Month: December 2020

Batman context and critical reception.

Jasmine Clement on

 

Significant Event in Politics / Society Details Relevance to The Dark Knight
Al Gore won the popular vote, but Bush won the electoral votes (Bush v. Gore controversy) Bush ran instead of Clinton. Began a missile program and started to drill in Antartica. Cut taxes in an attempt to stimulate the economy. In theory people should have gained a larger amount of proportional income, however, class inequalities still existed on a large scale
9/11, brought America together (through patriotism) and the ‘war on terror’ Redefined ‘freedom’ in the US.

Bush doctrine – go to war with terrorists (started an ‘with us or with them’ ideology)

 General public has a harsher view on terrorists / anyone who threatens the American view of the status quo
‘Axis of evil’, countries that supposedly harboured terrorists More animosity / less care towards other nations Batman (and many of the viewers) had no qualms breaking international law to bring Lau back to the US, to be tried on American terms.
USA PATRIOT Act – Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism USA Patriot Act allowed people to be spied on and detained and introduced ‘Advanced Interrogation techniques’ Batman uses both ‘Advanced Interrogation techniques’ and a sophisticated surveillance system, jarring to watch and worse when you realise they are both things the government can legally do in the name of ‘freedom’.
Hurricane Katrina exposed inequalities Showed class divisions Gotham is home to both billionaires and the impoverished, class inequality is the most striking here (Gotham = microcosm of US?)

CrashCourse. (2014). Terrorism, War, and Bush 43: Crash Course US History #46. [Online Video]. 30 January 2014. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/. [Accessed: 11 December 2020].

Dark Knight, Dark Ideas

Turner, P., 2020. Dark Knight, Dark Ideas: The Ideology of Nolan’s Batman Trilogy. Media Magazine, [Online]. Available at: https://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/media-magazine/articles/16916 [Accessed 11 December 2020].

The Ultimate Villain (The Joker)

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A large part of what makes the Dark Knight such a compelling story is the dynamic between Batman and his perfect opposition – the Joker. A large part of what makes the conflict between the two so riveting is that the Joker is amazing at targetting Batman’s weaknesses (which he wasn’t even aware that he had). The closest thing to a superpower that Batman has is his ability to scare his opponents (Bruce Wayne chose the symbol of the bat as he has a fear of them). The Joker appears to have no fear, making it difficult for Batman to fight him. The Joker is delighted when Batman fights him physically, evening wanting Batman to kill him (turning Batman’s moral code into a weakness).

The Joker also pressures Batman into difficult choices (whether or not to reveal his identity and whether he should rescue Harvey Dent or Rachel) in an attempt to reduce him to his most desperate state and pushing him into revealing his true character. Batman’s unwillingness to reveal himself and his inability to stop the Joker’s destruction turns public opinion against him. With his reputation in shambles Batman is ready to give up and fold to the Joker’s demands. Harvey’s intervention is the only thing that stops him from turning himself in.

Another thing that makes the Joker so compelling is that his goals mirror Batman’s, bringing the two of them into direct conflict. Batman fights to create a Gotham without crime. The Joker wants chaos, wanting the civilians to show their own ‘true colours’. The very nature of their conflict means that only one of them can win, which is a daunting propect as the Joker has just as much power as Batman. The Joker forces Batman to question all that he thought he knew about criminals and vigilantism (Batman previously believed that the root of Gotham’s crime was money). Batman has to learn to stop underestimating his opponents (and therefore stop overestimating his own abilities) due to his previous strengths becoming weaknesses.

In the competition for ‘the soul of Gotham’, Batman learns from the Joker.

Batman becomes the Dark Knight because of the Joker.

Lighting

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There are several types of lighting used in film, used to achieve different effects.

The key light is usually the strongest light, it is the ‘main’ light, used to light the subject and other objects in frame. It can sometimes be placed behind the subject to create a more sinister mood.

The fill light is used to ‘fill in’ the shadows left by the key light. It’s less powerful than the key light and placed opposite to add more depth to the scene.

Backlighting is used to add more dimension to the scene, by preventing the subject from blending in to the background.

Side lighting is often used on it’s own (without a fill light), creating stark shadows and only lighting one side of the subject – this is often referred to as ‘chiaroscuro’ lighting.

High key lighting is used to create a bright scene without shadows. This is often used for happy scenes or for bright settings (such as beaches).

Low key lighting does the opposite, creating shadows to add an air of mystery, suspense or horror.

The Dark Knight Narrative Analysis

Jasmine Clement on

Many films follow a similar hero’s journey. However, the Dark Knight is unconventional in several ways. We start with the status quo, Batman spends his nights fighting crime on the streets of Gotham. Then we have the call to adventure, this happens much later than usual, with Joker sending a video threat to Batman via the news (about 40 mins into the film). Batman receives assistance from Lucius Fox, who makes him a better suit. Next is the departure, The Dark Knight is unconventional in that Batman doesn’t leave Gotham city nor does he depart from his usual tactics. Batman is trialed by the Joker when he forces him to choose between Rachel and Dent, and has to recover from Rachel’s death. His crisis point is when several of Gotham’s citizens are on two cruise liners that the Joker has rigged with explosives. Another subversion of the hero’s journey is that Batman receives no treasure, he fails to get ‘the girl’ and doesn’t even get recognition for his efforts. The story does not return to the status quo, with Batman fleeing Gotham and his reputation ruined.