The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed, produced and co-written by Christopher Nolan. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is part of Nolan's Batman film series and a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins. Christian Bale reprises the lead role of Bruce Wayne/Batman, with a returning cast of Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth, Gary Oldman as James Gordon and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox. The film introduces the character of Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Gotham's newly elected District Attorney and the cohort of Bruce Wayne's childhood friend Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who joins Batman and the police in combating the new rising threat of a criminal calling himself the "Joker" (Heath Ledger).
Nolan's inspiration for the film was the Joker's comic book debut in 1940, and the 1996 series The Long Halloween, which retold Two-Face's origin. In addition elements of Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers' Dark Detective miniseries as well as the unpublished follow-up were reportedly cannibalised along with other elements of Batman mythology for the story.[3][4] The Dark Knight was filmed primarily in Chicago, as well as in several other locations in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Hong Kong. Nolan used an IMAX camera to film some sequences, including the Joker's first appearance in the film. On January 22, 2008, some months after he had completed filming on The Dark Knight and six months before the film's release, Heath Ledger died from a toxic combination of prescription drugs, leading to intense attention from the press and movie-going public. Warner Bros. had initially created a viral marketing campaign for The Dark Knight, developing promotional websites and trailers highlighting screen shots of Ledger as the Joker, but after Ledger's death, the studio refocused its promotional campaign.[5][6]
The Dark Knight was released on July 16, 2008 in Australia, on July 18, 2008 in North America, and on July 24, 2008 in the United Kingdom. The film received highly positive reviews and set numerous records during its theatrical run.[7] With over $1 billion in revenue worldwide, it is the eleventh highest-grossing film of all time, unadjusted for inflation.[8] The film received eight Academy Award nominations and won for Best Sound Editing and posthumous Best Supporting Actor for Ledger's performance.[9] The film will be followed by a third and final entry titled The Dark Knight Rises, with Bale, Caine, Oldman and Freeman returning in the original roles, which will be the conclusion of Christopher Nolan's Batman series.[10]
In Gotham City, the Joker and his accomplices rob a mob owned bank. After orchestrating their deaths, he escapes alone. Batman and Lieutenant Jim Gordon decide to include sincere new district attorney Harvey Dent, who is dating Rachel Dawes, in their plan to tackle the mob and Bruce offers him a fundraiser. Mob bosses Sal Maroni, Gambol, and The Chechen are informed by Lau, a Chinese accountant, that he has hidden their funds and fled to Hong Kong to escape the new pressure. The Joker interrupts the meeting warning that Batman is unhindered by jurisdiction. They laughably refuse when Joker offers to kill Batman for half the money and Gambol puts a bounty on him. Later, the Joker kills Gambol and takes control of his men, while Batman captures Lau and delivers him back to Gotham where he agrees to testify.
The Joker issues an ultimatum that people will die each day unless Batman reveals his identity; resulting in the killings of Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb and the judge of the mob trials. The Joker targets Dent at the fundraiser but Bruce hides him, while Rachel is looked after by Alfred Pennyworth. The Joker tries to assassinate Mayor Garcia during Loeb's memorial service but Gordon takes the bullet and seemingly dies. As a result Bruce plans to reveal his identity, but Dent instead names himself as Batman to protect the truth. Dent is taken into protective custody and pursued by the Joker across the city as Batman rushes to aid. Gordon, who faked his death, helps apprehend the Joker and is promoted to Commissioner. However, Dent and Rachel disappear. Batman confronts the Joker and learns each are in separate buildings filled with explosives. In the ensuing chaos, Batman finds Dent but the buildings explode, resulting in the death of Rachel and half of Dent's face being burned. The Joker then uses a bomb to escape from the police department with Lau.
Coleman Reese, an accountant at Wayne Enterprises, realizes Bruce is Batman and plans to expose him. The Joker, who kills Lau and The Chechen, threatens to bomb a hospital unless Reese is killed. Gordon rescues Reese, while the Joker visits the scarred Dent in hospital, convincing him to get revenge. Dent uses his burnt lucky coin to decide the fates of those responsible for Rachel's death, killing some of the corrupt officials and mobsters involved. After blowing up the hospital and escaping with hostages, the Joker gives two explosive rigged ferries, one of citizens and the other of Arkham Asylum inmates, the choice to blow the other up until midnight otherwise both will explode. Aided by Wayne Enterprises CEO Lucius Fox using a city-wide tracking device, which on ethical grounds Lucius will resign over if it remains, Batman locates the Joker. He rescues the hostages, who are disguised as Joker's gang, by fighting off the Joker's real men and Gordon's SWAT team. The ferry passengers refuse to kill each other and are saved as Batman apprehends the Joker. Nevertheless the Joker states he has won as the citizens of Gotham will lose their hope once Dent's rampage goes public. Batman leaves for Dent as the Joker is taken into custody once again.
Dent lures Gordon to the building where Rachel died and holds his family hostage, as Batman confronts him. Dent judges the fates of Batman, himself, and Gordon's son with three coin flips. As a result, he shoots Batman in the abdomen, spares himself and flips to determine the boy's fate. However he is tackled over the building by Batman, who was protected by his suit, resulting in Dent’s death.[11] Batman convinces Gordon to hold him publicly responsible for the murders so that Dent will remain a symbol of hope for the city. A manhunt for Batman ensues, as he escapes on the Batpod. Alfred burns a letter written by Rachel to Bruce announcing her engagement to Dent, Lucius watches the signal tracker self-destruct and Gordon destroys the Bat-Signal before delivering a eulogy at Dent's funeral.
