Throughout his Batman trilogy, director Christopher Nolan has consistently been bombarded with questions regarding the politics of the films. These questions are not without merit, as Nolan does load up on imagery of post-9/11 fears.
With the recent release of "The Dark Knight Rises," the conclusion of the trilogy, this dialogue has exploded as critics and commentators have tried to place the film in terms of what political ideology it may support. This led to a variety of very aggressive opinions about the film, claiming that it has a very right-wing agenda. It led some to even re-cast Batman as a capitalist, a right-wing hero due to his rich roots - a good example of this being "How 'The Dark Knight Rises' reveals Batman's Conservative Soul" by Robert Colvile.
These opinions largely miss the point of the film, namely that the film doesn't try to present one political agenda but rather all of our contemporary fears meeting in a cataclysmic clash, with a better city rising from the ashes of this conflict.
Note - This entire article is a spoiler. If you're the one of 10 people to not see the film, go see it, and then check back here afterward.
Nolan presents the Gotham City of the "The Dark Knight Rises" as a place that has been purged at the surface level with criminals and gang leaders. They have been put behind bars, but the general inequality between the socially powerful and socially week still exists.
A large part of the story is about how Bane easily manipulates the citizens of Gotham into revolting. Things must have been pretty awful for the people of Gotham to say, "Hey guy with a giant mask on your face holding us hostage with nuclear bomb, we'll do whatever you say."
The empire of Gotham is established on a lie. The lie about Harvey Dent's class helped build the empire, but now someone has risen to challenge this misconception and reveal Gotham for what it truly is. Sound familiar? With the ways the problems of the "American Empire" are being exposed as of late, it should.
The general issue is the willingness of the public to label all of the film's villains as "Occupy-minded" persons. Many people read the ending of the film, where the police and terrorists brawl in the streets, as if the police force is restoring order to Gotham after the low-class citizens have finally obtained power.
This is incorrect for two reasons: 1) The police action is not what saved Gotham. It was the sacrifice of Batman. 2) The people the police apprehend are terrorists, not Occupy-related persons. In reality, the people of the Occupy movement wanted to hold Wall Street accountable for perceived crimes, not take over cities and plan to kill millions of people.
So, yes, while some images in the film are resonant of Occupy - Bane and his men sneak into the exchange while disguised as a delivery boy, janitor and a shoe shiner - ultimately, it is hard to label the terrorists as akin to Occupiers.
Nolan also presents a new Bruce Wayne - one being forced to surrender his privileges and rise from the ground level. This is not a man who saves the day using industry or some new fancy gadget, but rather by realizing the necessary mindset he needs to have to defeat his opponent. While Wayne is in prison, he realizes he wants to save his city, nothing more, nothing less. He does not represent any side at this point; he merely represents someone trying to preserve the city he cares so much about.
In fact, when we see Wayne's funeral, Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) reads the following passage from "A Tale of Two Cities":
"It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known."
In that quote, I believe we are given the entire point of the film: Batman has saved Gotham and purged it of the lies that threatened to destroy it. There is no embedded political agenda but rather the story of a superhero saving the day.
In other words, we have a diverse hero working against a diverse set of conditions, kind of like a comic book movie, not a right-wing commentary. People should view this film as a way we can move forward through the things holding us back as a country and less as a way of further dividing us.
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