearance. He started off as a homicidal maniac, then a criminal that was just a harmless nuisance to becoming a mass murdering, schizophrenic clown that we know today. He has been named number one on the Wizard’s list for one hundred all-time villains. In this speech I will tell you how the joker was created, the criminal career of the joker, and trademark characteristics of the joker.
''Nevertheless, according to Gustin Wyatt (1994), sometimes a stars uniqueness functions as 'excess', uncoupled from either plot or character development, as with Jack Nicholson's quirky turn as the Joker in Batman (1989)''. (Pam Cook: 2007, p.131).
Delicatessen tells the story of a post-apocalyptic world where many people are starving and are forced to take extreme measures to survive. The film fallows a group of people living in an apartment building run by the butcher who owns it. To survive this group of people have resulted to cannibalism. The dark subject matter in the film may prevent some viewers from appreciating the comedy hidden within; however, it is also what gives this film a unique feel and make the comedic elements have a greater impact on most viewers. Dark Comedies demonstrate the importance of balancing humor and seriousness in order provide a truly enjoyable film.
For my example of a trickster I am using The Joker from the popular movie franchise by Christopher Noland “Batman Begins”. I will be using the second movie in the franchise “The Dark Knight” for my example of The Joker portrayed by actor Heath Ledger. The Joker is part of the criminal element that is part of the chief city represented in the world of Batman. Although he takes part in criminal acts within this city he was once a soldier in the armed forces and suffers from PTSD as well as other mental health problems stemming from his service. Through this dichotomy we can see that he was once an agent of justice and now acts as though he is a criminal but states himself within the movie that he is only “an agent of chaos”.
Specifically when he says, “Nobody panics when things go to plan, even if the plan is horrifying” (Tryee, 2009). The Joker said this when he was talking to Harvey Dent. He was giving him a speech before he blew up the hospital because he knew if he did not change his mind about who the real killer was, then he would surely die next. The Joker murdered Harvey’s girlfriend Rachel, so avenging her death is what Harvey wants to do. The point of his speech was to change the direction of the blame. Everyone is to blame except himself for the death of Rachel. The blame is on society. Suggesting that Rachel was going to die anyway and that she was not important enough or people to actually try and stop the chaos. His persuasive words work on Harvey and he becomes the murderous “Two-face”. Honestly, his mental issues are what persuade and scare Harvey into listening to him. I want to find a pattern, or a common motive from The Joker, but taking innocent minded people and turning them into monsters strays away from what I think the real purpose
Batman Begins has an incredible amount of struggles that not only Bruce Wayne must face but all of Gotham must face. The first of many of these was Thomas and Martha Wayne's sudden death at the beginning. This left both the people of Gotham and Bruce Wayne to struggle along without them “Their deaths galvanized the city into saving itself and Gotham has limped on ever since.” (Batman Begins, Ras Al Ghul, Scene 31) This also created much anger and rage in Bruce Wayne that he released as Batman. There is also the struggle with the crime rate in Gotham and keeping alive the cities slowly falling government. These things differ from the Dark Knight where the struggles are with mainly the Joker and his actions. Many more unexpected and out of control struggles occur in The Dark Knight. The Joker (mastermind terrorist) creates many series of problems and difficulties for Batman, Gordon, Dent, and all of Gotham in general. Another big problem, quite different from the first one is the capturing of Joker. Unlike the first film, the struggles of The Dark Knight are much more external while the first one was fixing what was on Gotham’s internal problems. An example was after Rachel’s death it changed Harvey into an evil person therefore changing the whole ending of the movie, and a lot of the next one. Another big difference between the two films is The Dark Knight has a lot more violence and explosions,