- A billionaire dedicated to protecting Gotham City from the criminal underworld by night. Bale said he was confident in his choice to return in the role because of the positive response to his portrayal in Batman Begins.[12] He continued training in the Keysi Fighting Method and performed many of his own stunts,[12][13] but did not gain as much muscle as in the previous film because the new Batsuit allowed him to move with greater agility.[14] Bale described Batman's dilemma as whether "[his crusade is] something that has an end. Can he quit and have an ordinary life? The kind of manic intensity someone has to have to maintain the passion and the anger that they felt as a child, takes an effort after a while, to keep doing that. At some point, you have to exorcise your demons."[15] He added, "Now you have not just a young man in pain attempting to find some kind of an answer, you have somebody who actually has power, who is burdened by that power, and is having to recognize the difference between attaining that power and holding on to it."[16] Bale felt Batman's personality had been strongly established in the first film, so it was unlikely his character would be overshadowed by the villains, stating: "I have no problem with competing with someone else. And that's going to make a better movie."[17]
- Before Ledger was confirmed to play the Joker in July 2006, Paul Bettany,[18] Lachy Hulme,[19] Adrien Brody,[20] Steve Carell,[21] and Robin Williams[22] publicly expressed interest in the role. However Nolan had wanted to work with Ledger on a number of projects in the past (though he had been unable to do so), and was agreeable to Ledger's chaotic interpretation of the character.[23] When Ledger saw Batman Begins, he had realized a way to make the character work that was consistent with the film's tone:[24] he described his Joker as a "psychopathic, mass murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy."[25] Throughout the film, the Joker states his desire to upset social order through crime, and comes to define himself by his conflict with Batman. To prepare for the role, Ledger lived alone in a hotel room for a month, formulating the character's posture, voice, and personality, and kept a diary, in which he recorded the Joker's thoughts and feelings.[17][26] While he initially found it difficult, Ledger eventually generated a voice unlike Jack Nicholson's character in Tim Burton's 1989 Batman film.[25][26] He was also given Batman: The Killing Joke and Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, which he "really tried to read and put it down."[24] Ledger also cited A Clockwork Orange and Sid Vicious as "a very early starting point for Christian [Bale] and I. But we kind of flew far away from that pretty quickly and into another world altogether."[27][28] "There's a bit of everything in him. There's nothing that consistent," Ledger said, and added, "There are a few more surprises to him."[27] Ledger was allowed to shoot and mostly direct the videos the Joker sends out as warnings. Each take Ledger made was different from the last. Nolan was impressed enough with the first video shoot that he chose to not be present when Ledger shot the video with a kidnapped reporter (Anthony Michael Hall).[29] On January 22, 2008, after he had completed filming The Dark Knight, Ledger died of an accidental prescription drug overdose, leading to intense press attention and memorial tributes. "It was tremendously emotional, right when he passed, having to go back in and look at him every day [during editing]," Nolan recalled. "But the truth is, I feel very lucky to have something productive to do, to have a performance that he was very, very proud of, and that he had entrusted to me to finish."[28] All of Ledger's scenes appear as he completed them in the filming; in editing the film, Nolan added no "digital effects" to alter Ledger's actual performance posthumously.[30] Nolan has dedicated the film in part to Ledger's memory.[31][32]
- The district attorney who is hailed as Gotham's "White Knight". His battle with the criminal underworld leaves him disfigured, transforming him into a bloodthirsty madman.[33][34] Wayne sees Dent as his heir, recognizing that Batman's war on crime will be a lifelong mission, which heightens the tragedy of Dent's downfall.[32] Nolan and David S. Goyer had originally considered using Dent in Batman Begins, but they replaced him with the new character Rachel Dawes when they realized they "couldn't do him justice."[35] Before Eckhart was cast in February 2007, Liev Schreiber,[36] Josh Lucas,[37] and Ryan Phillippe[38] had expressed interest in the role,[39] while Mark Ruffalo auditioned.[40] Hugh Jackman was also considered for the part. Nolan chose Eckhart, whom he had considered for the lead role in Memento, citing his "extraordinary" ability as an actor, his embodiment of "that kind of chiselled, American hero quality" projected by Robert Redford, and his subtextual "edge."[41] Eckhart was "interested in good guys gone wrong," and had played corrupt men in films such as The Black Dahlia, Thank You for Smoking, and In the Company of Men. Whereas Two-Face is an evil villain in the comics, Nolan chose to portray him as a twisted vigilante to emphasize his role as Batman's counterpart. Eckhart explained, "[He] is still true to himself. He's a crime fighter, he's not killing good people. He's not a bad guy, not purely."[33][34] For Dent, Eckhart "kept on thinking about the Kennedys," particularly Robert F. Kennedy, who was "idealistic, held a grudge and took on the Mob." He had his hair lightened and styled to make him appear more dashing. Nolan told Eckhart to not make Two-Face "jokey with slurping sounds or ticks."[42]
- Bruce's trusted butler and confidante. His supply of useful advice to Bruce and his likeness as a father figure has led to him being labeled "Batman's batman."[43][44]
- The Gotham assistant district attorney and Wayne's childhood friend. Before the events of the film, she told Wayne that if he ever decided to stop being Batman, they would be together. She is one of the few people to know Batman's identity. Gyllenhaal took over the role from Katie Holmes, who played it in Batman Begins. In August 2005, Holmes was reportedly planning to reprise the role,[45] but she eventually turned it down to do Mad Money with Diane Keaton and Queen Latifah.[46] By March 2007, Gyllenhaal was in "final talks" for the part.[47] Gyllenhaal has acknowledged her character is a damsel in distress to an extent, but says Nolan sought ways to empower her character, so "Rachel's really clear about what's important to her and unwilling to compromise her morals, which made a nice change" from the many conflicted characters whom she has previously portrayed.[48]
- A lieutenant in the Gotham City Police Department and one of the city's few honest police officers. He forms a tenuous, unofficial alliance with Batman and Dent. When the Joker assassinates Police Commissioner Loeb, Mayor Garcia gives Gordon the position. Oldman described his character as "incorruptible, virtuous, strong, heroic, but understated."[49] Nolan explained that "The Long Halloween has a great, triangular relationship between Harvey Dent and Gordon and Batman, and that's something we very much drew from."[50] Oldman added that "Gordon has a great deal of admiration for him at the end, but [Batman] is more than ever now the dark knight, the outsider. I'm intrigued now to see: If there is a third one, what he's going to do?"[50] On the possibility of another sequel, he said that "returning to [the role] is not dependent on whether the role was bigger than the one before."[51]
- The recently promoted chief executive officer of Wayne Enterprises who, now fully aware of his employer's double life, serves more directly as Bruce's armorer in addition to his corporate duties.[52]
- The accountant who handles the money for the mobs.
