We’ve been spending an unusual amount of time celebrating the achievements of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, triggered by the release of Warner Bros.’ comprehensive Ultimate Collector’s Edition. We’ve seen Anne Hathaway pose for pre-production shots in the skin-tight Catwoman suit, and Christian Bale growling lines of dialogue wearing Val Kilmer’s Bat suit. (Yes, that’s eventual Lois Lane Amy Adams reading opposite her The Fighter co-star in this clip. DC Comics synergy!)
But the 10-minute retrospective at the top of this post best gets to the heart of the Batman trilogy, of Nolan’s unique, shadowy world. It starts at dual points – with Bruce Wayne (Bale) training in global prisons AND with young Bruce witnessing his parents’ murder in a Gotham alley. And that’s appropriate, as both moments led to the birth of the Caped Crusader, which Nolan so expertly conveyed in Batman Begins (still my choice for the best film in the trilogy).
This differs from the other behind-the-scenes clips we’ve been enjoying leading up to the set’s release because there is no insight from Nolan, his cast or his crew. It’s simply an expertly edited compilation of the finest scenes from the trilogy. Call it the Dark Knight Super Cut, a refresher course on everything that Nolan covered as well as an inspiration to go back to each film and absorb them in their entirety.
It’s also just fun to watch this clip and see the evolution of Bale’s Bat-voice. It’s practically prepubescent in Begins.
At least it’s better than Bane’s ridiculous voice:
Now it’s time to say goodbye to Nolan’s vision of the Dark Knight … and turn our attention to Ben Affleck’s portrayal of the timeless hero. Yay?
