Summary
The Dark Knight Risesfeatured a death scene that most fans felt was performed awkwardly. Now, theDark Knight Risescast member behind the infamous scene has explained why their performance fell short.
The Dark Knight Risesconcluded Christopher Nolan’sBatmantrilogy on a relatively high note. While it wasn’t as well-received asThe Dark Knight, it was still a billion-dollar box office success and many praisedThe Dark Knight Risesas an epic culmination of Nolan’s story. However,The Dark Knight Riseswas criticized for rushing a grande story that many felt should have been told over more than one film,Tom Hardy’s voice as Bane, and the death scene of Marion Cotillard’s Talia al Ghul.
The Dark Knight Risesendedwith Cotillard’s Miranda Tate being revealed as Talia al Ghul, the daughter of Liam Neeson’s Ra’s al Ghul and Bane’s cohort in the takeover of Gotham City. Talia’s efforts to detonate an atom bomb in Gotham City were foiled in a high-speed chase that ended with her truck crashing. With her last breath, Talia delivered a speech to Christian Bale’s Batman, Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman, and Gary Oldman’s Commissioner Gordon before dying in a way most fans felt was comical, particularly for an Academy Award-winning actress of Cotillard’s caliber. During an interview with France TV’sLes rencontres du Papotin,Cotillard explained that she wasn’t able to nail the scene because she couldn’t find the right position to perform Talia’s death.
I didn’t find the right position. I didn’t find the right way… I was stressed. Sometimes it happens that you screw something up. So that, I screwed up.
Cotillard previously commented on Talia al Ghul’s death scene during a 2016 interview withAllocine. She noted that she felt people overreacted to the scene, which was difficult to be associated with because she was doing her best. Cotillard wondered why that take was chosen for the final cut ofThe Dark Knight Rises, as did many fans. While Nolan and his films are not above criticism, the filmmaker is generally known for getting excellent performances from already talented actors. So, the fact that Cotillard is an Oscar-winning actress and Nolan is an undoubtedly talented director makes Talia’s cartoon-ish death scene all the more baffling.
Despite the questionable death scene,The Dark Knight Risesremains a well-regarded film. Yes, many felt it was the latest victim of Hollywood' so-called ‘trilogy curse’ upon its release. But 10 years after it premiered in theaters,The Dark Knight Risesis viewed by many as an ambitious and fitting end to Nolan’s story despite whatever flaws it may have. Cotillard’s performance on the whole is also viewed favorably. It just so happens even the most talented performers are failable, perhaps likeThe Dark Knight Risesitself.
Source:Les rencontres du Papotin