- A gangster who has taken over Carmine Falcone's mob. Bob Hoskins and James Gandolfini auditioned for the role.[53]
- The Police Commissioner of Gotham until his murder at the hands of the Joker.[54]
The film's Gotham officials and authorities include Nestor Carbonell as Mayor Anthony Garcia, Keith Szarabajka as Detective Gerard Stephens, Monique Gabriela Curnen as Anna Ramirez, and Ron Dean as Detective Michael Wuertz. While Stephens is an honest and good cop, the latter two are two corrupt officers who betray Harvey Dent and Rachel Dawes to the Joker. The film also cast Anthony Michael Hall as Gotham Cable News reporter Mike Engel, Nydia Rodriguez Terracina as Judge Janet Surrillo, Joshua Harto as Coleman Reese, Melinda McGraw and Nathan Gamble as Gordon's wife and son, and Tom "Tiny" Lister, Jr. as a prison inmate on one of the bomb-rigged ferries. The film's criminals include Michael Jai White as gang leader Gambol and Ritchie Coster as The Chechen. William Fichtner features as the Gotham National Bank manager. David Banner originally auditioned for the role of Gambol.[55] Cillian Murphy returns in a cameo as Jonathan Crane / Scarecrow, who is captured early on in the film by Batman.[56]
Musician Dwight Yoakam was approached for the roles of either the manager or a corrupt cop, but he chose to focus on his album Dwight Sings Buck.[57] Another cameo was made by United States Senator Patrick Leahy, a Batman fan who was previously an extra in the 1997 film Batman & Robin and also was a guest voice actor on Batman: The Animated Series. Leahy appears as a guest who defies the Joker when he and his henchmen attack Bruce's fundraiser, saying "We are not intimidated by thugs."[58] Matt Skiba, lead singer of Chicago punk band Alkaline Trio made a small appearance in the movie.[59]
"As we looked through the comics, there was this fascinating idea that Batman's presence in Gotham actually attracts criminals to Gotham, [it] attracts lunacy. When you're dealing with questionable notions like people taking the law into their own hands, you have to really ask, where does that lead? That's what makes the character so dark, because he expresses a vengeful desire."
—Nolan, on the theme of escalation
[16]
Before the release of Batman Begins, screenwriter David S. Goyer wrote a treatment for two sequels which introduced the Joker and Harvey Dent.[60] His original intent was for the Joker to scar Dent during the Joker's trial in the third film, turning Dent into Two-Face.[61] Goyer, who penned the first draft of the film, cited the DC Comics 13-issue comic book limited series Batman: The Long Halloween as the major influence on his storyline.[35] While initially uncertain of whether or not he would return to direct the sequel, Nolan did want to reinterpret the Joker on screen.[17] On July 31, 2006, Warner Bros. officially announced initiation of production for the sequel to Batman Begins titled The Dark Knight;[62] it is the first live-action Batman film without the word "Batman" in its title, which Bale noted as signaling that "this take on Batman of mine and Chris' is very different from any of the others."[63]
After much research, Nolan's brother and co-writer, Jonathan, suggested the Joker's first two appearances, published in the first issue of Batman (1940), as the crucial influences.[23] Jerry Robinson, one of the Joker's co-creators, was consulted on the character's portrayal.[64] Nolan decided to avoid divulging an in-depth origin story for the Joker, and instead portray his rise to power so as to not diminish the threat he poses, explaining to MTV News, "the Joker we meet in The Dark Knight is fully formed...To me, the Joker is an absolute. There are no shades of gray to him – maybe shades of purple. He's unbelievably dark. He bursts in just as he did in the comics."[65] Nolan reiterated to IGN, "We never wanted to do an origin story for the Joker in this film," because "the arc of the story is much more Harvey Dent's; the Joker is presented as an absolute. It's a very thrilling element in the film, and a very important element, but we wanted to deal with the rise of the Joker, not the origin of the Joker."[23] Nolan suggested Batman: The Killing Joke influenced a section of the Joker's dialogue in the film, in which he says that anyone can become like him given the right circumstances.[66] Nolan also cited Heat as "sort of an inspiration" for his aim "to tell a very large, city story or the story of a city": "If you want to take on Gotham, you want to give Gotham a kind of weight and breadth and depth in there. So you wind up dealing with the political figures, the media figures. That's part of the whole fabric of how a city is bound together."[23]
According to Nolan, an important theme of the sequel is "escalation," extending the ending of Batman Begins, noting "things having to get worse before they get better."[67] While indicating The Dark Knight would continue the themes of Batman Begins, including justice vs. revenge and Bruce Wayne's issues with his father,[68] Nolan emphasized the sequel would also portray Wayne more as a detective, an aspect of his character not fully developed in Batman Begins.[14] Nolan described the friendly rivalry between Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent as the "backbone" of the film.[65] He also chose to compress the overall storyline, allowing Dent to become Two-Face in The Dark Knight, thus giving the film an emotional arc the unsympathetic Joker could not offer.[66] Nolan acknowledged the title was not only a reference to Batman, but also the fallen "white knight" Harvey Dent.[69]
While scouting for shooting locations in October 2006, location manager Robin Higgs visited Liverpool, concentrating mainly along the city's waterfront. Other candidates included Yorkshire, Glasgow, and parts of London.[70] In August 2006, one of the film's producers, Charles Roven, stated that its principal photography would begin in March 2007,[71] but filming was pushed back to April.[72] For its release in IMAX theaters, Nolan shot four major sequences in that format, including the Joker's opening bank robbery and the car chase midway through the film, which marked the first time that a feature film had been even partially shot in the format.[73]
For fifteen years Nolan had wanted to shoot in the IMAX format, and he also used it for "quiet scenes which pictorially we thought would be interesting."[65] The use of IMAX cameras provided many new challenges for the filmmakers: the cameras were much larger and heavier than standard cameras, and produced noise which made recording dialogue difficult.[74] In addition, the cameras had short film loads ranging from 30 seconds to two minutes[74] and the cost of the film stock was much greater than standard 35mm film.[75] Nevertheless, Nolan said that he wished that it were possible to shoot the entire film in IMAX: "if you could take an IMAX camera to Mount Everest or outer space, you could use it in a feature movie."[76] In addition, Nolan chose to edit some of the IMAX sequences using the original camera negative, which by eliminating generation loss, raised the film resolution of those sequences up to 18 thousand lines.[77]
