The Dark Knight directed by Christopher Nolan and Rosemary’s Baby directed by Roman Polanski are both films that seem very unrelated on the surface, but have many similarities and common themes. Both directors use either the same or different directing techniques to achieve similar themes and overall stylizations. These techniques include lighting, motifs, dark settings, camera angles, and camera movement that tie each film together.
The Dark Knight and Rosemary’s Baby have very similar themes that help guide the films along and tell two very intriguing stories. Both Nolan and Polanski use lighting keys and color usage of costumes to convey these themes. The main theme that can be seen continuously throughout both films is the unsettling
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idea that evil is always lurking around us, even when it's not expected. This theme is set up immediately in Rosemary’s baby with the high-key lighting, which is unusual for a horror film. It would have been predictable for Polanski to direct in dark lighting and to shoot most of the film during the depths of nighttime. He instead made a conscious choice to film in bright lighting and filmed many of the scenes during the day. The reasoning behind this directorial choice was to further emphasize the idea that evil is all around us in the world we live in, and we can’t control or contain it. This theme is also seen throughout The Dark Knight similarly with the lighting choices. When Batman or other citizens who represent “good” characters are shown, they are pictured in dark lighting and clothing. This represents the evil that is inevitable in the world, and that even those who seem like protagonists can't control or get rid of evil. Each director similarly chose to showcase personifications of evil through their costume choices. This is seen with the Joker in The Dark Knight, and the elderly neighbors in Rosemary’s Baby. These human representations of evil are consistently dressed in bright colors to make them stand out and further emphasize the malicious undertones of the film and the characters. The joker in The Dark Knight is the main antagonist throughout the film. He is constantly wreaking havoc throughout the city, and is corrupting many of the protagonist characters. Nolan chose to make this clear with rich shades of green and purple. He is also wearing a permanent mask of makeup that makes his antics impossible to ignore. The elderly neighbors in Rosemary’s Baby often wear shades of red, green, and pink. This showcases that they are far from passive, as opposed to Rosemary who is always in lighter shades. They are trying to get Rosemary into a cult throughout the movie, and they personify the wrongdoings and unfortunate fate that is coming her way. Each director chose to carefully and mindfully chose the costume colors and lighting keys to communicate the theme of evil always being on the prowl. Another major theme seen in both films is that fate can’t be controlled despite efforts to do so.
This theme is presented by each director through different motifs in each film. In Rosemary’s Baby, Rosemary tries numerous times to escape the continuous plots against her, but she ends up giving birth to the devils child in the end of the film. This symbolizes an unfortunate truth that no matter how hard one may try to challenge fate, ones fate can’t be escaped. This sinister theme is represented with the motif of the unborn baby inside Rosemary. This motif is showing her impending fate that is living inside her and can’t be ignored. The baby being born and rocked by Rosemary in the end is a symbol that shows Rosemary has given up and has accepted her dim fate This is also seen in The Dark Knight when Batman can’t save both Rachel and Harvey, or save Gotham from corruption and murder. In The Dark Knight , the flipping of the coin is a motif that represents how fate trying to be controlled will fail. Harvey uses a coin that has the same outcome on both sides to represent his control over his own life. However, after his girlfriend dies and half of his face gets burned off, he starts using a coin that actually has both heads and tails. This shows giving up on an attempt to control his own fate because he realizes it won’t work out. Both directors are conveying the ideal that what happens in life can’t be controlled and efforts to do so will only
fail. Another similar choice both Nolan and Polanski take is placing an emphasis on where the film takes place. The Dark Knight is set in a very dark looking city, which is fitting considering the constant crime that can’t seem to be stopped. The whole film practically takes place in the depths of the city, which is meant to seem evil and unsettling. The buildings are tall, the sky is constantly gloomy, and the main colors seen are black and grey. Nolan is a master at setting up the proper mood and environment for a film, and this dark and creepy environment sets up the film perfectly. The darkness and gloom that surrounds Gotham city represents the evil, crime, and villains that encompass the film. The setting of Rosemary's Baby is mainly in the apartment building they move into. The building is eerie, designed in a very fitting medieval style, and is filled with long hallways. The long hallways and medieval style of the apartment Rosemary and her husband move into represents all of the fear, paranoia, and isolation that will take place in that building. This use of mis en scene by both directors is creating a very sinister feeling, and starting each film with an unpleasant backdrop. Camera angles and movement play a huge role in each film. It is a very prominent part of the mis en scene. Both directors