L
LakersMaz
Guest
I thought there were moments in The Dark Knight where Nolan and the gang intentionally tried to drive home the parallels between the Joker and Batman/Bruce Wayne.
Obviously, as most Batman fans already know, the two both have an uncanny "taste for the theatrical," using symbols to capture the hearts and minds of Gotham residents (whether that be the demented, criminal underworld or the ordinary, innocent citizenry).
They both have incorruptible philosophies: one plays with absolutely no rules, tries to "upset the established order" and believes that human life has no cost; the other has a strict set of rules, and believes the preservation of human life is the most precious of all principles.
However, there's also a tinge of contradiction in their aforementioned philosophies. At one point in the movie, the Joker explains the difference between the "schemers" (the guys with plans) and him, an "agent of chaos" who plays with no rules. But as everyone who has watched the film can notice, he very methodically double-crossed the mob, pushed Harvey Dent to the brink madness, planned ways of getting out of impossible situations (think the bank heist and the prison scene), and generally stayed "ahead of the curve" in nearly every instance. Same goes with Batman. He tries to preserve human life, but on some occasions, he plows through the streets of Gotham without thinking about the property he is destroying or possibly the people he could be injuring (think the parked cars + going through the mall in the batpod). He has somewhat "fascistic" tendencies--the system of surveillance he sets up with Lucius Fox's sonar technology isn't exactly the most ethical machine. Bruce contracts outlaws--perhaps murderers and thieves--from Pyongyang to man the plane that helps him escape his capturing of Lau in Hong Kong.
Batman/Bruce Wayne and the Joker also show up in the same spots. Particularly, the script reflects their similarities. When Bruce arrives at Harvey's fundraiser, he asks "Where is Harvey Dent?," and when he goes out on the balcony, he spills the drink out instead of actually consuming it. When the Joker arrives, he asks the same question and, quite comically, spills the drink out of the glass he grabs at one point. They both are "looking" for Harvey because they want the man to fit their own (selfish) purposes. The Joker wants to, as mentioned earlier, show the city that their White Knight can be corrupted. Bruce, on the other hand, wants Harvey to fill the spot of Batman by using the law to rid the city of criminals. In summary, the two faces of Harvey Dent reflect the aspirations of the Joker and Batman.
There are other moments in the film, I thought, that tried to show this. What do you guys think?
Obviously, as most Batman fans already know, the two both have an uncanny "taste for the theatrical," using symbols to capture the hearts and minds of Gotham residents (whether that be the demented, criminal underworld or the ordinary, innocent citizenry).
They both have incorruptible philosophies: one plays with absolutely no rules, tries to "upset the established order" and believes that human life has no cost; the other has a strict set of rules, and believes the preservation of human life is the most precious of all principles.
However, there's also a tinge of contradiction in their aforementioned philosophies. At one point in the movie, the Joker explains the difference between the "schemers" (the guys with plans) and him, an "agent of chaos" who plays with no rules. But as everyone who has watched the film can notice, he very methodically double-crossed the mob, pushed Harvey Dent to the brink madness, planned ways of getting out of impossible situations (think the bank heist and the prison scene), and generally stayed "ahead of the curve" in nearly every instance. Same goes with Batman. He tries to preserve human life, but on some occasions, he plows through the streets of Gotham without thinking about the property he is destroying or possibly the people he could be injuring (think the parked cars + going through the mall in the batpod). He has somewhat "fascistic" tendencies--the system of surveillance he sets up with Lucius Fox's sonar technology isn't exactly the most ethical machine. Bruce contracts outlaws--perhaps murderers and thieves--from Pyongyang to man the plane that helps him escape his capturing of Lau in Hong Kong.
Batman/Bruce Wayne and the Joker also show up in the same spots. Particularly, the script reflects their similarities. When Bruce arrives at Harvey's fundraiser, he asks "Where is Harvey Dent?," and when he goes out on the balcony, he spills the drink out instead of actually consuming it. When the Joker arrives, he asks the same question and, quite comically, spills the drink out of the glass he grabs at one point. They both are "looking" for Harvey because they want the man to fit their own (selfish) purposes. The Joker wants to, as mentioned earlier, show the city that their White Knight can be corrupted. Bruce, on the other hand, wants Harvey to fill the spot of Batman by using the law to rid the city of criminals. In summary, the two faces of Harvey Dent reflect the aspirations of the Joker and Batman.
There are other moments in the film, I thought, that tried to show this. What do you guys think?
) because nobody wants to hear about the Iraq war, or the political/humanitarian mess in Burma/Darfur/Zimbabwe, or the aftermath of Katrina. But there is a difference between breaking one's spirit and making one lose brain cells. 
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t:.) Those books were heavy stuff for an 8 year old kid, and I didn't fully understand either of them totally until years later, but one scene in particular that always stuck with me was the Joker breaking his own neck to kill himself because Batman still couldn't do it. Now this is years down the road and this man has killed millions, and yet Batman, who is depicted in his rawest form thus far at that point, still couldn't kill his nemesis. That one page transfixed me in the battle between these two ever since....
