The Dark Knight Turns 15: Heath Ledger’s Unparalleled Joker Performance
Première dives into its archives, while Christopher Nolan is a hit in theaters thanks to Oppenheimer.
The Dark Knight was released precisely on July 18, 2008 in the United States, then on August 13 of the same year in France. The blockbuster of Christopher Nolan has just celebrated its 15th anniversary. Here is our tribute to Heath Ledgerthe unforgettable interpreter of the Joker.
Chosen for his “crazy eyes”, Cillian Murphy loved playing The Scarecrow for Christopher Nolan
“I met Heath several times for different roles and saw him again for Batmandetailed the director at hitfix in 2012 . He explained to me why he didn’t want to do something like that, he was very polite. So I was very surprised when I got his phone call.”
Contacted by Christopher Nolan to play in Batman, Heath Ledger didn’t really see himself in a superhero movie. Before changing his tune when he discovered the dark universe in which the director wanted to immerse this superhero. “We met for several hours, we agreed on the general image of this character. We talked about common references (…) We looked at paintings by Francis Bacon, we talked visual references, philosophical ideas behind the Joker. He was ready to do it, he was ready to do something so big”continues the director.
Ten years after his death, Christopher Nolan talks about the performance of Heath Ledger
A Totally Possessed Joker
This Joker, Heath Ledger took months to build it, to create it, to imagine it, layer after layer, to lead to the insane character that we know today. To feel the madness of this iconic villain deep within him, the actor did not hesitate to isolate himself for six weeks in a hotel room before filming. His deepest, scariest thoughts he wrote down in diaries unveiled in 2012 in a documentary. Totally invested in this role, Heath Ledger not only interpreted the Joker, he became the Joker because the immersion was total. Totally possessed, he offers here an incredible performance in the skin of the scarred-faced psychopath.
Heath Ledger wanted to star in another Batman movie after The Dark Knight
Unparalleled performance
“Ledger’s performance is almost the most interesting thing in the film. And when he’s absent, The Dark Knight loses most of its energy and momentum.“Like this review by Stephen Hunter for the washington postthe disturbing performance of Heath Ledger knew how to surprise and bluff the public as much as the critics.
His Joker, for which he sought inspiration from Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols and Malcolm McDowell ofClockwork Orange, has become a real benchmark. So much so that the actor received in 2009 – posthumously – the Oscar for best actor in a supporting role. A ceremony that took place a year after his tragic death, which occurred after a drug overdose. During the Oscars evening, it was his family – his mother, his father and his sister – who came to collect the prize and paid him a moving tribute. Unforgettable Joker, Heath Ledger has set the bar very high. It’s hard to do better than his mind-blowing performance, which is one of the strengths of The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight.
Afterwards, Jared Leto accepted the challenge to Suicide Squad of David Ayerbut did not make such an impression. On the other hand, by offering an original approach to the character, Joaquin Phoenix has succeeded in 2019, even winning the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of the Joker!
Oscars 2020: the very moving speech of Joaquin Phoenix, crowned best actor for Joker
The story of The Dark Knight, the black Knight : Batman enters a decisive phase in his war on crime. With the help of police lieutenant Jim Gordon and district attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to dismantle the last criminal organizations that plague the streets of his city. The association proves effective, but the trio soon come up against a new criminal mastermind who is spreading terror and chaos in Gotham: the Joker…
Christopher Nolan’s movie trailer:
The Dark Knight: Nolan Delivers a Radical Batman Second Reading (Review)
