they should leave it in. Like they said, a movie should not be cut due to some overly sensitive people who can’t become involved ina  film and only think about the sudden death of a cast member. It is sad, but leave his final role alone.

If yur overly sensitive by a friggin body bag scene, then you must not see many movies, there are far more disturbing things in today’s cinema’s. He shot the scene for a reason, SO IT WOULD BE SEEN, don’t direspect him like that and take it away from him and us.

I must concur that leaving the scene in is the right idea.  Being a huge fan of Nolan, I expect him to show us exactly what he wants us to see.  From opening shot to closing credits, everything we see on screen should be the result of his vision and not the whim of executives.

I’ll give you an example using Nolan’s film The Prestige.  Imagine that after filming the movie, Hugh Jackman had died of a drowning accident.  Would you remove the sequence from the film of his character drowning in the tank with Christian Bale’s character as a witness, just because it made test audiences disturbed?  That sequence of events in the film has strong importance to the story, even though you could have excluded it and still told the story.

I don’t trust the reviewer to understand the context of the scene and it’s importance to the story.  I trust Nolan.  If Nolan doesn’t think it’s important, it wouldn’t have been there.

My $0.02.

I think if one is going to call someone stupid he should at least be able to spell inconspicuous right. 

i can understand pleasing the sensitive people, but i say jus tleave it in.  Everybody knows about Heath Ledger, but one measley scene where’s pretending to be dead shouldnt be something to get worked up for.
It’s acting.  And if you’re cutting that scene, then you’re disrespecting his work.  I hope Nolan keeps it in. 

Leave it in. As madhatt3r said, Ledger shot it so that it would be seen. Respect that. If people are gonna be upset, then don’t see the film, simple as that. If kids are gonna be upset, then their parents shouldn’t let them see it. Pussyfooting around the fact that he’s dead is risky and absolutely ridiculous.

I think they should leave it in. I think it would be dis-respectful to Ledger to cut ANY of his scenes, no matter how some wussies in the “test audience” feel. RIP Heath.BATMAN FAN?  Visit The Bat-Blog!http://www.bat-blog.comMy 2 Cents,Tommy

I agree with you guys. Leave it in.

leave it in.

It seems that the scenes were left in…
 
http://www.moviehole.net/news/20080411_about_those_dark_knight_rumour.html

i definatly think they should leave it in at the end of all personal beliefs  movies just like music are an art and not to be tampered with due to the squeemish and just people who dont have a strong grip on reality. heath was a great actor not the best but a great one but before that he was a human being just like me and you. People die every day now im not saying this to be cruel but if he was alive he wouldnt want it to be taken out so why do it now. This is nolan and ledgers work only and only they have that say i was a kid once and i knew more than my parents thought i did we take our kids for granted they wont care about the scene as long as ledger played the role to perfection so why take it out honor his work and art by leaving it in its best form no matter what controversey comes with that its worth it

Don’t start cutting things out. It’s very sad that he died, but don’t make his art or this film suffer for it! Leave the scene in.

Every comment leave it in? It’s great that you can disagree with me but EVERYONE. lol.

TO MADHATT3R

I see a ton of movies and mostly it’s just the tortue porn movies I find really vile and offensive. But that’s a lot to do with what they are as much as what they represent.

Body bags are fine. Body bags showing a dead actor in a weird joker make-up clown just over six months since his untimely death? Not unless it’s absolutely vital to the plot.

TO DJ JEDI

The Hugh Jackman – The Prestige analogy is a bogus one. Because
that is an extremely vital part of the movie, it’s a major plot point.
In that case it would be impossible to do the film without it.

Though I must admit if there was a way around it, I would try and find it.

TO EVERYONE

It’s just that the scene is unessceary. You see now I think that it’s working the other way on all you guys. His death has made you all worked up about a measly scene being left out.

BECAUSE Heath Ledger is no longer with us, you are wanting to keep the scene in. You wouldn’t have been bothered otherwise.

Put it this way. Your watching a movie – it’s a decent thriller/drama or whatever. And then it suddenely cuts to the September 11th bombings… I don’t know about you but that takes me out of the moment.

And for the next ten minutes or so, I’m thinking about 9/11. The blurring of movies and reality becomes mixed.

