The Dark Knight
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The Dark Knight (2008)
Production
Budget
$185 000 000
Revenue
$1 003 045 358
Director
Scenario
Christopher Nolan
Author
Composer
Producer
Charles Roven
Actors
Christian Bale
Bruce Wayne
Heath Ledger
Joker
Aaron Eckhart
Harvey Dent
Michael Caine
Alfred
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Rachel
Gary Oldman
Gordon
Morgan Freeman
Lucius Fox
Monique Gabriela Curnen
Ramirez
Short description
The Dark Knight continues the story of Bruce Wayne, who fights crime in Gotham City as Batman. Teaming up with police lieutenant James Gordon and district attorney Harvey Dent, he works to take down the organised crime groups still operating in the city. Their partnership brings results until a new figure appears: the Joker, a criminal who deliberately spreads fear and disorder and forces Batman to confront a kind of opponent he has not faced before.
The film was directed by Christopher Nolan, who wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan. It is the seventh of the fifteen films he has directed, following The Prestige and preceding Inception. Christian Bale returns as Bruce Wayne, with Heath Ledger as the Joker, Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent, Gary Oldman as Gordon, Michael Caine as Alfred and Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel. The production involved 139 credited cast members and 144 credited crew members.
With a budget of 185 million US dollars, the film went on to take about 1 billion US dollars worldwide, a strong return on its cost. On IMDb it holds 9.1 out of 10 from roughly 3.1 million votes, while on TMDB it has 8.5 out of 10 from far fewer votes. A critics' rating of 8.9 out of 10 from 340 reviews is close to the audience score on IMDb and above the TMDB figure.
What's left behind the scenes
- While preparing for the role, Aaron Eckhart studied in detail the most vivid described cases of dissociative identity disorder.
- The film became the fourth in the world to earn over one billion dollars.
- One of the explosions in the film was shot at the Battersea Power Station in London. The noise frightened local residents so much that it provoked panic over this "terrorist act."
- Harvey Dent's transformation into Two-Face due to an incident in court is present in the comic book *Batman: The Long Halloween*, where acid was thrown in his face. In the film, however, he was still able to confront the accused.
- The Joker's appearance was largely based on the impression from the unsettling paintings of English Expressionist artist Francis Bacon.
- As a joke, one of the Batman suits was made with nipples, and was given to Christian Bale. But he already knew about the joke, as he had seen the sketches during pre-production, so he wasn't embarrassed and even posed for some public photos.
- At the beginning of the film, a poster for "Spider-Man 3" (2007) can be seen on the wall of a building.
- Episodes of Batman comics titled "The Long Halloween," "The Killing Joke," and "The Man Who Laughs" had a significant influence on the character of the Joker in this version. One of the creators of this character in the 1940s, Jerry Robinson, was hired as a consultant, just as his colleague Bob Kane was for "Batman" (1989).
- A false project title was "Rory's First Kiss." Christopher Nolan's son is named Rory.
- Heath Ledger turned down a role in the film "Australia" (2008) to play the Joker.
- In Hong Kong, Batman prepares to jump from the middle of a beam (36th minute). But with a change of frame, he jumps from its edge.
- To prepare for the role of the Joker, Heath Ledger lived alone in a hotel for a whole month, developing the psychology of his character, his gestures, and his voice. The latter, he said, was the most difficult. The actor kept a diary in which he recorded the thoughts and feelings of the Joker. He also drew on the mannerisms of Alex from "A Clockwork Orange" (1971) and Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols in his preparation for the role.
- As the Joker drives away from the bank, the sound of children's voices and laughter can be heard, although all the buses are visibly empty.
- A green glow from the television can be noticed on the table. If you film a working television or computer, the image on it will be blurry. Therefore, during filming, a green background is imposed on the screen, and the desired image is added during post-processing.
- In the scene where the Joker suggests killing Batman, Michael Jai White says, "I've had enough of the clown." In the film *Spawn* (1997), Jay White's character says the exact same phrase when annoyed by the antics of a dwarf.
- The robber killed by the Joker disappears when he gets on the bus.
- The explosion at the police station at least knocks every employee unconscious. However, the Joker himself, even though he wasn't the furthest from the blast, wasn't even blown back by the shockwave, and Lao, the Chinese man the villain needed, also remained unharmed.
- The Batpod differs from ordinary motorcycles in that it has two engines located in the center of the wheels. This marvel of engineering was created by Chris Corbould.
- An Imax MSM camera attached to a Mercedes was broken during the armored car chase scene. Notably, there were only 4 such cameras in existence at that time.
