When it was announced that Heath Ledger would be donning the clown paint and doing battle with Batman in Christopher Nolan's highly anticipated The Dark Knight, the film community more or less imploded under the weight of displease and disgust. Ledger was, at the time known for romantic comedies and one excellent performance in Brokeback Mountain. He was, in short, seen as totally inappropriate to play the chaotic lunatic that is Batman's number one enemy. It almost needs no explaining just how wrong everyone was, as it is largely recognised that Ledger's portrayal of the iconic character has fast become one of the most memorable, if not definitive versions yet seen. Ledger immersed himself in the role, and discounting the make up, was completely unrecognisable . His voice was immediately unnerving, with a perfect blend of subdued, croaky insanity and controlled ranting. His movements were meticulously controlled and planned, right down to the incessant licking of the lips between words, which just added another shudder-inducing moment for the audience. The character had been kicked into the more realistic vision of Gotham Nolan had been projecting, and it simply would not have worked were it not for the efforts of Ledger. This is the role that the man will be remembered for, and it's almost a shame that it will be linked to his death (being as it was one of his final roles), as had he lived a full life, we would still be talking about how creepy-yet-morbidly amusing his Joker was.
