The dialogue in this opening is used as a quick-fire way of relaying information to the audience. Without it, we would be left in the dark and the scene would lose its awe. Firstly, the clowns discuss who the Joker is and why he is called "the Joker". None of them have a definite story, only theories. This is the first instance of the clouding of the Joker's background, which recurs throughout the film, most notably by the Joker himself. This starts a mystery of who this person really is. When the Joker is caught later in the film, the police find he has no other alias. He is simply 'The Joker' and has no personal life or background.
However, the Joker gives a hint at his past by saying "I believe whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you stranger". This is referring to the scars on his face - a chelsea grin, which is a method of killing typically used by street gangs and mobs, which suggests he's had a bad run-in with those types before. This could possibly explain why he's targeted a mob bank for his robbery.
Other bits of dialogue slowly reveal some facts about what's going on - there are 6 guys involved, they're robbing a mob bank (the joker is apparently "as crazy as they say"), and the Joker has ordered each of the clowns to kill each other in a specific order. Even through all this, the dialogue does not reveal the full extent of the plan, which is synonymous with the Joker's other plans. The method of escaping is only shown, not spoken, other than a brief mention of killing a 'bus driver'.
Wednesday, 30 March 2011
Thursday, 24 March 2011
Music
The music in this scene is a mixture of electronic and orchestral instruments. The electronic parts make a high-pitched whining noise (smilar to feedback from a mic or amplifier) which grows in volume and raises in pitch. They also make sudden, loud dissonant chords in a very low pitch. This is mixed with the violin, playing fast, staccatto notes. There are also drums that come in to emphasise the action, being of fast tempo and loud. When the scene is lacking action (like when the characters are dealing with the hostages) the percussion keeps a steady, fast beat that sounds like a ticking bomb. The combination of all this gives a sense of urgency and chaos, being both fast and unpredictable, which reflects the scene in front of us. When things get more chaotic (i.e. the banker pulls out his shotgun) the drums become prominent, and the electronic music and violin alternate in quick succession. The music also drops to a very low volume for dialogue, allowing the viewers' focus to be controlled.
This piece is quite important considering it is the Joker's theme throughout the film. It's possible to sense the Joker's prescence in a scene simply by this music, whether he has appeared yet or not. On the other hand, it is very subtle - usually only the electronic feedback plays if he has not appeared yet. This noise is ear-piercing and as it grows in volume and pitch, it raises suspense. The electronic chords are usually associated with gunshots/death, highlighting that moment of surprise when the character on-screen is killed unexpectedly. This would come after the build-up from the feedback.
The music in Christopher Nolan's film is very different from other Batman films and from typical superhero movies. When you watch a superhero movie, you expect grand, heroic music - orchestrated with powerful brass, something triumphant and bright. However, with this film we hear a lot more tension rather than triumph. The music is fast, and electronic. It's noisy and dissonant. This is reflective of the chaotic nature of the film and its characters, and the high-pitched feedback creates tension and chills the listener rather than reassures them. In comparison to older Batman films, where the music is orchestrated and campy, this is a big change. Tim Burton's Batman films featured music by composer Danny Elfman, who does music for The Simpsons, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and other family-oriented films. This is easy to hear as his works often have a 'bounce' in them - dark but humourously so. This is not the case with The Dark Knight. Its music was composed by Hans Zimmer, who composed for Inception, Sherlock Holmes, and Pirates of the Caribbean.
Example of Danny Elfman's Batman score:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4ydxgekFls
Example of Hans Zimmer's Dark Knight score:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QjuEWsdgEc
Character/Performance
The main characters in this opening are the clowns. The character design is meant to be threatening and dark. As such, the clowns are all wearing suits, gloves, and masks. This cuts out any relation the audience can make with the character, turning them into an alien prescence. Alienating the viewer can create a threatening atmosphere, especially when they're forced to continue watching instead of switching to a normal or 'safe' character. The actors have very gruff voices and spend much of their time shouting their commands, which shows power and menace. The characters are also depicted as cold-hearted, showing no remorse for killing their peers, even speaking casually to them - "funny, he told me something similar".
The way the clowns move is very fast and jerky. They are trying to do everything just right, but it's obvious that they are under considerable pressure. They perform their tasks quickly, flicking between objectives in quick succession. An obvious example is their heads - they turn around so often to keep checking their surroundings. They run everywhere, and crash through doors in a hurry. This conveys the urgency and desperation of the scene - gotta get away, can't be caught.
