I am super tired this morning because I went to the midnight showing of Batman: The Dark Knight last night. Viewers beware, it is crazy long. We didn't get out until just before 3. But, all in all, I definitely thought it was well worth seeing. Heath Ledger's performance was...astounding. And I realize a lot of people are saying that, and if you aren't really into actors or movies (although why would you be reading this if that were the case) you might think they are just saying it because this is supposed to be the film that killed him.
I may not be a very good actor, but I know a good one when I see one, and I am telling you we have lost one of the most talented artists of our time.
Back to the film itself, I won't get too lengthy but here is a little something. The editing was really good, props to Lee Smith. And so was the sound (original, by James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer)...but right at the end they lost me a little. Last semester I had a conversation with my Film and Video 1 professor about sound levels, because I was doing a lot of sound layering for my final project, and he said that when adjusting the sound levels, one notch in either direction can be critical. I thought maybe he was just trying to scare me, but he was totally right. During the denouement in The Dark Knight, there is a voice over giving a powerful speech while we see conclusion/wrap up shots...it looked great, but there was music playing behind the speaker and it was as though those notches had been reversed - I wanted it to be one notch louder for the speaker and one notch quieter for the music. It was distracting and lessened the effect of a speech I thought was needed for the film to be effective.
As a side note, for any readers who may wonder why I seem so intent on viewing violent films, it really isn't my fault! I have been watching a lot of recommended/borrowed films from HB and he doesn't really have any happy-go-lucky kind of films, it seems (except for foreign films, which as I have said, can not be watched on my tiny tv). So, I promise to try and watch some more "family friendly," or at least not so violent, films in the fall when I have money to rent again!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
So Batman is violent? that's not the Batman I remember! I tend to avoid the superheroes unless they are played by Nicolas Cage (and he doesn't have magical powers, just gets into these situations....) But your comments on the sound really struck home -- I had the same experience at Les Miserables last week -- orchestra could have been softer to compensate for junior high students' singing and poor enunciation.
It isn't so much that Batman himself is so violent (I mean, obviously, he's kickin' evil dudes' butts and what not), but the Joker is extremely violent and creepy to boot. and violent in a...hands on kind of way...because he doesn't use guns, though sometimes he uses dynomite...
Post a Comment