FEAR, CHAOS, PAIN

You can push play and listen to the score as you read

Before Christopher Nolan dedicated a lot of months on pre production for "BATMAN BEGINS", Warner Bros. Studios had approached Darren Arronofsky to develop a story called "Batman: Year One" it didn´t work out. Then they aproached the  Wachowski brothers famous for THE MATRIX TRILOGY and M. Night Shyamalan ( THE SIXTH SENSE, THE VILLAGE) , but nothing came from that. Until Christopher Nolan was considered. Nolan’s pitch to Warner Bros that won him the directing job took just 15 minutes. 

He said to the  Warner Bros. executives: 

"this is what i want......  Darker and more Realistic."

Nolan showed them the treatment he had done with David S. Goyer and they were convinced they had their REBOOT TO ITS MOST POWERFUL FRANCHISE.

Before filmig began, Nolan showed cast and crew the film BLADE RUNNER as inspiration, his now famous line:

"THIS IS HOW WE ARE GOING TO MAKE BATMAN".

 One of the key elements for it to be a successful transition from script to screen was the casting of the main villains for all three movies. 

But not just any cast.

All actors are well seasoned consolidated performers. Who no one could doubt their talent or attributes. 

"ARE YOU READY TO BEGIN??"

Irish born actor, LIAM NEESON as Henri Ducard/R'as Al Ghul 

BATMAN BEGINS (2005)

As Ducard goes inside a prison, holding the disappeared Bruce Wayne. He asks the right questions to provoque his curiosity.

A role turned down by Viggo Mortensen , Guy Pierce and Daniel Day Lewis.

"THE WILL TO ACT"

Listen to Liam Neeson´s voice. He is calm and in control. Very much as his character QUI GON JINN from STAR WARS. He is at peace. As he tells BRUCE: "BREATH"

The main theme for Nolan in this film was "FEAR". Or as Ducard says:

"Tell us Mr. Wayne... what do you fear?"

To overcome it, to confront The BATS, the Anger, the Revenge.

"If you become more than just a man.... you become SOMETHING ELSE ENTIRELY, you become LEGEND Mr. Wayne."

Have you noticed, the name of officer who recovered the Joker card seen at the end is J. Kerr. 

Joe Kerr is one of The Joker's (more obvious) pseudonyms in the comics.
HEATH LEDGER AS THE JOKER

THE DARK KNIGHT (2008)

"what doesn´t kill you.... makes you ....stranger!?!

The Joker´s  mind works a little bit different than ours, he tells his victims how he got those scars ,the only problem is , he changes it every single time. 

Its been rumored that actors: Sean Penn, Paul Bettany, Robin Williams and Adrien Brody expressed interest in playing the Joker but Nolan always had Ledger on the back of his mind saying "Because he is fearless"

There is no lie in every word the JOKER says.

Even if it is the same character, every actor has a different way to portray it. Making a succesful JOKER, after Jack Nicholson´s 1989 performance was no easy task.

They say Heath Ledger secluded himself from the world for 6 weeks inside a motel room. 

This JOKER, enjoys so much telling lies and having everyone  confused (he sticks his tongue out and licks his lips, as if he was savouring the chaos) .That is his motivation. 

The main theme for Nolan in this film was "CHAOS"

Notice the pauses he makes between dialogues. As if he was biting his time, he is in ecstasy, he is in NO RUSH. That part is what makes Ledger´s performance unique. He even told BATMAN in the famous interrogation scene,  what his future would be....

"They will cast you out... like a leper"

TOM HARDY AS BANE 

 The Dark Knight RISES (2012)

"YOUR PUNISHMENT MUST BE MORE SEVERE"

Originally a member of the league of shadows,  whose only purpose is to DESTROY BATMAN and GOTHAM.

It is rumored Tom Hardy accepted the role without reading the script.

It´s not what he says but how he says it

"Do you feel in CHARGE?" says BANE...

Bane is a mixture of a wrestler with the voice of Darth Vader. Bane breaks Batman´s back before sending him to a dungeon far away. The main theme for Nolan in this film was "PAIN" The rise from the ashes. The Batman is broken and has to find the strength inside him to overcome the pain.

Have you noticed how, at the beggining of each film in the trilogy, the main villain(Ra's Al Ghul, Joker, Bane) disguises himself as one of his own henchmen .

This is the first live-action Batman project to feature The Scarecrow, a character who first appeared in the comics in 1941. It was originally planned that he’d appear in the aborted Batman and Robin sequelBatman Triumphant

In all three films there are No opening credits or titles.

To me, this trilogy is about,  falling into darkness and rising stronger.

Nolan has told us over and over again, there is strength

in looking up. In RISING. FIRST AS BRUCE WAYNE, THEN AS BATMAN.

Batman is not Superman, he is night, he is darkness. He is the absence of color. He hides in the shadows. He holds no flag. Only to protect the ones who suffer from INJUSTICE. 

That is the main reason batman works. He lives in darkness and has no superpowers. His greatest strength is that he can overcome anything. This trilogy works because Nolan understood the roots of the character. Bruce Wayne has faults and makes mistakes. 

He is after all HUMAN.