14 DAY TRIAL // Despite getting no less than eight nominalizations at this year’s edition of the Academy Awards, “The Dark Knight” was snubbed by the panel in the most important category of them all – the Best Motion Picture of the Year one. A campaign was launched on the Internet a while ago asking that Heath Ledger’s last completed movie be included in the run, and its initiators have just spoken to writer Jonathan Nolan on the topic of the snub.
According to the man who also made “Memento,” “The Prestige” and “Terminator: Salvation” possible, it’s not so much the snub that amazed him, as the impressive fan support “The Dark Knight” received. This, he says in an e-mail to DarkCampaign, is what should be remembered in times like these, and not the fact that Batman’s latest installment was not included in the run for best film of 2008.
“Hey – not sure who to address this to as it looks like a collective effort, but I just wanted to pass along my thanks. It’s truly humbling that you guys would take the time and effort to try to get the film recognized. I, like you, was disappointed that Chris didn’t get some recognition this morning, but for Heath and so many of the people who worked so hard on this thing to get nominated is thrilling.” begins Nolan’s message to the countless fans who had joined in to push “The Dark Knight” to the top.
At the end of the day, he says, the world should not forget that this is a comic book-based film so any Oscar nomination is an amazing feat, especially when it’s for Best Supporting Actor, as Heath’s performance got. “Any nominations for a comic book movie is a thing of beauty no matter how you slice it, and that takes the sting out a bit. […] The best part of this experience is seeing other people getting passionate about the film the way that we did. It has been a truly incredible experience. So thank you again.” Nolan concludes by saying.
In all fairness, as Variety also pointed out the other day, when the noms were made public, Heath’s nominalization is admirable, to say the least. Not only has he managed to do what none other before him did, meaning, take a comic book villain and turn him into one of the most disturbing and well-rendered characters of our times, but he also got the Academy Awards panel to see that. And, as Nolan also says, that’s not easy to do.