The long-awaited "Joker" has finally unveiled its mystery.
Do you know how crazy the "Joker" was in the theaters? Some theaters in the United States chose not to show the movie because they were worried about replaying the shooting of the original "Dark Knight".
In many countries and cities around the world, security was strengthened when "Joker" was released, and even more police patrols were deployed near the theaters.
In the movie theater I was in, one of them was wearing a clown mask to watch the movie. He was repeatedly questioned by the ticket inspector and security, and finally agreed that he would come in with a mask, but he could not wear it on his face.
So do you know how deep the abyss of evil charm of "Joker" is.
Let's talk about the impressions first, and don't worry about watching the spoilers yet.
I have to admit that this is not a genre movie I like, too depressing, too dark and depraved. Are you sure this is just an N16 movie? !
But what I mean here is not like it, just like I don't like horror movies (because of fear), but it does not mean that I have any prejudice against this type of movies. On the contrary, I very much approve of the work "Joker".
So I have to admit that no matter from the director's style, the language of the camera lens, the performance of the actors, the weaving of the script and the story, "Joker" is a work of art, and it is worth leaving a strong mark in the history of film.
I like the clown role portrayed by the film. As the director said before, this is a role research film with experimental nature. Now the Venice Film Festival has awarded the best film "Joker", which proves the film clown role experiment The success of the film also proved the quality of the film.
However, with the release of the film, the controversy has become more and more serious. This controversy is not purely aesthetic isolation, because everyone recognizes the artistic quality of the "Joker" film itself, but in terms of values, "Joker" gives Very vaguely defined.
This is just like a line from Arthur in the film: "What is funny and what is not funny is yours to define."
This sentence corresponds to the real and real world. It alludes to our current so-called values, which are just a definition. What is worthy of respect or ideology is the final say in our civilized society, but values such as values are really true. Does it exist? !
So "Joker" challenges today's society with extremely negative values, that is, if a movie can really affect reality, then how fragile a civilized society should be.
This is exactly where "Joker" makes many people feel dangerous, because the film is full of violent artistic charm, and the role of the clown is played by Jackie Phoenix. I watched his performance the whole time, and I was frightened by his evil.
Regarding the performance, Jacques Phoenix has integrated into the "experiential" performance method this time, but has cleverly penetrated some self-created "expressionist" acting skills, which is very addictive.
The most distinctive feature of the experiential school is "really listen, really see, really feel." Phoenix tortured himself into a pathological skinny, with a deeply sunken eye socket, and walking like a heavy shot on his foot. Can always let the audience experience the fate of Arthur's heavy struggle.
As for the "Expressionism" that emphasizes imitation, Phoenix penetrates into the tribute to Chaplin's exaggerated dances when performing abnormal or insane states, which can make the human body feel the tension between comedy and tragedy. Because of the many representative works of Master Chaplin, the core is actually tragedy.
Jacques Phoenix’s devilish performance, accompanied by a low moaning cello soundtrack, was so real that I couldn’t bear to look directly at it in several cruel and violent scenes, and even caused some nausea and disgust. Of course, it’s completely here. It was a compliment to Phoenix's performance. He completely handed over his soul to the character, and gave the audience an experience of what it means to be a mentally ill person.
Here is also one of the most curious questions you have to answer first , which one is better , Joaquin Phoenix or Heath Ledger’s Joker.
I believe that for most people, this is a Sophie's choice. In order to play good clowns, Phoenix and Heath Ledger both entered the spiritual world of the characters through the misery of abnormal people.
Phoenix shows more of Arthur's struggle and depression before becoming a clown, while Heath Ledger's version shows more of the clown's catharsis and confrontation to the world because the clown is already complete.
From the perspective of viewing entertainment, Heath Ledger’s version of the Joker, the fire of revenge has been burning in his heart for a long time.
So Heath Ledger's performance will be more direct and manic, and the impact will be stronger.
From the perspective of character richness, Phoenix is the absolute protagonist after all, so the clown character looks more delicate and three-dimensional, and also has more angles of performance space.
It should be said that the clowns of "The Joker" and "The Dark Knight" are on two different performance stages. The stage of "Joker" is wider and has more sinking space, while the stage of "The Dark Knight" is small, but Heathley Jie's dancing is more intense.
On the road to DC change, although "The Dark Knight" belongs to the Nolan version of the Batman trilogy, it is still more adapted based on the original comic story.
And "Joker" can be said to be the first time for DC Pictures to break away from comics, which is equivalent to redefining the origin of the clown on the big screen. If you are a loyal reader of DC Comics, rest assured, when you watch "Joker", you still still Can have a great sense of surprise.
And because the clowns of DC comics are almost complete, the Heath Ledger version of the clown is closer to the comics version, while the Phoenix version is more experimental and independent, and basically not in touch with the comics version.
"Joker" has made its own maverick adaptation on the relationship between Batman's life experience and the clown, which makes people sigh and imaginative. Many mysteries in the film are left out of the film and presented to the audience. A lot of interpretation space.
The story of "Joker" is very full. Although the first third has some routines and stereotypes, it starts to reverse its strength in the middle, and the second third begins to move towards unbounded darkness. Violence, blood, and the imbalance of the balance of values are all at the end. Pressing down on the audience, we passed more than 2 hours of film, clearly and nakedly watching Arthur, who is in desperate need of social assistance, and completely turned into a mentally insane and inhuman clown.
