“Dreams save us. Dreams lift us up and transform us. And on my soul, I swear... until my dream of a world where dignity, honor justice the reality we all share – I’ll never stop fighting.” No, those are not the words of any philosopher, statesman or politician. Instead, these are the words of Spiderman!
That shouldn't come as a surprise to us. After all, Superheroes are a reflection of how Amercians view themselves in the backdrop of the changing social mores. According to box office sales, Superheroes are the most successful movies in America. Taking into account the studies done on the cultural significance of superheroes, what we see in the movies and how successful they end up being, means that America, as a whole, sees themselves in superheroes. Superheroes are more than just a fictional character that saves people, they, when created successfully, where they portray traits that people of any walk of life, whether its race, gender, sexuality, can relate to, are in fact saving the viewer.
ASHOK’s FIVE reviews the #BatmanTrilogy, a set of three magnificent films made by the master of our times, #ChristopherNolan. Starring #ChristinaBale as the superhero, the trilogy stands out for a fantastic combination of gritty reality, epic scale and some superb performances. #Batmanbegins was released in 2005 and marked the portrayal of the masked crusader as a deeper, realistic and thoughtful hero. #TheDarkKnight released in 2008 and set new standards in story, direction, acting and of course the use of IMAX technology. And finally, #TheDarkKnightRises in 2012 pushed the envelope further with the themes of death, fear, loss and suffering. All three movies are available on #AmazonPrime.
#BatmanBegins was the first time the superhero narrative changed from a regular popcorn flick to a weighty genre with humanity, honour, justice and revenge emerging as dominant themes. It is a superbly crafted origin story where Bruce Wayne (#ChristianBale) loses his way after the murder of his parents Thomas and Martha Wayne. He disappears into the Himalayas for a few years where he trains in Ninja skills with Henry Ducard (#LiamNeeson). He is inducted into the League of Shadows and meets up with the evil Ras’ Al Ghul. He realises that he has been tricked and comes back to save Gotham with the help of his trusted lieutenants Alfred Pennystone (#MichaelCaine) and Lucius Fox (#MorganFreeman).
Nolan keeps his hero real and the emphasis is on the characters over the gadgets; the batmobile is of course a happy exception! Bruce seeks justice, rather than revenge. “I’m no executioner,” he says. He further spells out the philosophy “I seek the means to fight injustice, to turn fear on those who prey on the fearful”. #ChristianBale is brilliant with his dry wit and smoldering intensity as he displays multiple emotions as the spoiled playboy and the masked alter-ego. He is tormented by his personal demons even as he takes on the villains.
All the Batman movies play special emphasis on the supporting cast. In #BatmanBegins, the cast includes #KatieHolmes as Rachel Dawes, #GaryOldman as Lt James Gordon and #CillianMurphy as Dr Jonathan Crane. #Nolan co-scripted the movie with #DavidGoyer and #WallyPfister’s cinematography won him an Oscar. #HansZimmerman’s soundtrack stands out especially in the high action scenes. An interesting piece of trivia is that before #Bale was finalised, the team considered #KeeanuReeves, #JakeGyllenhall, #HenryCavill and #JoshuaJackson for the role. #Nolan also introduced the art of street fights ‘Keysi’ that included head-butting and elbowing into the fight scenes.
#TheDarkKnight released in 2008 and the honours all belonged to #HeathLedger whose rendition of the Joker made the character legendary. Lines like “Why so serious?” and “Madness, as you know, is like gravity”. Tragically, he died before the release of the film and did not live to savour the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Made at a budget of 185 mm USD and grossing over 1 Billion USD, this was an unqualified blockbuster and set a new standard for movie making at scale. That one scene where Batman airlifts Lau from HongKong is spectacular and the one-liners are done in true Bond style. #AaronEckhart came in to play Harvey Dent. For that particular role, many others were auditioned including #HughJackman, #MarkRuffalo and several others. The film was made on IMAX cameras and the only four pieces in the world were used here.
#TheDarkKnightRises moves the bar up with a new villain Bane and Selina Kyle as Catwoman. Bruce is eight years older and looks worn out. One interesting trivia for Indian viewers is the prion pit leap challenge. This is set in Cardington, England and the city exteriors are from Jodhpur.
The scale is bigger, the villains more complex and the villainy more sophisticated. “Over the ages, our weapons have grown more sophisticated. With Gotham, we tried a new one: Economics. But we underestimated certain of Gotham’s citizens… such as your parents. Gunned down by one of the very people they were trying to help. Create enough hunger and everyone becomes a criminal.” – Ra’s al Ghul
The strange chanting you hear on the soundtrack is actually the massed voices of Batman fans: the film’s composer ‘crowdsourced’ the sound, putting a shout-out on Twitter for fans to add their voices.
#TheDarkKnightRises is in that sense not just a superhero film, Yes there is all the formidable power, super powers and might of the hero. But the focus is indelibly on the man behind the mask. It is also the story of his fears, his rise and fall and his insecurities. As Bruce lifts himself up off the pit the dialogue goes “Why do we fall? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up”
What #Nolan does manage to do with the Batman trilogy is to shift the focus from the superhero to the man behind the mask. The spotlight is on Wayne who is rich and powerful but also lonely. In effect, you realise that Bruce Wayne is the mask ; Batman is his real self! “What’s always been fascinating about Batman,” says Nolan who also co-wrote the script, “is that he is a hero driven by quite negative impulses. Batman is human. He’s flawed. But he’s someone who has taken those very powerful, self-destructive emotions and made something positive from them. To me, that makes Batman an extraordinarily relevant figure in today’s world.”
Meanwhile, news is that Marvel has just launched the first Chinese Superhero Shang Chi. And while there is some talk of Stan Lee created Indian superhero Chakra, I wonder why we haven't seen our childhood heroes like Phantom and Bahadur take off. Is it because we consider them childish and in a sense grow out of that league? Or is it because superheroes can only be mythological. Why not a Hanuman story then ? I do think there is a germ of an idea here.
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