Director
Christopher Nolan
Leading Actors/Actresses
Christian Bale, Heath Ledger
Supporting Actors/Actresses
Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, and Aaron Eckhart
Genre
Superhero, Action, Thriller
Language
English
Awards
Academy Awards - Nominated for: Cinematography, Editing, Art Direction, Makeup, Sound Mixing, and Visual Effects; Won for: Best Supporting Actor (Heath Ledger) and Best Sound Editing
Date of Release
July 18th, 2008
Producer
Emma Thomas, Charles Roven, and Christopher Nolan
Setting and Context
Gotham City, present day, after the events of Batman Begins
Narrator and Point of View
No narrator or POV
Tone and Mood
Dark, thrilling, brooding, philosophical.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Batman vs. The Joker
Major Conflict
Batman is trying to clean up Gotham while also fighting with the supervillain and agent of chaos, the Joker. He is also conflicted about whether to give up the identity of Batman and pursue a normal life.
Climax
Batman catching the Joker and then Batman killing Two-Face.
Foreshadowing
Joker foreshadows many of the evil things he will do with odd asides. Harvey Dent's corruption is foreshadowed by his observation that heroes either die young or live to see themselves turn into villains.
Understatement
At the start of the film, the power and influence of the Joker is constantly understated.
Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques
Allusions
Allusions to philosophy and to the comic books on which the film is based.
Paradox
The Joker is insane and chaotic, but also always two steps ahead, and thus, extremely methodical.
