Zimmer explains that each of the characters were so distinct, clearly defined and powerful that each could have musical identities that were very separate. In fact, the collaborators often split the work — Newton tackled the music for Harvey Dent, played by Aaron Eckhart, while Zimmer created the Joker’s theme.

“I kept churning around…how do you describe anarchy, how do you describe a villian and not do it in a way that’s been done before? One of the things I got very much from the character was a fearlessness, and an evenness in a way. The Joker is the only person you can trust in the movie. The Joker is the only one who will never lie to you because he is consistent about his philosophy,” said Zimmer.

“I really wanted to do the whole thing just with one note. I had this idea that rather than what a note is in the context of the notes surrounding it, what could I do emotionally through a performance within one note? How much can I stretch the meaning of a single note and get it down to such minimalism. I failed slightly. I had to use two notes in the end.”

Thanks Rachel!

I just heard that Warner Bros’ Batman Blu-ray discs alone sold 600,000 copies on Tuesday, the first day of release. By contrast, Marvel/Paramount’s Iron Man sold 250,000 Blu-ray discs when it premiered on September 30th and ended up selling 400,000 Blu-ray units in its first week. But wait til you see what The Dark Knight sold in both formats, standard def and hi-def: 3 million copies bought by customers in the U.S., Canada and the UK on its first day in stores. That’s 3x the norm.

Reuters have the latest update on the DVD and Blu-ray sales, stating that more than 10 million units have been shifted:

Sales of the DVD, starring Christian Bale as Batman and the late Heath Ledger as the villainous Joker, totaled more than 10 million units worldwide since its December 9 release and are expected to remain strong throughout the holiday season, Time Warner Inc’s Warner Bros movie studio said. Ten million units translate into an estimated $175 million in revenues, according to Home Media Magazine Market Research.

The best selling DVD of all time is “Finding Nemo” with over 60m units sold.

Source: Variety

Amazon

Dark Knight Blu-ray | DVD | Special Edition Blu-ray with Bat-pod

(See our original Dark Knight DVD and Blu ray post for details)

Exclusives on Ebay

Target

Best Buy

From the press release,

‘The Dark Knight: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack’ returns with the ASCAP-winning composers from Batman Begins– Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard for a powerful orchestral score. The Special Edition features the complete score on two CD’s plus four bonus remix tracks; it also contains an 8x8x40 page hardbound book.

Disc: 1
1. Why So Serious?
2. I’m Not A Hero
3. Harvey Two-Face
4. Aggressive Expansion
5. Always A Catch
6. Blood On My Hands
7. A Little Push
8. Like A Dog Chasing Cars
9. I Am The Batman
10. And I Thought My Jokes Were Bad
11. Agent Of Chaos
12. Introduce A Little Anarchy
13. Watch The World Burn
14. A Dark Knight

Disc: 2
1. Bank Robbery (Prologue)
2. Buyer Beware
3. Halfway To Hong Kong
4. Decent Men In An Indecent Time
5. You’re Gonna Love Me
6. Chance
7. You Complete Me
8. The Ferries
9. We Are Tonight’s Entertainment
10. A Watchful Guardian
11. Why So Serious?(The Crystal Method Remix)
12. Poor Choice Of Words(Paul van Dyk Remix)
13. Gunpowder And Gasoline(Remix by Mel Wesson)
14. Rory’s First Kiss(Remix by Ryeland Allison)

Buy the Dark Knight 2 Disc Special Edition Soundtrack from Amazon | Official Score Website

None of this promotion plays on the popularity of The Joker which leaves me a little suspect.

2-Disc BatPod Collector’s Edition

2-Disc Bat-Mask Edition (this one has to be fake)

DVD and Blu ray covers

Thanks JP Gainey

This comes via Legions of Gotham which have a great post illustrating all the Mattel Dark Knight toys.