- In one episode of the film, during a demonstration of the new Batman suit designed by Fox, Bruce asks if it can withstand a dog attack, to which Lucius jokingly replies that the new suit will “definitely withstand cats,” thereby referencing one of the comic book characters – Catwoman.
- When Christopher Nolan was asked, 'Why Heath Ledger will be the Joker?', he replied, 'Because he is fearless.'
- Throughout the film, the uniforms and vehicles of the Gotham City Police Department display either GPD or GCPD. The filmmakers made the same mistake in the third installment of the trilogy.
- In all scenes with the Batpod, Jean-Pierre Goy doubled for Bale.
- "The Dark Knight" earned more money in its first six days than "Batman Begins" did throughout its entire run.
- Christopher Nolan stated that he was quoting 'Heat' (1995) in some scenes of the film.
- Ramirez, coming to Gordon on the roof, holds the cup with one hand, then with two.
- During the chase scene with the Joker, the truck he is in flips over. Smoke can be seen coming from the underside of the vehicle, created by a powerful liquid nitrogen piston. During filming, the stunt driver was traveling at 35 km/h, while the piston fired downwards with a force of 12 tons, overturning the truck.
- The number of killed characters is 36.
- The RPG used in the film is a Russian RPG-7.
- At one stage of production, a rumor arose that the Penguin would appear in the film. Bob Hoskins made an official statement that he would like to play this character, wanting to work with such a talented director as Christopher Nolan. Nolan, however, stated that there had been no talk of the Penguin and that the character was generally too unnatural.
- When Alfred stitches up Bruce's wound in his 'lair', Wayne's head is alternately lowered and raised, changing with the camera angle.
- After being damaged, the Batmobile almost falls onto a roof (79th minute). But with a change of shot, it returns to its wheels.
- This is the first film in the "Batman" series in which Batman’s costume has a freely rotating neck.
- The Joker's makeup consists of three parts – special, super-strong silicone appliques secured with special cosmetic products. Two of them are attached to the cheeks, and the third under the lower jaw. The makeup on the lips is done with special lipstick and silicone products capable of giving the face the effect of a stretched mouth. This combination, along with the makeup, creates the effect of a mouth torn from ear to ear and a post-traumatic keloid on the lower lip and right cheek, to further frighten the actor’s face and also give the image a certain external disfigurement. These appliques are very flexible and bend easily, allowing the actor not only to move the torn mouth freely and naturally, but also to fully control his facial expressions. At the same time, everything looks incredibly natural and impressive. In addition, a special makeup is applied to the face to give it an extremely pale complexion, and therefore Heath’s character looks like a living corpse. All the makeup, excluding the appliques, is applied carelessly and sloppily, so that the audience has no doubt that they are looking at a real madman. Heath Ledger’s daily makeup took just under an hour.
- The mayor of the city is played by Nestor Carbonell, who has a character named Batmanuel in his television filmography.
- Heath Ledger improvised, starting to clap in prison when Inspector Gordon was appointed commissioner. Christopher Nolan later included this scene in the final cut of the film.
- The film is dedicated to the memory of Heath Ledger and Conway Wickliffe. This is stated in the film's end credits.
- In the scene where the Joker is in the hospital dressed as a nurse, his name badge reads 'Matilda.' This is also the name of Heath Ledger's daughter.
- Filming took place in Chicago, London, Hong Kong and Los Angeles.
- In one interview, Christian Bale said that during the filming of the interrogation scene, Heath Ledger wanted him to hit him as hard as possible in order to feel the emotions necessary for the scene.
- In the scene with the timer at the warehouse, when we see it for the first time, the stopwatch shows 4:54 and exactly 4:54 of screen time passes before the explosion. However, an error was made during editing – the next time the timer is shown, it displays 00:40, when there were actually 1:40 remaining, which then expire before the explosion.
- When the Joker walks towards the Batpod and shoots at the cars, a sign reading “Sweet Home Chicago” can be seen on one of the stores.
- Mark Hamill, Paul Bettany, Robin Williams, Adrien Brody, and Lachy Hulme expressed their interest in playing the role of the Joker.
- In the restaurant, Bruce suggests moving two tables together and, stating that they are in his restaurant, gestures for the staff to do so. But a second later, they are seated at one small table.
- Heath Ledger’s death on January 22, 2008, sparked many rumors that the film would have to be reshot, but all scenes with the actor had been filmed by that point.
- The scars on the Joker's face are a reference to Gwynplaine, a character from Victor Hugo's novel 'The Man Who Laughs'.