I would FAR rather be watching Nolan’s Gotham and get caught up in his world than the jolted shock of being brought back to reality. From that scene for me, he will no longer be The Joker and he will be Heath Ledger – the actor who left us to soon.

I hate films when they allurd to a real life event that takes you out of the moment.

For those worried about Ledger’s performance being cut. With or without what is probably an extremely small part of the movie, the film is going to be a great testament to Ledger. It’s going to be his defining performance I’m sure.

So why keep it in? Why cause the fuss?

Artistic integrity? Yeah I agree art is important but not for the sake of loosing the audience.

Here’s the thing I think you might be missing… You call it a measly scene, but pretending to be dead in a body bag to get the drop on someone is VINTAGE JOKER.  Regardless of how big a role it plays in the entire film, it will flesh out the Joker for the psychopath he’s meant to be.
I didn’t know the guy, but I think Ledger would’ve wanted it in, and I think it’s actually pretty disrespectful to take it out.  Mainly because you’re not removing it for his sake, you’re removing it for yours… Leave it in.  Dark Knight’s gonna friggin’ rock!

I guess I got the final say on the matter, cool…

How sweet was the new trailer, huh? Awesome.

Amen TPJR, It’s the joker being the Joker. So what yur saying matt is that because it was 6 months ago its not ok? Well when will it be ok? Because i personally want to see every minute of deleted scenes and bonus film this has to offer.

Madhatt3r,

That’s absolutely what I’m saying and if it were a year later I wouldn’t want to keep it in either. I’m pretty sure I don’t want to see the Heath Ledger hanging scene from The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus either.

I think people are going overboard on this. Directors are the ones in charge here… not the actors. When the director decides to cut a scene from a movie, that’s there decision however selfish that is.

It doesn’t make a cent of difference if Heath Ledger wanted it kept in. Dead or alive, that’s not his choice. It was never his choice. It’s the studio and the director’s.

All I was saying is that if I were the director/studio I would cut it because (and I haven’t seen the scene) it didn’t seem neccessary to the plot and was not worth the hassle or potential distancing from the audience it could cause.

But it sounds like Christopher Nolan has kept it in and that’s his decision, it’s not often I disagree with him but on this matter I did. Still can’t wait to see the film though.

It sells the Joker as a no holds barred psychopath, it’s essential in its own way. Maybe not to the plot, but to flesh out the character. There are no two ways about that.

If the audience is squeemish about seeing that type of thing, they just shouldn’t see it. It’s really that simple. It’s going to be a movie loaded with Heath Ledger death related scenes. You need to know that going in, he’s the friggin’ Joker.

I don’t think many will agree with you on this one, and judging from the above posts, they haven’t…

Let me ask a silly question here: what if the joker dies at the end of the film?

It’s been the way these super hero flicks work, killing off the villain to give the each film chapter a sense of finality. But what about with this one? If the idea of the Joker in a body bag is going to alienate audiences just because it’s Heath Ledger, how do you think people will react if the character is actually killed?

Regardless of whether it applies to the story, it’s going to be disconcerting. Should they cut it too and leave us with a cliff hanger that won’t ever get an opportunity be resolved?

For some odd reason… I can quite find it easy to the character die on screen than being placed in a bodybag.

My guess is it will be like the Ra’s Al Ghul scene where you don’t actually see him die, just the explosion or whatever.

I think before Ledger died the ending of The Joker’s first story arc was going to be unresolved or ambiguous. Now I’m not quite so sure but my guess would be a definite ending and this is the last time we shall see The Joker, certainly in the Nolan films but most likely in this new series of films even when a new director has come on board.

I hope they don’t kill him off. Even if the character’s not in other movies, it’s pointless to kill him. It serves no real purpose. He’s Batman’s longest running, most sinister villain, he needs to stay alive.

As far as Ra’s Al Ghul, he’s never off limits to revive. Something they didn’t mention in the film, but he’s notorious for using, the Lazarus Pits. I’m sure one of his henchmen grabbed the body and brought it back for a swim.

I heard rumors of Joker being in the next film with a smaller role. And when I heard news of that woman being Harley, I imagined Joker meeting Harley at the end of the film while in Arkham.

