The Dark Knight Rises Is Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy right-wing?

[The Batman]

I have to say, I roll my eyes when I see "Batman is right wing/left wing" comments

Just dripping with Bias.

 

[redhawk23]

Sigh, I really hate when people dissect movies like this.

Because God forbid anyone apply critical thinking to things that they enjoy.

 

[ThePhantasm]

Because God forbid anyone apply critical thinking to things that they enjoy.

How is this sort of analysis "critical thinking"? More like reading in political / societal messages where they aren't meant to be present.

 

[Anno_Domini]

How is this sort of analysis "critical thinking"? More like reading in political / societal messages where they aren't meant to be present.

This.

If anything, it's threads like this that causes uproars.

 

[redhawk23]

I'm not saying I agree with the left/right interpretation but its not as if TDK is completely apolitical. Also the comment I was responding to wasn't referring to politics but discussing and digging into films in general.

 

[ThePhantasm]

I'm not saying I agree with the left/right interpretation but its not as if TDK is completely apolitical. Also the comment I was responding to wasn't referring to politics but discussing and digging into films in general.

Mr.? wasn't knocking dissecting movies in general. He qualified it with "like this." Also, in terms of whether or not the batfilms have an intended political message / agenda, yes they are apolitical.

 

[thedarks0ldier]

Please oh please don't ruin these amazing films by bringing up the utter boredom that is politics.

This!

If you guys don't want to participate that's fine, but why try to discourage others from engaging in what can be a very stimulating conversation? I never understood the contempt for political discussion. Why plead not to be bothered with this "utter boredom" when you can simply avoid this topic by going to another thread? Should we all not talk about this just because it bores you two?

Actually, I rather enjoy different interpretations of these movies. Politics is everywhere whether we like it or not. Saying 'lalala I don't want to talk about it, it's just a movie' seems a little childish.

Thank you.

Found this article I read when The Dark Knight came out. Pretty interesting read. The author and her husband came out of the movie with two different interpretations of the justification of warrant-less wire tapping. My opinion is better articulated by her, and I don't feel like writing it all out.

http://voices.yahoo.com/the-politics-dark-knight-1731931.html

 

[Yurka]

What I like about the "politics" in these films, take the "Sonar" system/Patriot act parallel, is that Nolan doesn't flat out tell you what he thinks is right or wrong, he has both sides (Lucious/Batman or "right/left") discuss it like it would occur naturally, and lets the viewer decide.

"This is wrong"

"I've got to find this man..."

So while it may deal with certain political issues, Nolan doesn't beat you over the head with his opinion on the matter.

 

[thedarks0ldier]

Do absolutes exists? Relatively speaking, yes. Absolutely speaking, no.

hahaha, deep! I am going to use this in the future. Shall I credit it to Asteroid-Man?

 

[thedarks0ldier]

What I like about the "politics" in these films, take the "Sonar" system/Patriot act parallel, is that Nolan doesn't flat out tell you what he thinks is right or wrong, he has both sides (Lucious/Batman or "right/left") discuss it like it would occur naturally, and lets the viewer decide.

"This is wrong"

"I've got to find this man..."

So while it may deal with certain political issues, Nolan doesn't beat you over the head with his opinion on the matter.

An excerpt that supports your claim from the article I posted above.

The Artistry
I admit that the messages in this film may be a Rorschach test because the writers show rather than tell. This movie doesn't lecture you, it presents moral quandaries that make you draw your own conclusion. I think this is why it succeeds where other movies that have taken on our contemporary political issues have failed.

 

[Asteroid-Man]

hahaha, deep! I am going to use this in the future. Shall I credit it to Asteroid-Man?

Haha, yeah sounds good to me.

 

[CJ]

The Dark Knight - Obama "Rises".

...

Ugh.

 

[Asteroid-Man]

Well, clearly you got the point of my post...

 

[floreairfoot]

Like I said on the last page, lets find a reason to end this thread.