After watching the movie and chatting, we will come to the main course in chapters to analyze the various aspects of the film Arthur becoming a clown in depth, so spoilers will be involved next.
But what I want to say is, "Joker" is a work that can still be addictive even if you know the plot. Even after reading my analysis, you go to the movie, you may be more able to appreciate the energy of this work .
The first appearance of the clown
The film begins with Arthur carrying the full dream of a stand-up comedian, but the reality is that Arthur is preparing to earn a meager income by performing street performers in the simple dressing room where the clown is played by the group.
On the radio, Gotham City, with its simple folk customs, is on the verge of chaos, and people don’t want to work.
Everyone in the dressing room is a clown, hiding his sadness behind the white powder clown makeup.
Compared to the others, Arthur's face was more haggard at this time. He forcibly opened his mouth with his hands and forced himself to laugh forcibly. At this time, Arthur's tears intertwined with eye makeup flowed down.
In the street, Arthur played the role of a clown, soliciting business for a close-up music store, only to be teased and beaten by a group of underage gangsters.
Arthur is sick, he is receiving psychological counseling and treatment, and he is also taking 7 kinds of mixed medicines to stabilize his emotions.
He even got an unconscious laughter disorder, and he could laugh out loud anytime and anywhere. On the bus, Arthur teased a child, but was squeezed out by the child’s mother. As a result, he had an onset of laughter disorder, even if the child’s mother knew it through a small card. Arthur was ill, but he still avoided it like a freak.
At home, Arthur also had a mother, Penny, who was in the same mental state to take care of.
This is the current situation of Arthur. Let us return to the question at the beginning of the film. Why did Arthur cry at the dressing table? Why did he look haggard? Perhaps before the start of the film, did Arthur suffered a beating like a gangster? Perhaps these encounters were commonplace for Arthur.
Or maybe, Arthur is suffering from mental torture, but the film does not clearly tell us what happened to Arthur before the film began.
Let’s start with the conclusion. The interpretation of "Joker" has many and wide angles. The film is full of illusions and reality. The past, the present and the future are intertwined. These are like the tears of Arthur at the beginning of the film. We can't find the answer. , Maybe there is no answer at all.
So here, I choose to believe that the analogy of the film is that everyone lives in a clown in their hearts. This clown represents depression, disorder, violence, arrogance, chaos, madness, hatred and so on.
And Arthur's mental condition and surrounding experiences are slowly awakening the clown in Arthur's heart.
I don’t know if you still remember the first piece of "Joker" that is not a preview at all. It was only a few tens of seconds. Arthur stood in the dark, during which layers of light and shadow floated by, and the light and shadow were the projection of the clown. , And finally Arthur became a clown.
This also seems to imply that Arthur was a psychopath with split personality, and it was the clown who split out. Of course, the split personality discussed here is invisible, just like Natalie Portman's "Black Swan" The role of white swan and black swan entangled and achieved each other.
In "Joker", Arthur and the inner clown also have a confrontation, symbiosis, and split relationship.
At the beginning of the film, Arthur was still normal. He tried his best to win the recognition of the society, and wanted to create joy in exchange for the smile of others. At this time, Arthur has always believed in the words of his mother Penny: "To always put on a smiling face, you have a mission to make the world full of laughter."
But the clown, who was gradually awakened in Arthur's heart, tried to fight for Arthur's mental control every day, which made Arthur feel more tormented.
At the beginning of the film, Arthur’s tears were the painful tears that Arthur shed when he forced the clown in his heart. So when Arthur put his hands in his mouth and pulled out an exaggerated and hideous smile, it was also Arthur and the inner clown pulling each other. Exposed performance.
We can also see that Arthur is not only mentally tortured, but his body is also being tortured by the clown. Arthur has become a zombie-like body. When he walks, he is struggling to carry a person while carrying that The imaginary person is the clown.
But what makes Arthur's spirit soothing and relaxing is when Arthur watches Murray's comedy talk show.
Even Arthur also imagined that he and Murray had close interaction and communication, and the film was also presented in this way. When Arthur watched Murray’s show, Arthur fell into a fantasy, and Arthur imagined that he would be Murray. The guest of the show was also flopped. Murray invited him to the stage and encouraged and supported Arthur. The two embraced, like a father and son.
The reason why this is Arthur’s fantasy is that when Arthur and Murray actually met later, Murray showed that he had never seen Arthur, and when Arthur fantasy was named by Murray, Arthur mentioned living with his mother. Together, Murray said that he used to live with his mother and had a difficult time.
The connection of the two people's similar experiences confirms that these are only Arthur's portrayal of Murray's beautiful image. Arthur, who lacked his father's love since childhood, also regarded Murray as his own father. Arthur imagined that Murray was supporting and encouraging his dream of becoming a comedian in spirit and action.
But this fantasy did not become a beacon for Arthur to move towards a brighter life. In reality, Arthur was deducted from his salary because of the miscellaneous billboard of the piano store.
Then Arthur kicked wildly in the garbage dump on the street corner in order to vent. Maybe he kicked the garbage, or he kicked a wild cat or a mouse. We don’t know, but we know this is the first time Arthur has shown it. After the violence, the clown in Arthur's heart was gradually awakened.
Just like when Arthur was scolded by his boss, Arthur showed a chilling and weird smile. Perhaps this smile was shown by the clown in Arthur's heart.
At this time, Landau, who had always been brother to Arthur, gave Arthur a gun to protect him.
