When I wrote my article announcing my focus on Batman's 80th anniverary, I also mentioned the 30th anniversary of the Batman film from 1989. I'll write the majority of articles about the movie closer to the June 23rd anniversary date, but today I'll feature the trailer for the film. This was the first glimpse the public got of any of the Bat craziness that was before them, and it's fun to look back on it 30 years later.
Enjoy! Also, I learned the next morning after writing this that April 22nd is Jack Nicholson's birthday, so...Happy Birthday Jack!
Two days after I published my article looking at the several incarnations of the Joker in other media, the first official trailer for the movie Joker starring Joaquin Phoenix was released. I had totally forgotten about the movie when writing my article, but I had originally planned to feature the 30 second makeup test Joker director Todd Phillips had released on Instagram last October.
Shortly after that video was released, amateur footage of some scenes surfaced on the 'Net, something highly unusual for a major studio picture.
And now we finally have the official trailer. Roll it!
I don't know what to make of the idea of a standalone Joker origin story. Will it feel like we're seeing the Joker we know and love to hate from the comics, or will it simply feel like a crazy guy in clown makeup who coincidentally calls himself the Joker? Projects in the past that separate themselves too much from the source material have not been great artistic successes (I'm looking at you, Catwoman), but with creative bigwigs like director Todd Phillips (the Hangover films), executive producer Bradley Cooper (and former EP Martin Scorsese) and stars Joaquin Phoenix and Robert De Niro in tow, will this movie beat the odds? I guess we'll find out when the movie opens October 4th.
It may seem weird that my first official post of my yearlong Batman tribute would be dedicated to his greatest foe instead, but one of Batman's defining characteristics has been his rogues gallery of villains, most of all the Joker. And besides, who better to feature on April Fool's Day?
Like Batman, the Joker has had several incarnations the last 80s years. Sometimes he's a psychopathic killer who will do anything depraved; other times, he's simply a laughing crook who likes to wear clown makeup and challenge Batman to surfing contests. Either way, the Joker has captivated audiences unlike any other supervillain. Here he is in some of his various personas.
Here's six minutes of Cesar Romero's Joker laughing his head off!.
Not to be outdone, Mark Hamill's Joker is no slouch in the maniacal laughter department.
Jack Nicholson's Joker is basically that: Jack being Jack but in clown makeup. And audiences loved it!
Heath Ledger's Joker was a bit less histrionic that otber portrayals, but his was no less menacing. Far from it!
OK, Jared Leto's Joker was not so well received by the public at large, but I found him surprisingly effective, even if we didn't see too much of him in Suicide Squad.
Of course, for many comic book devotees, no version of the Joker in other media will ever top the Joker in his natural habit, the printed page. In any format he appears in, he will always be the one true Clown Prince of Crime.
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!