In stark contrast, the Joker (I have referred to him as Clown C in some posts) moves relatively slowly. In his first appearance he is standing completely still. After subduing the hostages, he strolls between them, almost as if he's bored - clearly he has done this before. He shows no concern when Clown E pulls his gun on him, and deals with the banker in a similar way; after he shoots him, he stands and stares at the man (this recurs later in the film, where the Joker explains his joy in savouring the 'little emotions' in a dying victim). When the banker calls out to him at the end of the scene, the Joker walks over slowly, almost dejectedly, and deals with him with confidence. He wanders back into the bus and, as a characteristic oddity of the Joker, he bounds across the seats in a comical fashion. This funny side blends well with the sense of awe and admiration the audience feels as a result of the Joker's brilliant success.
The Joker, as portrayed by Cesar Romero (campy style), Jack Nicholson (Burton version), and Heath Ledger (Nolan's Dark Knight).
The way the clowns move is very fast and jerky. They are trying to do everything just right, but it's obvious that they are under considerable pressure. They perform their tasks quickly, flicking between objectives in quick succession. An obvious example is their heads - they turn around so often to keep checking their surroundings. They run everywhere, and crash through doors in a hurry. This conveys the urgency and desperation of the scene - gotta get away, can't be caught.
In stark contrast, the Joker (I have referred to him as Clown C in some posts) moves relatively slowly. In his first appearance he is standing completely still. After subduing the hostages, he strolls between them, almost as if he's bored - clearly he has done this before. He shows no concern when Clown E pulls his gun on him, and deals with the banker in a similar way; after he shoots him, he stands and stares at the man (this recurs later in the film, where the Joker explains his joy in savouring the 'little emotions' in a dying victim). When the banker calls out to him at the end of the scene, the Joker walks over slowly, almost dejectedly, and deals with him with confidence. He wanders back into the bus and, as a characteristic oddity of the Joker, he bounds across the seats in a comical fashion. This funny side blends well with the sense of awe and admiration the audience feels as a result of the Joker's brilliant success.
The Joker, as portrayed by Cesar Romero (campy style), Jack Nicholson (Burton version), and Heath Ledger (Nolan's Dark Knight).
Wednesday, 23 March 2011
The Scene(s)
Here's the opening to the Dark Knight. Unfortunately, the uploader has cut off the last 20 seconds or so, so I've included another link to a separate video containing those lost seconds.
Dark Knight Opening P1
Dark Knight Opening P2
Dark Knight Opening P1
Dark Knight Opening P2
Tuesday, 22 March 2011
Genre/Atmosphere
What Is The Tone?
The tone is dark and edgy. The bank robbery/hostage scenario is fast-paced and tense, and the backstabbing plot adds chaos and urgency. The characters we're seeing are unpredicatble, evil. They're working in high stress, having to pull off an incredibly risky operation before the police arrive. One of the bankers attacks them with a shotgun, killing one and aiming for the others. These factors combine to create this sense of urgency and tension.
This is a very dark film. In comparison to the other films in the series, it is certainly the darkest. The 1966 batman movie, directed by Leslie H Martinson, features normal lighting, Batman and Robin in colourful tights, and over-the-top cheesy music. The batman films directed by Tim Burton featured darkness, smoke and lighting effects, even grotesque villains such as the deformed Penguin and evil Joker. But even then, the films have all followed the comic books and their target audience has always been 'Family'. Batman Forever was designed to be more child-friendly and mainstream, as a response to Burton's 'dark' film being 'inappropriate'.
This version of Batman, which was introduced in the film Batman Begins, is the certainly the darkest. There are a number of murders, references to torture, the Joker's moral-psychological-terrorist games, among other extremities. The villains of this film, the Joker and Harvey Two-Face, sport a Chelsea Grin and severe burns, respectively. The amount of violence and gore in the film clearly targets a mature audience and most of the themes are designed to appeal to young adults and onward.
An example of 'campy' batman from 1966:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoUpF7rvfnk
An example of Burton's version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vBh2pT9KgQ&feature=related
An example of Nolan's version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQHfoz9Be7U&feature=related
Mood Of The Opening?
The mood is paired beautifully with the tone, giving the audience a heart-pounding start to the film. At first there is a level of confusion as the facts are only just tipping out, but before long the viewer learns of the dangers that some of the characters do not know of, namely the backstabbing. The complex plot and tense situation make the audience uneasy, as they cannot tell what exactly will happen next, making this scene comparable to a thrill ride at some amusement park.
