The Dark Knight To Bleach or Not to Bleach? That is the Question

[MrQuinn]

besides, the script segment above says "flesh colored make up covering his SCARS"...it could just indicate this his scars are more noticeable without the flesh colored make up...


granted they still looked rather brutal and noticeable haha.

 

[DavidTyler]

Hey, I've got to tell you all that I absolutely embrace the film version of The Joker as NOT being perma-white... AND, if you go back and read a lot of my old posts, you know I'm very much a 'comics-as-source-is-canon-' guy.

Somehow, it makes the Joker scarier to know that he CHOOSES to look like that.


Now, don't misunderstand, I don't really want the Joker in the comics to change but I did love this film version. He was everything I've ever wanted to see the character be in live action... frightening and obviously insane but also brilliant.

 

[Ace of Knaves]

yea maybe the scars are actually red anyway, indicating that they might still be quite fresh. that could be why he puts make-up on to cover them.

 

[p4poetic]

The make up is fine with me. I think the idea of this man applying make up on himself makes the Joker far more interesting. When he takes it off for whatever reason (i.e. to disguise himself) okay so I don't know how to describe it (evidently) but to me it's just something unique about him. It's just when you see his face for what it is, what he really looks like.

Not really.
The Joker may kill children but I don't reckon he'd touch them. And if he did he wouldn't spend his vast funds on paying off the witnesses would he?
The fact that he pays so well is the only reason why anyone works for him.

Uh, what witnesses? Being sued and being prosecuted are two different things, the former which is what happened. It's called extortion, not paying off 'witnesses'. No actually, I won't get into that. Don't want to get off topic.

Sure it could.

Chemicals could change someone's skin color.

Didn't Michael Jackson bleach HIS skin?

The make up isn't for realism. Because The Dark Knight isn't a documentary.

Or maybe it is. I'm not sure anymore.

Scientifically impossible to bleach the skin without dying. It is only possible for those who have a skin disease, and it's called depigmentation therapy. Huge difference. The medicine monobenzylether of hydroquinone (which is only prescribed to these patients) is very strong, and if used on anyone who doesn't have it, they'd die of toxin poisoning.

 

[Ace of Knaves]

thinking about it now after seeing the joker in action and knowing his traits, i don't think they went the make-up route just for realism. the make-up seems part of his character, its like the make-up is his real face and without make-up is his mask. he could be dependant on the make-up? it demonstrates how crazy he is that this is how he wants to be perceived.

 

[MrQuinn]

thinking about it now after seeing the joker in action and knowing his traits, i don't think they went the make-up route just for realism. the make-up seems part of his character, its like the make-up is his real face and without make-up is his mask. he could be dependant on the make-up? it demonstrates how crazy he is that this is how he wants to be perceived.

thus resulting in, Batman's eccentric counterpart!

 

[MrQuinn]

The make up is fine with me. I think the idea of this man applying make up on himself makes the Joker far more interesting. When he takes it off for whatever reason (i.e. to disguise himself) okay so I don't know how to describe it (evidently) but to me it's just something unique about him. It's just when you see his face for what it is, what he really looks like.





Uh, what witnesses? Being sued and being prosecuted are two different things, the former which is what happened. It's called extortion, not paying off 'witnesses'. No actually, I won't get into that. Don't want to get off topic.



Scientifically impossible to bleach the skin without dying. It is only possible for those who have a skin disease, and it's called depigmentation therapy. Huge difference. Monobenzylether of hydroquinone (which is only prescribed to these patients) used on anyone who doesn't have it would kill them.

love the pics, haven't seen em up before actually.
Anyone have a pic of Joker right after he takes off the clown mask and says his "I believe what doesn't kill you..." line? I love that little grin he does haha

 

[deathfromabove]

love the pics, haven't seen em up before actually.
Anyone have a pic of Joker right after he takes off the clown mask and says his "I believe what doesn't kill you..." line? I love that little grin he does haha

here you go...

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[jackjack924]

thinking about it now after seeing the joker in action and knowing his traits, i don't think they went the make-up route just for realism. the make-up seems part of his character, its like the make-up is his real face and without make-up is his mask. he could be dependant on the make-up? it demonstrates how crazy he is that this is how he wants to be perceived.

Which also creates another parallel to Batman, with the cowl being Bruce's true face and Bruce Wayne as his counterpart. I personally would have preferred an ultra-white Joker because he doesn't have to try to be the Joker. That's who he is. But I understand that it is physically impossible to have your hair grow green and your skin bleached white because...well you'd probably die.

 

[p4poetic]

I finks it's pretty off topic

 

[Ace of Knaves]

lol yea i know, i just fought some fellow TDK fans would like some pointers!!

 

[MrQuinn]

here you go...

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haha awesome, thanks.

 

[I Am The Knight]

lol yea i know, i just fought some fellow TDK fans would like some pointers!!

