http://www.thelandofunlikeness.com/2008/07/19/a-devil-of-a-joker-slight-spoiler-alert/ Catholic Anglican Reflections on Theology and Culture Wed, 07 Jan 2009 03:51:44 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 http://www.thelandofunlikeness.com/2008/07/19/a-devil-of-a-joker-slight-spoiler-alert/#comment-643 A.D. Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:20:40 +0000 http://www.thelandofunlikeness.com/2008/07/19/a-devil-of-a-joker-slight-spoiler-alert/#comment-643 I just came across this quote by Lacan: "the hero is the one who can be betrayed with impunity." It seems to me that one point the film hammered home was that its not all about being a hero. Gordon, for one, betrays himself with impunity, by singing the praises of Dent at the end. Is this the right thing to do? Is this lie effective? Do we still crave and need the illusion of the heroic? Gordon, in a sense, is overly heroic. . . the most sentimental character of the movie. I just came across this quote by Lacan: “the hero is the one who can be betrayed with impunity.” It seems to me that one point the film hammered home was that its not all about being a hero. Gordon, for one, betrays himself with impunity, by singing the praises of Dent at the end. Is this the right thing to do? Is this lie effective? Do we still crave and need the illusion of the heroic? Gordon, in a sense, is overly heroic. . . the most sentimental character of the movie.

]]> http://www.thelandofunlikeness.com/2008/07/19/a-devil-of-a-joker-slight-spoiler-alert/#comment-641 David W. Congdon Sun, 20 Jul 2008 21:22:46 +0000 http://www.thelandofunlikeness.com/2008/07/19/a-devil-of-a-joker-slight-spoiler-alert/#comment-641 Good post. I saw the movie Friday night, and I think you hit on most of the important points. But I think you miss the second ray of light besides the moment in which two men refute the Joker, and that ray of hope is Lt. James Gordon. He is the real hero in the entire series, and one of the great aspects of this new Batman movie is the way it deflects attention from Batman to Gordon as the true model of heroism. Harvey Dent is, of course, supposed to be that model, but Harvey becomes the example of what can happen to a good person who encounters true evil. In such situations, there is often a very thin line between the charismatic hero and the charismatic villain. But Gordon is the one constant within a world of chaos. And his own self-effacement and lack of showmanship only serves to emphasize how great a character he truly is. Good post. I saw the movie Friday night, and I think you hit on most of the important points. But I think you miss the second ray of light besides the moment in which two men refute the Joker, and that ray of hope is Lt. James Gordon. He is the real hero in the entire series, and one of the great aspects of this new Batman movie is the way it deflects attention from Batman to Gordon as the true model of heroism. Harvey Dent is, of course, supposed to be that model, but Harvey becomes the example of what can happen to a good person who encounters true evil. In such situations, there is often a very thin line between the charismatic hero and the charismatic villain. But Gordon is the one constant within a world of chaos. And his own self-effacement and lack of showmanship only serves to emphasize how great a character he truly is.

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