The Dark Knight
I’ve been to see the Dark Knight today, and I took BTP. Yes, my four-year old, to that film.
Parents who have lodged a record number complaints about violence in The Dark Knight, the latest Batman film, have been supported by several MPs.The Telegraph
‘The BBFC have got this wrong and won’t admit it. I don’t think we can trust the board and perhaps we need a tougher legislative regime to prevent abuses like this.’The Daily Mail
…and I took my four year old. And I’ll tell you what. It was a bloody good film. I enjoyed it, and BTP enjoyed it.
Yes, the Joker is brutal and sadistic throughout the film. And, of course, he does it all with such panache, making him even more appealing. But what’s new?
As Anthony Horowitz says in the Guardian:
And children never really were that innocent. They’ve always been fairly bloodthirsty creatures with a great liking for violence. From the slapstick of circus clowns to the psychotic mutilation of Tom and Jerry, they have always been entertained by it.Anthony Horowitz in The Guardian
This ‘protect the children’ mantra is a bit weird when you consider that some of the best selling children’s books are the Horrible Histories (and does anyone else remember Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes?). And how many children watch the non-stop ‘cartoon’ violence in Power Rangers? Is there not something more dangerous in giving our kids the idea that people can fight all the time without anyone getting hurt?
Yes, there are bits in the film that I didn’t particularly think were appropriate for my kid: but in general, the worst bits were the implied violence where I knew what was happening but my kid wasn’t really aware of, because it took place out-of-shot. I think that the BBFC made a sensible decision in making it a 12A, and I fully intend to contact them to tell them so.
It won’t be appropriate for some children. That’s why it’s a 12A. It means that if your children are under 12, they need to attend with an adult. It’s therefore the adult’s responsibility to decide whether or not the film is appropriate. If you don’t want your kids to see it, don’t take them to see it. It’s not that difficult, is it?
But the main thing I want to say is about Heath Ledger’s role as the Joker. I was a bit alarmed by what I saw as the luvvie-laden eulogising:
there was talk of a posthumous Oscar, as Heath Ledger film The Dark Knight was unveiled in New York last night. [...] Michael Caine led the tributes to Ledger, who died of an accidental drug overdose in January, telling reporters that his co-star’s turn as The Joker in the latest Batman film was “the best performance of a villain I have seen”The Times
Now I’ve never really been a fan of Heath Ledger. Yes, I know he’s dead, but I can still say that, okay? However, my knowledge of him was based solely on the fact that he had appeared in two films I didn’t really fancy seeing — A Knight’s Tale and Brokeback Mountain. So I didn’t really know what to expect from him as The Joker.
He was bloody fantastic. I was completely wrong to think that the talk of Oscars was simply ’saying nice things about the dead’. Like Michael Caine said, it was simply the best performance of a villain I’ve seen.
He oozes menace, like Ben Kingsley in Sexy Beast. He dangles perfectly on the edge of sanity and insanity, and for me captures the Joker’s menace and deliberate choice of insanity and chaos pretty much perfectly (reminds me very much of the excellent graphic novel Batman: The Killing Joke). People generally talk about Jack Nicholson’s character in ‘The Shining’ as a perfect performance of menace: but Ledger simply blows him out of the water (ironically enough, with a character Jack’s also had a shot at…).
The Joker’s story of his ’scars’ (his Chelsea smile) changes in the story: he gives two different versions of how his face got cut. This is again very reminiscent of TKJ …
Sometimes I remember it one way, sometimes another… If I’m going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice!The Joker (Batman: The Killing Joke)
Everyone else in the film — and I include Batman in that — is simply reduced to an extra, as Heath Ledger’s character powers through the entire film. What a fantastic performance. I don’t normally buy films on DVD (I buy comedy shows) but when this comes out on DVD I will be buying it, because I could watch that performance by Heath Ledger again and again.
– It’s the first time since I was a kid that I want to go straight back and see the film again.
So, by all means make your own decision about whether or not to take children to see it (The Joker is magnificent but also brutal and sadistic), but if you are an adult, go and see this film.
Got that? Go and see this film. You will be blown away by Ledger’s performance — and I fully agree he deserves a posthumous Oscar for this. Go on, what are you waiting for?
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