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The Dark Knight: Fact File

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The Dark Knight: Fact File FACT FILE GREAT ACTORS Have Christian Bale (Batman/Bruce Wayne) you ever seen an grew up in IMAX film? England and What was it like? the US. His first Have you seen any Batman THE DARK KNIGHT acting part was films? What did you in a Steven think of them? Spielberg film, Empire of the Maggie Gyllenhaal (Rachel) is an Sun, at the age of twelve. Bale practised American actor TTHEHE MMOVIEOVIE fighting for two or three hours every from a ‘movie’ Batman Begins brought Batman successfully back to the cinema day to prepare for the part of Batman. family. Her father in 2005. Three years later, The Dark Knight built on that success. He even did the most difficult fighting is a film director It was hugely popular all over the world. scenes himself. and her mother Heath Ledger (the Joker) grew up in a film writer. Her FANTASTIC ACTION Australia. To brother Jake is SCENES prepare for his a famous actor who starred with Heath There are some great special effects in part in The Dark Ledger in Brokeback Mountain. the film, but a lot of the scenes were Knight, he did Michael Caine (Alfred) is a very done without them. Do you remember lots of research famous British the scene where the huge, 18-wheel and thinking. actor. He has lorry turns over? That was real, and it Day after day acted in more took weeks of preparation. he practised the Joker’s voice and way of moving, and he kept a diary of the Joker’s than 100 films IMAX cameras were used for several thoughts and feelings. He won several and won lots of of the action scenes. These are difficult awards for the part. Sadly, The Dark awards. to use, but they show much more Knight was one of his last films. He died detail than ordinary cameras. You can in January 2008. see the film in an ordinary cinema or on the huge screen of an IMAX A family film! cinema. The director of The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan, wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan. His wife, Emma Thomas, produced the film. What do these words mean? You can use a dictionary. special effects detail scene research award screenplay 56 57 FACT FILE BBATMAN’SATMAN’S GGADGETSADGETS OOLDLD AANDND NNEW!EW! Batman always has amazing gadgets, and in The Dark Knight there are some great new ones! The Bat-pod The new Batsuit when the Batmobile is destroyed in an The sonar Batman’s new suit is made from lots of explosion, its front part becomes the The new Batsuit phone pieces of tough material. Christian Bale Bat-pod. The Bat-pod is a special two- says that it’s cooler and wwheeledh vehicle with guns more comfortable than Did you know? aandnd small bombs on it. the old one. The helmet The Batmobile can go from TheTh sonar phone isn’t joined to the rest 0 to 97 kilometres an hour Batman’sBat mobile phone of the suit, so Batman in 5 seconds. ususese sound waves, just can turn his head easily. liklikee a bat! With it, he can Thin pieces of special sseeee through walls and white glass come down intintoo buildings ... in 3D. The over Batman’s eyes so he phphoneone cacann alalsoso ssende back pictures from Would can see into buildings. There are knives a long way away. Towards the end of the The Batmobile you like to see into hidden in the arms. And it still has its film, Batman takes over the phones of all buildings and hear other cape, which gives Batman huge bat the people in Gotham. He makes them people’s conversations wings to ‘fly’ with. into cameras and microphones and they like Batman? Would you The Batmobile and the Bat-pod send out sound and pictures from all over like other people to see The Batmobile has always been an the city. Batman uses them to discover and hear you?! amazing car with a lot of useful gadgets. where the Joker is hiding. But is it wrong It can climb up walls, jump across roofs to use technology to spy on people like and drive over anything, including traffic this? What do these words mean? You can use a dictionary. coming towards it! It now has GPS*, * GPS (Global Positioning System) is a gadget gadget tough material helmet cape sonar take over too, with a 3D map of Gotham City. And that tells you where you are. 58 59 FACT FILE Why is the How did the Joker get his ‘smile’? TTHEHE DARKDARK SSIDEIDE OOFF Joker so Under the Joker’s red ‘smile’ make-up, dangerous? he has a big scar. How did he get it? The The Joker has no Joker tells a different story every time, rules. He doesn’t but are any of his stories true? care about BBATMANATMAN “When I was a boy, my father anything so he thought that I was too serious. He ❝ has nothing to lose. But Batman cannot BatmanBatman can only be wanted to put a smile on my face, so become like him to fight him. He must ouourr sesecretcret hhero,ero, oourur ssilentilent he cut me with a knife.” protector. A Dark Knight. ❞ act by his own rules, even when the Joker kills his friends and loved ones. The Joker “My wife’s face was scarred. She felt knows this, and it gives him great power very sad about it. I cut my own face The Dark Knight shows a darker over Batman. to make her happy again. But she side to the Batman story. How didn’t like my scars, so she left me.” did Batman become so ‘dark’? Was Bruce a happy child? In Yes ... until he was six years old. Then what ways is Why are the people of Gotham a thief called Joe Chill shot his parents Batman similar to the dead in front of him and his life changed City afraid of Batman? heroes in other action for ever. For years he was angry and Some people think Batman is a hero. films? In what ways is wanted revenge. Then he realised that Others think he’s a dangerous vigilante he different? revenge wasn’t the answer. He decided because he doesn’t always follow the to protect people and stop criminals law. With criminals, Batman uses fear instead. He travelled the world and instead of a gun. He knows that many learned how to fight. Then, when he was people are afraid of bats. That’s why he ready, he returned to Gotham City. comes out at night ... when it’s dark. Why does he call himself Batman? One day, as a child, Bruce fell down a deep well. Suddenly, hundreds of bats were flying all around him. From that moment, Bruce had a terrible fear of bats. But some years later, he taught himself not to be afraid of bats anymore. When he came back to Gotham, he used the large cave under his family home as What do these words mean? You can use a dictionary. his secret hiding place – like a bat. He revenge well cave vigilante power scar became Batman. 60 61.
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