The Dark KnightImportant scenes

Directed by Christopher Nolan

The Batman Trilogy… setting it up

• “People need dramatic examples to shake

them out of apathy and I can’t do that as

Bruce Wayne. As a man, I’m flesh and blood.

I can be ignored, I can be destroyed. But as a

symbol- as a symbol I can be incorruptible, I

can be everlasting.”- Batman Begins

Nolan says…• “That was a very important scene for me, not just because I knew it would

play out over three films as a theme, but I had to understand why the imminently sensible Alfred Pennyworth would sit there and listen to his employer explain that he’s going to dress up as a bat and fight crime as vigilante. That’s a huge leap to make. We had to build that correctly, and we couldn’t cheat. So in each film, we talk about the symbol of the character being the key thing. It’s not about what he can achieve beating up criminals one by one. We address this again at the beginning of The Dark Knight, where you have these copycat Batmen popping up. The idea is to ask: Is that the meaning of symbolism? To raise an army of these guys? No. Bruce sees himself as a catalyst for change in Gotham, and to me, in that conversation with Alfred, it’s very clear to me that Bruce inly ever thinks of this as, a five-year plan, a short-term thing.”

Putting it to the test…• The Joker- a psychotic agent of chaos

– Wants to prove a point.• Harvey Dent• Batman• People of Gotham

• Does he accomplish his goal in the end?

• “You truly are incorruptible, aren’t you?”

Introducing the Joker…

• “We are introduced to the Joker- Heath Ledger’s performance is completely convincing making him a worthy adversary for Gotham’s great hero.” The character of the Joker in Nolan’s film is a diversion from previous takes on the character.

• The film begins with the disguised Joker and various masked henchmen robbing a mob-owned bank, and systematically double crossing one another- killing each other to obtain a larger slice of the money. Eventually the only survivor is the Joker, who reveals himself to the bank manager before taking the money and driving away in a school bus (after shoving and detonating a smoke grenade into the bank manager’s mouth- you all expected him to explode admit it!) joining a line of similar school buses just as the cops arrive.

Camera Work… Introductory scene• ES- Gotham City• Zoom (slight low angle)

• Two men, both wearing clown masks

• Cut• Third man standing on the street• Zoom- mask• Framing

• Cut• Original two men preparing to abseil.• Aerial shot• Cut• LA- MLS

• Once again in the car the third man with the bag (who we later know to be the Joker) is left of the frame. He is sitting in the back of the car but it’s him who is holding the gun now.

• He’s lurking in the back, so you are fooled into thinking he’s unimportant for now, effectively maintaining his disguise of just another clown crony.

• Yet though he doesn’t speak, the camera focuses on him. The other two in the car are only focused on, the driver to the forefront, when they begin speaking about the Joker.

• Again there is a high angle looking down on the other two clown cronies as they try to pry open an entrance while they talk about the Joker.

• There is a low angle of the bag man (Joker), showing how he surveys the area in his mask as we look up at him (he is the superior one as they all run up the steps to the bank).

Rule up a chart like this one.Note at least four other shots used in the

bank robbery sequence

Shot/ angleCharacters involved/ description

Purpose of the shot- does it suggest anything?

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Throughout the scene there are frequent close ups of the robbers faces and their clown masks. – Creates tension– Deepens the narrative

So what have we learnt about the Joker?

• They are all wearing masks, clown masks – this is indicative of the Joker’s black sense of humor.

• In the car as the men discussed the job and their employer they state that they could refuse to give a cut to the brains behind the operation. They do not expect that the Joker will get his hands dirty nor that he is in the car with them.

•Why do you think the Joker has chosen the image of a clown for himself and for his henchmen?

• As the scene continues there are multiple mentions of the Joker despite the fact that we have yet to ‘see’ him. ‘I heard they call him the Joker’ – the dialogue builds up to the dramatic entrance and reveal of the Joker.

• ‘Because he wears make up – you know, war paint’. Rumors and mystery surround him, building the character up.

• ‘He thinks he can sit it out and still take a slice’ the henchmen are referring to the Joker, their lack of self-sensorship suggests that they do not know their boss– they have not considered the possibility that he may turn the tables on them. (They do not seem concerned about the job ahead suggesting that their criminal behavior is not new and relying on the element of surprise and their guns to ensure their success.)

• What else did you notice during this scene?– Soundtrack– Costume– Lighting

Batman vs the JokerBatman versus the Joker- it is one of the greatest advisiarial pairings in modern mythology. The Dark

Knight demonstrates this clearly a number of times but none so clearly as the interrogation scene where the pair engage not in violence but in a conversation that articulates the philosophical differences between the pair. The Joker has absolutely no interest in killing Batman, instead he is looking for a much bigger prize- he wishes to invalidate Batman’s purpose.

