The Dark Knight Textual Analysis

1.                  THE DARK NIGHT RISES

Mise en Scene

Tom Hardy plays Bane – voice signifies to us immediately a ‘dark villain’, deep powerful voices gives us the feeling of a strong, dominant character.

Like all typical villains we can identify them as there is something unusual about them that makes them stand out – whether it be costume, attitude, presence on screen, physical appearance – with the particular character the definitive ‘thing’ is the Voice.  For example: in the previous Batman film – Dark Night – one can identify the villains who are the Joker and Two Face, formerly known as Harvey Dent by their physical appearance and persona on screen.

The costume of Batman can tell us a lot about his character.  We know that Batman, otherwise known as Bruce Wayne, wears two individual suits, one for daytime business, the other a suit of armour for the night.  The suit of armour portrays Batman’s character in that it is dark, foreboding and has different aspects that represent his character during the day.

The colour of the costume is black that could signify that although he is a hero in the eyes of the citizens of Gotham he is still a dark character with another side to him.  We can also say that the black reflects that fact he fights against crime only at night however, this is challenged in the film when he finally reveals himself in the day to face Bane, his adversary which may show he has finally overcome his fear and does not need the darkness of the night to hide his identity.

Both Bane and Batman wear a mask and have distinctive voices to hide their true identity.

Bane wears mask to hide his scars and keep his pain at a threshold to enable him to function as fully as possible.  Whereas, Batman’s pain is not visible, he wears the mask to almost release the pain and be able to take his anger out.  Banes costume has been thrown together, is an amalgam of all sorts of bits and pieces all cobbled together.

In the film Bane is made distinctive to the audience as one of the main villains from the way he is dressed and the effect that this has on the audience. There are two main parts to Bane’s costume that creates the sense of a powerful villain that are the mask and the coat that he wears.  His mask we have already discussed but the coat that he wears can tell us a lot about his personality if we take a deeper look inside.  It is a Russian style coat that you would expect to see on an old gentlemen or family man having to go to work during the Russian revolution in poor conditions and the freezing cold to be able to provide for his family.

This creates a sense to us as the audience that Banes character is based on a person who is somewhat of a revolutionary.  However it has also been specifically made to look like an army style coat that we would expect to see being worn by an overpowering dictator that shows that Bane has a split personality and two separate aims.  A militant revolutionary portraying himself as a "liberator" in the film, and a dictator. Whereas The Dark Knight was defined by its villains, The Dark Knight Rises finds strength in its heroes.

Editing

There are a number of dissolve shots used in the clip to create a more suspenseful atmosphere which suggests to the audience that something is gradually creeping in and about to take place for example the darkness and pain.

Straight cuts to show the fast pace tempo of the film and also allows them to fit all the scenes they want to show you in the minimum amount of time they have to show you the trailer.

Low-key lighting is used in this trailer throughout to emphasize the fact that Batman is almost a shadow, a key figure in the film that reveal himself only at night. It could also be used to show the fact that during the film, for most of it the dark is prevailing the light and alternately the good.

High key lighting is used again throughout the trailer but more specifically on the two main characters that are Batman and Bane, this could be used for a number of reasons and make the audience think of alternate possibilities. The main ones are that the high key lighting is used mainly on these two characters is to share a resemblance and a comparison between them that may not always be clear to us, Batman is the character fighting against the evils of the dark while Bane is the reason why these horrors are there in the first place.

Camera Angles and Movement

Exteriors above the prison were filmed in Jodhpur, India, chosen because of the "forbidding landscape that added to the desolation".

Point of view – gives the audience the interpretation that they are actually the character themselves.  In this case, it is Batman’s perspective staring at Bane.

Close up – this is used to show the expression on the characters face and helps the audience understand their emotions and what they are feeling.

Panning – this is used to create a sense of feeling to the audience that something key in the film is about to happen as the camera is circling around the character, giving a false pretence that they are being trapped with no way out.

Tracking – this is used to emphasis the feeling of a fast pace tempo and make it more suspenseful and enjoyable for the audience creating the feeling of a chase.

Low angle – is used in this particular scene when Batman is at his weakest and with the camera at the same level as him.  It is aimed upwards to see the figure of Bane towering above him this in turn creates a sense that Bane is the more dominate character towards the audience and makes them empathise and feel more sympathetic towards Batman.

High angle – is used in this trailer when Batman is standing on a tower looking down upon Gotham City that he protects and thus giving us the sense that he dominates and controls the city in a certain respect but also signifies that he is looking upon it as a protector of it.

Sound

Both diegetic and non-diegetic natural sounds overlapping, with explosions, loud drums, Bane’s characters voice as discussed in Mise en Scene that creates a sinister atmosphere, and the use of crescendo to heighten the suspense.