The Dark Knight Nolan's Gotham and atmosphere

[Sandouras]

I love Nolan's Batman. I love everything he did! I believe that we will see the character come to completion in TDK. Just stating this to avoid misanderstandings.

But i have a small issue. Why is Gotham so down to earth? Why did they invent the Narrows to give this Gotham its ugly side, when the rest is shiny and properly lit up at night (look at batpod-joker confrontation)? Shouldnt it be a bit darker overall? Should it be a bit more atmospheric? Not much, just a tad...

Have your say, but please no Burton-Schumi-Nolan flame wars.

 

[emadz89]

the blue filter will solve your problems...regardless there has to be a balance and the Narrows are where you can die in a second but in the city itself (atleast the decent parts) you can go out to a nice restaurant or pick up some coffee from starbucks...unless the Joker is ready to pounce

 

[ActuallyRobin]

I think Gotham is down to earth because Nolan wants a realistic view of the city. And having a shiny city where the underprivileged are show-horned into one small area is quite common in lots of media

 

[TheDarkVictory]

well, he filmed on location in chicago, and i can tell you from living here that they considerably darkened up the streets from how they actually look. i myself prefer the down to earth gotham, as well. i always felt that the previous gotham's were nothing more than elaborate sets (which they were obviously, but i mean, they felt like that in the film as well).

 

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

I prefer it, feels more real.

 

[gambit420]

To the OP I know what you mean, it's like I like Nolan's vision but then sometimes I wish there was like trash on the streets you know like something off The Crow...I mean looking at that batman/joker confrontation with him power sliding seems like they just cleaned the street up for that...like where's the other traffic at you know? -shrugs- Still love it though.

 

[Sandouras]

Feels more real indeed. In front of Wayne Tower and the financial district i would expect no less. But yeah, i suppose the normal gotham is were flass steals fallafels (which isnt the narrows since cops only go there when the are at force).

 

[TheDarkVictory]

To the OP I know what you mean, it's like I like Nolan's vision but then sometimes I wish there was like trash on the streets you know like something off The Crow...I mean looking at that batman/joker confrontation with him power sliding seems like they just cleaned the street up for that...like where's the other traffic at you know? -shrugs- Still love it though.

when they were filming the scene, there was a ton of traffic...id assume at that point that everyone had cleared out from the street....plus, its just more dramatic...its like an old western confrontation...

 

[Sandouras]

To the OP I know what you mean, it's like I like Nolan's vision but then sometimes I wish there was like trash on the streets you know like something off The Crow...I mean looking at that batman/joker confrontation with him power sliding seems like they just cleaned the street up for that...like where's the other traffic at you know? -shrugs- Still love it though.

Exactly! Since all the showdowns happen in the financial district (coincidentally in front of his tower, all the god damn time!) its like Batman is fighting in Metropolis. Sure that district should be clean, but batman should spend more time in "fallafel areas".
I mean even in TAS, we got a clean, upper class look of the town centre during daylight, but batman would always fight in the slumbs!

 

[Shoemeister]

"fallafel areas".

lololololol

 

[BubbaGump]

They mentioned it in Begins when Rachel and Bruce are in the car (talking about the "Depression"). Gotham is only clean and shiny at first glance.

 

[spideyman101]

better than Schumacher's neon light city... he made it so everywhere you turned there's a neon light in your face

 

[Sam18]

better than Schumacher's neon light city... he made it so everywhere you turned there's a neon light in your face

And giant naked statues.

 

[gambit420]

That's true until they go "underground"...reminds me of something off of Demoliton Man

 

[Sandouras]

And giant naked statues.

So Joel is straight, huh?

