Continuity with the first two films (Innocence and children)

The 2012 superhero epic about Batman's struggle to overcome the terrorist leader Bane, as well as his own inner demons.
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Yeah, you're right LiberNovus, I hadn't thought about that while writing my post but the theme of grief/guilt/anger becoming a paralyzing obsession is pretty much a constant for most of Nolan's main characters. But while the protagonists of Nolan's previous films ultimately fell victim to their own demons, Bruce (and also Cobb IMO, but this is another discussion entirely :D ) succeeds in overcoming his obsession.

There's actually a nice thematic progression across Nolan's whole filmography. It's interesting how Inception seemed to pick up from the end of TDK and served as kind of a "transition" from the cynical and bitter perspective of that film to the triumphant ending of TDKR (which still has a couple "darker" spots here and there, though).

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It's been a long day for this girl, but I just wanted to come in really quick and mention how awesome it is to read this section of the forum. All the thoughts and analyzing have been interesting to read. Keep it up! Ill have to come back here when I have more time and am not so sleepy! Awesome job everybody! :clap:

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Not sure if this has already been mentioned, but in the score (can't pinpoint the precise moment(s) when it sounds in the film), there's the pure, clear voice of a child singing the Bruce Wayne/ Batman two-note theme. It's particularly prominent in "Rise", right at the end, and even when separated from the film, it seems to suggest that
Bruce is finally able to leave Batman behind and create a whole new life for himself.
In this way, then, it turns around the previous musical uses of the child's voice - there is the sense, in Rises, that Bruce has regressed back to the boy of Begins thanks to Rachel's death in TDK. The score reflects that throughout, except for the specifically aforementioned use, when it symbolises progression.

It has no link with innocence per se, but with children. Sorry if that came out garbled :lol:

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MikaHaeli8 wrote:Not sure if this has already been mentioned, but in the score (can't pinpoint the precise moment(s) when it sounds in the film), there's the pure, clear voice of a child singing the Bruce Wayne/ Batman two-note theme.
Yep, I talked about this earlier in the thread: :-D
Baniac wrote:Two musical choices that help illustrate this theme is the usage of a boy's vocal in the music that plays when Bruce's parents are killed and when Batman is flying the bomb out over the bay. Both forlorn and hauntingly beautiful. The other interesting choice is Hans Zimmer's input to convince Nolan to use a young boy to sing the National Anthem during the stadium scene in TDKR instead of a well-known pop singer. An added twist to this choice is that Bane stands there, cloaked in darkness, appreciating the boy's innocent, lovely voice. Bane waits until the boy is done singing and has left the field before he unleashes hell. That illustration of Bane's appreciation of a quality singing voice gives us a further glimpse into who Bane really is (an intelligent, sensitive human, not merely a violent monster).

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Great post, Mika!
It's nice that the same music accompanies Batman's "birth" (as someone else pointed out on these boards, it also plays when Bruce's parents are killed in BB) and "death".

EDIT: So, Baniac was the "someone". Love your observations about the music in TDKR, too!

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By the way, I think we all really need to thank Hans Zimmer for the stadium scene. It hurts to think that one of the most beautiful and meaningful scenes in the whole film could have been just a celebrity cameo. Ugh.

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Lynn wrote:By the way, I think we all really need to thank Hans Zimmer for the stadium scene. It hurts to think that one of the most beautiful and meaningful scenes in the whole film could have been just a celebrity cameo. Ugh.
What do you mean?

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SomeFrenchToast wrote:
Lynn wrote:By the way, I think we all really need to thank Hans Zimmer for the stadium scene. It hurts to think that one of the most beautiful and meaningful scenes in the whole film could have been just a celebrity cameo. Ugh.
What do you mean?
This is what Nolan wrote in the notes accompanying the OST CD:
The musical contribution in /The Dark Knight Rises' that most clearly demonstrates Hans’ importance as a creative collaborator is not to be found on this record. He did not write a note of it. It is a hinge point of the entire film and it is the lonely fragile voice of a boy singing the National Anthem at the center of a massive, crowded football stadium. While we were considering how to stage this sequence I called Hans to ask what big draw artists we might convince to do a star spangled cameo. He threw out a few ideas, trying to get into the spirit of the thing. Then called me back a few minutes later, gently suggesting I might be betraying the spirit of our endeavor. He told me to make the most instinctive and unconscious connection with the lonely boy at the genesis of our story. It was the sort of priceless contribution that gives you goosebumps and reveals your dangerous dependence on a collaborator. I told him I’d think about it.

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Baniac wrote:
MikaHaeli8 wrote:Not sure if this has already been mentioned, but in the score (can't pinpoint the precise moment(s) when it sounds in the film), there's the pure, clear voice of a child singing the Bruce Wayne/ Batman two-note theme.
Yep, I talked about this earlier in the thread: :-D
Baniac wrote:Two musical choices that help illustrate this theme is the usage of a boy's vocal in the music that plays when Bruce's parents are killed and when Batman is flying the bomb out over the bay. Both forlorn and hauntingly beautiful. The other interesting choice is Hans Zimmer's input to convince Nolan to use a young boy to sing the National Anthem during the stadium scene in TDKR instead of a well-known pop singer. An added twist to this choice is that Bane stands there, cloaked in darkness, appreciating the boy's innocent, lovely voice. Bane waits until the boy is done singing and has left the field before he unleashes hell. That illustration of Bane's appreciation of a quality singing voice gives us a further glimpse into who Bane really is (an intelligent, sensitive human, not merely a violent monster).
Oops, sorry mate. Mind you, you went on to focus on a different aspect of the score, so at least it wasn't a total loss :clap:

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