How Is It Created?
The atmosphere is created by use of music, of cutting, and character design. The music that plays in the background is a mixture of electronic and orchestral instruments. The electronic parts making either distant whining (like feedback from a mic) which grows in volume and raises in pitch, or sudden, jerky blasts of dissonant chords. This is mixed with the orchestral aspect, where the music is fast, with very short, staccatto notes on a violin. There are also percussion instruments that come in and leave very quickly, these are also fast and loud. The combination gives a sense of urgency and chaos, being both fast and unpredictable, which reflects the scene in front of us.
The cuts between shots are suitably fast as well. They also flick back and forth between simultaneous occurances - the men gliding to the roof, and the men driving in the car. This is what shrouds our understanding of the whole picture for a time, which gives a sense of an uneasiness. When the man behind the desk pulls out his shotgun and attacks the clowns, the cuts become faster, flicking to the man in the vault who gets an electric shock, before flicking back to the clowns. The shots alternate between the man with the shotgun and Clown C, who is desperately trying to get away. At this point the music gets louder and faster as well. This is underlying the chaos of the scene.
The main characters in the opening are the clowns. They are inhuman - having been covered head to toe, even their hands are gloved. Their postures and voices are menacing and threatening. The others in the scene are the hostages, who are all cowering behind desks for fear of the clowns, and the man who pulls a shotgun on them. He is enraged, firing to intimidate his opponents, and yelling at them. At one point he yells "Yeah!" as he fires, showing some amusement at showing them his power. These characters and their relationships convey the threatening atmosphere, and their actions give us urgency and chaos.
The tone is dark and edgy. The bank robbery/hostage scenario is fast-paced and tense, and the backstabbing plot adds chaos and urgency. The characters we're seeing are unpredicatble, evil. They're working in high stress, having to pull off an incredibly risky operation before the police arrive. One of the bankers attacks them with a shotgun, killing one and aiming for the others. These factors combine to create this sense of urgency and tension.
This is a very dark film. In comparison to the other films in the series, it is certainly the darkest. The 1966 batman movie, directed by Leslie H Martinson, features normal lighting, Batman and Robin in colourful tights, and over-the-top cheesy music. The batman films directed by Tim Burton featured darkness, smoke and lighting effects, even grotesque villains such as the deformed Penguin and evil Joker. But even then, the films have all followed the comic books and their target audience has always been 'Family'. Batman Forever was designed to be more child-friendly and mainstream, as a response to Burton's 'dark' film being 'inappropriate'.
This version of Batman, which was introduced in the film Batman Begins, is the certainly the darkest. There are a number of murders, references to torture, the Joker's moral-psychological-terrorist games, among other extremities. The villains of this film, the Joker and Harvey Two-Face, sport a Chelsea Grin and severe burns, respectively. The amount of violence and gore in the film clearly targets a mature audience and most of the themes are designed to appeal to young adults and onward.
An example of 'campy' batman from 1966:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoUpF7rvfnk
An example of Burton's version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vBh2pT9KgQ&feature=related
An example of Nolan's version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQHfoz9Be7U&feature=related
Mood Of The Opening?
The mood is paired beautifully with the tone, giving the audience a heart-pounding start to the film. At first there is a level of confusion as the facts are only just tipping out, but before long the viewer learns of the dangers that some of the characters do not know of, namely the backstabbing. The complex plot and tense situation make the audience uneasy, as they cannot tell what exactly will happen next, making this scene comparable to a thrill ride at some amusement park.
How Is It Created?
The atmosphere is created by use of music, of cutting, and character design. The music that plays in the background is a mixture of electronic and orchestral instruments. The electronic parts making either distant whining (like feedback from a mic) which grows in volume and raises in pitch, or sudden, jerky blasts of dissonant chords. This is mixed with the orchestral aspect, where the music is fast, with very short, staccatto notes on a violin. There are also percussion instruments that come in and leave very quickly, these are also fast and loud. The combination gives a sense of urgency and chaos, being both fast and unpredictable, which reflects the scene in front of us.
The cuts between shots are suitably fast as well. They also flick back and forth between simultaneous occurances - the men gliding to the roof, and the men driving in the car. This is what shrouds our understanding of the whole picture for a time, which gives a sense of an uneasiness. When the man behind the desk pulls out his shotgun and attacks the clowns, the cuts become faster, flicking to the man in the vault who gets an electric shock, before flicking back to the clowns. The shots alternate between the man with the shotgun and Clown C, who is desperately trying to get away. At this point the music gets louder and faster as well. This is underlying the chaos of the scene.