Now, I wonder if many of the audience will even think about Heath’s death at all while watching the film. I mean, if the media doesn’t talk too much about it, will that general movie-goer who’s just watching another film on another weekend really care as much as you or I?

I’d be completely happy if the character doesn’t die. In fact, I’m counting on his kind of villainy being part of the color of the third film. But if the character is coming back, I think they’d do ok if they found another actor of Heath’s caliber to come in and cover the role.

But it’ll be one hell of a nerd fight when that discussion begins.

I agree, internet geeks will do battle like never before seen. I think they should keep him alive, and just locked up in Arkham for number 3. We don’t need to see him, just know he’s out there somewhere. I hate when they just axe villains in movies…

TJPR,

Yeah Nolan was very respectful with the Batman mythology when it dealt with Ra’s. I.E. not seeing him die and even the hinting that he COULD have been alive for hundreds of years (remember the fall of Rome and the fires of London speech)?

He certainly left it open for Ra’s to return. I’m sure we shall see Talia at some point and I hope Ra’s too because I thought Liam Neeson was note perfect.

Personally, I would rather NOT see The Joker again… I wanna see versions of The Riddler, The Penguin, Mr. Freeze, Mad Hatter, Catwoman, etc. get the treatment in this universe. I like The Joker as much as anyone but I would love to see other villains get the chance.

I agree with that a 100%… Keep him alive, but keep him out of it.

I’d love to see Talia or Catwoman in this new Nolan style. Riddler could be done well too.

The more of see of this new Joker, the more I not only want, I NEED to see that body-bag scene. I can’t wait to see all the craziness.

“Oh, very poor choice of words…” Drops her. Let’s hope she’s street pizza.

I saw it at midnight without even knowing about this body bag thing and I didn’t even think twice during the scene. I am a huge fan of him and it didn’t bother me at all.

I saw it at midnight without even knowing about this body bag thing and I didn’t even think twice during the scene. I am a huge fan of him and it didn’t bother me at all. By the way… if they did do another joker which I am not so sure that would work, who would you think would do make it work? I am going on a limb here but I kinda think johnny depth would do well. However I think finding someone else to play the role may not work out so well.

Oh yeah, so much better left in… “We’re gonna have try outs,” and when he tells about the scars, absolutely necessary.

Glad they left it in.

I’ve just seen the film………….and i’m utterly speechless. that was the finest performance by an actor I have ever seen. That isn’t coming from the fact that he had died or anything, in fact, i was LOOKING for heath ledger, i has trying to picture his face under the make-up, and I couldn’t do it. The man in that movie was not Heath Ledger, it was only a man that Heath Ledger had become. Remember the day you see this movie, for it will be one that will go into the history books as one of the finest films ever made. I have had the priviledge of sitting through at least if not more, 4,000 movies, and i must say that this will go down as one to treasure.

As for the body bag scene. Let’s say that Willam Defoe is killed TODAY(I pray not), would you now shut off spider-man 10 minutes early? Are you wiery of “The Patriot”, during the scene in wich Heath Ledger is Maimed? I say,”it is what it is”.

This scene IS necessary…it sets up the insanity of the character…and yes…I did think about the tragedy of what occured during the scene…but quite frankly….the performace is so damn powerful…that you instantly forget it and get sucked right back into the film….no one who went with me even mentioned that scene afterward…when we were all talking about the movie…other than to mention the way he says he got the scars.

Very necessary… And I only thought about it because I was looking for it since having the debates here. Amazing flick, but I think Batman Begins was better. Anyone else?

Soory but this one kicks Begins in the nuts. i was able to have two of the best villians in perfect sync and the story was no-holds barred , i mean bloody brilliant!

I don’t doubt that at all, you’re very correct in that. But I liked how Begins was told out of order and it had more action scenes. Most sequels up the action quota, Dark Knight had the same if not one less.

I dont care about what anyone else thinks about this movie Nothing was cut and even if it was the movie was so FREAKING GOOD. u have no idea Everyone has to go see it its worth every single penny! RIP Joker <333

Just adding my two cents. Scene was necessary and I loved the fact that they wrapped him in garbage bags.