When he was at home at night, Arthur played with the gun and accidentally escaped and punched through the wall.
It is worth noting that Arthur used his left hand to shoot at this time, while Arthur used his right hand to smoke and make-up and write. A right-handed man shot with his left hand. This is obviously abnormal, which also symbolizes The left hand represents the clown, and the right hand represents Arthur.
After the film, as long as Arthur used the gun, he used his left hand. Of course, you can understand that Arthur shared both hands, but is this really the case?
There is a section in the film where Arthur is writing a diary. The innuendo of this section is very obvious. On behalf of Arthur’s right hand, he wrote a paragraph: "The worst thing about mental illness is..."
Suddenly, Arthur switched to the left hand representing the clown and wrote crookedly: "No one wants you to behave like a normal person."
And on the English letter O, there is also a smiling face symbol of a clown, suggesting that the split personality clown is looking for a sense of existence.
So what is the meaning of this sentence? It means that if you suffer from mental illness unfortunately, it is not the most painful. The most painful thing is to behave like a normal person without completely releasing your freedom of mental illness.
Arthur wrote in the left hand representing the clown: "No one wants you to behave like a normal person." It is the signal that the clown is awakening and struggling, because the clown does not need to behave like a normal person, or how could he be called a clown.
Let's go a little deeper. When the film began to talk between Arthur and the counselor, the counselor saw that in Arthur's diary, there was a repetitive mark in bold and said: "My death can make my life more valuable." .
Judging from the font, it was written by Arthur with the right hand. This is a kind of pessimistic fatalism written by Arthur, written to himself and also to the clown in his heart.
This sentence has two meanings. The first meaning is that Arthur can be liberated through death, and liberation is valuable to Arthur.
The second level means that the clown can be reborn through death, thereby realizing the clown's own value.
It can be said that this sentence runs through the whole movie, and at the end between Arthur and the Joker, it is made through this sentence, it is over, don't worry, I will continue to talk about the deeper meaning of this sentence later.
After Arthur got the gun, he accidentally exposed the gun during a clown performance at the Children’s Hospital. Landau, who had always been a brother to Arthur, gave Arthur a knife at a critical moment. Landau informed the boss, Arthur. Was fired.
This move pushed Arthur a big step further into the abyss of the clown.
And what officially made Arthur’s inner clown make his debut was when Arthur met three financial lousy people on the subway. At this time, Arthur’s laughter was again untimely, and the three financial men sang Glenis. .Jones’s Send in the Clowns, slowly approaching Arthur.
The choice of the song "Joker Entry" also clearly hinted at the debut of Arthur's inner clown.
So Arthur finally drew his gun and quickly killed the three people. At this time, Arthur shot the left hand representing the clown, which also implied that the person shooting at this time was the clown in Arthur's heart.
When Arthur ran to the toilet, he performed a very artistic dance. During the dance, Arthur was extremely calm and calm. In other words, at this time, Arthur in the toilet was the inner clown, and the clown was completing a murder. After the ceremony. Finally, Arthur (the clown) faced the mirror, spread his hands, and completed the clown's debut ceremony.
At this time, the lens of the film cleverly faced Arthur in the mirror, implying that although the clown made his debut for the first time, he was still only the clown in the mirror, and had not yet fully devoured the reality of Arthur.
The devouring of the clown
Arthur's first murder made Arthur more confident and gave Arthur the courage to kiss Sophie, his long-loved neighbor in the same corridor.
Yes, the acquaintance between Arthur and Sophie and their love are also the lies and fantasies of Arthur's outright adultery.
If Arthur’s fantasy of Murray is a desire for ideals and paternal love, then Arthur’s fantasy of Sophie is Arthur’s desire to be recognized by normal people.
As a normal person, Sophie works in a bank and has a young daughter, but in the lives of the mother and daughter, there is a lack of a role called husband and father. At this time, Arthur, who has a crush on Sophie for a long time, uses him. My own fantasies filled the absence of the husband and father of Sophie's mother and daughter, and I got a great sense of recognition and satisfaction from it.
The film shows for the first time that Arthur and Sophie meet in an elevator. Arthur sees Sophie taking her daughter into the elevator. The elevator is interrupted on the way. This is the beginning of Arthur's hallucinations of Sophie.
Sophie complained because the elevator was interrupted, and then interacted with Arthur. Sophie compared suicide with a gun. In fact, none of this happened at all. These were all imagined by Arthur himself.
Because when Arthur entered Sophie's house later, Arthur made the same gesture of committing suicide with a gun. Sophie was terrified, which shows that this action was not learned by Arthur from Sophie.
Furthermore, don't forget the motto in Arthur's Diary: "My death can make my life more valuable." This sentence itself implies suicide.
Later, Arthur also imagined that Sophie would go to the club to support his talk show, Sophie went shopping with him, the two chatted happily in the doughnuts, Sophie accompanied Arthur's mother who had a stroke in the hospital, and so on.
All these implied Arthur's desperate desire to be recognized by normal people in terms of companionship and affection.
Wrapped by Sophie’s fantasy lies, Arthur has a moment of hope for life for a short time. In the film, after returning from a date, Arthur dances with his mother in the living room. On TV, there is an ending song on Murray’s show. It's "That's Life" by Frank Sinatra.
The melody and lyrics of this song express a positive and optimistic attitude. One of the lyrics is roughly translated: "I was shot down in May, but I knew I would change this tone. When I return to the top, It will be June."
