Madness straight out of a comic! Live-action Joker[Mizumaru Kawahara's CINEMONOLOGUE Vol.30]

Heath Ledger version that launched a new Joker and after that...

Eleven summers ago, as a sophomore in high school, I watched The Dark Knight and was naturally fascinated by the all-new Joker, played by the late Heath Ledger. At the end of September, `` Iron Man '', which would later become the origin of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, will be released (in Japan, the second film, `` The Incredible Hulk '', was released earlier). Marvel's unknown heroes were still not in the eyes of the narrow-minded teenagers. I ignored the beginning of the MCU, which I now love, but I can't blame myself at the time. It can't be helped to be shown a movie like ``The Dark Knight'' and a Joker like that at that age, and I don't want to deny that summer when I was obsessed with it.

Unlike Jack Nicholson's version, Heath Ledger's version of the Joker remains a mystery until the end. Other than the scars on both sides of his mouth that were torn up to his cheeks, he had no special features such as bleached skin, and had dirty, sloppy make-up, a purple jacket, a green vest, purple pants, and dirty shoes. , dressed in normal clothing. He often tells the story of how he got the scar on his mouth, but the story changes each time, as if to embody the nature of the work in which the character's origin changes from story to story. Since we don't know where he came from, there is no direct connection to the Dark Knight like in Nicholson's version, but it is certain that he appeared inspired by the "monster" who disguises himself as a bat and acts as a vigilante. Batman sets out to protect the city from the new evil brought on by his battles. The Joker, who challenges the order of civilization simply by his violent impulses, has a different vector of madness than the ex-mafia Nicholson version. At least this Joker won't spare Francis Bacon's paintings when he attacks a museum.

Not only was it a fantastic performance, but I also liked the costume. The first time I saw a visual for this version was when he was captured by the Gotham City Police Department, sitting in his shirt and vest with his jacket off. What particularly struck me was the colorful socks peeking out from the hem of the pants, and I remember thinking that they were very nice. The fact that the clothes seemed like they could be imitated somehow seemed appealing. This also applies to the Scarecrow played by Cillian Murphy, but I think the good thing about the monster is that it is arranged as realistically as possible. It should be easier to cosplay than Danny DeVito's Penguin.

Later, a Joker Joker in `` Suicide Squad,'' which depicts a team of villains centered around the Joker's mistress Harley Quinn. Jared Leto's Joker is portrayed in a gangster style, with numerous tattoos all over his body, shiny gold accessories, and a supercar. The Joker isn't very classy, ​​but you can feel his danger and ferocity. In " American Psycho ," Jared Leto co-stars with Christian Bale, who plays Batman/Bruce Wayne in the Nolan trilogy, and is actually brutally killed by Bale, but indirectly it seems that Batman and the Joker are Not only are they all together, but it's a little funny that the character who later Batman is a psychopath, and the character who later plays Joker is the one who gets killed by a psychopath.

The Joker appears in different forms depending on the number of actors who play him. Comic book characters are just like legendary figures, drawn in a variety of styles and played by multiple actors. There will likely be many more Joker to come, including the latest version by Joaquin Phoenix. This character isn't just a comic book or a live-action movie. Just as there are as many versions as there are actors, they also show different versions in other media as well. So, my journey to look back at Joker so far will continue next time...

Illustrations and text: Mizumaru Kawahara

Born in 1991. Illustrator. In addition to illustrations and covers for magazines and books, there are also illustration columns for movies and books. New movie reviews are currently being serialized in "SPUR" (Shueisha).

http://mizmaru.com/

https://mizmaru.tumblr.com/

http://mizmaru.blogspot.com/