What are they pulling out of The Dark Knight?

Scenes Scenes they identify: • Joker escapes/Rachel dies/Dent rescued • Ferries • Dent holds Gordon’s family • Attempt on Mayor at funeral • Bank robbery • Joker meets the mob

Character: Batman • Batman is responsible for creating Two-Face in some way by saving Dent instead of Rachel (was it Batman’s choice?). • Batman killing Dent is a major event because killing people goes against Batman’s code, and because Dent was meant to replace him when he ‘retired’. Dent’s death means Batman has to continue being a vigilante. • Batman uses fear. • Batman lonely, he uses himself as a symbol.

Character: The Joker • The Joker as an agent of chaos. • Joker has an unusual love for Batman. • Bank robbery shows that the Joker always has a backup plan, he’s a man of strategy. ‘He always goes behind his plan to achieve his goal.’ He ‘shows the audience how tricky but smart he is,’ how ‘a single person could do such destructions.’ • Joker wants to show everyone that no one cares for one another in that situations relating them to himself in the idea that deep down everyone is selfish and greedy. • The Joker is confident and has courage. He knows what he’s doing. The Joker never has a plan, but he always likes to do things on his own. He never trusts people to do things for him. A plan B person. • Joker a mysterious guy … who has no rules and no plan, just death. • The Joker is a mastermind, a strategist. • He is cruel, strange, no mercy. • Expert psychologist. • Joker tries to break people’s spirits and mental health. • The violins as his signature sound. • Joker is sadistic as well as reckless, making him dangerous as he has no limits. • The Joker wants to bring the worst out of people. • The Joker puts fear into his victims… In this perspective both Batman and Joker have similar strategies to scare criminals, however Joker makes fun out of it. • ‘I’m a man of my word.’ Use of dialogue from the Joker mocking the very statement of being honourable. • Sounds, low angle etc when Joker takes off his mask in the bank: It’s saying that he isn’t afraid of revealing himself, he’s a man without fear. • The close up shot of the Joker which revealed his true face was taken to show how mysterious he is, how unexpected he will be during the course of the film. How he could be anyone, anywhere, and at any time. • His character actions forces and pushes people to make or do hard decisions, twisting and trying to break them to the point where there’s no hope. • Joker shows no clarity on his past as we go further into the film. • The music gets louder, like a siren alarm as the Joker gets closer to killing Gambol. Once he does the music drops. The high pitch rising sound is assocated with the Joker and it usually gives emphasis to Joker’s presence and that there’s something horrific planned. It’s used to strike fear into the audience. • Circling camera movement in fundraiser scene: predator. • How Joker works: He asks his victim a sensible question then he starts to cut his way deeper into their heart and mind, so he can corrupt them all in one go.

Character: Harvey Dent • Dent’s office is stacked with files showing how determined he is to get these criminals. • Dent’s rage at Rachel’s death creates Two-Face. Batman is responsible for this in some way by saving Dent instead of Rachel (was it Batman’s choice?). • Harvey becoming Two-Face showed the influence of the Joker and also proved Dent’s statement ‘You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain’ true. • Also intense part of the movie because we see Dent being conflicted about these choices and what the Joker is saying. • Uses luck/decisions based on the flip of a coin? • He has two sides: punching the gun in court. • Parade shows Harvey’s darker side as he reacts to the ambush. • In hospital Harvey embracing his features by what people thought of him ‘Two Face’. • Harvey cares for the people which makes them believe in him. • Mise en scene, Harvey is the symbol of light colours, Batman is dark colours. • He’s something of a hero, unmasked public icon, as polar opposite to Batman who stands for the same thing.

Character: Rachel Dawes • Rachel really clear about what’s important to her and unwilling to compromise on her morals.

Character: James Gordon • Wrong things for right reasons. • Gordon has small trust issues.

Setting • Gotham a city of darkness • City of corruption and deceit • Clown masks give an odd impression of the city, make it feel weird, and it seemed like a place where you have to be cautious and cunning to survive, that you always have to keep on your toes. Clown masks gave the feeling of a psychotic and dark world, where things go wrong, in Gotham City.

Theme • The ferry scene is about ‘moral authority’ and shows the audience that the people of Gotham are not a lost cause. • Joker wants to show everyone that no one cares for one another in that situations relating them to himself in the idea that deep down everyone is selfish and greedy. • Showdown with Two-Face is the climax because ‘this is when the Joker’s predicament becomes true, “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” … shows that anyone who is good will soon fall into evil.’

Structure • The ferries scene as the climax. • Kitchen mob meeting as the trigger point.