emphasize the themes and plots through their stylistic choices behind the camera. Polanski uses a lot of high angle shots when filming Rosemary. This gives the overall sense of making the subject appear smaller, weaker, and powerless. This is extremely fitting considering Rosemary is powerless in terms of her fate and the manipulation she experiences from those around her. He also favors wide-angle shots that have a lot of depth to them. This stages the characters so they are constantly surrounding Rosemary. This is brilliant mis en scene, as it further implements how alone and vulnerable Rosemary is to the forced arrayed against her. Rosemary is constantly filmed from a higher angle, in corners, and with a lot of surrounding space to emphasize her fears and isolation. The camera movement is also very well crafted, as a handheld camera is used by Polanski to add some shaky realism to the film. This realism is necessary to show that all the strange happenings and paranoia are indeed in Rosemary’s head. This emphasizes that Rosemary’s Baby goes way beyond a horror story, and is actually showing the dark and disturbed depths of a paranoid woman’s mind. Similarly to Polanski, The camera angles and movement in The Dark Knight are extremely important in conveying the themes and being appealing to the eye. The camera is often angled in a way that shows the good and bad characters as one in the same. The tightness of the framing also gets the point across that the villains and heroes can’t escape each other, or the evil in Gotham. Many of the camera shots in this film are moving shots. This consistent movement adds to the constant action of the film, and the more circular movement he uses gives a stronger feeling of completely encompassing the chaos and evil throughout the film. Although Nolan uses tighter framing and more circular and moving camera shots, Nolan and Polanski both use a handheld camera for a part of the film. This is used in The Dark Knight during the fighting scenes. The handheld camera gives the audience the sense that they are completely involved and part of the fights and banter between Batman and The Joker. This was a brilliant choice used by Polanski in Rosemary’s Baby as well. Handheld cameras give a much more spontaneous and realistic feeling to the film. In Rosemary’s Baby, this gives the audience the feeling of really going deep into the psych of Rosemary. Both films have great angles and camera movement that brilliantly bring each film together in different ways. However, Polanski has a wider and broader way of filming, while Nolan is tighter and more dynamic. Although The Dark Knight and Rosemary’s baby are two very different films at first viewing, they have many similarities that can be seen after in-depth analyzing. Both directors use lighting keys, motifs, dark settings, camera angles, and camera movement to convey the similar themes of evil constantly lurking, and that fate can’t be controlled. These techniques also brilliantly stylize the films and make them appealing to the eye.
It is undeniable that both Batman Begins and Star Wars IV: A New Hope follow the famous formula known as the Hero's Journey. Within both of these movies, there are similarities and differences concerning the path that the hero takes. Both live in a city (or galaxy) where evil is present and very little is being done to stop the villains. Another similarity between the two movies is that both Bruce and Luke grow up most of their lives without knowing their parents as they are dead (or partially dead in Luke's case). When both are given an opportunity to be called to adventure, they both reject because they think they are not significant to make a difference in their cause. Luke considers himself just a farming boy who does not have the ability to save the entire galaxy
The Veldt, A short story by Ray Bradbury uses symbolism and repetition to show the thoughts inside our head are the most powerful thing on earth. The sun is the burning glare of the children. The sun is uncomfortable for the parents and they want to leave, but can’t. Other people say that the main craft is the mood or tone. The story does set a scary tone. The lions also show the anger of the children. The lions were big and scary and predators in the story. The nursery and the house itself are a big part of the story as well. They symbolise that technology can take over our lives and make them worth nothing. The purpose of using symbolism and repetition in the story is to show that our minds can be one of the most evil places on earth.
These two films come from entirely different genres, have entirely different plots, and are even based in entirely different galaxies, but the share the theme of the hero’s journey. This concept can be equally applied to nearly every book, movie, and other such works, as long as you dig under the surface and find the meaning beneath. The elements of the hero’s journey are found in both films, and with a critical eye, can be found all around us. This is the classic story of the hero; in every shape and form an author can apply it too.
The symbols and images reinforce each other because they create a dark image of the future in the minds of the audience, and also present familiar religious signs like fire in Hell. What makes the imagery so effective in the essay is that it resonates with the audience because of the religious connections that Edwards
The book takes perspective in the eyes of a Jewish prisoner and the movie is through the eyes of a young german boy, there are many ways they still relate. Each grievous story takes place during the Holocaust. With just that factor of relation, you can already predict how similar they are.