Warner Bros. chose to film in Chicago for 13 weeks, because Nolan had a "truly remarkable experience" filming part of Batman Begins there.[78][79] Instead of using the Chicago Board of Trade Building as the location for the headquarters of Wayne Enterprises, as Batman Begins did,[80] The Dark Knight shows Wayne Enterprises as being headquartered in the Richard J. Daley Center.[81] While filming in Chicago, the film was given the false title Rory's First Kiss to lower the visibility of production, but the local media eventually uncovered the ruse.[82] Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times commented on the absurdity of the technique, "Is there a Bat-fan in the world that doesn't know Rory's First Kiss is actually The Dark Knight, which has been filming in Chicago for weeks?"[83] Production of The Dark Knight in Chicago generated $45 million in the city's economy and created thousands of jobs.[84] For the film's prologue involving the Joker, the crew shot in Chicago from April 18, 2007 to April 24, 2007.[85][86] They returned to shoot from June 9, 2007 to early September.[84] Noticeably, unlike Batman Begins, less CGI was used to disguise Chicago. Many recognizable locations were used in the film, like the Sears Tower, Navy Pier, 330 North Wabash, the James R. Thompson Center, LaSalle Street, The Berghoff, Randolph Street Station, and Hotel 71. An old Brach's factory was used as Gotham Hospital. The defunct Van Buren Street post office doubles as Gotham National Bank for the opening bank robbery. Several sequences, including one car chase, were shot on the lower level of Wacker Drive.[81][87] The Marina City towers also appear in the background throughout the movie.[81]
Pinewood Studios, near London, was the primary studio space used for the production.[88] While planning a stunt with the Batmobile in a special effects facility near Chertsey, England in September 2007, technician Conway Wickliffe was killed when his car crashed.[89] The film is dedicated to both Ledger and Wickliffe.[31] The following month in London at the defunct Battersea Power Station, a rigged 200-foot fireball was filmed, reportedly for an opening sequence, prompting calls from local residents who feared a terrorist attack on the station.[90] A similar incident occurred during the filming in Chicago, when an abandoned Brach's candy factory (which was Gotham Hospital in the film) was demolished.[91]
Filming took place in Hong Kong from November 6 to 11, 2007, at various locations in the CBD, including the International Finance Centre, Hong Kong's tallest building, for the scene where Batman captures Lau.[92][93][94] The city's walled city of Kowloon influenced the Narrows in Batman Begins.[95] The shoot hired helicopters and C-130 aircraft.[92] Officials expressed concern over possible noise pollution and traffic.[93] In response, letters sent to the city's residents promised that the sound level would approximate noise decibels made by buses.[92] Environmentalists also criticized the filmmakers' request to tenants of the waterfront skyscrapers to keep their lights on all night to enhance the cinematography, describing it as a waste of energy.[93] Cinematographer Wally Pfister found the city officials a "nightmare," and ultimately Nolan had to create Batman's jump from a skyscraper digitally.[30]
Costume designer Lindy Hemming described the Joker's look as reflecting his personality, in that "he doesn't care about himself at all"; she avoided designing him as a vagrant, but still made him appear to be "scruffier, grungier," so that "when you see him move, he's slightly twitchier or edgy."[17][26][26] Nolan noted, "We gave a Francis Bacon spin to [his face]. This corruption, this decay in the texture of the look itself. It's grubby. You can almost imagine what he smells like."[96] In creating the "anarchical" look of the Joker, Hemming drew inspiration from such countercultural pop culture artists as Pete Doherty, Iggy Pop, and Johnny Rotten.[97] Ledger described his "clown" mask, made up of three pieces of stamped silicone, as a "new technology," taking less than an hour for the make-up artists to apply, much faster than more-conventional prosthetics usually requires. Ledger also said that he felt he was barely wearing any make-up.[17][98] Hemming and Ledger's Joker design has had an impact in popular and political culture in the form of the Barack Obama "Joker" poster, and has since become a meme in its own right.[99]
Designers improved on the design of the Batsuit from Batman Begins, adding wide elastic banding to help bind the costume to Bale, and suggest more sophisticated technology. It was constructed from 200 individual pieces of rubber, fiberglass, metallic mesh, and nylon. The new cowl was modeled after a motorcycle helmet and separated from the neck piece, allowing Bale to turn his head left and right and nod up and down.[100] The cowl is equipped to show white lenses over the eyes when the character turns on his sonar detection, which gives Batman the white eyed look from the comics and animation.[101] The gauntlets have retractable razors which can be fired.[100] Though the new costume is eight pounds heavier, Bale found it more comfortable and less hot to wear.[14] The depiction of Gotham City is less gritty than in Batman Begins. "I've tried to unclutter the Gotham we created on the last film," said production designer Nathan Crowley. "Gotham is in chaos. We keep blowing up stuff, so we can keep our images clean."[16]
The film introduces the Batpod, which is a recreation of the Batcycle. Production designer Nathan Crowley, who designed the Tumbler for Batman Begins, designed six models (built by special effects supervisor Chris Corbould) for use in the film's production, because of necessary crash scenes and possible accidents.[102] Crowley built a prototype in Nolan's garage, before six months of safety tests were conducted.[14] The Batpod is steered by shoulder instead of hand, and the rider's arms are protected by sleeve-like shields. The bike has 508-millimeter (20-inch) front and rear tires, and is made to appear as if it is armed with grappling hooks, cannons, and machine guns. The engines are located in the hubs of the wheels, which are set 31⁄2 feet (1067 mm) apart on either side of the tank. The rider lies belly down on the tank, which can move up and down to dodge any incoming gunfire that Batman may encounter. Stuntman Jean-Pierre Goy doubled for Christian Bale during the riding sequences in The Dark Knight.[102]