 

[William_C]

As a kid I always liked Schumacher's Gotham City. Too young to realized how naive I was. I appreciated Burton's vision too, and I still enjoy today. Kinda nostalgic. Very nostalgic actually. But Nolan's vision, just feels right. I dont know. It feels more toned down than the previous versions, and yet its.. I guess I'm thinking that, Nolan's Gotham feels as though I could actually take a road trip through there. While Schumacher's Gotham is nothing but a lite-bright turned into a city. Burton's Gotham [to me] is a Nightmare Before Christmas before a Nightmare Before Christmas.

 

[Sandouras]

I could actually take a road trip through there

Be sure to visit the picturesque Narrows dear sir, especially at night!

 

[thewhyteman]

They mentioned it in Begins when Rachel and Bruce are in the car (talking about the "Depression"). Gotham is only clean and shiny at first glance.

Yeah good point. It only took a quick turn to see a completly differnt scene. reminds me of Atlanta. It aint hard to fins yerself in the ghetto there.

What I have seen with the last trailer in regards to the atmosphere of gotham, is cool for one main reason.

In the previous Batmans, the majority of the shots taken just did not look like a place you would ever see in your life time. For example, the observatory in that one horrible batman movie. The giant statue holding it up. Thats just ridiculous. The thing I like about movies is how you can get lost in them. For me, that means being able to relate in some way. Now the scenes in BB and in the trailer look like places I have visited in my life. I am glad they are filming it the way they are. I can relate to these places unlike pre-nolan batman movies.

I guess the thing is, Ive read the comics. I have seen what Batmans world looks like in imagination world. I love being able to see if those events happened in real life. If the Joker robbed the bank down the street form my house, or if Batman was perched on the building roof that I work in thats what I want to see.

 

[MMoralN10Tion]

Have you ever been to a major city? I live close to DC, and there are some parts (North West, Georgetown) that are beautifully lit up and completely safe. Then there's the south side, which is A LOT more dangerous, full of run-down buildings and gangsters.

 

[thewhyteman]

As a kid I always liked Schumacher's Gotham City. Too young to realized how naive I was. I appreciated Burton's vision too, and I still enjoy today. Kinda nostalgic. Very nostalgic actually. But Nolan's vision, just feels right. I dont know. It feels more toned down than the previous versions, and yet its.. I guess I'm thinking that, Nolan's Gotham feels as though I could actually take a road trip through there. While Schumacher's Gotham is nothing but a lite-bright turned into a city. Burton's Gotham [to me] is a Nightmare Before Christmas before a Nightmare Before Christmas.

Lite-bright city. Dude that is an awesome analogy.
HAHha hahaa ah man that is so true.

 

[Hole Shot]

What I don't get about Nolan's Gotham is how is Batman supposed to do cheesey action sports type stunts if there isn't 500ft tall statues on every city block?

 

[NewYorkSpider]

I love Nolan's Gotham. The other Gothams look like they are un-realistic. This one has a better feel to it.

 

[chicagobat]

Something I noticed too, is that the building at the end of the LaSalle Street canyon that much of the trailer showcases, was established in the first film as the architectural identity for Wayne Enterprises in the center of the city, with the monorail system that got destroyed over that main street... this story takes place within the same year I think, yet any continuity with the production design CGI established in "Batman Begins" seems absent here. Unless CGI has not yet been added to the shots we are seeing in the trailer or the prologue (like the street where we see the Joker get into the van prior to the bank robbery... we see "el" trains, not the monorail system).

As thrilled as I am that the film was shot mostly in my hometown of Chicago, there were a lot of plates shots of the skyline taken in the first film that were built on with CGI to establish Gotham's identity that I'm not sensing here to add the extra layer of "Gotham"?

 

[Darkly Dexter]

Burton's Gotham was better. In character and story Nolan's Batman is certainly superior, but not visually.

 

[TheDarkVictory]

What I don't get about Nolan's Gotham is how is Batman supposed to do cheesey action sports type stunts if there isn't 500ft tall statues on every city block?

therein lies the downfall of this...mr nolan's batman. without 900 ft walls, the batmobile has nothing to drive up!