While Christopher Nolan is occasionally fond of a cryptic ending, we've always taken the conclusion of The Dark Knight Rises to be relatively straightforward.
However, the theory still persists that when Alfred sees Bruce in that cafe, what we're actually watching is the fantasy of an elderly man broken by grief, a reading that Christian Bale has now had his say on.
"[Alfred] was just content with me being alive and [away from the Batman life] because that was always the life that he wanted for him. I find it very interesting and, with most films, I tend to always say it’s what the audience thinks it is."
"My personal opinion is no, it was not a dream. That was for real and he was just delighted that finally he had freed himself from the privilege, but ultimately the burden of being Bruce Wayne."
We'd tend to agree with Bale on this one, but it's fun that the debate is still raging on. Now, about Inception…