Nolan designed Two-Face's appearance in the film as one of the least disturbing, explaining, "When we looked at less extreme versions of it, they were too real and more horrifying. When you look at a film like Pirates of the Caribbean – something like that, there's something about a very fanciful, very detailed visual effect, that I think is more powerful and less repulsive."[103] Framestore created 120 computer-generated shots of Two-Face's scarred visage. Nolan felt using make-up would look unrealistic, as it adds to the face, unlike real burn victims. Framestore acknowledged they rearranged the positions of bones, muscles and joints to make the character look more dramatic. For each shot, three 720-pixel HD cameras were set up at different angles on set to fully capture Aaron Eckhart's performance. Eckhart wore markers on his face and a prosthetic skullcap, which acted as a lighting reference. A few shots of the skullcap were kept in the film. Framestore also integrated shots of Bale and Eckhart into that of the exploding building where Dent is burned. It was difficult simulating fire on Eckhart because it is inherently unrealistic for only half of something to burn.[104]
Batman Begins composers Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard returned to score the sequel. Composition began before shooting, and during filming Nolan received an iPod with ten hours of recordings.[105] Their nine-minute suite for the Joker, "Why So Serious?," is based around two notes. Zimmer compared its style to that of Kraftwerk, a band from his native Germany, as well as bands like The Damned.[106] When Ledger died, Zimmer felt like scrapping and composing a new theme, but decided that he could not be sentimental and compromise the "evil [Ledger's performance] projects."[107] Howard composed Dent's "elegant and beautiful" themes,[106] which are brass-focused.[105]
In May 2007, 42 Entertainment began a viral marketing campaign utilizing the film's "Why So Serious?" tagline with the launch of a website featuring the fictional political campaign of Harvey Dent, with the caption, "I Believe in Harvey Dent."[108] The site aimed to interest fans by having them try to earn what they wanted to see and, on behalf of Warner Bros., 42 Entertainment also established a "vandalized" version of I Believe in Harvey Dent, called "I believe in Harvey Dent too," where e-mails sent by fans slowly removed pixels, revealing the first official image of the Joker; it was ultimately replaced with many "Haha"s and a hidden message that said "see you in December."[109]
File:Norulessensible.jpg
WhySoSerious.com directed fans to find letters composing
the Joker's message "The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules," to send in photographs of these letters, and then featured their photos in a collage.
During the 2007 San Diego Comic-Con International, 42 Entertainment launched WhySoSerious.com, sending fans on a scavenger hunt to unlock a teaser trailer and a new photo of the Joker.[110] On October 31, 2007, the film's website morphed into another scavenger hunt with hidden messages, instructing fans to uncover clues at certain locations in major cities throughout the United States, and to take photographs of their discoveries. The clues combined to reveal a new photograph of the Joker and an audio clip of him from the film saying "And tonight, you're gonna break your one rule." Completing the scavenger hunt also led to another website called Rory's Death Kiss[111] (referencing the false working title of Rory's First Kiss), where fans could submit photographs of themselves costumed as the Joker. Those who sent photos were mailed a copy of a fictional newspaper called The Gotham Times, whose electronic version led to the discovery of numerous other websites.[112][113]
The Dark Knight's opening sequence, (showing a bank raid by the Joker) and closing montage of other scenes from the film, was screened with selected IMAX screenings of I Am Legend, which was released on December 14, 2007.[65] A theatrical teaser was also released with non-IMAX showings of I Am Legend, and also on the official website.[114] The sequence was released on the Blu-ray Disc edition of Batman Begins on July 8, 2008.[115] Also on July 8, 2008, the studio released Batman: Gotham Knight, a direct-to-DVD animated film, set between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight and featuring six original stories, directed by Bruce Timm, co-creator and producer of Batman: The Animated Series, and starring veteran Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy. Each of these segments, written by Josh Olson, David S. Goyer, Brian Azzarello, Greg Rucka, Jordan Goldberg, and Alan Burnett, presents its own distinctive artistic style, paralleling numerous artists collaborating in the same DC Universe.[116]
After the death of Heath Ledger on January 22, 2008, Warner Bros. adjusted its promotional focus on the Joker,[5] revising some of its websites dedicated to promoting the film and posting a memorial tribute to Ledger on the film's official website[117] and overlaying a black memorial ribbon on the photo collage in WhySoSerious.com.[118] On February 29, 2008, I Believe in Harvey Dent was updated to enable fans to send their e-mail addresses and phone numbers.[119] In March 2008, Harvey Dent's fictional campaign informed fans that actual campaign buses nicknamed "Dentmobiles" would tour various cities to promote Dent's candidacy for district attorney.[120]
On May 15, 2008, Six Flags Great America and Six Flags Great Adventure theme parks opened The Dark Knight roller coaster, which cost US$7.5 million to develop and which simulates being stalked by the Joker.[121] Mattel produced toys and games for The Dark Knight, action figures, role play costumes, board games, puzzles, and a special-edition UNO card game, which began commercial distribution in June 2008.[122]
Warner Bros. devoted six months to an anti-piracy strategy that involved tracking the people who had a pre-release copy of the film at any one time. Shipping and delivery schedules were also staggered and spot checks were carried out both domestically and overseas to ensure illegal copying of the film was not taking place in cinemas.[123] A pirated copy was released on the Web approximately 38 hours after the film's release. BitTorrent search engine The Pirate Bay taunted the movie industry over its ability to provide the movie free, replacing its logo with a taunting message.[124]
Warner Bros. held the world premiere for The Dark Knight in New York City on July 14, 2008, screening in an IMAX theater with the film's composers James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer playing a part of the film score live.[125] Leading up to The Dark Knight's commercial release, the film had drawn "overwhelmingly positive early reviews and buzz on Heath Ledger's turn as the Joker." The Dark Knight was commercially released on July 16, 2008 in Australia, grossing almost $2.3 million in its first day.[126]
