# The Dark Knight Rises: Is Christopher Nolan taking a shot at the Occupy protestors? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 20, 2011, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-knight-rises-is-christopher-nolan-taking-a-shot-at-the-occupy-protestors/606789 "2011-12-20T00:30:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-knight-rises-is-christopher-nolan-taking-a-shot-at-the-occupy-protestors/606789/1 "2011-12-20T00:30:31Z")
While I enjoyed [The Dark Knight](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468569/), I thought it reeked of a conservative defense of the Bush administration and its war on terror. Which made me wonder if Christopher Nolan is of a conservative bent. Now comes a [new trailer for The Dark Knight Rises](http://youtu.be/GokKUqLcvD8), which makes it look suspiciously like Nolan is taking a shot at the Occupy protestors. [Slate article on point.](http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2011/12/19/the_dark_knight_rises_trailer_is_batman_part_of_the_1_percent_.html) First hint of a conservative message at 0:30 : Police chief Gordon is about to be dumped by the Mayor. “But he’s a hero!” “A _war_ hero. This is peace time.” _Hmm._ Nothing to do with the Occupy stuff, but Hmm. Our noble “war hero” is getting dumped. \* Hmm.\* Then at 0:40 we see Selina Kyle at a fancy party, saying to Bruce Wayne, “You think this can last? There’s a storm coming, Mr. Wayne. You and your friends better batten down the hatches. Because when it hits you’re all going to wonder how you ever thought you could live so large and leave so little for the rest of us.” Ah, so that is the mindset of our _villain_. I see. At 0:50 we see a rabble apparently ransacking stately Wayne Manor. _Subtle_. For those who doubted that there was a conservative message in _The Dark Knight_, the follow-up is looking like the clincher. Now, let me be clear. There’s nothing wrong with a movie having a political message. I’m just pointing it out for discussion. Thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-knight-rises-is-christopher-nolan-taking-a-shot-at-the-occupy-protestors/606789/2 "2011-12-20T00:59:58Z")
There probably is a fanfic out there with Batman pitted against V (as in _V for Vendetta_). Depending on how it falls on the [Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism), Batman is either completely and irrecovably in the pocket of TPTP, or, conversely, joins V in the end. ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-knight-rises-is-christopher-nolan-taking-a-shot-at-the-occupy-protestors/606789/3 "2011-12-20T01:16:39Z")
I don’t understand this at all. In all likelihood, the story was sketched out from the begining. But even if it wasn’t, this one was written and filming before the Occupy protests even began. How could it possibly be in response? ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-knight-rises-is-christopher-nolan-taking-a-shot-at-the-occupy-protestors/606789/4 "2011-12-20T01:18:52Z")
> [@miss\_elizabeth](#): > > But even if it wasn’t, this one was written and filming before the Occupy protests even began. No it wasn’t. As mentioned in the Slate article, Nolan considered incorporating the Occupy protestors in his filming. Also, scripts can be and often are changed on the fly during filming. ---
**Author:** ![planetcory](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/planetcory/32/1032_2.png) [@planetcory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/planetcory)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-knight-rises-is-christopher-nolan-taking-a-shot-at-the-occupy-protestors/606789/5 "2011-12-20T01:27:58Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > No it wasn’t. As mentioned in the Slate article, Nolan considered incorporating the Occupy protestors in his filming. > > Also, scripts can be and often are changed on the fly during filming. But the very same article says he decided otherwise out of _respect_ for what the protests represented. He didn’t want to pollute the message. Also Catwoman isn’t a villain. She’s more of a Robin Hood type of character. So her speech is totally in character. ---
**Author:** ![jordanr2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@jordanr2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jordanr2)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-knight-rises-is-christopher-nolan-taking-a-shot-at-the-occupy-protestors/606789/6 "2011-12-20T03:16:45Z")
Defending anything Nolan’s done makes me feel slightly dirty, but people probably ought to wait till the movie comes out before assuming things like this. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-knight-rises-is-christopher-nolan-taking-a-shot-at-the-occupy-protestors/606789/7 "2011-12-20T03:20:38Z")
> [@planetcory](#): > > But the very same article says he decided otherwise out of _respect_ for what the protests represented. He didn’t want to pollute the message. That’s not Nolan saying that. That’s an actor (Matthew Modine) putting that spin on it. (Do you disagree that _The Dark Knight_ had a pro-War-on-Terror subtext?) ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-knight-rises-is-christopher-nolan-taking-a-shot-at-the-occupy-protestors/606789/8 "2011-12-20T03:25:08Z")