What this song wants to express is that difficulties are only temporary, and life is ups and downs. This is life.
But conversely, Arthur’s many fantasies about Sophie are also a manifestation of the severity of schizophrenia. This also indicates that the clown is slowly devouring Arthur. The blow is huge.
Moreover, Arthur not only had illusions about Sophie. In the club’s talk show performance, Arthur suffered from laughter as soon as he came on stage. Obviously this was a failed performance, but it was accompanied by a background music "Smile". ) Resounded, Arthur's performance came back to life, causing the audience to burst into laughter.
When the song of "smile" sounded, it was Arthur's hallucinations that started. According to the reality, Arthur had an episode of laughter on stage, and coupled with his own not funny jokes, this performance must have ended in failure. At this time, Arthur chose to deceive himself, fantasizing about the success of his performance in addition to Sophie's on-site support.
The song "Smile" is from Chaplin's "Modern Times". The first sentence of the lyrics is: "When your heart hurts, but still have to smile".
It can be seen that this song is very suitable for the occasion. At this time, Arthur's successful performance in the club is just an illusion of self-comfort.
Regarding the hallucinations imagined by Arthur, I once suspected that Arthur's counselor was also Arthur's imaginary object.
First of all, let's look at the profession of psychological counselor. It represents a positive and positive attitude. It is an outlet that Arthur is eager to talk to. When was such an outlet closed?
It was after the first appearance of the clown, that is, after Arthur killed three financial men.
Arthur went to a counselor for the second time, and the counselor informed Arthur that counseling would be interrupted due to budget cuts.
And Arthur also had a showdown with a counselor for the first time, saying that his mind is now full of negative emotions, which also metaphors that the clown is constantly devouring Arthur's remaining positive attitude.
It is worth noting that when Arthur consulted for the first time, the clock on the wall in the office showed the time of 11:10.
When the psychologist asked Arthur where it would be better to stay, Arthur said that it would be better to stay in a mental hospital. At this time, the screen shifted to the mental hospital, and Arthur hit the door of the ward. At this time, there was also a clock hanging on the wall of the ward. , The time is 11:10.
And Arthur's dress is exactly the same as when Arthur was in the hospital at the end. This coincidence of time implies that the counselor's scene is fake.
More importantly, when Arthur met with the psychologist for the first time, Arthur laughed wildly. Although the psychologist looked embarrassed, she could tell that she knew Arthur's condition.
But at the end, when Arthur and the counselor met, Arthur laughed madly because of jerky laughter. The counselor actually asked what was so funny. It seemed that the counselor and Arthur met for the first time.
So many doubts can be felt. The psychological counselor is a mirror of Arthur’s fantasy and positive side, but when Arthur’s inner clown continues to grow, the mirror is broken, so it becomes the film presented, and Arthur is interrupted. Consultation and counseling and drug withdrawal.
The above mentioned is that the clown in Arthur's heart swallowed Arthur's internal spirit, and the impact of the reality part crushed Arthur from the outside.
When Arthur’s mother, Penny, was Thomas Wayne’s servant when she was young, now the mother and son are in a loss, and Penny wants to get Thomas Wayne’s help by writing a letter.
And one of them was opened and peeked by Arthur. Arthur learned a shocking secret. Batman’s father, Thomas Wayne, the richest and most powerful man in Gotham City, was actually Arthur’s father, Ya Se was actually the illegitimate son of Thomas Wayne, and Arthur believed it to be true at first.
This secret is complicated for Arthur. On the one hand, Arthur is excited to finally know his biological father, and on the other hand, he has no good feelings for Thomas Wayne.
Thomas Wayne’s indifference to their mother and son’s help made Arthur upset. Coupled with the three financial men shot by Arthur’s subway before, the whole people regarded the clowns as heroes, and the citizens' hatred of the rich led to Gotham. The city has fallen.
At this time, Thomas Wayne, who was running for mayor, said that the clown was a coward and messy remarks. All these made Arthur sneer at Thomas Wayne's ignorance and arrogance. At the same time, Arthur also had many questions to confront Wayne.
So Arthur went to the Wayne mansion, and Arthur finally had the first close contact with Bruce. We can see that after Arthur saw Bruce, he performed magic for Bruce, and his performance was normal, but afterwards Arthur Pull the cute Bruce out of a smiling face.
Because at this time Arthur had assumed that he was a member of the Wayne family, and he seemed to have a little hope for life and the future. When Arthur saw his "half-father" Bruce, he naturally used magic to play a clown. It was kindness, just like Arthur made faces to the front-row child on the bus.
And Arthur pulled Bruce’s mouth into a smiling face because he thought that his brother Bruce, who has the same blood, should understand what happened to him. Arthur himself is a painful person who often pulls a smile, so he thinks Bruce should feel his brother. pain of.
At this time, the butler of Afu came to stop Arthur, and Afu actually knew about Penny, but Afu told Arthur that his mother was suffering from mental delusions. Thomas Wayne and Penny were not in love with each other and did not give birth. Arthur, these are all Penny's own fantasy. When Arthur was a child, Penny was sent to the Arkham Mental Nursing Home.
With this blow, Arthur, who had found the fire, was once again counterattacked by the ruthless reality.
At this time, Arthur's mother was hospitalized due to a stroke. On TV in the hospital, Murray's show also mocked the talk show of Arthur's embarrassment in the club before, and the image of Murray's father in Arthur's heart collapsed.