In the United States and Canada, The Dark Knight was distributed to 4,366 theaters, breaking the previous record for the highest number of theaters held by Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End in 2007. The number of theaters also included 94 IMAX theaters, with the film estimated to be played on 9,200 screens in the United States and Canada.[126] Online, ticketing services sold enormous numbers of tickets for approximately 3,000 midnight showtimes as well as unusually early showtimes for the film's opening day. All IMAX theaters showing The Dark Knight were sold out for the opening weekend.[127]
Based on 277 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, the film received a 94% approval rating from critics, with an average score of 8.4/10.[128] Among Rotten Tomatoes' Top Critics, which consists of popular and notable critics from the top newspapers, websites, television, and radio programs,[129] the film holds an overall approval rating of 91%.[130] By comparison, Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating in the 0–100 range based on reviews from top mainstream critics, calculated an average score of 82, based on 39 reviews.[131] CinemaScore polls reported that the average grade cinemagoers gave the film was "A" on an A+ to F scale, and that audiences skewed slightly male and older.[132]
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times describes The Dark Knight as a "haunted film that leaps beyond its origins and becomes an engrossing tragedy." He praises the performances, direction, and writing, and says the film "redefine[s] the possibilities of the comic-book movie." Ebert states that the "key performance" is by Heath Ledger, and pondered whether he would become the first posthumous Academy Award-winning actor since Peter Finch in 1976. Ledger ultimately won the Oscar.[133] Ebert named it one of his twenty favorite films of 2008.[134] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone writes that the film is deeper than its predecessor, with a "deft" script that refuses to scrutinize the Joker with popular psychology, instead pulling the viewer in with an examination of Bruce Wayne's psyche.[135] Travers has praise for all the cast, saying each brings his or her "'A' game" to the film. He says Bale is "electrifying," evoking Al Pacino in The Godfather Part II, and that Eckhart's portrayal of Harvey Dent is "scarily moving."[135] Travers says the actor moves the Joker away from Jack Nicholson's interpretation into darker territory, and expresses his support for any potential campaign to have Ledger nominated for an Academy Award,[135] Travers says that the filmmakers move the film away from comic book cinema and closer to being a genuine work of art, citing Nolan's direction and the "gritty reality" of Wally Pfister's cinematography as helping to create a universe that has something "raw and elemental" at work within it. In particular, he cites Nolan's action choreography in the IMAX-tailored heist sequence as rivaling that of Heat (1995).[135] Entertainment Weekly put it on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying, "Every great hero needs a great villain. And in 2008, Christian Bale's Batman found his in Heath Ledger's demented dervish, the Joker."[136]
Emanuel Levy wrote Ledger "throws himself completely" into the role,[137] and that the film represents Nolan's "most accomplished and mature" work, and the most technically impressive and resonant of all the Batman films. Levy calls the action sequences some of the most impressive seen in an American film for years, and talks of the Hong Kong-set portion of the film as being particularly visually impressive.[137] Levy and Peter Travers conclude that the film is "haunting and visionary,"[135][137] while Levy goes on to say that The Dark Knight is "nothing short of brilliant."[137] On the other hand, David Denby of The New Yorker said that the story is not coherent enough to properly flesh out the disparities. He said the film's mood is one of "constant climax," and that it feels rushed and far too long. Denby criticized scenes which he argued to be meaningless or are cut short just as they become interesting.[138] Denby remarks that the central conflict is workable, but that "only half the team can act it," saying that Bale's "placid" Bruce Wayne and "dogged but uninteresting" Batman is constantly upstaged by Ledger's "sinister and frightening" performance, which he says is the film's one element of success. Denby concludes that Ledger is "mesmerising" in every scene.[138] The vocalization of Christian Bale's Batman (which was partly altered during post-production) was the subject of particular criticism by some commentators, with David Edelstein from NPR describing Bale delivering his performance with "a voice that's deeper and hammier than ever". Alonso Duralde at MSNBC, however, said that Bale's voice improved from Batman Begins, claiming that Bale's voice in the previous installment sounded like "a 10-year-old putting on an ‘adult’ voice to make prank phone calls" while calling Bale's voice in The Dark Knight an "eerie rasp".[139][140]
The Dark Knight was ranked the 15th greatest film in history on Empire's 2008 list of the "500 Greatest Movies of All Time," based upon the weighted votes of 10,000 readers, 150 film directors, and 50 key film critics.[141] Heath Ledger's interpretation of the Joker was also ranked number three on Empire's 2008 list of the "100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time."[142] Paste Magazine named it one of the 50 Best Movies of the Decade (2000-2009), ranking it at number 11.[143]
The film appeared on many critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2008.[144]
- 1st – Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
- 1st – Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter
- 1st – James Berardinelli, ReelViews
- 1st – Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News
- 1st – Mike Russell, The Oregonian
- 1st – Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle
- 1st – Premiere
- 1st – Empire
- 2nd – Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter
- 2nd – Nathan Rabin, The A.V. Club
- 2nd – Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times[145]
- 2nd – Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
- 3rd – Lawrence Toppman, The Charlotte Observer
- 3rd – Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
- 3rd – Marc Mohan, The Oregonian
- 3rd – Michael Rechtshaffen, The Hollywood Reporter
- 3rd – Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor
|
- 3rd – Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
