Question

[lemonbella]

I was reading a couple of other reviews of The Dark Knight, and some of them seemed to suggest a very different take on a pivotal scene than the one I have. I'm quite confident in my Batman canon and have a very strong version of Batman in my head, However, I'm slightly curious as to whether there are people who really view Batman in a different way to me.

So, in the scene when Batman and Gordon are racing to save Dent and Rachel, my interpretation is that Batman deliberately goes to save Dent. To me this is obvious because that's who Batman is. He saves who Gotham needs him to save, rather than who Bruce would like to save. This also fits with the previous discussion about Dent being the guy who Gotham needs. It also feels disingenuous to me if that discussion between Dent and Rachel is only there to set up the surprise, rather than to illustrate that Batman is the Dark Knight not the Knight in Shining Armour.

However, these other reviews appear to suggest that Batman ends up in the wrong place because the Joker tricked him: so he thought he was going to save Rachel but ended up saving Dent.

I'm not sure how I'm going to feel if other people suggest the second interpretation is correct. It might ruin the film!

Comments

Re: Dark Knight interpretation

[lemonbella.livejournal.com]

What surprises me is that, before I asked the question, I had seen (and heard) something very different in that scene. So what I originally thought was other people's interpretation turns out to be my interpretation.

I'm going to see it again (fourth time) to watch that bit again, to see whether it really is just me spinning it for my Batman or whether its written or edited ambiguously. (I don't have any recollection of addresses being given by the Joker - it just cut from him about to tell to them racing to rescue - which is what led me to believe that people with the other interpretation were making assumptions. However, I may have to face the fact that my brain edited that out so I didn't hate the film the first time I saw it!)

I'm really not sure how I'm going to feel if I find out that the writers intended Batman to rescue Rachel. It completely betrays everything I know to be Batman (and what I loved about this franchise is that it had been the first cinematic portrayal of Batman which fitted with the comics).

I take the point you've said above: they have created the love interest. However, she had a purpose in Batman Begins, and I was quite impressed with how well they stayed away from the usual Hollywood Guy-gets-Girl and used her to illustrate how messed up Bruce actually is and the sacrfices Batman makes. If they haven't used her the same way in this film but instead used it to denigrate Batman from Dark Knight to the Same Old Hero then it's deeply disappointing.

I suppose it could be argued that the death of Rachel is what finally forces Batman to become the Dark Knight, and the film is about that process rather than the finished article. However, that makes me feel a little like I'm trying to find a reason to still like a film rather than having to remove it from my favourite films list.

Re: Dark Knight interpretation

[laceymcbain.livejournal.com]

Mad enough to Mail a Badger, eh? Great icon.

I totally get where you're coming from and how disappointed you are that they've been inconsistent with the character. And it's easy to miss stuff in a show that packed with details - I've only seen the show once, so even I'm not totally sure if that's accurate at this point, but it's what I remember.

Yeah, I don't like things always coming down to how a guy reacts to a girl as the motivation for what he does ... I wish hollywood would find another way to look at things.

Re: Dark Knight interpretation

[lemonbella.livejournal.com]

The appearance of Krypto and Ace the Batdog has cheered me up immensely.

Re: Dark Knight interpretation

[laceymcbain.livejournal.com]

*beams* I love the Krypto cartoon with an unholy passion.

Re: Dark Knight interpretation

[lemonbella.livejournal.com]

It's just superb. Because Krypto is *exactly* like Superman.