The main characters in the opening are the clowns. They are inhuman - having been covered head to toe, even their hands are gloved. Their postures and voices are menacing and threatening. The others in the scene are the hostages, who are all cowering behind desks for fear of the clowns, and the man who pulls a shotgun on them. He is enraged, firing to intimidate his opponents, and yelling at them. At one point he yells "Yeah!" as he fires, showing some amusement at showing them his power. These characters and their relationships convey the threatening atmosphere, and their actions give us urgency and chaos.
Monday, 21 March 2011
Reason For Selection
Briefly describe the Opening:
The scene begins with a shot of Gotham City. It's broad daylight, indicating the Batman is not around. A window is broken by two armed men wearing clown masks. One of them (Clown A) fires a harpoon across the street to the rooftop of another building. Both men glide across the wire like a flying fox and land on the other side. They then break open a circuit box and disable the silent alarm. The one who disabled the alarm (Clown B) is then shot by Clown A, who runs downstairs into the main vaults.
AT THE SAME TIME Clown C is picked up by two others in a car and driven to the front of the same building (revealed to be a bank). They rush inside, loaded with guns, and hold everyone hostage. Their plan is almost thwarted, however, when a bank worker who hadn't been noticed comes at them with a shotgun. After killing Clown D, he fires off all of his bullets, and is then shot down by Clown C. Clown E then runs off to join Clown A in the vault.
Clown A breaks through the vault, after finding the door rigged with electricity (like in a mob bank, Clown E states). As soon as he opens the vault, he is shot in the back by Clown E. E then runs into the vault and fills bags with money, then brings them back to where Clown C is watching over the hostages.
Clown E then threatens Clown C, saying "I'm bettin the Joker told you to kill me soon as we loaded the cash." Clown C denies this, saying "No no no, I kill the bus driver." He and Clown E walk in a circle as he says this, Clown C positioning E carefully based on the time. A bus then smashes through the wall and hits Clown E, killing him. The driver comes out, wearing another mask. He and C load the bags of money into the bus, before Clown C shoots him.
Clown C is now the last man standing. As he goes to board his bus, the man who'd come at them with the shotgun calls out to him, saying that he'll receive the same treatment as the others. Clown C consoles him with a bit of wisdom, whilst sticking a grenade in the man's mouth. He takes off his mask, revealing himself as the Joker - therefore the one in charge, unable to be double-crossed. He leaves, slamming the grenade's cord in the door of the bus, before driving out through the hole in the wall. The bus then merges with a number of other school buses in traffic and drives away, as police cars arrive at the scene.
End result: The Joker steals a LOT of money from a mob bank, blends in with the crowd, and gets away. No one else gets a share because they're all dead, and the clown masks make the whole operation anonymous. At the same time, this adds to the Joker's legacy and the winnings fund his next few schemes.
How does it fit into the film as a whole?
There are many parts to this opening that are mirrored later in the film. Destruction, violence, weaponry are all recurring ideas throughout, but some are more specific. The music used in the opening is a variation of "Why So Serious?" - the Joker's theme music which plays almost every time he appears. The clown masks used to make the robbers anonymous are re-used later in the film, again during a hostage scene. That hostage scenario is also the last part the Joker features in, so for it to mirror the first part is quite fitting. In that scene too the clowns were meant to be killed off whilst the Joker gets off scotch free.
The masks are also symobolic of how the Joker is anonymous. His identity is never revealed, and in fact by the end he is still just 'The Joker'. There is only one scene in the film in which his face is not covered by his make-up ("war paint"), and in that case he was in disguise anyway. When the clowns talk of him, they only have interpretive stories, and the Joker himself tells his own stories which further muddy his past. This not only creates a dark and mysterious character, but a potentially unstable and unpredictable one.
The entire operation is in sync with the others in the film. Whilst the others get more and more elaborate, all of them seem to be very sketchy, not completely thought out. The Joker's incredible luck and quick thinking help him in this case with the shotgun-worker, and in others where he tries to avoid/break out of capture. The fact that the hostage's lives are in their own hands is a repeated characteristic of the joker, toying with people rather than simply killing. This is mirrored in the last Joker scenario, where each group being held hostage are given the detonators to the other, and both groups pressured to set off the other.
