Ragesh Dipu
The long-awaited teaser trailer of ‘Joker‘ surfaces online. Todd Phillips’ take on the most iconic villain’s past life is creepy and classy at the same time. The disturbing trailer showcases Joaquin Phoenix operating at his top form as ‘Joker.’
Cut to the tunes of Jimmy Durante’s ‘Smile,’ the trailer runs for 2.24 minute. It takes us for a quick journey through Joker’s transformation from a momma’s boy to the notorious Clown Prince of Crime.
Arthur Fleck, as the world calls him before he turns into Joker, says at the beginning of the trailer, ‘I used to think that my life was a tragedy.” ‘But now I realize, it’s a comedy.’ he adds.
‘My mother always tells me to smile and put on a happy face. She told me I had a purpose, to bring laughter and joy to the world,’ says Arthur to his therapist while giving his mom a bath.
We can see the little Arthur’s moments with his mom, his attempts to be a clown stand-up. Soon, the world shows its claws at him. While dressed as a clown in his efforts ‘to bring laughter and joy to the world,’ Arthur is brutally assaulted by thugs.
Arthur always runs away from bullies in the alleys. He is beaten up to a pulp in the subway. During all these encounters, Arthur goes down through the spiral staircase of vengeance that overlaps into insanity.
Set in the early ’80s, ‘Joker’ trailer is more than just a revenge story of a failed stand-up comedian named Arthur Fleck. It is structured along the premises line, ‘In 1981, a failed stand-up comedian, disregarded by his society, turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City.’
But one had to look between the lines to see what is it all about. ‘Smile’ being the recurring motif in the trailer, it hints at a gritty character study, a tribute to all those who lost their sanity after the hostile society unleashes its wrath in the poor souls.
We remember all of them, including the angelic Olga in ‘I, Olga Hepnarova,’ and many others. Arthur’s story turns into Joker’s after the few painful incidents in the trailer. Now, Joker has control over his, obviously of those around him, life. Unfortunately, he chooses to use that power to spread his message, that is chaos!
Earlier, Warner Bros.’ have unraveled exclusive footage of the movie at the CinemaCon in LA on Tuesday evening. ‘It’s a tragedy. I don’t have a lot to say about the film because it’s still taking shape. And I want it to be a surprise,’ a visibly excited Todd Phillips told exhibitors while introducing the footage.
He has also released an exclusive poster of the movie. The poster shows Joker looking up the sky, with a stain of blood on his face. The tagline reads ‘Put on a happy face.’ Last September, Phillips shared a screen test of Phoenix in his Joker makeup.
‘Joker‘ is written by Todd Phillips and Scott Silver. The movie also has Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz and Marc Maron in lead roles. The moviegoers are eagerly waiting for the movie ever since Joaquin Phoenix was announced as ‘Joker.’ The casting is considered as one of the most intriguing in recent times, as Phoenix is one of the rare artists active today to carry the legacy left behind by the legendary Heath Ledger.
Now, the trailer says, ‘though we miss Heath Ledger badly, we have Joaquin Phoenix, and it’s crazy out there!’
Watch the trailer below,
‘Joker’ arrives in theaters on October 4, 2019.
