Among Villains the Joker is King of the Deck
The Effect of Heath Ledger's Joker in "The Dark Knight"
Sep 13, 2009
Film audiences love to cheer on a good hero, but they also need a worthy villain to be able to hate. The best movies often require a strong antagonist for the protagonist to prove him or herself against; the villain is therefore one of the primary elements of the story. Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, dominates the screen nearly every time he appears on it. In his performance as the Joker, he has crafted one of the greatest villains in the history of film
In 2008 The Dark Knight took over movie screens all across the world, and in the United States of America it went on to gross over $530 million, the most of any motion picture since Titanic (which earned over $600 million) in 1997. It was beloved by critics and movie goers alike, some of whom went back to see the film over and over again. Much of its success was due to one single reason above others: Heath Ledger’s Academy Award Winning performance as the Joker.
Oscar’s Posthumous Recognition of Brilliance
Largely due to Ledger’s brilliant portrayal, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight was embraced by critics even before it made much money. Whenever Ledger is on screen it is impossible for one to take his or her eyes off of him. The Academy seemed to agree, posthumously gifting him with the award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, and making him only the second person in history to win an Oscar after his death (the first was won by Peter Finch for his role as Howard Beale in Network).
Many of the films that are considered among the all time greats have villains that make the blood run cold. From Louise Fletcher’s Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest to the great Ralph Fiennes as Amon Goeth in Schindler’s List, there are villains in film history who will remain in the collective memory of audiences’ forever. When they appear on film the audience cannot help watching their every move with tense anticipation. There is no question that Heath Ledger’s Joker is such a character.
Just who is the Joker?
As a character the Joker is without pity or understanding. He delights in cruelty and his creation of utter chaos; without true aim he spews his rage upon the unwitting citizens of Gotham City. He explains himself as the inevitable result of Batman’s upping the ante on the war on crime. Batman feels that by punishing evil he is balancing the equation of nature, but the Joker (especially as depicted by Nolan without an origin story) is nature’s answer.
Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman presents a very different picture of the Joker. Jack Nicholson’s performance as the “Crowned Prince of Crime” was also lauded by critics and fans, however it was in great contrast to what Ledger went for. Nicholson’s Joker had been a rational (though cruel) mobster deformed by a horrible accident. It is assumed that he has also endured mental trauma as a result of his fall into toxic waste, and he seems to deteriorate throughout the film. By the end he has no real plan or purpose other than to harm as many people as possible and (somehow, though this is not mentioned) profit by it.
The greatest difference of all between Ledger’s Joker and that of Nicholson is that in Burton’s movie the audience is presented with a depiction of his beginnings. Nolan saw a very different Joker, one who was both primal, natural, and in many ways eternal (he will outlast Batman). Ledger’s Joker is something new entirely, while Nicholson’s succeeds (as he is in many ways a typical crime-boss archetype) in great part due to his own skill as an actor. Nicholson’s Joker does not stand amongst his most memorable roles (such as R.P. McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest or Jack Torrance in The Shining), while Ledger’s is the best role of his career, and is his contribution to the same list of all time great performances that Nicholson has been on so many times.
Greatness Carved in Stone
There are those who question whether The Dark Knight would have been as successful at the gate if not for Ledger’s premature and accidental death by overdose. They ignore the possibility that the film was bound to be a hit anyway, and that Ledger’s ground-breaking performance could not be erased by his death. The tragic event did indeed generate a certain extra buzz about the film, but comic book movies (especially this one that was already getting a rather large amount of hype even before Ledger’s untimely demise) do not really require an extra push to make more money.
Heath Ledger’s Joker in a way brings film villainy to new heights. He is far larger than life and is fleshed-out in such a profound way that despite the horror of his actions, the audience can’t help rooting for him almost against their will. Due to Ledger, the Joker has earned himself a place on the Mount Rushmore of film villains.
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