What does that even mean?• Batman is fighting to preserve the

morality of Gotham and it’s citizens- the Joker is trying to prove that Batman is risking his life to save citizens that will ultimately turn on him- the morality Batman fights for doesn’t exist.

The Interrogation Scene

• Who is winning here?

• Each violent act is a small victory for the Joker as his ultimate goal is to compel Batman to loose all control and take his life- the ultimate sign of corruption.

So, about that scene…• The setting within this sequence is an

interrogation room and office in the basement of Gotham police station.

• What do we expect an interrogation room to look like? Does it look like this one?

The setting…• The interrogation room has white marked walls, a

dirty floor, two way mirrors and fluorescent lights. – The only objects in the room are a metal table, two chairs

and a lamp.– Secondary setting of the adjoining office- the room where

the interrogation is being watched.

– Colours– Textures– Contrast

Lighting…• The lighting within the setting allows the

audience to connect with the action. The lighting is all electrical, using lamps and fluorescent ceiling lights.– Sequence begins in darkness with only one ceiling

light and a desk lamp lighting the room.– Gordon’s face– Joker’s face/ makeup

Sound…• Non-diegetic sound is used to heighten

the tension of the sequence and show the changes in mood. – soft music begins to play – Increasing volume, slowing pace– Drum beat– Piercing note

• Contrasted with the noises of the Joker

Camera work…• Take note of the composition of this

scene. • Nolan notes that he is extremely

happy with this scene- it was the first scene they filmed and this means they spent more time on it.

• The open framing of the scene allows the characters to move in and out as they wish, all except the Joker, who seems to be the highest influence of the space. This creates an uneasy atmosphere for the audience as they are unable to identify who controls the situation.

Camera work…• Long shots – set the scene within the interrogation room .– demonstrate Batman’s physical dominance

• Medium close-ups – Joker’s reactions

• Mid shots/ reverse shots– Conversation and reactions

• Pan around characters• Tracking follow the action• Mid shots/reaction shots that show the Police

reaction to the action within the room.

Camera Work…• High angles are used to demonstrate the physical power

held by the characters of Gordon and Batman. Throughout the scene, Batman is viewed from a slightly higher angle than the Joker, telling the audience that he appears to be dominant. The Joker is viewed as inferior, through the use of low angles. The main example of this is when Batman is beating the Joker for answers.

• Is Batman the dominant character here?

• Batman appears physically dominant, yet the Joker is mentally in control. – He dominates the scene, causing

Batman to play his game and lose his temper.

• There is one camera angle that seems out of place within this sequence. A tilted camera shot shows the Joker about to rise from the table. This is the only shot like this within the scene, causing the audience to feel disorientated.

• However, this shot could be seen as at the climax of the action within the scene. Batman has finally lost his temper, causing him to act violently, just as the Joker wanted him to.

A thought… a move into analysis

Nolan appears to use this sequence to demonstrate the Joker’s intelligence and power with words. Using camera angles that have differing connotations to the action taking place and non-diegetic sound that heightens the tension, Nolan manages to influence the audience to feel the same confusion that Batman and Gordon are feeling. The dominance of character is shifted, showing the audience that both characters are equally matched, creating an intriguing inversion of connotations which causes them to rethink their point of view.

Techniques…• Parts of the scene were filmed using handheld

cameras and shot from a multitude of different angels. Nolan notes that he wanted to invert the expectation- we have all seen interrogation scenes where someone is being given the third degree, we expect a poorly lit room, a sense of gloom and desperation. Having the bright, harsh and bleak lighting allows us to see the Joker’s make-up and notice it’s decay.

Getting it into words…Initially the scene is filmed tightly, there are tight close-ups with only the smallest amount of drift in the camera. The filming seems controlled, but even within that frame the Joker bobs in and out, suggesting that Batman doesn’t yet have a deep enough sense of the Joker and his ‘game’ (yet Nolan has filmed the scene to look a little like a boxing match with the two sparing). If you watch this scene carefully you will even note that the camera seems to be having a little trouble trying to capture him (Joker) within the focal plane as a result of his constant movement, however, this doesn’t detract from the scene instead it offers a sense of strangeness as if we, like Batman, are on the back foot trying to interpret and understand the Joker. In contrast, at least until the interrogation spills over into physicality, Batman seems very controlled and restrained.

