The Purple Knight
I went to see The Dark Knight tonight. For some reason, I love these comic-based movies, though I've never gotten into those types of comic books. But I think I might like to now. I just realized that the archetypes in these stories fascinate me. How so many stories can be based around the same patterns. And, like everything else in my life, I am drawn to the specific aspects of gender identity and sexual orientation.
In my mind as I was watching this film, I started making links, and I started thinking about this. About the archetypes in comics, and the archetypes in the films based on them. Do they change with the time difference, or are they more or less preserved. And how do society's perspectives on gender and sexuality change or not change within these archetypes.
Obviously, I cannot make an educated hypothesis yet, since I haven't really read many comic books of that sort (hero/villain - Besides Death Note, I guess), but I like looking at things that use these binary viewpoints (right/wrong, good/evil, gay/straight, man/woman, normal/strange), and either play within them, or play with them. I don't know exactly how it would go, but I would like to do some research on the matter, and perhaps make a documentary or a film of some sort to present what I find. I am so fascinated by it at this moment, that my thoughts are buzzing around in my head, without a moment to organize it all, but it is something I see myself doing over the next few years. Reading comics, watching movies, talking to people. And of course reading some research done on the matter, or whatever has been done. For all I know, there are a few dozen books on this alone. This specific. But I am hoping that with the current surge in comic book movies, it is new enough to not be done to death.
I'm not sure, but I guess I should start by talking to people who read comic books for some ideas of where to go from there.
We'll see.
PS. The reason I entitled this entry "The Purple Knight" is because I cannot stand Batman, but I loved the Joker in this movie (Heath Ledger was brilliant). Maybe because I am also a green-haired freak. (Okay, right now my hair is pink, but I have had green in the past).
In my mind as I was watching this film, I started making links, and I started thinking about this. About the archetypes in comics, and the archetypes in the films based on them. Do they change with the time difference, or are they more or less preserved. And how do society's perspectives on gender and sexuality change or not change within these archetypes.
Obviously, I cannot make an educated hypothesis yet, since I haven't really read many comic books of that sort (hero/villain - Besides Death Note, I guess), but I like looking at things that use these binary viewpoints (right/wrong, good/evil, gay/straight, man/woman, normal/strange), and either play within them, or play with them. I don't know exactly how it would go, but I would like to do some research on the matter, and perhaps make a documentary or a film of some sort to present what I find. I am so fascinated by it at this moment, that my thoughts are buzzing around in my head, without a moment to organize it all, but it is something I see myself doing over the next few years. Reading comics, watching movies, talking to people. And of course reading some research done on the matter, or whatever has been done. For all I know, there are a few dozen books on this alone. This specific. But I am hoping that with the current surge in comic book movies, it is new enough to not be done to death.
I'm not sure, but I guess I should start by talking to people who read comic books for some ideas of where to go from there.
We'll see.
PS. The reason I entitled this entry "The Purple Knight" is because I cannot stand Batman, but I loved the Joker in this movie (Heath Ledger was brilliant). Maybe because I am also a green-haired freak. (Okay, right now my hair is pink, but I have had green in the past).