It is worth mentioning that two detectives investigated Arthur when he was in the hospital. In the end, the detectives questioned whether Arthur's jokes were real or pretended. Arthur replied, what do you think.
Arthur's answer looks impatient, but it is actually very meaningful and has room for interpretation. We said earlier that Arthur has always had a clown in his heart, and he is constantly trying to swallow and control Arthur.
We all know the hallmarks of DC Joker, in addition to the smiling face on the mouth, there is also the creepy laughter of the clown, and Arthur's joke is also very disturbing to hear.
Let's review the moment when Arthur had jokes, which happened to be when Arthur wanted to be recognized by society and people.
For example, on the bus, Arthur made faces to the child. When Arthur was trying to explain to the child's mother, he had a joke. This can be understood as the clown in Arthur's heart and wanted everyone on the bus to resent Arthur.
For example, during psychological counseling, Arthur's laughter attack occurred, as if the inner clown was preventing Arthur's treatment.
For example, in the subway, Arthur had a sudden onset of laughter and provoked three financial men. This can also be understood as the clown trying to pick things up, thus breaking through Arthur’s patience, inspiring Arthur’s anger, and shooting and killing three. Financial man.
Another example is the later meeting between Arthur and Thomas Wayne. Just as Arthur tried to tell Thomas about his inner feelings, the jokes broke out. Arthur's inner clown wanted to prevent the communication between Arthur and Thomas.
All of Arthur’s expressions of jokes are one-to-one corresponding to Arthur’s inner clown. So, did Arthur pretend? Maybe not. But is Laughter disorder a purely physical disease, or maybe it is not.
So we can understand that the meaning of Arthur's joke is just the laughter of Arthur's inner clown.
Penny's stroke caused Arthur to try to find Thomas Wayne again. It happened that Thomas held a charity dinner in his Wayne Mansion, which was filled with wealthy and upper-class people.
Ironically, in the outfield of the dinner, a group of citizens wearing clown masks are fighting against the inaction of the rich against Gotham City and their ignorance of poverty and suffering.
Arthur passed through the crowd and waved his hands, but we can see that Arthur was not interested in these politically-rich activities at all. He just found it fun and interesting. After all, the whole thing was caused by He stood up. (The relationship between Arthur and the clown believer will be discussed in detail later)
After that, Arthur changed into the clothes of his attendants and mixed into the infield. There was irony in the outfield, and the irony in the infield was deeper. A group of upper class people ignored the voices of the citizens in the outfield and watched Chaplin's "Modern Times" in the infield.
"Modern Times" is a silent film starring Chaplin in 1936, and it is also one of Chaplin's masterpieces.
The film tells the story of the economic depression in the 1930s in the United States. Charlie, the worker played by Chaplin, worked non-stop, and finally went crazy into a mental hospital. In the process, it became a lot of social events. The protagonist.
After the film was released, it was quite controversial. In fact, to this day, "Modern Times" is still very forward-looking, and everyone still talks about the irony and implied meaning in "Modern Times" today.
In "Joker" not only the smile of "Modern Times" was used in the soundtrack, this movie was also used in the charity dinner scene.
The most obvious thing in "Modern Times" is the sympathy for the workers at the bottom and the vilification of the image of capital owners, and this silent film is being watched by a group of capitalists in Gotham City with a smile.
Such absurd and satirical scenes convey the issues that both "Modern Times" and "Joker" want to discuss together, that is, the rescuers (the rich) demand help from the helpers (lower people), and they have adopted direct ignorance and indifferent.
These upper-class people ignore the pain of the bottom people in the outfield, and indifferently watch "Modern Times" which is also the tragedy of the lower-class people. Even these upper-class people seem to really regard "Modern Times" as a pure comedy. look in.
Arthur has a line in the movie: "I originally thought my life was a tragedy, but in fact it is a comedy." This sentence invisibly corresponds to a tragedy at the core of the "Modern Times" story, but it was regarded as a comedy by these upper-class people.
These external environmental influences also affect Arthur's refuge in the inner clown, because from the perspective of human settings, the loser Arthur is useless, and the clown is worshipped by thousands of people. If it were you, which person would you choose?
After Arthur found Thomas Wayne in the toilet, Thomas said that if he wanted an autograph, he just said I could give it. Hehe, I believe that only arrogant and narcissistic people can say this.
From this sentence, we can also feel that the film has changed the upright and kind personality of Thomas in the previous comics and film and television works, adding more dark and more imaginative space.
In the end, instead of confirming that Thomas was his father, Arthur learned from Thomas that Arthur was actually adopted by Penny.
This thunderous news made Arthur's inner clown almost completely enveloped Arthur. After Arthur returned home, he made a strange move, which was to move everything out of the refrigerator and hid himself in the refrigerator.
I understand this performance art as Arthur trying to freeze himself, or it means that the clown in Arthur's heart is cocooning and hatching, waiting for the metamorphosis. The white cold refrigerator is exactly the cocoon of the clown.
In order to find the truth, Arthur went to the Arkham Psychiatric Sanatorium to check the history of his mother Penny's mental illness. After some snatching, Arthur finally saw the case of that year.
It turned out that Penny did suffer from delusions and abusive tendencies, and she watched her boyfriend abuse her childhood Arthur, and the data also showed that Arthur was indeed adopted.
Of course, based on the multiple angles of the film's interpretation, let's put aside the truthfulness of this information, as it is evidence of the adoption of the real Arthur.
