If modern Hollywood critics came back to the 1930s, when the Production Code was accepted and required to analyze a recent movie, they would probably face a number of problems. Such movies, like Christopher Nolan’s work “The Dark Knight Rises” of 2012, would hardly pass through the very first lines of the Code.
It is not just because of its violent nature and the necessity to prove that good should win evil. In regards to the Code, the movie “The Dark Knight Rises” introduces the three main problems like its ability to prove that it is possible and even necessary to break the law to achieve the necessary goals, deviate from the social norms that define the quality of a good life, and promote chaos as one of the possible forms of control over people.
One of the general principles supported by the Production Code is the necessity to support natural and human laws and never promote sympathy to its violation, but “The Dark Knight Rises” shows not only how the law may be broken but underlines how to succeed from the violations demonstrated by the characters. Any movie presents a story that may influence human life, and its effect should change the lives for the better as well as improve mankind in general. The movie’s producers do not prove the trust and confidence that were placed on them and create a work that shows how beneficial the violation of the law can be.
Another important problem raised in “The Dark Knight Rises” is the deviation of the social norms and the consequences people have to cope with. For example, when Selina Kyle betrays Batman, she shows how the moral standards may be lower than they are expected to be.
And even her regrets about her decisions should not make the audience sympathize with her. However, within a short period of time, several good actions turn this character from a bad and mercenary person into a good and helpful friend. On the one hand, this return teaches and proves that it is always possible to be changed and improved. On the other hand, her behavior does not become an example that has to be followed.
Finally, the promotion of chaos as a possibility to control many people at the same time is one more serious problem mentioned in “The Dark Knight Rises.” According to the Code, it is wrong to describe brutal killings, revenge, or other murder techniques in a movie. “The Dark Knight Rises” is not an example of how to avoid all these mistakes and promote peace and kindness as the only possible solution. Chaos turns out to be the measure according to which all actions of the characters are justified. Such an attitude to a wrong understanding of human actions should not be supported by the Code as well as by any person who watches the movie.
In general, “The Dark Knight Rises” should not be regarded as a bad movie only. Though a number of morally unacceptable ideas and suggestions are given, the movie teaches how a person can correct the mistakes, change the nature, and believe that justice may be found even during the darkest times. Of course, the Code under consideration would hardly allow such movie like “The Dark Knight Rises” be available to the audience, the success of the picture proves that the times and requirements could be changed because a society undergoes certain changes all the time.