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Jack Nicholson as the Joker was exactly that. It was Jack Nicholson being the Joker. That's the one thing about Jack that happens with the majority of his roles. Whether intentional or otherwise, he absorbs every role and they become him. I was watching The Shining the other night and to me Jack Torrence would have been a complete character had any other actor taken the role. It felt as though watching him was like watching what Jack Nicholson would do in that situation. The same goes for his Joker in Tim Burton's Batman and many other roles. This is all not to say I think he's a bad actor, on the contrary I think he brings something to his roles no other actor possibly could. That's what makes his so magnificent.
On the other hand you have Heath Ledger. A man I scoffed at and mocked endlessly when I heard this choice. Heath was a character actor who played curly haired pretty boys with accents. Then July 18, 2008 came. I ate my words for a month. Heath completely embodied everything the Joker is. He was psychotic. He was maniacal. His presence on screen couldn't be denied or avoided. He was, to paraphrase, "an unstoppable force" and it showed in every single scene he was in. The key that made Ledger for me was the countless times I was left asking myself "who is this actor?". Ledger was so good, I didn't even know it was him. The Joker was the Joker on screen. Not an actor. Alfred was Michael Caine and Lucius Fox was Morgan Freeman, even Batman was Christian Bale. The Joker was the Joker. I've never felt that way about very many characters on film and so my hat's off to Ledger for producing one of the single finest performances in cinema history for that very specific reason.
On the other hand you have Heath Ledger. A man I scoffed at and mocked endlessly when I heard this choice. Heath was a character actor who played curly haired pretty boys with accents. Then July 18, 2008 came. I ate my words for a month. Heath completely embodied everything the Joker is. He was psychotic. He was maniacal. His presence on screen couldn't be denied or avoided. He was, to paraphrase, "an unstoppable force" and it showed in every single scene he was in. The key that made Ledger for me was the countless times I was left asking myself "who is this actor?". Ledger was so good, I didn't even know it was him. The Joker was the Joker on screen. Not an actor. Alfred was Michael Caine and Lucius Fox was Morgan Freeman, even Batman was Christian Bale. The Joker was the Joker. I've never felt that way about very many characters on film and so my hat's off to Ledger for producing one of the single finest performances in cinema history for that very specific reason.
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A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything.
http://s0undw4ve.dvdaf.com/owned - My Collection
A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything.
http://s0undw4ve.dvdaf.com/owned - My Collection
