Heath Ledger Cannot Hear You Clap

When Tim Burton's Batman hit theaters in 1989, I was 10 years old. I had only read a handful of Batman comics then, but I knew that seeing this movie would be a seminal moment in my young life. I also knew that my dad had refused to take me to see Ghostbusters II a week earlier, and by God, he was going to pay for that.

And pay he did, that son of a bitch. We waited in the longest line I've ever seen that didn't lead to Space Mountain or a stadium urinal to see a movie that, to my father's annoyance, did not at all resemble the Adam West go-go TV freak show of his own youth. But I was hooked. Batman would send me down a slippery slope of geekdom that would insure my virginity's safety through high school and leave the adult me forever compensating for having spent my formative years reading only books with pictures and word bubbles. (If you think it's easy trying to make it in the world with a Starman tattoo on your back, it's not.)

So yeah, I was excited about The Dark Knight when I went last night to an advance screening. I don't get "holyshitholyshitholyshit" excited about movies anymore, but a small, unprofessional part of me is thrilled by the recent glut of superhero films. Geekdom, after all, is like cancer: You don't get cured -- you go into remission. My excitement, however, was nothing compared to what I was surrounded by last night. I'm used to grown people talking back to movie screens, laughing at inappropriate times and letting slip the occasional "Aww, hell no!" What I'll never get used to is people clapping at movies. I counted three moments in The Dark Knight when clapping occurred. The first two came during the movie. The second came at its end, when a dedication to Heath Ledger appeared onscreen.

Heath Ledger was -- and I swear I would have said this before he died if anyone asked -- the most talented screen actor under 30 in Hollywood. His death was no doubt tragic for his family, as most people's deaths are tragic for theirs, and was unfortunate for the rest of us, who won't get to see the good work he would have done. Yes, the amount of attention hurled at him after his death seems silly and cheapening, but actors are the closest things we have to artists that people actually give a shit about. There are certainly worse people to mourn (see Helms, Jesse).

So no, I don't like the fact that Heath Ledger is dead, but I'm not going to clap when I see his name on a movie screen. Why? Because Heath Ledger can't hear me. Not only that, but the people who actually cared about him can't hear me either. No one who could possible give a damn that I'm clapping for Heath Ledger can hear me, so clap I shall not.

I work for Us Weekly, which is owned by the same company that owns Rolling Stone. When I go to the restroom, as I often do, I walk through a hallway plastered with the every Rolling Stone cover ever. So every day, about 3 to 17 times a day, I pass a picture of Heath Ledger on my way to the can. And you know what? I don't stop to clap.

Pictures, moving or otherwise, are not people. When you applaud them they do not understand. At least when the guy behind me laughs at a character having a pencil shoved through his forehead, the reaction is involuntary. Misplaced as the sentiment may be, it's real -- and you can't fault someone for keeping it real. (Well, you can, but you'll likely get your ass whooped for it.) When you clap at a movie, you're making a conscious decision: "I approve of this exploding cop car/snappy rejoinder/gratuitous nude scene, and I want those around me to know I approve. I will clap now." You're making a conscious decision to be a jackass.

Throughout the history of hands, applause have been used to acknowledge things people do in front of other people -- things like perform violin concertos, score touchdowns and compete in wet T-shirt contests. But as we grow dumber, we've begun to confuse live performance with recorded image. We are smarter than this. Heath Ledger cannot hear you clap. You can stop now.

Comments

[gulopartisan]

Clapping is a way to react, it's a message to those who can hear it. They were not clapping TO Heath Ledger, they were clapping for him. When John Fowles died, I wept for our loss. No, Fowles didn't notice. So what?

[doodlefarbe]

You probably can't hear me not clapping for this blog post, also.

Heck, I bet you can't even see the boogers I'm flinging at the monitor, either.

[GBGB]

I can't believe these comments are generally negative. I thought the article was smart, funny, and (above all) correct.
Is it a trivial subject matter? Sure, but the article was free and nobody forced you to read it.
I will add something else. For those who are clapping because they want to let people around them know that they liked the movie, I don't care. I'm sorry, but I don't care if some random person sitting on the other side of the theater liked the movie or not. If I cared about that person's opinion I would ask him for it. If I want to let someone know that I liked the movie, I will talk to the person I went to the movie with and/or talk to my friends about it later.