As innovative as the movie was at the time, I was much more disturbed by Nolan’s Reagan hagiography. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-knight-rises-is-christopher-nolan-taking-a-shot-at-the-occupy-protestors/606789/9 "2011-12-20T03:33:24Z")
> [@Erdosain](#): > > … Nolan’s Reagan hagiography. Nolan’s Reagan hagiography? Not following. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-knight-rises-is-christopher-nolan-taking-a-shot-at-the-occupy-protestors/606789/10 "2011-12-20T03:35:37Z")
I like the tip of the hat to Burt Ward. OWS was going on when he was filming on Wall Street. ---
**Author:** ![unwashed\_brain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a9adbd/32.png) [@unwashed\_brain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unwashed_brain)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-knight-rises-is-christopher-nolan-taking-a-shot-at-the-occupy-protestors/606789/11 "2011-12-20T03:48:18Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > (Do you disagree that _The Dark Knight_ had a pro-War-on-Terror subtext?) Yes. I think you’re drawing connections between dots that are just dots. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-knight-rises-is-christopher-nolan-taking-a-shot-at-the-occupy-protestors/606789/12 "2011-12-20T03:53:41Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > Nolan’s Reagan hagiography? Not following. Memento. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-knight-rises-is-christopher-nolan-taking-a-shot-at-the-occupy-protestors/606789/13 "2011-12-20T03:54:51Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > I like the tip of the hat to Burt Ward. > > OWS was going on when he was filming on Wall Street. That player’s actual name is Hines Ward. There’s no nod. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-knight-rises-is-christopher-nolan-taking-a-shot-at-the-occupy-protestors/606789/14 "2011-12-20T04:07:08Z")
> [@planetcory](#): > > But the very same article says he decided otherwise out of _respect_ for what the protests represented. He didn’t want to pollute the message. It could be that the advertising wasn’t under Nolan’s control, and someone else cut together a commercial or two to look like the film is taking a shot at the Occupy protesters. Final cut privilege for directors isn’t that common in Hollywood, and I don’t even know if it typically extends to publicity. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-knight-rises-is-christopher-nolan-taking-a-shot-at-the-occupy-protestors/606789/15 "2011-12-20T04:15:58Z")
> [@unwashed\_brain](#): > > Yes. I think you’re drawing connections between dots that are just dots. Take two steps back. See? It’s a pointillist portrait of George Bush. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-knight-rises-is-christopher-nolan-taking-a-shot-at-the-occupy-protestors/606789/16 "2011-12-20T04:17:01Z")
> [@Erdosain](#): > > Memento. :smack: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-knight-rises-is-christopher-nolan-taking-a-shot-at-the-occupy-protestors/606789/17 "2011-12-20T04:23:03Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > That’s not Nolan saying that. That’s an actor (Matthew Modine) putting that spin on it. > > (Do you disagree that _The Dark Knight_ had a pro-War-on-Terror subtext?) I had to say that on the whole, it does not; sure, there are scenes that show Bats going for solutions Dubya liked, but torture was an spectacular failure, both for Bats and Dubya. (Torture gave us false leads to justify the war in Iraq, The Joker told just what he wanted to Bats all along, the lesson was in the end that torture sure can give information, but it can be misleading and someone could had poisoned the info before hand.) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-knight-rises-is-christopher-nolan-taking-a-shot-at-the-occupy-protestors/606789/18 "2011-12-20T04:27:51Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > (Do you disagree that _The Dark Knight_ had a pro-War-on-Terror subtext?) The final sequence on the ferry boats calls for bravery in the face of deadly threats and has two crowds of diverse people (felons and citizens) refusing to kill each other and even Batman wants the privacy invasion invention destroyed. I thought the movie was very much about terrorism, and was a rejection of it. But they might just be because I wanted to see it that way. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-knight-rises-is-christopher-nolan-taking-a-shot-at-the-occupy-protestors/606789/19 "2011-12-20T04:29:35Z")
I certainly hope he is. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-knight-rises-is-christopher-nolan-taking-a-shot-at-the-occupy-protestors/606789/20 "2011-12-20T04:32:20Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > That player’s actual name is Hines Ward. There’s no nod. That sucks. Not seeing the movie now. So did they “kill” a bunch of real players? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dark-knight-rises-is-christopher-nolan-taking-a-shot-at-the-occupy-protestors/606789.md?page=2)