My friend was fortunate enough to get to work with the sound crew for The Dark Knight Rises in this past month or so during their first haul of post production work , due to his skill in the field and acquaintance with one of the crew members. He said it was very early in the production for this kind of work, but WB wants to stay ahead of schedule. He got to see one very important scene from the film. The information Im about to post is from him word for word. I asked him if I could share it, and he said I could as long as I do not mention his name.
The scene I saw is the fight scene between Bane and Batman that Warner Bros has been promoting for the last couple of months. The scene takes place in the sewers underneath the citys football stadium. It begins with Batman entering the sewer and taking out Banes men one by one. This is very similar to the dock scene from Batman Begins. Batman employs a lot of stealth here.
Banes men catch on and point their guns at Batman, forcing him out. Bane himself steps out of the shadows.
Bane: Ah, we are so thankful that you accepted our invitation.
Batman: What do you want?
Bane lifts his hand to reveal a detonator. He presses it and there is an explosion behind him. Batman looks concerned as if to expect something else to happen, but nothing does. Bane laughs(His laugh is freaky, man. He doesnt laugh like someone who knows how to laugh, but rather someone whos mimicking laughter. As if hes never had a time to laugh in his life. Combined with the mechanical sound created by his mask, its absolutely chilling).
Bane: A mere example of what is to come. Just above us are 30,000 people who have been lied to their entire lives. They have been manipulated by a system of corruption and greed, forced to live in a city of decadence. The very air they breathe is polluted by the lies of the city. Lies that you have created. They are slaves, yet they do not even realize it. We are here to liberate them. Starting today, the people of Gotham will finally have their eyes opened.
Batman: You cant change Gotham this way.
Bane: Come now, you of all people must understand the importance of dramatic example. This is the way it must be, there is no other way. Gotham will be set free.
Batman: Gotham wont bend to the will of a terrorist.
Bane: They will bend to me. However, I havent answered your question Batman. You asked me what I wanted. Truthfully there is only one thing I want. I want to break you.
After saying this Bane charges Batman and a fight ensues. For the first half the fight its pretty even, then near the middle Batman begins to gain the momentum, but ultimately loses it, and Bane just brutally demolishes Batman with every blow after that. Its done in a way that it seems Bane was toying with Batman for most of the fight, letting him think he had a fighting chance, but by the end its apparent Batman never stood a chance. He gets Batman to the ground and rips his mask off. He looks at the piece of Batmans mask in his hand.
Bane: For so long you have dedicated your life to a dying cause. Change is coming, and it begins today.
In one of the most brutal shots of the entire series, Bane then stomps on Batmans face with is boot, knocking Batman out.
Bane: Take him
Two of Banes men grab Batman and start dragging him away. Bane walks away and drops Batmans mask.
That is all I saw.
Some notes:
-He only has about three lines, but from what I heard Batmans voice is perfect. It is not the unintelligible growl we heard in The Dark Knight. There is a slight growl to it, but its more like his voice from Begins, but not even that. Its very similar to the whisper we heard in the teaser, but a lot more aggressive and stern. Its hard to explain, but it should not be getting any criticism this time around. Well, it probably will, but I think its an improvement from The Dark Knight.
-Tom Hardy as Bane is absolutely brilliant and terrifying. My description does not do his performance any justice whats so ever. Its completely subtle and nuanced, particularly his delivery of the break you line. Ive seen a lot of fan films with Bane where he screams the line like a barbaric buffoon. Hardys delivery of the line is the exact opposite. Its very quiet, but completely sinister. The way his eyes widen when he says, its scary. Theres a sort of longing in his voice, as if this is something hes been waiting for, for a very long time. The way he charges Batman is terrifying as well. Its edited in a way that it takes you by surprise, believe it or not. It causes a very physical reaction in you. You dont expect him to charge. Its that feeling you get when youre on a roller coaster and you get to the very top, right before you drop. Thats what it feels like when he charges, and he charges like some kind of strategic gorilla, he shows no sign of stopping or slowing. Its wonderful.
-The full scene is a lot longer then I described. Its a good 10 minutes long. Bane has one line during the actual fight Is this all you can offer? I expected better from Gothams champion. Batman has no dialogue in the fight. The key here is the environment. So much of the sewer environment is used in the fight. Whether its Bane pushing Batman against the railings, plowing through the water fall, or even Batman throwing a batarang to take out one of the supporters of a rusty beam. Through out the entire fight Banes men have their guns pointed at Batman, but they dont intervene. They just watch.
Warner Bros is keeping so much of this filmed closed up its amazing. None of the promotional material has even scratched the surface and none of what Ive written is doing it any justice. I only saw one scene, but this whole movie is big, I cant even imagine what the climatic fight will be like.
at your sig
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