2. The Broken Bat
• The opening sequence seems to come from the
point of view of the antagonist, or that of
somebody trying to piece together the events that
led to the fall of Batman.This premise is similar to
that of Skyfall with the fundamental difference that
we never see Batman himself. Both of which
however do seem to be illustrating some kind of
revenge plot against our hero.
• The main theme that stands out is the constant ice.
We see the ‘Bat Sign’ in the middle of a block of ice
that gets chipped at throughout the sequence, until
eventually the sign is broken itself, eluding to the
idea that Batman will be chipped away at until he
breaks.
3. The Broken Bat 2
• We see photos of Batman, CommissionerGordon and
Cat woman, all being placed into water, as if we are in
the dark room of a photo lab, making us believe that a
plan is unfolding before our eyes and creating intrigue as
to what will unfold.
• Blue prints of Buildings and Newspaper cut outs are also
used, giving the audience a chance to piece together the
unfolding storyline.
• Eventually we end on the image of Batman’s mask,
shattered against a snowy landscape, signifying that
the end is nigh for BruceWayne.
4. Soundtrack
• The music in the opening sequence is called
Aggressive Expansion, composed by Hans
Zimmer specifically for this film.The soundtrack
for the whole film is made in this way, giving it a
bespoke and original feel.
• The track begins energetically, with a visceral,
tribal beat, projecting thoughts of war onto the
audience. It has a low pitch, creating a dark and
gothic feel, which aids the feeling of suspense
and tension for the audience.
• The epic nature of the track is thrilling and it
continues to build until the reveal of Batman’s
mask which ends the sequence.
5. Mise-en-Scene
• The main visual theme throughout the sequence is cold.
All of the shots seem to have been filmed through a blue
filter or specifically graded in this way during post-
production.This alongside the mainly black and white
images gives an otherworldly or post-apocalyptic feel.
• The dark colored photographs and old fashioned
developing technique reinforce this notion.
• Towards the end of the sequence we see the antagonist's
hand which is half covered in a black glove.We only see
these gloved hands and nothing else, which holds the
identity back for longer, additionally giving the
impression of secrecy and mystery.
• Finally, ice is such an important recurring visual theme.
The credits are written in it. Ice melts which means that
no evidence will be left behind
6. Location
The typical audience that would watch a Batman film would already be aware that it is set in the
fictional city of Gotham.The opening sequence itself however, does not give any of this away, other
than the one short clip where we see it written behind the ice. The location of the sequence seems to
shift throughout.The most recurring location seems to be in a laboratory of some kind, but there are
times when we see photos seemingly being processed, ice melting or being chipped away at,
blueprints of buildings and newspaper articles being circled and crossed out.This leads me to believe
that either the antagonist is operating in multiple locations, or there is a group of people who want to
bring Batman down.The final location is outdoors, where we are left with the disturbing image of
Batman’s shattered mask, deserted in the snow.
7. Credit Sequence
• The title sequence opens with the production companies and DC comics.
• At the time of 0.58 minutes the first credit ‘a film by Christopher Nolan’
appears, this is because he is the most important person to this production.
During this opening scene his name comes up four times as he has such a
huge role in the piece. Not only did he write the story, he directed it and wrote
the screenplay too, showing that this is really his project. His name is also
appears last, showing that he is the one person that should be remembered as
he has such a huge role in the film industry.
• Following on from that, at 1.06 minutes is the title ‘ Dark Knight Rises’ giving
audience the name of the film, which is also seen to be very important as that
is what the audience will remember the movie by, a high chance they will
remember it by the name of the movie and not by the director.
8. Credit Sequence 2
• Then during the period of time between 1.10 minutes and 1.32 minutes,
the main actors and actresses names appear.The order of names are
Christian Bale, Michael Cain,Gary Oldman,Anne Hathaway,Tom Hardy,
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard and finally Morgan Freeman. It is
understandable that the first name of the actors is Christian Bale as he
plays the main character.
• At the time of 1.52 the sentence ‘ Based upon Batman Characters created
by Bob Kane’ appears, which is presenting the true origins of the
characters, and giving historical context.
• At 1.56 minutes ‘screen play by Jonathon Nolan and Christopher Nolan’,
this shows the development of the story to the screen.
9. Credit Sequence 3
• At 2.02 minutes the a list of
executive producers are
shown followed by the most
important at 2.20 when it
finally credits Christopher
Nolan's direction.
