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 The Joker has been depicted on television and in movies since
1966 and has undergone a series of ever darker transformations
from his early days as a campy clown with a mirthless laugh.
"It's barely the same character," said Matthew Belloni,
editorial director of the Hollywood Reporter. "I think the Joker
has reflected the times in which he is portrayed."
"Joker," starring Joaquin Phoenix and opening in movie theaters
worldwide this week after winning the top prize at the Venice
film festival last month, is the first film where the Joker is
the lead character but there is no Batman.
Set in 1980s New York, the Warner Bros <T.N> film is a
standalone origin story that depicts the man who becomes
Batman's arch-nemesis as an isolated, bullied, delusional,
mentally-ill loser who unwittingly inspires a populist rebellion
manned by other outcasts adopting red noses and clown masks.
"The new Joker is a plunge into nihilism. There is no redemption
at all. It is a lot grimmer to watch than even Heath Ledger's
Joker in 'The Dark Knight'," said David Crow, an associate
editor at pop culture website Den of Geek.
Phoenix, 44, whose performance is seen by awards watchers as a
likely contender for a best actor Oscar next year, told
reporters in Venice in August, "I didn't refer to any past
creations of this character."
LARGELY A PRANKSTER
Phoenix's take on the Joker is far removed from Cesar Romero,
who was the first actor to play the role in the 1960s "Batman"
television series, which was mainly aimed at children.
"Romero didn't even shave his mustache for the role. He put the
make-up on top of the mustache. He had a lot of fun with it,"
said Crow.
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In 1989, Jack Nicholson brought his edgy, maniacal touch to the
character in the "Batman" movie but was still largely a prankster.
Ledger reinvented him as unsettling and unhinged in 2008 in "The
Dark Knight" in 2008, when the Joker became a terrorist in a
post-Sept. 11 2001 era beset by fears of anarchy and chaos.
Yet Ledger, who won a posthumous supporting actor Oscar for the
role, "still played it a bit like a rock star, there was a bit of
grunge glamor," said Crow.
"Batman gets to stop him in the end. He does blow up a hospital but
he never took it to a truly irredeemable place," added Crow.
Phoenix, by contrast, turns in a performance so nerve-wracking that
it is difficult to watch at times, said Belloni.
"If this was not a comic book character it would be among the most
chilling characters I have ever seen in film. It's really
disturbing," Belloni said.
The film has an R rating in the United States, meaning those under
17 need to be accompanied by a parent.
"It's not for kids, and they won't like it anyway," the Alamo
Drafthouse movie theater chain said in a warning on its website
ahead of the opening weekend.
(This story corrects last name throughout of Den of Geek associate
editor David Crow).
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; editing by Bill Tarrant and Nick
Zieminski)
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