thoughts

I've been thinking, last night I saw The Dark Knight for the first time last night, yes I know it's shocking that I haven't seen it before now, at any rate, I noticed something about it. It was very dark. I don't mean to be Captain Obvious, I have been told for months now that it is a dark movie, that's not the dark I'm talking about. The movie itself is dark, there are hardly any colors in the movie at all, and what colors there are, are dark. Whoever was responsible for that was quite a genius. Everything in Gotham seems depressing and hopeless because there is no light in Gotham. It's dark and dreary. Batman Begins is dark, but not so dark as The Dark Knight, the darkness and shadow are less as well, there's some color in parts of the movie. It's visual tricks. Color, light and shadow do matter, and they do influence how you feel.
I personally do not love being made to feel hopeless, I much prefer to have hope, to know that there's a happy ending coming. I was looking at some of the works of Albrecht Durer this morning and the difference is amazing. Even in his work Christ as the Man of Sorrows, A flayed and beaten Christ is shown, and while such might have every cause for despair, he is merely sad. Sad but still hopeful. I must confess I get more pleasure from such a painting than from the movie.