Joker Clown [DVD]

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Elseworlds titles are stories that take place in their own separate continuities and often feature different interpretations of mainstream continuity characters.

Mark Dinning from Empire magazine called Ledger's performance "monumental" and wrote " The Dark Knight is Ledger's movie. It is a towering performance. ... A force of nature". [65] Kevin Smith commented on Ledger, calling his "incredible" performance among "the most frightening, smart and well-played villains ever. Ever." [66] Mark Lee, writing for The Daily Telegraph, commented that Ledger accomplished "a genuinely unsettling, brilliant nuanced portrait of evil". Tim Teeman commented for The Times that "Ledger is so terrifying and unpredictable that his very presence on screen makes you nervous." Total Film reviewed that Ledger is "burning brightly as he embodies an icon. ... This is the definitive Joker", calling the performance "a masterpiece". For The Hollywood Reporter, Kirk Honeycutt called Ledger's performance "a beauty". [67] Entertainment Weekly put the film on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying, "Every great hero needs a great villain. And in 2008, Christian Bale's Batman found his in Heath Ledger's demented dervish, the Joker." [68] Emanuel Levy wrote Ledger "throws himself completely" into the role. [69] David Denby of The New Yorker, otherwise critical of the film, praised Ledger's "sinister and frightening" performance, which he says is the film's one element of success. Denby called Ledger "mesmerising" and said, "His performance is a heroic, unsettling final act: this young actor looked into the abyss." [70] "It's just one of the most iconic movie performances of modern times", declared chief film critic of Variety Scott Foundas. [8] In 2009, Total Film issued its "The 150 Greatest Performances of All Time" list, ranking Ledgers' performance in The Dark Knight at 105th place. [71] Ledger's death affected the marketing campaign for The Dark Knight [35] and also both the production and marketing of Terry Gilliam's film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus; both Nolan and Gilliam celebrated and paid tribute to Ledger's work in these films. [31] [35] [36] [37] During production of The Dark Knight, Jai White's Gambol was meant to survive his confrontation with Ledger's Joker, which would have resulted in the Joker giving Gambol a Glasgow smile of his own and enabling the filmmakers to reuse Gambol in the future, [38] with Jai White commenting that Gambol was supposed to have a bigger role in further sequels, returning to Gotham City and trying to take it over. [39] Following Ledger's passing, despite the film's script not calling for Gambol's death, Nolan cut out several of Gambol's planned scenes and the editors had Gambol killed off by the Joker during their confrontation, something Jai White didn't find out until seeing the film during its premiere. [38] Hall, Ellie (May 31, 2013). "Heath Ledger's Creepy Joker Diary Revealed". BuzzFeed. New York City . Retrieved September 29, 2015.

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In his comic book appearances, the Joker is portrayed as a criminal mastermind. Introduced as a psychopath with a warped, sadistic sense of humor, the character became a mostly harmless, comical prankster in the late 1950s in response to regulation by the Comics Code Authority, before returning to his darker roots during the early 1970s (although some of his more comedic characterization was kept for many incarnations of the character). As Batman's nemesis, the Joker has been part of the superhero's defining stories, including the murder of Jason Todd—the second Robin and Batman's ward—and the paralysis of one of Batman's allies, Barbara Gordon. The Joker has had various possible origin stories during his decades of appearances. The most common story involves his falling into a tank of chemical waste that bleaches his skin white and turns his hair green and lips bright red; the resulting disfigurement drives him insane. The antithesis of Batman in personality and appearance, the Joker is considered by critics to be his perfect adversary. I feel like this is an opportunity for me to not take myself too seriously, and for some reason, I just gravitated towards [The Joker] and I knew I had something to give to him. And I just instantly had an idea of how to do it. Arthur goes to the comedy club for his performance. His nervousness consumes him and, as a coping mechanism, unintentionally finds himself laughing so hard that he can barely speak. He then begins going off into his routine, which isn't very funny. Sophie appears to be in the audience... the only person who is laughing at Arthur's jokes. This gives him the comfort he needs to continue to joke despite his inner torment and turmoil. This Elseworlds story Superman: Speeding Bullets is set on an Earth where baby Kal-El was adopted by Thomas and Martha Wayne and raised as Bruce Wayne. When Bruce's parents are killed, he becomes the ruthless vigilante Batman. Batman's nemesis is Lex Luthor who, in this reality, was injured in the same type of chemical accident that created the main universe Joker. The accident also drives Luthor insane, and he attempts to destroy Gotham City with an army of thugs, but is stopped by Batman. The scene is heartbreaking, and it’s another example of Joker cruelly taking something away from Batman’s world.

a b c O'Neal, Sean (December 8, 2011). "R.I.P. Jerry Robinson, creator of the Joker". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on October 14, 2013 . Retrieved October 12, 2013. The Joker's popularity (and his role as Batman's enemy) has involved the character in most Batman-related media, from television to video games. [2] [6] These adaptations of the character have been received positively [19] on film, [226] [227] television, [228] and in video games. [229] As in the comics, the character's personality and appearance shift; he is campy, ferocious or unstable, depending on the author and the intended audience. [19] Manning 2011, p.173. Because the surge in public visibility hadn't helped stop Batman's comic book slide, editorial director Carmine Infantino vowed to turn things around... and moved even further away from schoolboy-friendly adventures. Mark Hamill has voiced the Joker in animation and video games since 1992. Heath Ledger won a posthumous Academy Award for his interpretation of the character in 2008's The Dark Knight. Joaquin Phoenix won an Academy Award for his interpretation of the character in 2019's Joker.

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Pictures of the day: 9 November 2010". The Daily Telegraph. London. November 9, 2010. Archived from the original on November 12, 2010 . Retrieved November 20, 2019. Brown, Lane (January 26, 2009). "PGA and SAG Bow to Peer Pressure, Name Slumdog Millionaire Best Picture". Vulture. New York City: New York Media . Retrieved September 28, 2015. Anders, Charlie Jane (August 12, 2011). "R.I.P. Jerry Robinson, Creator of Batman's Nemesis, the Joker". io9. Archived from the original on February 26, 2014 . Retrieved October 18, 2013. To get in character for filming, Ledger kept his Joker diary with him on set and frequently referred to it. Between takes, Ledger would stay in costume and makeup just being himself. The actor would fool around, skateboarding while in his Joker costume on set, and smoking cigarettes. John Caglione described Ledger as helping others around to relax, never letting "the intense nature of the roles overwhelm him". [25]