- 3rd – Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter
- 4th – Kyle Smith, New York Post
- 5th – Keith Phipps, The A.V. Club
- 5th – Noel Murray, The A.V. Club
- 5th – Rene Rodriguez, The Miami Herald (tied with Hellboy II)
- 5th – Scott Foundas, LA Weekly
- 5th – Wesley Morris, The Boston Globe
- 6th – Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
- 6th – Peter Vonder Haar, Film Threat
- 7th – Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
- 7th – Marc Doyle, Metacritic
- 7th – Sean Axmaker, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
- 9th – Robert Mondello, NPR
- 9th – Scott Tobias, The A.V. Club
- 10th – Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
|
Mystery writer Andrew Klavan, writing in The Wall Street Journal, compared the extreme measures that Batman takes to fight crime with those U.S. President George W. Bush used in the War on Terror. Klavan claims that, "at some level" The Dark Knight is "a paean of praise to the fortitude and moral courage that has been shown by George W. Bush in this time of terror and war." Klavan supports this reading of the film by comparing Batman—like Bush, Klavan argues—"sometimes has to push the boundaries of civil rights to deal with an emergency, certain that he will re-establish those boundaries when the emergency is past."[146] Klavan's article has received criticism on the Internet and in mainstream media outlets, such as in The New Republic's "The Plank."[147] Reviewing the film in The Sunday Times, Cosmo Landesman reached the opposite conclusion to Klavan, arguing that The Dark Knight "offers up a lot of moralistic waffle about how we must hug a terrorist – okay, I exaggerate. At its heart, however, is a long and tedious discussion about how individuals and society must never abandon the rule of law in struggling against the forces of lawlessness. In fighting monsters, we must be careful not to become monsters – that sort of thing. The film champions the anti-war coalition's claim that, in having a war on terror, you create the conditions for more terror. We are shown that innocent people died because of Batman – and he falls for it."[148] Benjamin Kerstein, writing in Azure, says that both Klavan and Landesman "have a point," because "The Dark Knight is a perfect mirror of the society which is watching it: a society so divided on the issues of terror and how to fight it that, for the first time in decades, an American mainstream no longer exists."[149]
According to David S. Goyer, the primary theme of The Dark Knight is escalation.[150] Gotham City is weak and the citizens blame Batman for the city's violence and corruption as well as the Joker's threats, and it pushes his limits, making him feel that taking the laws into his own hands is further downgrading the city. Roger Ebert noted, "Throughout the film, [the Joker] devises ingenious situations that force Batman, Commissioner Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent to make impossible ethical decisions. By the end, the whole moral foundation of the Batman legend is threatened."[133]
Other critics have mentioned the theme of the triumph of evil over good. Harvey Dent is seen as Gotham's "White Knight" in the beginning of the film but ends up becoming seduced to evil.[69] The Joker, on the other hand, is seen as the representation of anarchy and chaos. He has no motive, no orders, and no desires but to cause havoc and "watch the world burn." The terrible logic of human error is another theme as well. The ferry scene displays how humans can easily be enticed by iniquity.[151]
The
Tumbler in use at the film's European premiere
Most notable among the nominations were Heath Ledger's almost complete sweep of over twenty awards for acting, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actor, the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture, and the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. The Dark Knight also received nominations from the Writers Guild of America (for Best Adapted Screenplay), the Producers Guild of America, and the Directors Guild of America, as well as a slew of other guild award nominations and wins. It was nominated for Best Film at the Critics Choice Awards and was named one of the top ten films of 2008 by the American Film Institute.
The Dark Knight was nominated for eight Academy Awards for the 81st Ceremony,[152] breaking the previous record of seven held by Dick Tracy[153] for the most nominations received by a film based on a comic book, comic strip, or graphic novel. The Dark Knight won two awards: Best Supporting Actor for Heath Ledger and Best Sound Editing. It was additionally nominated for six others, these being Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Mixing, Best Visual Effects, Best Makeup, and Best Film Editing. Heath Ledger was the first posthumous winner of the Best Supporting Actor award, and only the second posthumous acting winner ever (Peter Finch posthumously won the Best Actor award for his performance in the 1976 film Network). In addition, Ledger's win marked the first win in any of the major Oscar categories (producing, directing, acting, or writing) for a superhero-based film. Notably, Richard King's win in the Sound Editing category blocked a complete awards sweep of the evening by the eventual Best Picture winner, Slumdog Millionaire. Although it did not receive a Best Picture nomination, the show's opening song paid homage to The Dark Knight along with the five Best Picture nominees, including host Hugh Jackman riding on a mockup of the Batpod made out of garbage.
A British-American production, the film was nominated for the 2009 Goya Award for Best European Film.[154] It had a nomination in Japan for the 2009 Seiun Awards under the Science Fiction category[155] with a Japan Academy Prize Award for Best Foreign Film.[156]
The Dark Knight earned $533,345,358 in North America and $468,576,467 in other territories for a worldwide total of $1,001,921,825. It is the highest-grossing film of 2008 worldwide and the twelfth highest-grossing film of all time worldwide. It made $199.7 million on its worldwide opening weekend which ranks 28th on the all-time chart.[157]
As of December 23, 2008, The Dark Knight had grossed $530,833,780 at the North American box office[158] and $465,993,073 in other countries[159][160] for a worldwide total of $996,826,853.
In an attempt to cross $1 billion in worldwide gross and in order to increase the chances of the film winning Oscars since the voting for the Academy Awards was approaching, Warner Bros. re-released the film in traditional theaters and IMAX theaters in the United States - as well as in other countries- on January 23, 2009.[161][162] It finally accomplished its goal, to cross the $1-billion-mark, in February 2009.[163] Therefore, as of March 29, 2011, its total worldwide gross standed at $1,001,921,825.
