tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6682986972972604826.post428335677982947121..comments2017-04-27T08:29:48.865-05:00Comments on Could the World Be About to Turn?: The Dark Knight Rises (with Class Consciousness and Spoilers)Angela http://www.blogger.com/profile/00406517626656490689noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6682986972972604826.post-92119942682294251862012-08-01T11:39:36.825-05:002012-08-01T11:39:36.825-05:00This is an interesting perspective, Angela. I saw ...This is an interesting perspective, Angela. I saw the film as a comic-book fan and didn't read into it as much as you have. I see your points. Not that you need me to say they're valid but I do understand your interpretation. I'll have to watch the film several more times now, which I'd planned to do anyway.<br /><br />We could have a long conversation about the fanaticism and zealotry of Ra's al Ghul, the League of Shadows, Miranda Tate/Talia, and Bane which is not new to the characters, by the way. Ra's and Talia have been around since the early 70s and Bane since the early to mid-90s. I will point out that Ra's says in Batman Begins that the League of Shadows was responsible for the fall of Rome. He's obviously judged Gotham to be in a similar state. In that regard, Bane's actions at the behest of Talia make a little more sense, I think. <br /><br />I think it's interesting that you don't necessarily call Bruce out for not paying attention to his money in the eight years he's not Batman. Perhaps if he'd been paying attention and not feeling sorry for himself he'd have done better. Perhaps the orphans wouldn't have 'aged out' of the system and been fodder for Bane. I'm curious what the ratio of men to women in Bane's underground army was. I only saw men that I can recall carrying guns and working for him. Certainly others were sheltered by his core group but only to be used by him and Talia.<br /><br />I don't think Selina going with Bruce at the end necessarily indicates a change away from being who she was during the rest of the film, ambiguous sexuality and all. She was looking to start over with the Clean Slate program and Bruce gave it to her. Maybe she's just along for some fun and will take off after a while. Maybe she felt she owed him something for helping her when he didn't have to. I agree that she was a very bright spot in the film overall.<br /><br />The whole idea of any series is to reset the status quo at the end. Is the new world better than the old one? Who knows? I was satisfied by the ending that Bruce knew he couldn't be Batman forever, which is one of the fundamental problems with comic book superheroes anyway.Jason Arnetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11588628540690141428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6682986972972604826.post-41651213963519749722012-07-29T14:27:01.805-05:002012-07-29T14:27:01.805-05:00Thanks for the comments. I hadn't thought much...Thanks for the comments. I hadn't thought much about the Fearmongering towards international "others."Angela https://www.blogger.com/profile/00406517626656490689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6682986972972604826.post-89006243639245260052012-07-29T13:23:03.359-05:002012-07-29T13:23:03.359-05:00I just saw this movie last night, and I agree with...I just saw this movie last night, and I agree with you that it possesses a “happy ending” for capitalism. I did see Bane from a bit of different perspective- I don’t think that he built camaraderie, I think he was portrayed as being out for himself (and his love interest) and, quite frankly, ruthless until it was revealed that he was actually second in command to Tate. I was disappointed in myself for not catching her early on in the film as the villain; it should have been so obvious. From the beginning of the movie it seemed she is portrayed as an “other” that doesn’t really fit with “good guys” (at least it seemed to me from the beginning that she was “different”). I found the casting of that character particularly interesting: she is a French actress with an accent playing a character from a prison that appears to be in the Middle East. For me, since she is actually French makes the film’s “dangerous others” more than just about fearing the Middle Eastern “other,” but anything that doesn’t fit the pure capitalist model you describe. I did also see the parallel between OWS objectives and the film that you draw, but thought it was interesting that these characters (“the bad guys”), at the least the leaders, were all foreign. I think that this point also ties in with the theme of “dangerous others” in the film since OWS is a movement that originally began in Egypt spreading to Europe and eventually the US. <br /><br />I also agree with you that the film, like most blockbusters, is heteronormative and accidently very loudly said “seriously?!” in the theatre at the kiss between Batman and Catwoman before he takes the bomb. I do agree that Catwoman’s sexuality is very ambiguous before the end of the film and that, while viewers are left to somewhat question the repercussions of not dealing with economic inequalities, heterosexuality is protected at all costs. It is also the means by which Catwoman and Batman escape from the (captialist) society they ironically abandon after rescuing to go and start a new “happy” beginning (or society). I hate to be a cynic, but for me this (along with other elements such as Robin taking Batman’s place) gave the movie a circular form and message that new beginnings do not necessarily result in progress.meganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01669582548724366315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6682986972972604826.post-89912494539772998022012-07-28T17:20:27.296-05:002012-07-28T17:20:27.296-05:00Very cogent comments. I re-tweeted this.Very cogent comments. I re-tweeted this.David Kordahlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08181693425815772867noreply@blogger.com