Another aspect is double-crossing. Since most of the law enforcers in Gotham are corrupt, and many of the criminals are against each other, double-crossing is common and echoes throughout the film. In this opening, the Joker has each of the clowns double-cross each other, similarly, Mr Reese double-crosses Bruce Wayne, Mr Lau double-crosses the mob he accounts for, the police double-cross Harvey Dent, who seeks revenge on all responsible. The Joker also double-crosses a few mental patients who help him escape from capture, and the mob leader who initially threatened the Joker.
The blue/green lighting in and around the vault is mirrored throughout the film. The daylight setting returns when the Joker blows up Gotham General Hospital - and again, he boards a schoolbus and drives away free. The wide shots, particularly the opening shot of the buildings and when the clowns glide across to the other rooftop is very similar to the shots used when Batman is gliding in Hong Kong, and during the Joker's last heist.
All in all, I believe the opening establishes many aspects that recur throughout the film, which helps to ground the film, giving a sense of unity to the events.
Why did it appeal to you?
I'm a fan of action in films, guns blazing, explosions, et al. But I absolutely LOVE complicated plots, and sequences that make the viewer think. This scene (and the whole movie even more so) combines the two. Here we have multiple cross-cuts between events happening at the same time. Details such as location are revealed slowly. The fact that this is a bank robbery, for instance, was not obvious until after the clowns in the car had run inside and began taking everyone hostage. The parts before that gave no indication other than the prescence of a 'silent alarm'. The back-stabbing/double-crossing was completely unexpected, and made more sense as the scene progressed. Furthermore, I couldn't help but be amazed at how brilliantly the plan had worked out for the Joker. For him to plan all of this, specifically to get away free with all of the money, is fantastic. Right from the start I was in love with this character, which never ceased to impress me throughout the film. And so, I decided to study this for both its depth, and its brilliance.
The scene begins with a shot of Gotham City. It's broad daylight, indicating the Batman is not around. A window is broken by two armed men wearing clown masks. One of them (Clown A) fires a harpoon across the street to the rooftop of another building. Both men glide across the wire like a flying fox and land on the other side. They then break open a circuit box and disable the silent alarm. The one who disabled the alarm (Clown B) is then shot by Clown A, who runs downstairs into the main vaults.
AT THE SAME TIME Clown C is picked up by two others in a car and driven to the front of the same building (revealed to be a bank). They rush inside, loaded with guns, and hold everyone hostage. Their plan is almost thwarted, however, when a bank worker who hadn't been noticed comes at them with a shotgun. After killing Clown D, he fires off all of his bullets, and is then shot down by Clown C. Clown E then runs off to join Clown A in the vault.
Clown A breaks through the vault, after finding the door rigged with electricity (like in a mob bank, Clown E states). As soon as he opens the vault, he is shot in the back by Clown E. E then runs into the vault and fills bags with money, then brings them back to where Clown C is watching over the hostages.
Clown E then threatens Clown C, saying "I'm bettin the Joker told you to kill me soon as we loaded the cash." Clown C denies this, saying "No no no, I kill the bus driver." He and Clown E walk in a circle as he says this, Clown C positioning E carefully based on the time. A bus then smashes through the wall and hits Clown E, killing him. The driver comes out, wearing another mask. He and C load the bags of money into the bus, before Clown C shoots him.
Clown C is now the last man standing. As he goes to board his bus, the man who'd come at them with the shotgun calls out to him, saying that he'll receive the same treatment as the others. Clown C consoles him with a bit of wisdom, whilst sticking a grenade in the man's mouth. He takes off his mask, revealing himself as the Joker - therefore the one in charge, unable to be double-crossed. He leaves, slamming the grenade's cord in the door of the bus, before driving out through the hole in the wall. The bus then merges with a number of other school buses in traffic and drives away, as police cars arrive at the scene.
End result: The Joker steals a LOT of money from a mob bank, blends in with the crowd, and gets away. No one else gets a share because they're all dead, and the clown masks make the whole operation anonymous. At the same time, this adds to the Joker's legacy and the winnings fund his next few schemes.
How does it fit into the film as a whole?
There are many parts to this opening that are mirrored later in the film. Destruction, violence, weaponry are all recurring ideas throughout, but some are more specific. The music used in the opening is a variation of "Why So Serious?" - the Joker's theme music which plays almost every time he appears. The clown masks used to make the robbers anonymous are re-used later in the film, again during a hostage scene. That hostage scenario is also the last part the Joker features in, so for it to mirror the first part is quite fitting. In that scene too the clowns were meant to be killed off whilst the Joker gets off scotch free.
