Final Batman Essay
Final Batman Essay
Targets for Improvement
I got 18/28 marks, which I think is pretty good, but I think I could’ve done a lot better. For improvement, I think mainly I need to develop my points a bit better. There were some points that, while good, I didn’t fully explain and develop. If I had put more time into rewriting some parts and adding some more, I think I could’ve gotten a higher mark, so I’ll keep that in mind for next time.
Superhero Analysis
Superhero Representation Slideshow
Batman’s representation in The Dark Knight subverts the generic superhero archetype. The main thing to consider is Batman’s questionable morality. Batman is fine with doing bad things for the greater good. This is most clear at the end of the film when he takes responsibility for Dent’s murders to assure that the city continues to have faith in justice. Other superheros generally have a simple good vs. bad morality, and their representation in their films are generally, as a result, quite simple in their morality.
Textual Analysis in The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight Hospital Scene
My Analysis
This scene epitomises The Joker’s character throughout the film, showing a lot of his key traits, which emphasises a lot of the film’s overall themes. The scene shows him trying to push Dent to seek revenge for Rachel’s death. This is a very good example of the way The Joker operates, looking to create more chaos whenever he can. Immediately after leaving, too, he blows up the hospital. Walking off centre of the frame and stumbling around, we see The Joker’s actions as a physical manifestation of his love of chaos and disorder. The single strip of lighting from the window shining on The Joker while he speaks to Dent I think adds to this atmosphere.
The Ultimate Villain (The Joker)
Lessons From The Screenplay
The Joker as The Ultimate Antagonist
The Joker is the perfect antagonist for Batman.
- They are fighting for the same thing – their ideal Gotham (Batman’s being crime free while The Joker’s being chaotic.)
- The Joker knows exactly how to exploit Batman’s weaknesses, except unlike Superman’s kryptonite, Batman’s weakness comes from his own morals and character.
- This exploitation of his weaknesses pushes him to make difficult decisions which reveals Batman’s true character.
- Batman, therefore, becomes a better person as a result of The Joker – they complete each other, like The Joker says.
Advanced Cinematography
Advanced Cinematography Powerpoint
Famous Shots
The Searchers (1956) – Cinematography by Winton C. Hoch.
The focus of the shot is right in the middle of the shot. The doorway acts as a frame within a frame, with negative space covering the rest of it, so all the viewer focuses on is the character.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) – Cinematography by Sławomir Idziak
The character is slightly off centre, showing that he is nervous and out of control of the situation. There are vertical leading lines on the wall and horizontal ones on the ground that lead one’s eyes to the character.
Blade Runner 2049 (2017) – Cinematography by Roger Deakins
The character is in the middle of the shot, facing away from the camera. The simplicity of the colours and the set gives us the impression of the character as being independent, lonely and somewhat confident. The rusty, deep red colour palette creates both a feeling of disorientation due to the haziness, but also the danger that comes with the colour red.
Dark Knight – Dark Ideas
Dark Knight Article
Dark Knight, Dark Ideas by Peter Turner
Summary of Key Points
- Batman isn’t necessarily a hero. He is shown as a vigilante, who is unburdened by laws and rules, he isn’t afraid to be seen as the villain for the greater good. Batman, however, needs a villain, he needs disorder and chaos so he has something he can fight against. This is why Batman, with his seemingly-limitless wealth chooses not to spend it on something more productive than new toys to play with when beating up criminals.
- Batman’s ethics are murky and, despite choosing not to kill anybody, he does resort to disturbing decisions such as torturing The Joker and spying on the entirety of Gotham. This makes it difficult to distinguish good from evil, and parallels can be drawn between Batman’s actions “fighting” crime and the decisions of America in trying to fight terrorism.
- There is a clear class divide in Gotham, and it’s important to consider that Bruce Wayne is a millionaire who doesn’t have much of an idea of poverty or its prevalence in Gotham. Batman has a reactionary role, in that he does not fight the cause of crime, he just fights the “bad guys”.
- Nolan represents the people of Gotham as docile and keen to let Batman save them rather than do anything for themselves.
The Importance of Reading Articles
Reading articles and reviews of films we’re studying is important because it helps give us ideas of exactly what we’re talking about. Different people will always have different interpretations of each part of a film and by reading reviews and articles, we can get more ideas on how to interpret the film along with some social or political context we may have otherwise missed.
9/11, The War on Terror & The Dark Knight
Terrorism, War, and Bush 43: Crash Course US History
Relation to The Dark Knight
- The 9/11 attacks on America showed people a different kind of threat that hadn’t been obvious in recent history. There were people willing to die just to cause terror and discourse. This can be seen very clearly in The Dark Knight as The Joker is only interested in watching the world burn, with no motive for any kind of money or power, and he has no fear of dying to achieve his goals.
- There could be a comparison drawn between Batman’s decision to be seen as the villain for the sake of the city and Bush’s willingness to go to war and develop his “war on terror”, even if it hurts public opinion of him.
- Just like Batman is nothing without an enemy to fight, many people believe that some wanted a reason to go to war for the sake of being able to go to war.
The Dark Knight Narrative Analysis
Narrative in The Dark Knight
How far is the hero’s journey completed?
One of the main things that sets The Dark Knight apart from its superhero film peers is its disregard for the generic story structure that superhero films tend to follow. Batman / Wayne does not have a happy ending. He does not “get the girl”. The villain escapes, Harvey Dent – once the city’s hope for justice – loses his sanity, murders various people and dies, and all hope is lost when Batman takes the blame for the murders Dent committed. Through the film, we can see a fine start to the hero’s journey, however following the death of Rachel the hope for a happy ending begins to dwindle. There is no satisfaction to the story, which is unfortunate, but it reflects the bleak atmosphere that Nolan was trying to create.