• At the point where the Joker is dragged across the table the cameras become handheld. This is the moment where Batman looses the control that Gordon has assured those watching he has; the moment where rage spills over and he would break the rules. What the Joker seems to show is that his motivation is in pushing people’s buttons, finding their set rules and turning it on them. Batman places a great deal of importance in his rules, his morals, it is what distinguishes him from a common vigilante. The Joker is able to twist him around and make him question his own approach and his own actions.

Nolan notes, “The rage is very much a central part of the story in The Dark Knight, and that interrogation scene is the fulcrum on which the whole movie turns. I think Batman finds out- and Bruce Wayne finds out- a lot about himself in that scene.”• “You have nothing to do with all of your strength.”

There’s this sort of impotence of the strong, armoured and muscular Batman; he’s very powerful, feared by many, yet there is nothing he can do, there is no useful way his power can be exercised in this scene- the Joker is not afraid of him. Each movement, each enraged punch merely plays into the Joker’s game and allows him to see which buttons to push. Batman has to confront that. When he drops the Joker, he has realised the futility of what he’s done. You see it in his eyes. How do you fight someone who thrives on conflict?

Who has won the battle?• Look at the contrast between the two

figures: the dark, brooding, muscular figure of Batman and the scrawny, awkward and comically made up Joker.

• Do the costumes set us up to have certain expectations of the outcome of this encounter?

• Note that while Gordon’s part in the scene is small it is important- he knows Batman and has orchestrated the interrogation but he also knows when things go wrong and tries to get into the room.– Batman also knows Gordon- he moves to

place the chair under the handle. The chair briefly remains the focal point of the shot to emphasise this.

• Nolan notes about this scene, “I’m realizing this now about that scene- I haven’t thought it through before- the synthesis of all the different elements that I am most interested in come in that scene.”

The Corruption of Harvey Dent

• The Joker’s corruption of the physically and emotionally scarred Harvey Dent is a seduction into the world of villainy by way of surprisingly logical rationalisation. The Joker, dressed in a nurse’s uniform, successfully tempts Dent with the idea that he will never be expected to plan again- this of course is ironic because the Joker has many plans and Dent has been a central figure in his biggest one.

• “Introduce a little anarchy. Upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos. I’m an agent of chaos. Oh, and you know the thing about chaos? It’s fair!”

• Harvey is at an all-time low point, he feels deeply wronged- he has after all been a defender of honour and justice; he has fought for the American dream; he is physically deformed (refusing help for his injuries) and deeply feels the loss of his fiancé- the sense of injustice is overwhelming he did everything right. With the Joker bending his ear Dent finds a new sense of fairness, one where everyone has the same odds; Dent is no longer making his own luck but is placing his sense of fairness and morality in the flip of a coin.

• “I took Gotham’s white knight and I brought him down to our level. It wasn’t hard. You see, madness, as you know, is like gravity. All it takes is a little push!”

Your mission…In groups of three you will analyse either this scene or the following (Batman’s sacrifice). You will need to create a resource that can be photocopied for others in the class. Your resource must look at a range of techniques.

What techniques are used?-What is the effect of the technique?-For what purpose is the technique used?-How does the use of the technique help to further the message of

the scene, the film as a whole? -What is the director’s purpose? Why did Nolan use this scene? Why

did he film it this way? (make a judgment)Do you think this scene is successful? Why/ why not? (Make a judgment)

Batman’s Sacrifice• Night after night, Batman has put his life on the line to protect

and inspire the people of Gotham. His selflessness reaches an all-time high though when he sacrifices his legacy to protect that of Harvey Dent and reward the citizens of Gotham for their belief in him.

• The Joker won by corrupting Gotham’s White Knight to the tune of multiple murders and taking Gordon’s family hostage.

• Batman’s intervention- saving young James Gordon, Jr. results in Dent’s death.

Batman’s Sacrifice• “You either die a hero or you live long

enough to see yourself become the villain.”• “Sometimes the truth isn’t good enough,

sometimes people deserve more. Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded…”

• Why does Batman take the blame for crimes he did not commit?

• “This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object… You won’t kill me out of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness. And I won’t kill you because you’re just too much fun. I think you and I are destined to do this forever.”

Batman’s Sacrifice• Gordon objects, but ultimately complies with Batman’s

plan to lie in place of a truth that isn’t good enough. The last line of the scene and the film belongs to Gordon who essentially knights Gotham’s protector. In epic, poetic fashion, Batman earns his titular nickname, The Dark Knight, by learning for himself (and teaching the audience) just how adaptable a symbol can be. He is whatever Gotham needs him to be; he will always be whatever we need him to be.

• “Because he's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we'll hunt him. Because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian. A watchful protector. A Dark Knight.”