subway killing sequence

Cinematography of subway killing sequence?

Lowkey green tinted lighting

• hostile claustrophobic atmosphere that reflects Gotham’s moral decay and socioeconomic rot

• Positions Arthur as ghostlike signalling his psychological disconnection from society

• 1970s New York realism (taxi driver) reinforces ideological critique of urban neglect

Static framing during assault

• traps spectator inside violence removing stylistic comfort

• Mirrors Arthur’s paralysis, victim before agency

• Contrasts w tracking shot hand held cam

High angle shot of carriage

• His figure diminished- moral ambiguity

• Brutal aftermath w clinical detachment

• Critiques societal structures above him, beneath system that shaped him

Mise-en-scene of subway killing sequence?

Wall st outfits identical businessmen

• faceless power of elite, anti capitalist themes

• Position Arthur as ‘other’, wc disposable

• 1980s-2010s call tensions, aligning film w critiques of neoliberal inequality

Clown costume

• turns enforced entertainment into site of rebellion, costume becomes weaponised

• Ideological transition from powerless performer to chaotic political symbol

• Foreshadows Joe joker aesthetic becomes a rallying mask for disenfranchised population

Performance of subway killing sequence?

Panicked breathing + defensive posture

• grounds violence in trauma, not villainy - cornered not predatory

• Reinforces films message that societal cruelty not innate evil pushes him towards joker identity

• Morally ambiguous spectator position, feel his fear even as scene turns violent

Sudden shift to controlled predatory movement

• Discovering agency for first time through violent action

• Transforms body language from hunched to upright and purposeful signalling rebirth

• Ideologically frames violence as the only place he is seen heard and respected - critiques of structural neglect

Sound of subway killing sequence?

Escalating diegetic subway noise

• creates a ‘cage’ mirrors Arthur’s trapped existence before killing

• Claustrophobic, merging mental panic w environment

• Overwhelming pressure of uncaring city

Silence after final gunshot

• chilling moment of clarity bc his world becomes briefly calm

• Psychological shift, violence gives him power to control and quiet he lacks

• Forces spectator to confront ideological q: why silence only accessible through violence

Editing of subway killing sequence?

Rapid cutting during the beating

• Fragments violence into chaotic bursts, aligning spectators w disoriented perception

• Subjective panic of someone being attacked

• Contrasts w slow composed shots after killing, Arthur’s newfound empowerment

Prolonged shot of Arthur fleeing the scene

• transformation through movement, not just escaping but shedding his old self

• Moment of narrative rupture where joker persona begins to take place

• Philip’s ideological stance: society creates conditions for radicalisation