Too eager to wait for the smaller crowds of the Saturday morning showings, my brother and I braved the Friday night throng to see the much anticipated Batman installment The Dark Knight. Unfortunately even before getting to my seat in the theater I knew that my review of this movie was going to read more like an autopsy report than the rave of a satisfied fan. It wasn’t the movie’s fault, by all means it lived up to its blockbuster hype. No, it is the cinema patrons and the public in general that have earned my denunciatory review.
Standing in the refreshment line before the movie started to get my obligatory bucket of popcorn I overheard a conversation. A couple of movie goers were breathlessly gossiping that Heath Ledger got so caught up in the role of the psychotic Joker that it caused his untimely death. I had hoped that this bass-ackward speculation and fanboy glorification of Heath Ledger’s death would fade, but after hearing comments both inside and out of the theater obviously its just gathering strength.
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The media did nothing but add fuel to this fire of speculation soon after Ledger’s death.
Ledger recently told reporters he “slept an average of two hours a night” while playing “a psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy … “I couldn’t stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going.” Prescription drugs didn’t help, he said. ~ DAily News
Notice the lack of any comment on the fact that sleeplessness and racing thoughts are two of the most frequent complaints of addicts and alcoholics. Nor was there mention that prescription drug abuse has almost doubled in less than a decade and that Mr. Ledger overdosed on the most commonly abused drugs.
I think it is shame that one of the most high profile opportunities to highlight the dangers of prescription drug abuse has been wasted for a feel-good/movie-hype spin glamorizing the very commonplace overdose of a very unique and talented man.
I still enjoyed the movie, but I think it would have been more satisfying if the scrolling information screen for movies and showing times would have also included Ledger’s autopsy report.
The cause of death was “acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine,”
The Joker did not kill Heath Ledger. The role didn’t suffocate him and I doubt the stress of waiting for the masseuse in his artsy Soho apartment played a role in his death. Heath Ledger died because he overdosed on pain killers like Oxycontin, benzos like Xanax, and sleeping medication. If there is any morbid speculation that is relevant to this tragedy it would be whether or not he was self medicating trying to overcome the physical effects of drug addiction.
The movie was great and I highly recommend it, but if you hear anyone walking out of the theater talking about how the Joker killed Ledger- please tell them to read the autopsy report.
Check out Mama PJ over at A Room of Mama’s Own for my favorite recovery nerd’s complete review.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
People are always gonna do drugs.
It doesn’t matter if someone young & famous dies. It doesn’t stop the use of drugs, nothing will.
treatment, and awareness that we can reduce the number of people that are hurt. That is a worthy cause.