These have been adapted from the early twentieth century, and have developed a whole series of genre conventions into a familiar variety of scary settings, iconography, and stereotyped characterisation. Audiences have a clear understanding of this, and they use it to their advantage. They can keep putting the audience through the jolts that horror conventions continue to give. An effective way of keeping the horror fresh would be to break the cycle, by breaking certain conventions. The isolated setting in the two films is a key device used to establish a threatening atmosphere.
Terrence Malick has a very distinct stylistic approach that is clearly evident through his films. In almost all his films he utilizes the same themes and technical devices. Three themes and technical devices Malick utilizes in almost all of his films are man v. nature, voiceovers, and religious themes.
... and negative associations within the genre. Even with the obvious differences, both styles have borrowed concepts from the other, enriching each of their popularity in cinema.
Instantaneously, the title of The Dark Knight jumps out as a parallel to Jesus Christ. The title is stating that the dark knight, Batman , rises, just like Jesus arose. A Knight is “a man ,usually of noble birth, bound to chivalrous conduct” Referring to Batman as a dark knight gives off the impression that, although he is good, there is something dark about him. The dark side of Batman can be said to be that he is the one who killed Harvey when in reality later throughout the movie it explains that he did not kill him, Batman is indeed good. Although Jesus would be considered a “good knight” some may have viewed him as a dark knight because he disturbed some of the peace. Jesus was viewed as someone who came about to disturb the peace of the
In his novel, The Lord of the Flies, William Golding uses symbolism to illustrate the theme that darkness of the heart is a trait within all of us- some people fight against it while others allow it to take over.
“The film was shot using a wider than usual lens so that it could be shown in I-MAX cinemas nationwide. Today’s audiences want an experience bigger than reality. We have to go that extra mile to give them that something extra.” Chris Nolan also insisted that the film should have a distinctive style which included making the film feel sincerely dark and sinister. Very rarely were the cameras sat still instead the cameras used very technical tricks e.g.: tracking, zoom. This film was originally promoted using a very unique style. Instead of paying for adverts they decided to promote the film using an alternative route. One of the ways this was accomplished was by de facing thousands of fake dollar notes by putting the jokers smile on top of the original face. A sane yet effective way was when many “Batman” recruits placed Joker cads into hundreds of books in libraries to do with death, this had the desired effect as many people became stirred up as to what this meant. The next alternative was to send out spam emails to the site named www.whysoserious.com. But when did Batman evolve as part of our lives. It was in 1939 when the world was introduced to a new hero. Bob Kane’s simple vigilante, Batman. The comics were e-introduced during the 50’s period. Yet due to Comic Book Censorship the violence was forced to gradually become weaker. The well anticipated Batman retuned in the 1970’s. Yet to intrigue a wider variety of audience he appeared more complicated and violent than previous comics. Today’s Batman comics show Batman as a real man with realistic and varied dilemmas. Due to these changes Batman is now one of the most original and adored comic book heroes. Nolan’s interpretation is a variety of the previous comics. It includes the violence of the First Batman mixed with the complexity and realism of today’s modern comics.
Once Brown enters the forest he meets the devil, who resembles his father. The representation of his father as the devil symbolizes that even Browns own blood is evil, and that everyone has some evil inside themselves. It shoes how far back evil goes, and that...
Although there are multiple themes in the novel, the most significant of all is the theme of rebirth. Rebirth is vastly portrayed throughout the novel, and becomes specifically crucial towards the end. Rebirth is present in every element of the book, and can be seen through setting, characters, plot, and even mood; however, the most critical representation of rebirth in this novel is that is symbolic value. Symbols not only play a huge role in presenting the theme, but they also add necessary depth and value to the story. The symbols of fire, blood, the phoenix, and mirrors are all excellent indications of the interpretation of the theme of regeneration in the novel.
Any fan of Batman knows that “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight” are two of the best Batman films made in the seventy-eight years that Batman has been around. The plots really make you look deep in yourself and show the true and more real sides of the characters of the Batman world. Each movie shows the evolution of Batman and shows only a few of the many crazy and intense adventures of this mysterious hero. These two movies are the first two in the dark knight trilogy, created by the amazing Christopher Nolan. These movies were heavily praised for their astounding realism to the real world, and its pros and cons. But they were also extremely liked for their possibility for
... The final symbolism is the dead children. The dead children are shown in many ways throughout the play. For example, when the witches throw into the cauldron a finger of a birth strangled babe. This shows the evilness of parents for their children that would kill their babies.