This evidence directly caused Arthur to wipe out the last little spark in his life. At this time, Arthur's laughter syndrome reappeared, but this time Arthur laughed loudly at the hospital stairs and did not stop himself.
As I analyzed earlier, jokes are a symbol of the appearance of the clown. This time the clown appears again, which means that the clown has completely swallowed Arthur's spirit.
The birth of the clown
Since Arthur learned of his true life experience from Arkham, Arthur's mind and behavior have officially been dominated by the clown personality. Because of this, Arthur's words and deeds are more exaggerated, and his speaking style is more confident and weird.
Compared with Arthur’s moving body like a walking corpse at the beginning, Arthur’s actions became lighter at this time, especially after Arthur put on clown makeup and danced wildly on the city stairs that he walked every day, feeling Arthur ( Joker) is a natural dancer.
However, although the personality of the crazy clown has gained control of Arthur's body, the birth of the clown still needs to complete the last few things in order to truly destroy Arthur.
For this reason Arthur (Joker) did the following things.
First, Arthur killed his mother Penny.
Many people are surprised by Arthur’s actions, but if you follow my analysis of Arthur’s mental problems all the way, you will know that Arthur at this time is no longer the Arthur who used to think about his mother, not even Penny. That happy in the mouth.
If Arthur can bear all the indifference and injustice in the world, the lies and rejection of him, then it was Arthur’s mother Penny’s lie that crushed Arthur’s last straw. It turned out that Arthur had lived all his life. In the lies that Penny woven, Arthur was unhappy and abused as a child, and Thomas Wayne was not his father at all.
The famous psychologist and founder of the individual psychology school, Alfred Adler, pointed out in his study of individual psychological trauma: "Fortunate people use their childhood to heal their lives, and unfortunate people use their lives to heal their childhood".
Arthur's unfortunate childhood, he also tried to heal his life, but the cure Arthur chose in the end was complete madness and revenge.
Arthur said before the murder of his mother: "I originally thought my life was a tragedy, but in fact it was a comedy."
In addition to the meaning mentioned earlier, another more important meaning of this sentence is to explain the way Arthur finally chooses to heal his childhood, which is to end his mother’s life in a desperate and never forgiving way, so as to make his own A tragic life turns into a clown-like absurd comedy.
The famous German psychologist Bert Helinger also mentioned an argument: "The relationship between you and your mother determines your relationship with the world."
How to understand this sentence, Penny's life has been wrapped in a beautiful illusion that she wove. Penny imagined Thomas Wayne and her love to die and give birth to Arthur.
And Arthur, who has been wrapped up in the lies of his life experience, also fantasizes about the indifferent Gotham City and certain people, and repays him favors, such as neighbors Sophie, Landau, Murray and so on.
But in fact, both mother and son are losers who have been trampled to perfection in real life.
So when Arthur ends Penny’s life, he does not need to repay any illusions and hopes for the world. The clown in Arthur needs to break the relationship with his mother (mother killing) in order to release the clown itself more completely. .
Second, Arthur killed Sophie
It is not explicitly stated here in the film, but when Arthur went to Sophie's house, Sophie was obviously terrified.
And when Arthur returned home, there was obviously the sound of an ambulance outside, and the emergency lights of the ambulance were still shining into Arthur's house. These hints all indicate that Sophie was terrible when Arthur came out of Sophie's house. few.
Because under normal circumstances, if Arthur left Sophie’s house, 80% of the frightened Sophie would choose to call the police, and the police would also arrest Arthur for breaking into the house, but none of this happened. The reason is that Arthur might be killed. Sophie.
Third, Arthur killed Landau
This is Arthur's violent catharsis, the execution of betrayal, and this is also the bloodiest scene in the whole film.
What is worth mentioning here is the reason why Arthur let go of the dwarf Gary, because in Gotham's society where the weak and the weak, Gary was born a social failure due to physical defects (dwarfs).
While dwarfs use their short physical characteristics to act as clowns and create some comic effects, in fact, the core is still tragic.
Corresponding to my words, in the film, when Gary was escaping from Arthur's house, he fled to the door but was blocked by a chain of doors taller than him. In this scene, many audiences in the theater I watched laughed, including Me, because this scene does have an embarrassing comedic effect.
This scene also expresses what Arthur said: "I originally thought my life was a tragedy, but in fact it is a comedy."
Therefore, in Arthur’s eyes, Gary and Arthur are both people who are ultimately eliminated from society. Gary is a natural loser, and Arthur is a natural loser, born and natural. At this time, he is like a pair of difficult brothers and sisters. Arthur would naturally leave Gary a way out.
Fourth, Arthur committed suicide
Arthur was invited to the Murray Festival and repeated practice at home. Arthur wanted to kill himself on the show to end his life. On the surface, it was to attract attention, but in fact, he wanted to maximize the value of his life.
Many people will question, Arthur committed suicide, then the evil clown in his heart no longer exists.
Here everyone must first establish a major premise. I have always emphasized the sentence written in Arthur’s diary: "My death is more valuable than my life." This sentence is defined by the two vague personalities of Arthur and the Joker. life goals.
So Arthur wanted to use suicide to get the release of life, and the Joker wanted to use suicide to get absolute freedom.
Regardless of whether it is Arthur and the Joker, their understanding of death is crazy and admired, so the idea of Arthur (the Joker) wanting to commit suicide in Murray's show is also in line with the conditions for the birth of the Joker.
