Joaquin Phoenix's Joker received an 8-minute standing ovation in Venice Film Festival and it only shows how great the movie is. Maybe by now, you have already seen it. But, did you know about these movie easter eggs that you might have missed? Check our list below for all the references and tributes that Todd Phillips subtly threaded in his masterpiece.
Martin Scorcese almost directed the movie Joker until he turned it down for another gig. Nevertheless, there were obvious homages to his work and one of which is its resemblance to Scorcese's Taxi Driver starring Robert de Niro. Both films were about a mentally unstable protagonist who sparked a social array against the government.
What does Robert de Niro's character (Rupert Pupkin) in The King of Comedy and Joaquin Phoenix's portrayal of Joker have in common? Their characters are both delusional to gain stardom in the comedy business. Rupert and Arthur are so crazed to the extent that they imagine themselves sitting in a room with a famous talk show host and doing their best bits in front of their audience. Huh, who's laughing now?
You may have not noticed but Phoenix's Joker suit is actually the same as Cesar Romero's full-fledged costume in the 1960s Batman series. Meanwhile, his blood-stained lips were inspired after Heath Ledger's portrayal in The Dark Knight in 2008.
Remember the comedy club that Arthur visits to pull off some skits? That's right. It's Pogo Comedy Club. Now, here's a dark, gripping truth behind the name. It was actually the pseudonym of one of America's most famous serial killer and rapist John Wayne Gacy. Gacy used to work and dress up as a clown to entertain children at birthday parties during the 1970s.
British actor Douglas Hodge played the role of young Alfred, Bruce Wayne's loyal butler, and you may have missed him when he showed up on the screen. Arthur visited the Wayne Mansion to confront Thomas Wayne only to find the young Bruce playing alone. He was chased off by Alfred revealing that he has no connection to the Wayne family at all.
The 'Joker-Batman are brothers' theory is all over the internet because of one of the scenes in Joker where Arthur was seen heading to the Wayne Mansion to find out the truth. There, he encountered the young and adorable Bruce Wayne played by child actor Dante Pereira-Olson. This young actor was also a part of another Joaquin Phoenix movie "You Were Never Really Here" in 2017.
A scene where Thomas Wayne is watching Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times was also featured in the movie. It is a film released in 1936 and it actually mirrors the same social problem that Joaquin Phoenix's Joker revolved in. Both films feature the tragic life of the working class with an uncaring government and society.
Determining the year Joker was set in is one of the heated arguments online. But, aside from the pile of newspapers in some scenes and the historical reference of the revolt, there was another clue that was almost invisible to the eye if you were too immersed in the film. The Wayne family was leaving the cinema when a marquee showed three films showing at the time and one of which was Zorro the Gay Blade released in 1981.
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Rank | Answers | Type | Votes | Price |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Martin Scorcese's Taxi Driver | Other | 19 | Paid |
2 | Robert de Niro's The King of Comedy | Other | 13 | Paid |
3 | The other Jokers | Other | 5 | Paid |
4 | Pogo's Comedy Club | Other | 3 | Paid |
5 | Douglas Hodge as Alfred Pennyworth | Other | 2 | Paid |
6 | Young Bruce Wayne | Other | 2 | Paid |
7 | Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times | Other | 1 | Paid |
8 | Zorro the Gay Blade | Other | 1 | Paid |
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