This movie was an action packed story of the fight between good and evil with a love story thrown in for good measure. I have never been a big fan of the Batman and this movie was no exception. The plot was so predictable and the stunts were so repetitive that it actually took me an entire day to finish it (what did we do before we had DVD and “pause”?) With my critique out of the way, I will address the elements from The Art of Watching Films chapters that were assigned.
Color:
This film followed its title very well, The Dark Knight. The movie was filmed with low lighting, giving it a feeling of a never-ending night. I watched the movie on my computer, and the low lighting made it very difficult for me to see some of the scenes clearly. One scene that caught my attention was at the party/fundraiser that Bruce Wayne held for Harvey Dent. Most of the guests are dressed in dark and neutral colors. Bruce Wayne enters by helicopter with three beautiful women as his entourage. Each one is wearing a stylish dress in bold solid colors, bright pink, eye-popping blue and attention grabbing yellow. As these women integrate into the scene it is impossible for them to fade into the crowd. The colorful outfits, used in contrast to the rest of the crowd’s dull and formal look, implanted the notion that Bruce Wayne was an individual, a man who had it all and then some, who was not afraid to stand out in a crowd.
The director also used leitmotifs in color, as illustrated in the use of the Joker’s makeup and the masks that his accomplices wore. The garish, smeared red lipstick served to make the viewer uneasy and to help them recognize the Joker as a dysfunctional and disturbed character. Whenever the lipstick was seen, whether on masks or under disguises, it set an unsettling tone for the scene.
Dialogue/Sound:
The movie included special uses of sound effects and dialogue. I was actually quite surprised the first time I heard the Batman’s voice. It was deep, dark and gravelly, almost a loud whisper. I found it to be quite scary at first. It was a good contrast to that of Bruce Wayne, helping the director to separate the two in the minds of the viewer.
The Joker’s voice and facial movements, like him licking his lips in an exaggerated way, were used well to contribute to his maniacal nature. Even the use of British Michael Caine as Alfred was effective. The calm, soothing cadence of his voice made his character very believable as a servant and friend to Bruce Wayne and Rachel.
The background sound was used well. This was a very noisy film, using lots of exaggerated sound effects such as “city” noises, sounds of buildings blowing up, cars racing and crashing, and guns and bazookas shooting.
The Musical Score:
During the funeral march of the murdered Police Commissioner, the director chose to use the Pipes and Drums of the Chicago Police Department to open the scene. This was a brilliant use of music to set the mood. The sounds of a pipe and drum band sets the viewer in an immediate mood of melancholy and sadness. It told an inner story and set a dramatic effect without use of any explanation. It was the only time in the movie that I really noticed the soundtrack.
Acting:
The director made excellent choices in the actors for this movie. Each one captured the characteristics and personality of the intended character. I’m sure this is a more difficult task when the movie story has been done so many times before with different actors and in different medium (cartoon, comic book, TV show, video games and movie versions). I cannot think of one character in this movie that was not completely believable. Although Heath Ledger received so much acclaim for his rendition of the Joker, I felt that his performance was on par with that of the rest of the cast. Perhaps that is because they used such seasoned and experienced actors for even the most minor of parts. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman were outstanding in their roles and were two of my favorites characters in the film. Christian Bale played both Bruce Wayne and the Batman flawlessly. There was no typecasting in this movie. Each actor played a character that was not necessarily the norm for his or her portfolio.
The Director’s Style:
This is only the second film that I have watched by Christopher Nolan, Memento being the first. Two of his other noteworthy films, Batman Begins and Inception seem to be similar in style according to my research. Nolan tends to gravitate towards the same actors, but uses them in different roles than the viewer is used to seeing them. He also likes to include characters that have some sort of psychological disorder and his endings tend to have a theme of justified dishonesty. For example at the end of The Dark Knight, the rationale that the “citizens of Gotham deserve to have their faith rewarded” and in Memento, the main character’s question of, “Do I lie to myself to be happy” both hint at justified dishonesty.
Works Cited
Boggs, J. M., & Petrie, D. W. (2008). The Art of Watching Films (7th Edition ed.). Ashford University: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
The Internet Movie Database (2011) The Dark Knight retrieved on Sept. 17, 2011 from:
http://www.imdb.com/find?s=all&q=the+dark+knight
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