- In addition to the Batpod, Batman/Bruce Wayne's new toy is a new model Lamborghini. Usually, Bruce, in the guise of his alter ego, saves the residents of Gotham in the Batmobile, but now it's time to take a ride in a new Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 sports car. This car boasts 640 horsepower and a twelve-cylinder engine capable of accelerating to 211 miles per hour. Incidentally, this is not Bruce Wayne's first Lamborghini; in 2005, in 'Batman Begins,' the Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster debuted.
- During the bank robbery, the Joker wears a mask also worn by Cesar Romero in the 1966 Batman television series.
- Matt Damon was Christopher Nolan's favorite for the role of Harvey Dent, but the actor turned it down. Other candidates considered before the role went to Aaron Eckhart included Hugh Jackman, Ryan Phillippe, Liev Schreiber, and Josh Lucas.
- Before Maggie Gyllenhaal replaced Katie Holmes in the role of Rachel Dawes, Rachel McAdams and Emily Blunt were considered for the part.
- Gaffes in the Joker interrogation scene: The door to the interrogation room operates with a magnetic lock. But when Gordon closes it behind him, a gap between the door and the frame is visible in the reflection on the right; While the Joker was talking to Batman, a green suspender appears and disappears on his shoulder; Losing his temper, Batman grabs the Joker and presses him against the wall. For a moment, a cameraman with a camera can be seen in the reflection on the right; The Joker grabs Batman's hand with his right hand. The position of the hand changes with the change of angle; Gordon runs to open the door while Batman is setting up the chair. The commissioner doesn't make it, but he was going to open it by ramming it with his shoulder. Gordon wouldn't have been able to open the door like that even if the chair hadn't been there, as it's magnetic. It can only be opened after a specific sound, which wasn't present here.
- Christian Bale stated that he would refuse to play Batman if Robin were introduced in any of the three films with his participation.
- Matthew Thomas Skiba, a well-known guitarist from the rock band Alkaline Trio, appeared in the scene of the attempted assassination of Coleman Reese.
- Dent changes the position of his arms while lying on the ground at the end of the film.
- Mark Hamill, Paul Bettany, Robin Williams, Adrien Brody, and Leighton Meester expressed interest in the role of the Joker.
- Working titles for the film were "Batman: Year One 2" and "Batman: The Dark Knight".
- This is the first Batman film that does not feature Bruce Wayne's mansion with his Batcave. Bruce has moved into a penthouse in his skyscraper, under which is a secret basement serving as a mini-cave.
- In the scene with the bomb on the ferries, time passes too quickly – the first time the clock shows 23:44, and after three minutes of screen time, the clock in the frame already shows 23:55. Whereas the remaining 2 minutes in screen time take the same amount of time in the plot.
- When the Joker blows up the hospital, we see it from above. It's visible that the windows are missing on that side. Most likely, they used an abandoned building for this scene and didn't fully prepare it.
- Batman shoots the truck's radiator with his incredibly strong rope, and it flips over. No radiator, or any part of the car for that matter, could withstand such an unimaginable stress. At best, this rope would rip off the radiator cap or damage the engine, but no more.
- In some US cinemas, the film was presented under the title "Oliver`s Army".
- In the hospital, when the Joker held a gun to Dent's head with his hand, a clip appears and disappears on Dent's index finger. In the same scene, the Joker holds his index finger either extended or pressed against the gun.
- Jumping onto the roof of the Scarecrow’s car, Batman turns 90 degrees mid-air.
- At the 53rd minute, the Joker breaks glass behind him with a shot. However, he was holding the gun in a way that would have made it impossible to hit the window.
- The name of the car Batman/Bruce Wayne drives around the city is "Murcielago," which translates from Spanish as "bat."
- When the Joker approaches the wounded bank employee lying on the floor, he takes the employee's head in his left hand, and in the next frame removes the mask with the same hand. As the camera angle changes, we again see the Joker holding the head in his left hand.
- The scene of the Joker and his gang chasing Harvey Dent’s armored police car was filmed in two locations – directly under Chicago (in Lower Wacker Drive) and in Hong Kong, where, thanks to Chris Corbould’s team, models of Lower Wacker Drive, the necessary vehicles, and the Batmobile itself were built. This is how the episode of the Batmobile colliding with a garbage truck was filmed. This was done because the authorities of Chicago did not allow damaging the foundation of the city, which Lower Wacker Drive is.
- When Fox demonstrates the new armor for Wayne's suit, Bruce throws knives, and indentations remain in their place. When he puts the device back, the knives are back in place.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
