Why So Serious?

Last summer, The Dark Knight was released in theatres across the nation and was the highest grossing movie out of any superhero blockbuster ever made; bumping Spiderman 3 off the list. Maybe you are one of the few who hasn’t seen The Dark Knight movie yet, and if this is the case, you’re probably asking: what was all the hype about? It’s just another superhero action movie, complete with a Hollywood heartthrob who wears his underwear outside his tights and a baddie who wants to, ahem, take over the city. Those who haven’t seen the movie don’t understand how the Dark Knight went from regular superhero movie to outstanding box office smash, despite the bangs, booms, and sinister hissing of the creepy catchphrase “Why so serious?” You may write off the Dark Knight’s success on the passing of Heath Ledger, and in part, this is probably true. Many of his fans came to the theatre to gawk at his ghost and bid old Heath adieu. Ledger’s Joker has inspired many a Halloween costume and a few copycats. But I think that there is more to this blockbuster than meets the eye. It is a retelling of the classic good vs. evil storyline, revamped and ready to entertain an entirely new generation of young people longing, subconsciously or not, to see good triumph over evil.
The plot of the Dark Knight is too complicated to completely retell here, but here are the basics: Batman (Christian Bale) is helping rid Gotham of crime with the help of his butler/father figure Alfred (Michael Caine). Then the Joker comes along like a bat out of hell, with no name, no alias, custom clothing, and nothing in his pockets but knives and lint. He begins the fight for Gotham’s soul; doing anything he thinks will provoke chaos and performing his “magic trick” for people who look as though they’re going to be any sort of hindrance. He has never heard of a thing we mortals like to call soap, burns the billions of dollars he earns from the Mob, carves his face with a Glasgow smile, and douses it in Mary Kay products. This character may seem like just another homicidal freak, but the Joker is more than that.
He is the symbol of innocence lost; of the decay of morality. Even his makeup seems as though it is decaying. The Joker is not interested in killing Batman. He merely wants to bring the Caped Crusader down to his level, and has no consideration for his own life, as evidenced by the “C’mon…HIT ME!” scene from the movie.
“[The people of Gotham] are only as good as the world allows them to be.” The Joker says to Batman in one intense scene, “When the chips are down, these civilized people…they’ll eat each other. You see, I’m not a monster. I’m just ahead of the curve.”
The movie doesn’t disappoint. There’s plenty of action to keep the regular Joe’s content, while there is enough philosophical substance to satisfy a diehard connoisseur. And Heath Ledger is mesmerizing. I personally didn’t know whether to laugh at the Joker or shrink back in my seat. But the “decay of morality”, which the Joker symbolizes, is no laughing matter.
I won’t give away the end of the movie; let’s just say that it is worth it. And even if you don’t start spouting off the Joker’s creepy catchphrases, this movie leaves you with plenty to think about.

Here's Looking At You, Humphrey

He didn’t have classic “movie star” looks. He was short, only 5’8’’, and he had a slight lisp when he talked. Yet Humphrey Bogart is the American Film Institute’s #1 actor of all time and has created some of the most memorable characters seen on film. This week, we’re going to take a look at the first Hollywood icon: Humphrey Bogart.

I was watching Humphrey Bogart movies before I even knew who he was. I don’t know how many old black and white movies my grandma made me watch when I was little, but Sabrina was among them. It was one of Bogart’s last performances and definitely not his best, although it is a thoroughly entertaining movie with a good cast. When I started taking an interest in classic films later on in life, it was cool to already have a connection with “Bogey”.

Bogart began his acting career in plays, but when the stock market crashed, he began to look for film roles. He got his breakout role in 1936 in the movie The Petrified Forest, acting alongside Bette Davis and Leslie Howard. After that, he was typecast as a gangster in several ‘B’ movies before his rise to stardom as Rick Blaine in Casablanca, a man torn between love and obligation, right and wrong, revenge and duty (International Movie Database). This is probably my favorite Bogart movie, because there are virtually no flaws in it. The acting is superb all around, the plot is riveting, the characters have faults but ultimately do the right thing, the lines are insanely quotable, and the bad guys are Nazis. It’s also considered a cinematic masterpiece, staying on top of the American Film Institute’s Top 100 films, despite its age.

But despite the popularity of this movie, it almost didn’t make it past the censors. The movie contained allusions to the main woman character, Ilsa, having an affair with Rick Blaine, Bogart’s character. (SPOILER ALERT) It scraped by because Ilsa thought her husband was dead at the time of the affair, and she leaves with her husband instead of staying with Rick at the end of the film, comforted by the fact that she and Rick will “always have Paris”. The ending of this film alone is packed with famous movie lines. Although you have probably heard them before, they came from Casablanca: “We’ll always have Paris”, “Here’s looking at you, kid”, “Round up the usual suspects”, and “Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship”.

And of course there is the famous line “Play it again, Sam”, when in fact, this is never spoken in Casablanca. The correct line is “Play it, Sam. For old times sake”.

Some other roles that Bogart set in stone are Charlie Allnut in The African Queen (for which he won his first and only Oscar), Fred C. Dobbs in Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon, Lt. Queeg in The Caine Mutiny, and Steve Morgan in To Have and Have Not.

Although he only won a single Oscar during his lifetime, having the bravery to use his real name, Humphrey Bogart, as his acting name should have earned him at least 5 Oscars.