Author: John Hoving
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
EDITOR'S NOTE: On July 15, 2008, Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale took part in a Q&A event sponsored by THE NEW YORK TIMES. BOF contributor John Hoving was there and the following is his report. - Jett
Tonight there was a very special event here in New York City in a small lecture hall inside THE NEW YORK TIMES building on West 41st street with Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale.
Having been to the New York premiere the following night and witnessing the "Joker-like" chaotic frenzy this film is generating, tonight's event attended by only 400 people can only be described as an intimate conversation with the director and star of THE DARK KNIGHT.
Christian Bale & wife enter the event in NYC
(Photo by John Hoving)
I had come prepared to record and transcribe this for the site verbatim but due to the restrictions imposed by The New York Times prohibiting this, I was only able to take copious notes, 26 legal sized pages of notes, which will, I hope, give you all an idea of the evening's conversation with these two very remarkable men.
The stage was set with three comfortable chairs, around a small glass coffee table with several bottles of water on it, the background music playing in the auditorium when people entered was the soundtrack from the BATMAN television series from the 60's and Tim Burton's BATMAN from1989.
Precisely at 7pm the moderator Caryn James a former a critic at large for THE NEW YORK TIMES, Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale strolled onto the stage each carrying two bottles of water.
Ms. James started out by asking were they surprised by the anticipation and reaction the film was generating.
Nolan said he found it hard to really gauge, as he had been so busy right up until just weeks ago, he sees a lot of posters though. Bale was very candid, saying he had been in Mexico until recently with his head buried in the sand, but he was very excited about it, "the biggest excitement of his life".
Ms. James informed the audience he was in Mexico filming THE TERMINATOR and asked if this was the look we could expect to see of John Connor? "I'm just Christian Bale tonight," he replied.
More coming stay Tuned!
THE DARK KNIGHT opens July 18, 2008.