The masks are also symobolic of how the Joker is anonymous. His identity is never revealed, and in fact by the end he is still just 'The Joker'. There is only one scene in the film in which his face is not covered by his make-up ("war paint"), and in that case he was in disguise anyway. When the clowns talk of him, they only have interpretive stories, and the Joker himself tells his own stories which further muddy his past. This not only creates a dark and mysterious character, but a potentially unstable and unpredictable one.
The entire operation is in sync with the others in the film. Whilst the others get more and more elaborate, all of them seem to be very sketchy, not completely thought out. The Joker's incredible luck and quick thinking help him in this case with the shotgun-worker, and in others where he tries to avoid/break out of capture. The fact that the hostage's lives are in their own hands is a repeated characteristic of the joker, toying with people rather than simply killing. This is mirrored in the last Joker scenario, where each group being held hostage are given the detonators to the other, and both groups pressured to set off the other.
Another aspect is double-crossing. Since most of the law enforcers in Gotham are corrupt, and many of the criminals are against each other, double-crossing is common and echoes throughout the film. In this opening, the Joker has each of the clowns double-cross each other, similarly, Mr Reese double-crosses Bruce Wayne, Mr Lau double-crosses the mob he accounts for, the police double-cross Harvey Dent, who seeks revenge on all responsible. The Joker also double-crosses a few mental patients who help him escape from capture, and the mob leader who initially threatened the Joker.
The blue/green lighting in and around the vault is mirrored throughout the film. The daylight setting returns when the Joker blows up Gotham General Hospital - and again, he boards a schoolbus and drives away free. The wide shots, particularly the opening shot of the buildings and when the clowns glide across to the other rooftop is very similar to the shots used when Batman is gliding in Hong Kong, and during the Joker's last heist.
All in all, I believe the opening establishes many aspects that recur throughout the film, which helps to ground the film, giving a sense of unity to the events.
Why did it appeal to you?
I'm a fan of action in films, guns blazing, explosions, et al. But I absolutely LOVE complicated plots, and sequences that make the viewer think. This scene (and the whole movie even more so) combines the two. Here we have multiple cross-cuts between events happening at the same time. Details such as location are revealed slowly. The fact that this is a bank robbery, for instance, was not obvious until after the clowns in the car had run inside and began taking everyone hostage. The parts before that gave no indication other than the prescence of a 'silent alarm'. The back-stabbing/double-crossing was completely unexpected, and made more sense as the scene progressed. Furthermore, I couldn't help but be amazed at how brilliantly the plan had worked out for the Joker. For him to plan all of this, specifically to get away free with all of the money, is fantastic. Right from the start I was in love with this character, which never ceased to impress me throughout the film. And so, I decided to study this for both its depth, and its brilliance.
Wednesday, 16 March 2011
Batman: The Dark Knight directed by Christopher Nolan
I have decided (finally) to study the opening from Batman: The Dark Knight. The Dark Knight is the second film in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, which is a reinvention of the classic comic book character by DC Comics. I really like the idea of a 'revival' - to take something that has been considered campy by many and reincarnate it into a darker, gritty, more realistic series is quite a fun idea. In this film, Christopher Nolan and his team have reinvented a couple of essential characters - The Joker and Harvey Dent (Two Face).
The opening of this film does not use a title sequence. Instead, we are put right into the action - a bank robbery, in this case. The opening starts off silent as music slowly fades in, dialogue becoming more and more common as the scene progresses. The music during this scene is a variation of "Why So Serious?", the Joker's unofficial 'theme' in this film. Lighting and sound effects remain constant throughout the film, and help to convey a sense of moodiness and violence, which is important in a crime-fighting series.
The setting of the film is Gotham City, a metropolis overrun by criminals and gangs. Most law enforcers and officials are also corrupt, to add to things. Because Batman only comes out at night (he is a billionaire businessman by day) the setting is usually night-time, hence the city is very dark. In scenes shot at day, there is a considerable amount of dirt everywhere, very few places can be considered clean (or pure).
The Dark Knight is an action film with dark themes and supporting visuals. It uses a lot of special effects (and an incredible performance from the late Heath Ledger) so I presume its target audience are mostly males between their late teens and early thirties.
As I have said, I am a big fan of reinventions and gritty adaptions. I absolutely love this film, and I think Heath's performance as the Joker was outstanding (and in some parts chilling). I believe the opening has a lot of links to later in the film (metaphorically, only aspects rather than plot) and so I hope it is the appropriate choice for my film study.
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