Quotes Mix Tape: The Dark Knight Rises

"Quotes Mix Tape" is a series of posts in which I present and discuss five quotes from films, literature, TV series, or music that made an impact in my life. 

             

Today is the Blu-Ray release of The Dark Knight Rises, which is the epic conclusion to Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy. To celebrate (and hell, even cry about) this, the last video release of this Batman franchise, I dedicate this post to this event.

1. "I knew Harvey Dent. I was his friend. And it will be a very long time before someone inspires us the way he did. I believed in Harvey Dent." -Jim Gordon

 

Since the first time I watched The Dark Knight Rises (TDKR), I loved that it started exactly where The Dark Knight left us: at Harvey "Two-Face" Dent's funeral. It was even harder to see our beloved commissioner Jim Gordon praising Dent after threatening his child and killing others. This scene also set stage to the events of TDKR, thus establishing that Dent's actions would cast a big shadow in this movie. In a way, it was heartbreaking. Gordon, played by the great Gary Oldman, has had some of the most moving speeches throughout The Dark Knight Trilogy (more on that later). 

 

 

 

2. "We will destroy Gotham and then, when it is done and Gotham is... ashes... then you have my permission to die." -Bane

 

The edited version of this quote ("When Gotham is ashes, you have my permission to die")  has been a fan favorite since it was featured in the trailers. It also has become a pop culture phenomenon, inspiring many hilarious spoofs. The fact that these words are said by Bane to our Caped Crusader fills us with fear and worry. Bane threatens to kill both Gotham and Bruce Wayne, and killing Gotham is like killing Bruce's soul. It is a deadly domino effect. 

 

 

 

3. "Do you feel in charge?" -Bane

 

Because we all fantasize of asking this to someone. xD Major ownage!

 

4. "A hero can be anyone, even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a young boy's shoulders to let him know the world hasn't ended." -Batman

 

I'm so glad and grateful that this scene was constructed just the way it was: heartfelt words, a flashback from Batman Begins, and commissioner Gordon finally knowing —in a lovely way— the identity of his old friend, whom he had actually known since the day that changed his life. We could say that Gordon has been with Bruce/Batman since day one. This scene is the one that started to make me shed some tears. 

 

 

 

5. "I see a beautiful city and a brilliant people rising from this abyss. I see the lives for which I lay down my life, peaceful, useful, prosperous and happy. I see that I hold a sanctuary in their hearts, and in the hearts of their descendants, generations hence. It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known." -A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens. Quoted by Jim Gordon

 

If quote #4 made me shed some tears, this one made me cry like a baby in need of his blanket. Once again, Gordon doesn't disappoint us and delivers a moving speech by quoting one of Dickens' classics. This was a great way to honor our (fallen?) hero. It also was a way for Christopher and Jonathan Nolan to tell us that A Tale of Two Cities had a huge influence on TDKR. It is always fascinating to see movies and literature converge. Everything starts in the books.