As to who could take over the part should they decide that a joker is required in the next film, Johnny Depp’s the only one I can think of that could possibly do it. Besides the fact that Depp can do the physical character well, I think he could do very well at mimicking the pitch and cadence that Ledger set up as the joker’s way of talking.

Though with all that said, it will be an imitation of Ledger’s performace. Which was perfect.

seriously,
i saw the movie Ledger was INCREDIBLE!
but if they would of cut the scene what difference would it make. Think of his wife and TWO YEAR OLD child.
i think the people making a big deal over cutting ONE friggin scene are being over sensitive. This man DIED for crying out loud.

BTW! R.I.P Heath Ledger.
you were amazing(:

On the contrary, I think taking it out would have been making a big deal about it…

very correct, we are trying to pretend as if it didn’t happen(while still eing sensitive to the fact R.I.P.) But as they say, “The Show Must Go ON!

I’m glad they left it in. I didn’t even make the connection, and that’s the point. While he’s on the screen you’re not supposed to think of him as Heath Ledger- you’re supposed to think of him as the Joker.
In my opinion that was one of my favorite scenes and contains two of the movie’s most memorable quotes.

You’re totally right. “We’re gonna have tryouts…” Amazing scene.

I can understand where you are coming from with this. But when I watched that particular scene I didn’t even make that connection. I don’t mean to be rude but perhaps you are breathing too much into this-his final performance deserves oscars and one little scene isn’t worth the fuss you are making. Let it rest that this was his last and perhaps best performance and this one little scene isn’t going to make any difference to his memory.
I was upset when he died. It was a shame. But lets leave it at that, the poor guy is gone. and the film is great as it is. R.I.P Heath.

i watched the movie and that scene was not cut i think that they did heath a favour by leaving it. it was one of the best scenes in the movie. if they cut it it would have made me very sad. due to the fact that after seeing it and knowing how great he was init . rip heath.

i agree with Stuart Wood :/

Honestly, this whole mix-up never even crossed my mind when I saw the movie. I was so caught up in Heath’s performance that no sense of reality came over me. It was all the Joker and his scheming that when along with him. You people claiming that taking the scene out would make it all better because it is a reality trip to Heath’s death and that it is too emotional for viewers to be reminded of it…wow…isn’t that a little extreme? You are the ones making a big deal. It’s an amazing movie with an incredible director, cast, composer(s)…the list goes on…and you people want to tamper with it willy nilly because of what eventually happened to one actor and one little (yet terrifying) scene that was kinda sorta related to how he ended up? Even though Heath made more money from that movie than I’ll ever make in my life…he is one person just like all of us…his death should be no different or more or less significant than anyone else’s. Let’s just leave the scene in and enjoy the work of art that the cast and director of The Dark Knight laid out in front of us, shall we?

I agree, but pretty much all this conversation here took place before the movie even came out. Seeing it in retrospect has hopefully shown all the “take it out people” that that would have been a bad idea…

Dude! Its Heath Ledger’s scene. Regardless of the fact that he’s dead. Why should they remove HIS bodybag scene just because HE’S dead? I mean, he was the one who acted it anyways. Its not like he planned on dying and told everyone else that “oh, yea, on second thought, lets remove that scene when I was in the bodybag because its just too foreshadowing of my death.” If that scene made you forget what you are watching, then you are too focused on the life of the character outside the movie. In essence, you are spoiling the movie for yourself. No disrespect, but, if you cannot take the character for who he is (in the movie), then dont watch it.

ma k bello è joker?!
aaa siii… godo!!!

Didnt even kno ther woz a fuss about th scene til today, heath woz great, movie woz fantastic and the story wrapped up well… So there :-P lol

Didnt even kno ther woz a fuss about th scene til today, heath woz great, movie woz fantastic and the story wrapped up well… AND the scene woz good, made the joker to be a crazy mofo, needed to be left in, you gotta admit mate, youv been clamped, avnt you? Little bit? Yeah Yeah clamped, shhhh, wots that sound? Not you my friend because you have ultimately been clamped, Yeah, anyway…. So there :-P lol

Looking back now it was for the best. It was easily one of the most memorable scenes. Not for the body bag, but for his scars speech. It was very creepy, clever, and well done. Removing the scene would have been a bad idea.