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Different artists can interpret the same subject matter in unique ways.
These deviations from the common shape are known as
Artistic License.
There are few characters
that have been subject to more artistic license
then the clown Prince of Crime
The Joker.
Using such elements as costumes and make-up,
props and physicality
directors and actors have reinvented the Joker
to fit very specific worlds and esthetics.
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In this video, we're going to look at how Tim Burton,
Christopher Nolan and Todd Phillips
each exercises artistic license with the Joker.
Before we dive into the madness,
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"- And here we go."
There are certain aspects of the Joker's appearance
that have made him so iconic.
The green hair.
The purple suit.
White face paint and the bright red lips.
Each film takes a vastly different approach to this iconic villain.
"- You can call me Joker."
When it comes to costume design
few directors are as bold and expressive as Tim Burton.
He's a master of visual design, known for his gothic aesthetic.
In this case, Burton's Gotham is an art deco, film noir metropolis.
The city is devoid of color.
It is cold and gray
which makes the colorful and vibrant appearance of the Joker shocking.
"- And where is the Batman?"
The Joker's color palette
pops against the dark tones of Gotham City.
And especially its hero.
On the other hand,
Christopher Nolan desaturates the Joker's color palette
to blend into a more grounded vision of Gotham City.
"- And I thought my jokes are bad."
The green hair is faded.
The purple suit barely registers.
The white face paint cracked and wearing off.
The red lipstick haphazardly applied
over a sinister permanent grin.
"- You see this is how crazy Batman's made Gotham."
Unlike Burton's Joker
who visually disrupts the status quo
Nolan's Joker is a product of it.
"- Introduce a little anarchy."
The world made him.
"- Upset the established order
and everything becomes chaos."
And so he blends in.
Todd Phillips gives us a combination of the previous two.
Nolan's gritty realism
with a return to Burton's more vibrant color palette.
Arthur Fleck is a troubled loner
broken down by the world around him.
His connection to the Joker costume and makeup
is more practical and motivated.
Phillips keeps the green hair, white face, and red lips
with the purple replaced with a dark red.
A subtle but noticeable deviation from the character's roots.
Besides the immediate visual presentation of the Joker,
he is also known through iconic props.
This relationship to props can be traced all the way back through Jokers' mythology.
These props are often modified novelty gags.
Beginning with his signature in deadly playing cards.
So, how do Tim Burton,
Christopher Nolan and Todd Phillips approach props
in their different characters?
Burton's Joker is the most playful
so his props must reflect that.
"- Life's been good to me?"
When one of Gotham's crime lord speaks out against him.
"- What if we say no."
It's a classic practical joke device made lethal by the Joker.
We also get Joker's acid squirting lapel flower.
A laughably large gun.
And a deadly quill.
This relationship with prop weapons
is much more in line with Joker's original comic book persona.
But subsequent versions of the clown prince tend to downplay this aspect.
"- Let's not blow this out of proportion."
The Joker in Nolan's film
mostly forgoes the novelty gag props
for much more direct weaponry.
Guns, knives
and rocket launchers become part of Joker's arsenal.
But that doesn't mean he's lost his sense of humor.
"- How about a magic trick.
I'm going to make this pencil disappear.
Ta-da!
It's...
It's gone."
The mix of humor and violence is pure Joker.
"- Hi."
Despite having been a working clown
Phillip's Joker has no connection
to this combination of playful violence.
In fact, he doesn't begin as a violent character at all.
"- She says I was put here to spread joy and laughter."
It is only by necessity that violence becomes an option.
Similar to Nolan's character
Arthur also uses knives and guns
in ways more savage and roar than ever.
Which leads us to our last topic.
Physicality.
We've established Burton's ironic use of clown tropes for treachery.
So where's time to get physical
his Joker loves to dance.
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Combined with his flamboyant outfits,
this Joker is as big and outrageous as possible.
In the "Dark Knight", The Joker's physicality is restrained.
He hunches his shoulders,
hugs his arms to his side's
and drifts like a shadow.
He only moves when he asked to.
He's always three steps ahead of his enemies,
so there's no need to rush.
In "Joker", the physicality is brought front and center.
Arthur's body is constantly on display.
Perhaps as a way for us to make the connection
between a malnourished body
and a malnourished mind.
Like Burton's character, this Joker is also prone to dancing
but without joy.
It's more raw and intimate.
It is only in the end
Arthur's dancing becomes an act of triumph.
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Now that we've seen so many interpretations of the Joker
where can the character go from here?
Give us your thoughts in the comments.
"- You made it. I'm so thrilled."
Who is your favorite Joker?
We've ranked our favorites,
including all the versions from TV, animation and video games.
And you'll find it on the StudioBinder block.
"- Good night, and always remember that's..."
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