Only in the end, Arthur (Joker) changed his mind on the show and turned his attention to Murray.
Fifth, Arthur killed Murray
Therefore, when Arthur was on Murray’s show, facing the live camera, he accused the ruthless and incurable city of Gotham City, accused every person present who indifference and rejected him, and accused Murray of inviting him to appear on the show. Just to mock him again.
In the end, Arthur shot Murray, his ideal monument. If Arthur had always treated Murray as a father, then Arthur would kill his father this time.
Both mother-killing and father-killing Arthur (the clown) were done, so what else did Arthur dare not do? At this time, how could Arthur have a sense of moral rules and order in the world.
This is just like what Arthur said in Murray's show. It probably means that the definition of a joke is defined by your group. What is funny and what is not funny, today I will call the shots. I am a comedy.
This sentence shows that Arthur (the clown) has ignored the operating rules of the civilized world, and at the same time is destroying or overthrowing such rules and order. Arthur wants to establish a new order, that is, there is no order and chaos.
So Arthur (the clown) killed Murray, the king of comedy, whom everyone agreed with. In this way, he used this method to forcibly prove to everyone that he was the king of comedy.
Arthur was utterly mad, and became a wicked clown.
Later, Arthur was escorted by the police. He was in a car accident on the way. Arthur, who was seriously injured and unconscious, was carried out by two clown believers. The scene and picture were dreamlike. Arthur gradually woke up amidst the cheers of the clown believers. Arthur stood on the roof of the car, dancing with his hands, and using the blood on his mouth to draw a smiling face on his face, which also meant that the clown was officially on stage.
The dance Arthur (the clown) danced on the roof of the car is very similar to the dance style that Arthur fled to the toilet after killing three financial men before. It can even be said to be in the same dance system, so this can also be done. It is understood that the clown (Arthur), who made his debut in the toilet at that time, was rehearsing and rehearsing the official dance.
At that time, no one cheered after Arthur (the clown) killed the financial man, but now that Arthur (the clown) kills Murray, the whole Gotham is burning and thousands of people worship.
In this car accident, Arthur, who was previously cowardly, had a tragic childhood and was burdened with a life tragedy, died in the car accident. At this time, Arthur, standing on the roof of the car, was reborn as a completely crazy, cruel and chaotic clown. .
What's more meaningful is that almost at the same time, the Bruce Wayne family escaped from the theater. Bruce's parents were killed by unknown people who acted as clowns in a dark alley. A tragic superhero was rising from the other side of the clown.
The clown truth
Whether it is comics or film and television works, including the "Joker" discussed today, it is pointed out that clowns are the source of chaos, or that clowns are chaos itself.
But is the fact really as we see it on the surface?
At the end of the film, after Arthur killed Murray and was taken away by the police, Gotham City fell into chaos. Arthur (the clown) laughed loudly in the police car. At this time, Arthur may have an episode of jokes, or maybe it was a laugh from the heart. , But it doesn’t matter which one it is, because at this time Arthur is the clown, and the clown is Arthur.
At that time, the police responded angrily to Arthur's smirk. The police said that the chaos in the city was caused by you, Arthur.
The meaning of this sentence is that Arthur (the clown) is the bane of chaos, but the truth is not the case. At the beginning of the film, the background of Gotham City is depicted. Garbage workers are not working, and even the rich areas of the city are rubbish. The air is so angry, the rodent infestation is serious, and the people at the bottom are in dire straits.
Gotham City under the film lens, whether on the streets or on the subway, did not see a trace of Gotham City's cleanliness, graffiti and depression everywhere, people's excessive self-protection gradually became indifferent to each other, and excessive indifference formed mutual indifference. Exclusion, the extreme of exclusion is endless violence and chaos.
I studied the plot analysis of Arthur's personality psychology before, but I haven't mentioned the relationship between Arthur and Gotham City.
In fact, in an environment like Gotham City, is Arthur really the source of chaos? Arthur is actually just a victim.
If Arthur hadn't been robbed of the billboard when he played as a clown, there would be passers-by to help him even after he was robbed of the billboard.
If the child’s mother is friendly to Arthur on the bus.
If the counselor can communicate with Arthur more deeply, more often.
If the neighbor Sophie can really be friends with Arthur.
If Landau does not betray Arthur.
If Murray doesn't taunt Arthur.
If Thomas Wayne can be more patient with Arthur, he can even help Arthur, and even the city managers represented by Thomas, take more responsibility for the management of Gotham City, instead of choosing to ignore and ignorant.
If Arthur's mother Penny could confess his life with Arthur earlier.
There are too many ifs, which reminds me again of that sentence, when there is an avalanche, no snowflake is innocent.
Perhaps the gap between the rich and the poor in Gotham City, the people's hatred of the rich, the discrimination and exploitation of the rich class, and the blindness and indifference of managers are the real root causes of the chaos.
Arthur was a victim of chaos at first, then he became an accomplice of chaos, and finally Arthur became the culprit of chaos, but from the beginning to the end, Arthur did not and will not be the source of chaos.
Arthur was in the last psychiatric hospital. The elderly counselor reappeared. From the bloody footprints when Arthur came out of the ward at the end, the counselor was probably killed by Arthur.
At this time Arthur became the incarnation of chaos, a symbol of Satan, and perhaps at this time, Arthur was the source of chaos for the future of Gotham City.