It still doesn't work for me..Is anyone else having this problem? What must a guy do in here to get some Joker pointers?

 

[regwec]

Scientifically impossible to bleach the skin without dying.

It's scientifically impossible to survive with 50% of your face burned down to the skull, as well.

 

[ronny]

Scientifically impossible to bleach the skin without dying.

But Michael Jackson did it and he survived.
It seems quite possibe to me. Falling in a vat? No. Doing it yourself? Yes.
Although the fact that Joker survived just highlights the near superhuman ability to cheat death.

 

[nickyg641]

His arms in the hospital scene definitely do look fishy though. There are clear blotches of light skin and white patches all over his arms, most noticeable on his hands. Perhaps that was the Nolans' way of giving a subtle nod to the comic book origin, without drawing too much attention.

I think we we mereley meant to assume that those were flecks of white makeup. He washes his hands in that scene, as well, where any flesh-colored makeup would come off.

The make up is fine with me. I think the idea of this man applying make up on himself makes the Joker far more interesting. When he takes it off for whatever reason (i.e. to disguise himself) okay so I don't know how to describe it (evidently) but to me it's just something unique about him. It's just when you see his face for what it is, what he really looks like.





Uh, what witnesses? Being sued and being prosecuted are two different things, the former which is what happened. It's called extortion, not paying off 'witnesses'. No actually, I won't get into that. Don't want to get off topic.



Scientifically impossible to bleach the skin without dying. It is only possible for those who have a skin disease, and it's called depigmentation therapy. Huge difference. The medicine monobenzylether of hydroquinone (which is only prescribed to these patients) is very strong, and if used on anyone who doesn't have it, they'd die of toxin poisoning.

It's also impossible to have burns to Harvey's degree without dying, or at least being completely disfunctional (he wouldn't be able to speak, he'd be unoncious from the pain, he'd be blind in his left eye, he'd contract an infection from the areas of exposed bone).

Also, there's the sonar machine, the microwave emitter, and all the other various devices that would never really work.

If Nolan wanted a character to have chemically altered pigmentation, would it be that out of place? You say that Vitigiligo is a disease, where "permawhite" would be an outside force acting on the body, but, given the elements of Nolan's world, would it be such a stretch to suggest that such a thing can be achieved with chemicals?

Oh, and here's a picture I find interesting, of someone who suffers from vitiligo:

As I said, in Nolan's universe, it wouldn't be a stretch to have suggested it was chemically induced.

 

[gwynplaine]

Funny to think that both the Joker and Batman apply black make-up around their eyes to go to war with each other (warpaint indeed).
Man, I love this film.

 

[p4poetic]

But Michael Jackson did it and he survived.
It seems quite possibe to me. Falling in a vat? No. Doing it yourself? Yes.
Although the fact that Joker survived just highlights the near superhuman ability to cheat death.

Did you even read what I wrote?

Even if it were possible, you can't get a fixed smile, red lips and green hair because of it.

 

[Crook]

Fixed smile was something Jack had, not the comics.

Lips and Hair can be handled by dye and lipstick. Simple.

 

[CaptainClown]

ya in the comics it is sometimes implied that joker wears red lipstick and the hair could be explained as a dye job

 

[regwec]

Looking at the image of the "paintless" Joker again, it seems to me that if that face was underneath greenish hair, then most people would have accepted the design as a toned-down version of the permawhite Joker.

 

[itsthebatman]

Looking at the image of the "paintless" Joker again, it seems to me that if that face was underneath greenish hair, then most people would have accepted the design as a toned-down version of the permawhite Joker.

In the movie, it was so brief, and jarring, that it didn't really matter what he looked like like without the make-up, and I think most people were happy enough with the design in any case.

 

[regwec]

Yes, I am just glad that his face was clearly "off" in some way. It allowed for any explanation the viewer desired.

 

[nickyg641]

Looking at the image of the "paintless" Joker again, it seems to me that if that face was underneath greenish hair, then most people would have accepted the design as a toned-down version of the permawhite Joker.

You seem to be seeing a much paler makeup-less Joker than I am. He really doesn't look that pale...just sort of unhealthy.

 

[ronny]

Did you even read what I wrote?

Yes I did. You talked about a skin disorder. Which I don't believe Jackson has. The man might be addicted to surgery. The point is that he could have bleached his skin, we don't know for sure, but I think it's likely and therefore I think that the whole issue of it not being realistic enough is nonsense.
It's just that the comics handled it in an inherently stupid way. They didn't follow the lead from Batman #1 and had to explain everything. When The Joker first appeared he came from nowhere, he just showed up, bleached skin, a homicidal clown.
That worked, that was believable.
But if you're asking me to accept that he could have survived falling in a vat of the stuff then that's just too damn stupid.
They really didn't need to explain it. Especially at such an unrefined period for comic books.