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Sunday, September 14, 2008

Why the Joker is my new God


The Dark Knight came . I saw it . And the Joker conquered me . I am his slave . He is my new God . If only Heath Ledger were alive to witness his own magnum opus , to bask in his own brilliance, to wallow in the Wow’s that millions(I sincerely hope it is millions) all over the globe must have uttered . And that is all we can do . Words did literally fail me . I do not claim omniscience with respect to cinema, but the Joker’s portrayal by Heath Ledger(May he rest in peace) is one of the best that I have ever seen. I am aware that Batman is a superhero from a comic book, and I am quite sure the Oscar committee would hem and haw a lot before they grant the honour ,provided no other movie outshines it, BUT , Heath Ledger should unequivocally and undoubtedly get one .

The Joker is the work of a genius. And when we take into consideration that the legendary, twelve time nominee and three time winner of the Academy Award , Jack Nicholson once played the part of the Joker in Tim Burton’s Batman(1989), Ledger shines even more brightly. But playing the Joker was no joke. It seems that it his intense involvement with this project might have contributed to his death. Ledger had told reporters that he "slept an average of two hours a night" while playing "a psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy" . He couldn't stop thinking. His body was exhausted but his mind was still going. Prescription drugs brought no relief either. And the accidental overdose of that led to his death.

The Dark Knight is a great film, it has become the new #3 on IMDB’s top 250 list. Christian Bale, Christopher Nolan ,Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Gary Oldman were all good. But one man stole the show. It is quite ironical indeed. When Nolan’s first Batman movie came out, it took no time to establish itself as an amazing Batman flick among all the others. It made its mark. And then came the Dark Knight. The legacy continued,with a twist. The irony being that in a movie about a superhero, a supervillain was the one who enthralled and enchanted. If it were up to me , I would award an Oscar to Ledger under the Best Actor in a Leading Role category. As compared to other superhero comic book flicks, most of which appease with the aid of stunning visual effects, this movie has substance . In the eternal battle between Good and Evil, how good must overcome evil, no matter what the cost is. Those who have seen the movie will understand what I allude to, those who haven’t will have to find out on their own. Reminds me of Mahabharata.

The Dark Knight was a revelation. I am afraid, I am no longer as great a fan of Batman as I was. The Joker has usurped Batman in my world. His evil is so pure, pristine, defying and delicious. It is horrifying and awe-inspiring. It is wondrous and horrendous. It is the other end of the spectrum. The Joker will set fire to this world , not to appease his ego, not for vengeance, but only to watch it burn . His evil is selfless . His evil is complete . That is what blew me away. That is the brilliance and beauty of it . He is worth worshiping because he is the greatest personification of evil. And that is why he is my new God .

3 comments:

Sarkywoman said...

You'll think me a fool, but I almost believed that his cause was good and right! He had me seduced with his talk of the people playing games and that in his World, there were no "planning". . . .I could go on!

It was an awesome performance! He truly deserves an Oscar for this performance.

Masood said...

I always felt Ledger was a talented actor. But his performance as The Joker has everyone zapped. I for most parts almost wanted him to prevail. So ruthless. so audacious.

Ledger's fame and equity in the market would have seen dizzy heights. But alas.

What an irony! And that makes it all the more intriguing!!!

aShyCarnalKid said...

@Masood
It is a tragedy man . What a Loss !