In addition, there is another truth in the film that is worth discussing. That is Arthur's mother Penny. Is her psychosis real? Has Thomas Wayne really never touched Penny? Isn't Arthur really the biological son of Penny and Thomas?
In the film, Arthur is putting on clown makeup and preparing to go to Murray's show. He picks up a photo of Penny when he was young, with Thomas Wayne's signed love words written on the back of the photo.
Is this really written by Thomas? Or did Penny write it on her own lust? The film did not explain too much about this, but gave an extremely open ending.
If this love story is really done by Thomas, then the direction of the whole movie will be even darker.
Because that proves that Penny did not lie at the beginning, Thomas and Penny did have a leg, and Arthur may really be their son. To maintain his reputation, Thomas forced Penny into a mental illness, that is to say, Ya The data and evidence that Se saw from the mental hospital were all forged by Thomas.
Of course, the film only provides a direction for everyone to guess, not the real truth. In fact, there are many scenes in "Joker", we sometimes don’t know who said it is true, and it’s not very clear what scene is in the illusion. What scene has actually happened.
Perhaps, all of this was fantasised by the clown in a mental hospital.
This is like many characters in the film, full of hypocrisy and lies, and in the end Arthur became the product of all the negatives and negatives of the film.
Clown warning
Finally, let's discuss topics other than movies. Is the movie "Joker" really a negative movie? Is the movie really as provocative as many people say?
I don't know if you have noticed it, I have only mentioned the word "inflammatory" for the first time until now.
I think the film does not bring social inflammatory, because the real reality is much more complicated than "Joker". The real social positive and negative energy cannot be carried and explained by a movie.
On the contrary, I think the warning effect of "Joker" is very strong. The film can even be regarded as an allegorical experimental direction for people to discuss and research. This is also the most attractive part of the movie "Joker".
Although there are many images full of extreme violence and blood in the film, just like Quentin’s violent aesthetic logic, when we face violence directly, we can avoid violence, because behind the violence of the film is to let people see the real cruelty and Disgusted.
Moreover, the film does not portray society as a hell of all evils, nor does it allow Arthur to have empathy or sympathy with the audience. Although Arthur suffered a miserable experience, he himself was also maddeningly hateful.
Every time Arthur kills, he himself is extremely painful and distorted, which allows the audience to feel Arthur's madness and arrogance more than Arthur's pleasure of revenge.
The purpose of the film's performance is to let the audience know the value of the film's attitude: not incitement, but neutrality.
"Joker" has always tried to maintain a restrained and calm value attitude. The film does not favor any positives or negatives, but waits and sees silently.
Perhaps, such no attitude is also an attitude, but what I read more is that the film suppresses negative violent emotions to let the audience experience the hard-won of today's civilized society. Absolute freedom is like burning in the film. Gotham City, this is very scary, is this what we want.
Civilization buildings are sometimes very fragile. It may take hundreds of years to build a civilization building in the cultural desert, but it may only take a moment to destroy it.
There may be a clown in each of us. This clown represents violence, disorder, chaos, jealousy, greed and other negative values, but we ourselves can also choose to influence him, recognize him, sympathize with him, and change him. Rather than being controlled by the clown in the movie.
Human nature is the contract that man signs between God and the devil. This may be the warning of "Joker" for us.
Finally, the chattering is over. If you can see here, then it must be true love. I hope you can really like and forward your attention. Your support is the strongest motivation for my originality.
The following is the analysis of the 4D trailer before the movie is released:
If you want to rank the most attractive villain in movie history, DC's Joker, he will definitely be able to squeeze into the top three. Joker is even the first super villain in the history of comics, not one of them.
This year, DC’s brand-new independent movie "Joker" has not been screened first. At present, two trailers have been officially released, and the second one is determined to be the final trailer.
Today we will analyze these two fascinating trailers, as well as a deep deconstruction of the role of DC Joker.
"Joker" movie origin
For most of us, the real acquaintance of the role of the clown is in Nolan’s "Batman the Dark Knight", the crazy clown played by Heath Ledger.
Heath Ledger’s crazy acting skills, coupled with the film’s characterization of the character of the clown, made this version of the clown the darkest, most mysterious, highest IQ, and most fanatic clown in film history.
Heath Ledger also won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, but unfortunately the Sri Lankan has gone. This also makes the clown of "Batman the Dark Knight" the most successful image of many clowns in film history, and no one can surpass it so far.
However, Warner and DC wanted to try to surpass themselves, so there was this "Joker" played by Jackie Phoenix, directed by Todd Phillips. And the supporting roles are Robert De Niro, and the producers are Martin Scorsese, Bradley Cooper, etc.
Let’s say one by one, starring Jacques Phoenix, nominated for 3 Oscars, Cannes and Venice actor, Jacques Phoenix’s performance is full of tension and arrogance, plus he himself is a freak, so he took the role. Most of the characters are lonely and weird characters.
As early as 2014, Jacques Phoenix himself proposed that he wanted to participate in a film about the "character research" genre, such as the DC Joker.
Because of this, both Marvel and DC once gave him an olive branch, wanting Jacques Phoenix to join the Marvel universe or DC expansion universe, including Marvel’s Hulk and Doctor Strange, as well as the clown of DC expansion universe. But they were all declined by Jackie Phoenix.
The clown in 2016's "Suicide Squad" was played by Jared Leto. Of course, this version of the clown is also remarkable, but because of the quality of the film itself and the position of the clown's supporting role, the clown finally did not It seems too prominent.
In the s
View more about Joker reviews