[SuperChargerHeaven]

While I respect your interpretation of this post I must disagree with your labeling it as "correct." Applause is given when something is taken at being well done or beautiful. A poster had the point, you never know who is in the theater. How many times have we heard about actors, producers, or directors showing up to a random theater just to check the response of the audience? Even if you are just clapping because someone experienced something pleasurable I see no reason to call them or their actions out because of their almost pavlovian response. We clap for music concerts, for great sports plays, for the unveiling of great works of art, and for many other "live" events. So when something like clapping becomes habit for appreciating great art, and you see great art on display at a movie theatre, it takes someone's conscious effort not to applaud. That is a greater bother than someone clapping for a non-existent recipient.

[ProudLiberalDan]

Lighten up.

Applauding at the end of the film isn't a direct connection with the artist as in a theatre or concert hall, but it's a valid sharing of appreciation with others who think likewise.

[auramac]

None of the people, alive or dead, can hear you clap in a theater unless they are present and, of course, alive.

That's not why we clap. We clap to express our feelings of admiration, gratitude, love, or respect. It may be a communal experience, and it makes us feel good to clap for each other, as if to say "Hey, stranger, wasn't that great?" Sometimes, alone, and watching TV, maybe an awards show or sporting event, we may actually shout at the screen and raise our fists in the air, screaming "Yesss!" Are we thinking they heard us? Are we talking to the TV? When we applaud at a concert, are we applauding the artist, the song, the applause, or just being trained monkeys? I think we may be over-thinking this issue.

[gulopartisan]

I would have called it "under-thinking," but otherwise, yes. What the writer expresses is another example of the solipsism and narcissism that is at the foundation of the Western cult of the individual. How's that for "over-thinking"? ;)

[Jude2004]

When I saw Amazing Grace in the theater with about 20 people, about 12 of them clapped at the end. It wasn't for the filmmakers who would never know--it was an acknowledgement among us that the film had reached us--and no, although I liked the movie, I didn't clap.

[galaxian]

As others have mentioned, it's an emotional release for members of a crowd, and part of the fun of going out to see a film. Heath Ledger will not see your smile nor your disapproving frown, no.

I see in your bio that the xbox is a part of your life. I'm sure that you play it silently because the game can't hear you. I mean, you don't swear at the TV or anything, right?

[DocManhattan]

My, aren't we the proud realist, Daniel the comic-book nerd (I'm one too, btw) ...

Clapping for Heath Ledger, like observing a minute's silence for dead war veterans, is a ritual. No, it's not rational, it's emotional. It bonds people in a common expression of grief and respect. It's basically a case of "I'm sorry this guy's gone, I wish I could tell him myself, so instead I'll clap. Hey, that guy's clapping too, he must feel the same way!. Wait, hundreds of other people around me feel the same way, that's pretty cool, we're all being human together ..."

And what, exactly, is wrong with that?

[Siryn]

The clapping isn't for them, it's more for us. A thing called closure.

[JShankel]

You actually took the time to WRITE an article about NOT clapping? Wouldn't it be simply easier not to clap?

Also, audience reaction does get back to people who care. Market researchers attend screenings.

[spacedog605]

Interesting, isn't it? Though we live in an age of movies and television, audiences still sometimes feel the need to applaud in a movie theatre. I remember years ago people applauding at the end of a screening of A Few Good Men. People wand to give a physical response of approval or disapproval to what they see on the screen. It's instinctual. I understand that there is no one to hear my reaction, yet sometimes I applaud right along with the audience. Perhaps this is because I am a theatre junkie and applauding is in my blood? I don't know, but it is an interesting phenomenon. Interesting post.

[Jacksbloodyface]

Jeez man, it's just a small, if futile symbol of appreciation... I guess you could make the argument that only gestures of appreciation that actually make it to the artist should be made, but that takes a lot of effort when A. They are not there in attendance, and B. They are dead. You could make the same point for funerals and memorial services, that it doesn't matter what anyone says or does there as the person who died can't here you, but that brings up the real reason they exist; to collectively express appreciation amongst a community, even if the recipient is not present. It's a shared experience, and applauding is both a sign of respect for the creator of that experience, as well as an acknowledgment amongst the audience that they just shared something they thought was significant. So yes, I guess you could write a letter to Chris Nolan, or Heath Ledger's parents, but I'm too lazy to do that, and sometimes it just feels good to spontaneously clap for something you enjoyed watching, but that doesn't mean that I'm stupid because I think Heath Ledger or any other of the actors or filmmakers can hear me. So, why don't you back off the cynicism for a minute and let us express a little appreciation, even if they don't get the message. You don't have to join us, just don't whine about it.