Nicholson Joker Appreciation Thread

[Silver Nemesis]

Jack's has had so many great roles in his career, but it's also safe to say that his portrayals as The Joker, and Jack Torrance are decidedly in the top tier range of his most popular performances.

Much as I love Jack's acting in Batman '89, I'd say his best Joker performance was in The Shining. I watched it again last year around Halloween, and it holds up as one of the most remarkable horror movies ever made. I don't know if it's my favourite Kubrick film, but it's the one I've re-watched the most number of times. Jack's performance is hilarious and haunting. It's impossible to take your eyes off him whenever he's on screen.

One of the many fan theories about Ledger's Joker is that he might be an adult Danny Torrance. Maybe the origin story Joker told Gambol was true.

[The Dark Knight]

Much as I love Jack's acting in Batman '89, I'd say his best Joker performance was in The Shining. I watched it again last year around Halloween, and it holds up as one of the most remarkable horror movies ever made. I don't know if it's my favourite Kubrick film, but it's the one I've re-watched the most number of times. Jack's performance is hilarious and haunting. It's impossible to take your eyes off him whenever he's on screen.

Very much agree. Just as Die Hard's skyscraper is perfect for an action movie, an empty hotel is perfect for horror. I love the movie because it could easily be a film about relationship decay without any ghostly apparitions ever being present. Jack is younger, hungrier and delivers an all time performance. But his Joker remains held in high esteem for the balance of clownish mischief and darkness. He's the type of Joker I'd like to see on screen again in the future.

[The Joker]

Much as I love Jack's acting in Batman '89, I'd say his best Joker performance was in The Shining.

I can understand what you are saying, but here's the thing, the Joker is very much a mischievous trickster type of character. An consummate inversion of social norms. While I agree it's absolutely mesmerizing watching Jack in "The Shining" descend more and more into unadulterated madness, to where Nicholson's Jack Torrance has literally regressed to howling into the night not unlike a rabid animal near the conclusion of the film, it's sorely missing the trickster archetype. Just the right mix of laughter and menace. Which B89 (and BTAS Joker) has in spades. Where Batman is the embodiment of precision and discipline, the Joker represents unrestrained spontaneity and mayhem. All for nothing more than for his own personal amusement. Unlike Torrance, Nicholson's Joker serves only himself. If he were to have a higher calling, it would be to cause as much harm and sorrow to the people of Gotham as possible. Golden Age Joker liked to kill, and he also liked his victims to know that death was coming too, all just so they could stew in their fear. Which is gloriously illustrated with the comical (but actually really dark when you think about it) "Smylex" infomercial. Resulting in his victims' appearances being reflective of his own visage. A true narcissist. Yet another character trait that is more traditionally representative of the Joker character.

Course, we all have our preferences for "our" Batman and Joker interpretations, ect, but I (overall) lean more into the trickster motif where the Joker is incredibly unpredictable, and also visually shown using deadly Smylex/Venom gas, but also including an arsenal corresponding with a squirting acid lapel flower, trick guns, and other various weapons disguised as toys or harmless pranks. Seeing Nicholson's Joker use a electric joy buzzer on a confrontational mob boss, gleefully singing while the guy is frying to death, then following that up with a morbid "chat" with the charred corpse, is just about as "Joker" as it gets.

As an aside, I usually always get a laugh out of this one.



"Here, let me lend you a hand!"

I remember reading criticisms of Nicholson's Joker (mainly from IMDB forums and maybe SuperHeroHype back in the day), and that it's out-of-character for him to be in love with Vicki Vale. Which is weird. Cause that's definitely not the case of what's going on in B89. He's no more in love with her than he was with Alicia. There's a argument to be made that Jack Napier was a womanizer prior to the big dip, and wanted to remain one as the Joker, but love? Nah. He's either prone to falling out of love on a whim, or he gets bored really quick. Resulting in lethal consequences. Take your pick.


 

I watched it again last year around Halloween, and it holds up as one of the most remarkable horror movies ever made. I don't know if it's my favorite Kubrick film, but it's the one I've re-watched the most number of times. Jack's performance is hilarious and haunting. It's impossible to take your eyes off him whenever he's on screen.

Oh, for sure! "The Shining" is a masterpiece. Through and through. I would say it's my favorite Kubrick film, thanks in part to Jack Nicholson's performance. I remember Steven Spielberg stating in an interview that he once had a conversation with Stanley Kubrick, and admitted to Kubrick that he thought Nicholson's performance was over the top, and compared it to Japanese Kabuki theatre. Defending Nicholson's performance, Kubrick asked Spielberg to list his five favorite actors of all time. Spielberg began listing names, and Kubrick stopped him. Asking, "Where was James Cagney on that list? You don't consider James Cagney one of the five best actors around, but I do."

"'And this is why Jack Nicholson's performance is a great one'."

       

 

One of the many fan theories about Ledger's Joker is that he might be an adult Danny Torrance. Maybe the origin story Joker told Gambol was true.

That's a pretty good video. I also liked this one. Basically what if Jack Torrance became the Joker. 

Warning: Language

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajX5rfM9gMU&pp=ygUlamFjayBuaWNob2xzb24gam9rZXIgc2hpbmluZyBkZWVwZmFrZQ%3D%3D

[The Laughing Fish]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajX5rfM9gMU&pp=ygUlamFjayBuaWNob2xzb24gam9rZXIgc2hpbmluZyBkZWVwZmFrZQ%3D%3D

Now that is brilliant. I love the moment he types on his typewriter sarcastically and the deepfaked expression renders his Joker face perfectly. This video deserves a million views.

While we're on the subject of deepfakes, here's Nicholson's Joker in Mortal Kombat 11.

https://youtu.be/29HTaUdhS3s?si=PUtB-2f8GBY91prU

[The Joker]

While we're on the subject of deepfakes, here's Nicholson's Joker in Mortal Kombat 11.

https://youtu.be/29HTaUdhS3s?si=PUtB-2f8GBY91prU

Ha! That's pretty nifty.

[eledoremassis02]

I'm watching the superhero stuff about Joker's return and they mentioned the "ever dance with the devil line.

They were saying how he doesn't say it all the time but he said it Bruce Wayne because he knows Bruce Wayne and he's 100% aware he killed the Wayne's. He's straight up making fun of Bruce and if anything finishing the job when he shoots him (both times he gets a joy out of it). Something I did not think of until they mentioned it.

[The Laughing Fish]

The same YouTuber who deepfaked Joker's face on Jack Torrance also deepfaked Keaton's Batman in The Flash, albeit for a quick second.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/xt017h7qnQo?feature=share

I have to say, the effects in that shot look better than most of the effects in The Flash.

[The Joker]

I'm watching the superhero stuff about Joker's return and they mentioned the "ever dance with the devil line.

They were saying how he doesn't say it all the time but he said it Bruce Wayne because he knows Bruce Wayne and he's 100% aware he killed the Wayne's. He's straight up making fun of Bruce and if anything finishing the job when he shoots him (both times he gets a joy out of it). Something I did not think of until they mentioned it.

Could very well be. I always took it as rather ambiguous on whether the Joker really knew or not (could go either way and I'm fine with either/or), but if so, it illustrates a certain 'meanness' to his character that is continually understated. Which I like, as the Joker's actions are much more consequential and hateful, than what he's openly depicting to others with his demeanor.

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I was debating on where to post this, but since it's another vid where Nicholson's Joker is deepfaked, this is just as good a thread as any.

[The Joker]

[The Joker]