Joker (The Dark Knight)
The Joker is a character portrayed by Heath Ledger and the main antagonist in Christopher Nolan's 2008 superhero film The Dark Knight. Based on the DC Comics supervillain of the same name, he is depicted as a psychopathic criminal mastermind with a warped, sadistic sense of humor who defines himself by his conflict with the vigilante Batman. In the film, the Joker tests how far Batman will go to save Gotham City from descending into chaos by targeting the Caped Crusader's allies, including police lieutenant James Gordon and district attorney Harvey Dent.
Joker
The Dark Knight (2008)
The Dark Knight (2008)
Ledger's portrayal of the Joker as an avatar of anarchy and chaos was specifically influenced by the graphic novels Batman: The Killing Joke and Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth. He wears the character's traditional purple and green color palette, while his disfigured clown-like appearance is the result of smeared makeup that covers facial scars of a Glasgow smile, rather than bleached white skin from falling into a tank of chemical waste like in the source material. Paintings by Francis Bacon, the character of Alex in Anthony Burgess' novel A Clockwork Orange and Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation of the same name, and various punk rock musicians served as additional inspirations for Ledger's performance.
Although Ledger's casting as the Joker was initially controversial, it is now widely considered to be his finest performance; Ledger himself regarded it as his most enjoyable. When the film was released in July 2008, six months after Ledger died from an accidental prescription drug overdose, his performance as the Joker received widespread acclaim and earned numerous posthumous accolades, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Ledger's Joker is often listed as one of the greatest and most iconic villains in film and popular culture and has become one of the most notable media adaptations of the character.
Characterization[edit]
Ledger described the Joker as a "psychopathic, mass murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy".[45] He embodies themes of chaos, anarchy and obsession, expressing a desire to upset Gotham's social order through crime and his conflict with Batman. After their first fight, Batman struggles to understand exactly what the Joker's motivations are. Alfred however suggests he may not have motivations typical of criminals, or may have no real motivation at all, claiming "some men just want to watch the world burn".
The Joker's hair is stringy, unkempt, and dyed green. His face is covered by a cracked, smeared and runny layer of white clown makeup, while his sunken eyes are thickly rimmed in black and his teeth are yellowed.[46] A red grin is sloppily painted across his mouth and cheeks, covering the facial scars of a Glasgow smile.[26] Wearing the character's traditional color palette from the comics, the Joker is dressed in a light purple shirt with a thin medium-toned purple tie and a green waistcoat, topped by a dark purple overcoat; he also wears purple pants and leather gloves, the former marked with pinstripes. The film reveals that his clothing is custom-made, with no labels. The patterns and designs chosen were popular during the Victorian and Edwardian periods; however, they are given an eccentric twist with the purple and green color palette. The Joker's shoes have an upward swoop at the toe, reminiscent of clown shoes.[26] He carries no identification of any kind and offers no clear details about his true name or background; when he is arrested by the Gotham City police, they find only knives and lint in his pockets. He speaks with a hint of an Australian accent (which was Ledger's natural intonation) that further obscure his origins, suggesting that he may not even be a United States citizen.
The character's mannerisms carry a quality of unpredictability. His voice frequently shifts in pitch, so that he speaks his dialogue hitting higher notes, followed by an immediate lower voice capable of landing two octaves below. Nolan acknowledges this unpredictability to be part of the character's slinky physical movements as well, saying that Ledger's performance "[is] always a surprise".[16] About the Joker's physical appearance, Geoff Boucher wrote for the Los Angeles Times that the character probes the facial scars with his tongue and "walks with shoulders bowed and his chin out and down, like a hyena".[47]
Reception[edit]
Announcement and early response[edit]
The casting decision surprised some[51] and was seen as a controversial move at the time,[52] receiving notable negative reactions on the Internet.[53][54] Nolan remembered the cynicism he endured surrounding Ledger's casting, saying that "the whole world turned around and said 'What are you doing?' You know, Heath Ledger, Joker, didn't make any sense to people at all."[3] In his 2016 book The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture, NPR contributor Glen Weldon recalled that fans were outraged over the choice of Ledger, due to his past roles in films such as Brokeback Mountain (2005).[55]
However, with the first trailer released in 2007, the film and its portrayal of the Joker received very positive response from audiences and entertainment industry professionals alike. Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro gushed of his impression for Ledger's performance, finding it "really, really edgy and scary". American Batman writers Paul Dini and Jeph Loeb both chimed with the positive reactions. Loeb, who had been critical of Jack Nicholson's portrayal of the Joker in 1989's Batman, expressed his excitement for Ledger's interpretation, saying the casting felt "just about right. I eagerly anticipate more!"[56]