- North America
The Dark Knight opened on Friday, July 18, 2008. It set a record for midnight showings, by earning $18.5 million from 3,040 theaters[164] (a record first surpassed by Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince).[165] The midnight opening included $640,000 from IMAX screenings.[166] It was then shown on 9,200 screens at a record 4,366 theaters (a record first surpassed by Iron Man 2),[167] also setting an opening- and single-day record gross, with $67.2 million[168][164] (both records first surpassed by The Twilight Saga: New Moon),[169] and an opening weekend record, with $158.4 million[164][170][171] (first surpassed by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2).[172] The weekend per theater average of $36,283 stands as the fifth-largest of all time.[173] It sold an estimated 22.37 million tickets during its first weekend with 2008's average admission of $7.08, meaning the film sold more tickets than Spider-Man 3, which sold 21.96 million with the average price of $6.88 in 2007.[174][175] Additionally, the film set an IMAX opening weekend record, with $6.3 million[164] (a record first surpassed by Star Trek).[176] It achieved the largest Sunday gross, with $43.6 million,[164] and the largest opening week from Friday to Thursday, with $238.6 million (both records surpassed by Marvel's The Avengers).[177][178] It also achieved the largest cumulative gross through its third and fourth day of release (both records first surpassed by Deathly Hallows – Part 2), and so on until its tenth day of release (records surpassed by Marvel's The Avengers).[179] Moreover, it was the fastest film to reach $100 million (a record first surpassed by New Moon), $150 million and each additional $50 million through $450 million (records surpassed by Marvel's The Avengers), and $500 million (a record first surpassed by Avatar).[180] Finally, it achieved the largest second-weekend gross (a record first surpassed by Avatar).[181]
It has grossed the fourth largest Saturday gross ($51,336,732). On its first Monday, it grossed $24.5 million, which stands as the largest non-holiday Monday gross and the 4th largest Monday gross overall, and on its first Tuesday it grossed another $20.9 million, which stands as the largest non-opening Tuesday gross and the second largest Tuesday gross overall.[182] Notably, it topped the box office during the second biggest weekend of all time in North America (aggregated total of $253,586,871)[183] and it was the only 2008 film that remained on top of the box office charts for four consecutive weekends.[184]
The Dark Knight is the highest-grossing 2008 film, the highest-grossing superhero film, the highest-grossing film based on comics and the third highest-grossing film of all time in North America. Adjusted for ticket-price inflation though, it ranks 28th.[185] In contrast to Avatar and Titanic, both which grossed more than The Dark Knight in North America and had slow but steady earnings, The Dark Knight broke records in its opening weekend and slowed down significantly after its first few weekends.[182][186]
- Markets outside North America
Overseas, The Dark Knight premiered in 20 other territories on 4,520 screens, grossing $41.3 million in its first weekend.[187] The film came in second to Hancock, which was in its third weekend, screening in 71 territories. The Dark Knight's biggest territory was Australia, where it grossed $13.7 million over the weekend, setting a record for the largest superhero film opening.[188] It topped the weekend box office outside North America four times, but it wasn't the highest-grossing film of the year. Among 2008 films, its $468.6 million gross outside North America ranked second behind Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull's $469.5 million total.[189] Citing cultural sensitivities to some elements in the film, and a reluctance to adhere to pre-release conditions, Warner Bros. declined to release the film in mainland China.[190] Its highest-grossing market after North America was the UK, Ireland and Malta, where it earned $89.1 million. Also, in Australia, it earned of $39.9 million, still remaining in the all-time top 10 of the country.[191] The Top 5 also include Germany ($29.7 million), France and the Maghreb region ($27.5 million) and South Korea ($25.0 million).[192]
The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in North America on December 9, 2008. Releases include a one-disc edition DVD; a two-disc Special Edition DVD; a two-disc edition BD; and a Special Edition BD package featuring a statuette of the Bat-pod.[193] The BD version presents the film in a variable aspect ratio, with the IMAX sequences framed in 1.78:1, while scenes filmed in 35 mm are framed in 2.40:1.[194] The DVD versions feature the entire film framed in a uniform 2.40:1 aspect ratio. Disc 2 of the two-disc Special Edition DVD features the six main IMAX sequences in the original 1.44:1 aspect ratio. Additional IMAX shots throughout the film that are presented in 1.78:1 on the Blu-ray release are not, however, included in the DVD's special features. In addition to the standard DVD releases, some stores released their own exclusive editions of the film.
In the United Kingdom, the film had combined sales of 513,000 units on its first day of release, of which 107,730 (21%) were Blu-ray Discs, the highest number of first-day Blu-ray Discs sold.[195] In the United States, The Dark Knight set a sales record for most DVDs sold in one day, selling 3 million units on its first day of release – 600,000 of which were Blu-ray Discs.[196]
The DVD and Blu-ray Disc editions were released in Australia on December 10, 2008. Releases were in the form of a one-disc edition on DVD; a two-disc edition on DVD; a two-disc edition including a Batmask on DVD and BD; a two-disc Batpod statuette Limited BD Edition; a two-disc BD edition; and a four-disc Batman Begins/The Dark Knight pack on DVD and BD. As of December 19, 2008, the DVD release is the top selling film in the Australian DVD Charts[197] and is expected to break the Australian sales record set by Finding Nemo.[198]
The movie also sold Blu-ray copies worth 370 million yen (US$4.1 million) in Japan, placing it 3rd out of 10 in the top 10 overall Blu-ray category.[199][200]
In March 2011, Warner Bros. offered The Dark Knight for rent on Facebook, becoming the first movie ever to be released via digital distribution on a social networking site. Users in the United States are able to use Facebook Credits to view the film.[201]
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- ^ "The Dark Knight breaks a billion". E! Online (E! Entertainment Television). February 20, 2009. http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b101032__lt_i_gt_The_Dark_Knight_lt__i_gt__Breaks_a_Billion.html. Retrieved February 21, 2009.
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- ^ Movies With the Widest Openings at the Box Office
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- ^ "Biggest Opening Weekends at the Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Box Office Mojo, LLC. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/weekends/. Retrieved August 1, 2008.
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- ^ "Top 20 DVD – Daily Charts – Sanity.com.au – More Movies – More Music". December 19, 2008. Archived from the original on July 20, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080720071415/http://www.sanity.com.au/charts/charts_daily.asp?dpt=&kwd=visual. Retrieved December 20, 2008.
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- ^ "News: 2009's Top-Selling Blu-ray Discs in Japan (Continued)". Anime News Network. December 26, 2009. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-12-26/2009-top-selling-blu-ray-discs-in-japan-continued. Retrieved February 10, 2011.
- ^ "BDソフト年間売上1位は9.6万枚の「ヱヴァ新劇場版 1.11」－オリコン調べ。2位は「ダークナイト」の7.5万枚" (in Japanese). AV Watch. December 25, 2009. http://av.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/20091225_339731.html. Retrieved February 10, 2011.
- ^ Helft, Miguel; Barnes, Brooks (March 8, 2011). "Warner Tests Renting Film on Facebook for Web Cash". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/09/technology/09facebook.html?ref=technology. Retrieved March 11, 2011.
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