 

[scifiwolf]

Probably not gonna happen without flaming and subsequent probations/bans. As long as people keep their own views out of the thread and stay objectively on topic, the thread will stay open.

I think people often make mistakes in saying movies are right or left, or that the filmmaker is pushing one or the other, when the characters in the story lean one way or the other. It is possible to tell a story with political undertones, and the movie doesn't promote those views. It's in service of the story, it's not THE story.

 

[The Batman]

Apparently, people have some disease where they're unable to keep out of threads they dont want to comment in.

 

[Dr Zaius]

political themes do not have to conform to the left right paradigm, especially so in this case with Nolan who although half-American is probably more accustomed to the political environment in the UK than the left-right/democrat-republican environment here in the U.S.

There are obviously political themes in Nolan's Batman films, but political themes are simply extensions of very common and broad "human themes". The ideas of fear being used as a weapon, the ends justifying the means, rich vs poor, freedom and privacy forfeited for security and safety, they are all political themes but also very human themes as well and Nolan's Batman films will have all of these present.

 

[R3M3D1]

Batman is kinda right wing in essence.

[YT]8l1PMVvfjDM[/YT]

 

[jmc]

This American political bull **** can **** off elsewhere. I'm sick of every film nowadays being subjected to attacks by some loud mouth American cable news person for some 'hidden agenda' that doesn't exist. **** this thread.

 

[KneelBeforeZod]

I don't see it much in Begins, but The Dark Knight had some definite War on Terror overtones. It doesn't take all that much "reading-in" to see that, either. There were political analyses at the time that said the same thing. I remember a couple of left-wing blogs that called it Bush Administration propaganda. I think there was even a Wall Street Journal and NY Times editorial at the time.

The Joker was a terrorist -- literally and figuratively. He aimed for mayhem and chaos just for the sake of mayhem and chaos. He preyed on the innocent because he believes there is no such thing as innocence. He had a whole city catatonic with terror with a few sticks of dynamite and some threats.

Hell, look at the poster ...

... a burning gash in the high broadside of a skyscraper. Remind you of anything? It is supposed to remind you. There are no accidents with things like this.

Batman, the warrior/hero, worked outside the law because it was necessary to meet the threat ... and he did things that legal law enforcement operations wouldn't have been able to do. He tortured Joker to try to extract information about the location of hostages and terrorist devices. He basically used extreme rendition on Lau to extract him from a non-extradition country. He tracked money without warrants. He spied on/wiretapped every cell phone in Gotham in an elaborate surveillance scheme because it was necessary to catch the terrorist.

Lucius Fox was the voice of the civil libertarian -- objecting to Batman's methods while helping him, once, because the circumstances were unique.

Harvey Dent represents what happens to good people that have to go to war against enemies with no conscience. Same with Batman by the end of the movie. They never come out the same as they went in.

The Dark Knight Rises looks like it may have a political overtone as well. Maybe the haves vs. the have nots. We'll have to wait and see.

KBZ

 

[NickyTea]

To read Nolan's Bat-films at all politically is mistaking the details for the metaphor. The structural priority of these movies is consistently operatic in its focus on the character's journeys and the thematic implications of their interactions.

 

[HappyDragon]

Screw all this. Let's just call the movies "bat wing" and let it go.

 

[KneelBeforeZod]

Nobody denies the operatic elements ... but the metaphor is clear-as-day.

Just as there is an anti-corporate metaphor in Star Wars (Lucas has stated as much outright) ... and there are anti-science overtones in Jurassic Park. Hell, Frank Miller's Batman has been accused of having a fascist thread running through it.

Just because you don't like where the metaphor goes doesn't mean it isn't there.

KBZ

 

[Anno_Domini]

Even if TDK can be shown as Batman's war on terror, Bane in TDKR is described as a terrorist too. Basically Batman's villains in Nolan's series are viewed as "terrorists", but I wouldn't call that anything such as being right-wing or left-wing.

 

[Gianakin_]

and there are anti-science overtones in Jurassic Park.

That is SO far from the truth.