The Dark Knight Soundtrack (2008)
Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard are two of the most respected composers in the film industry. After making the soundtrack for Batman Begins with different genera of bats, they join forces again to create soundtrack for The Dark Knight with very dark themes and it all starts with the question “Why So Serious?”
The first thing that hit me about the soundtrack is that it starts with a 9-minute track and ends with a 16-minute piece. The movie tagline is that question “Why So Serious?”, but with beginning and ending tracks like those, there is no doubt that there is going to be some serious action and drama in both the soundtrack and the movie. That question will certainly become very famous in the movie industry. In itself, it’s a witty remark, and the way Heath Ledger says it as the Joker is very memorable, as memorable and famous as Smeagol’s, aka Gollum’s “My preciousssss”.
The Dark Knight soundtrack is undeniably haunting. While the track list for Batman Begins featured several bat species, The Dark Knight is filled with darkness with titles like “I’m Not A Hero”, “Aggressive Expansion”, “Blood On My Hands”, “Agent Of Chaos”, and “Watch The World Burn”. You would think that a track called “I Am The Batman” can be filled with hope and light, or at least a little bit, but you’d be so wrong. One track that is less dark is, ironically, “Harvey Two-Face”, but it remains very dramatic.
For the purpose of conflict, Zimmer and Howard dismissed the heroic theme that was introduced in the end of Batman Begins. This allows for the soundtrack to be listened to as a whole, rather than let people hum a theme song which would make people forget about all complexities of the characters.
Clearly, this soundtrack was not made for a Batman that saves the world, but rather for a conflicted man who still struggles to figure out who he is and what he is doing. And on top of that, he has to save people. The battle of good versus evil lies both within and without. The Dark Knight is a soundtrack in which tension, duality, darkness and complexity in characters can be felt plenty.
Hey, cheer up! Why so serious? Let’s put a smile on that face!
July 16th, 2008 @ 23:07:19
Nicely reviewed. I’ve been listening to TDK soundtrack and the soundtrack to BB since yesterday (when it came out), non-stop, and I will be listening to it until the last minute when the lights go dark and the movie begins.