The Dark Knight Rises Characterization of the Knight - Nolan and Bale's Bruce Wayne/Batman - Part 1

[Darthhawkeye]

No, I'd have to say he was the exact opposite of boisterous and sarcastic.

 

[JackWhite]

No, I'd have to say he was the exact opposite of boisterous and sarcastic.

I was watching Spider Man 3 last Saturday after this special called TASM unmasked, and to Tobey's credit he had one moment of pretty good confidence as Spider-Man. When he first took on the sandman, I actually liked his delivery - "Heh, guess you haven' heard, I'm the sheriff around these parts".

But that's pretty much it, lol.

 

[Darthhawkeye]

You sure it wasn't Toy Story you were watching?

 

[JackWhite]

You sure it wasn't Toy Story you were watching?

Very nice!

 

[The Guard]

LOL.....I registered just so I could comment on this.....why the hate for the Bale bat voice? How should it sound? The Conroy voice is great, but it's a cartoon. It would not work in "real life", ie, a movie. He needs to disguise his voice and inspire fear. This is how he does it. I think rumblings started about the voice when TDK came out and now it's spun out of control. Are there times it doesn't sound great? Sure! The last speech to the Joker comes to mind, but I also think he was trying to convey a sense of being battered and exhausted. I actually prefer TDK voice to the BB voice, but that's just my opinion; I prefer TDK suit to the BB suit also. Doesn't stop me from thinking Bale is the best Batman we've gotten so far

How should it sound?

Consistent.

It isn't the choices he's made that's the issue. It's the fact that Bale apparently can't control it well enough to do a consistent approach.

The voice he's doing, he can't maintain the levels anytime he's not whispering.

He can't keep his "accent" out of it.

And since BEGINS, he can't do the voice with any emotion without sounding ridiculous.

Even when he's yelling, because then he just sounds like a man yelling. He loses the rasping yell, which he had in BEGINS, and its just Bale yelling in his normal voice.

And when he tries to do "battered an exhausted" he just sounds sleepy or drugged, and it's ridiculous.

There was a sort of quiet intensity to the voice that he simply lost between BEGINS and THE DARK KNIGHT. Which is weird, because he seems to be trying to be even more intense in the sequels.

It just doesn't work as well.

 

[BatmanBeyond]

LOL.....I registered just so I could comment on this.....why the hate for the Bale bat voice? How should it sound? The Conroy voice is great, but it's a cartoon. It would not work in "real life", ie, a movie. He needs to disguise his voice and inspire fear. This is how he does it. I think rumblings started about the voice when TDK came out and now it's spun out of control. Are there times it doesn't sound great? Sure! The last speech to the Joker comes to mind, but I also think he was trying to convey a sense of being battered and exhausted. I actually prefer TDK voice to the BB voice, but that's just my opinion; I prefer TDK suit to the BB suit also. Doesn't stop me from thinking Bale is the best Batman we've gotten so far.

Pretty much this.

 

[BatLobster]

How should it sound?

Consistent.

It isn't the choices he's made that's the issue. It's the fact that Bale apparently can't control it well enough to do a consistent approach.

The voice he's doing, he can't maintain the levels anytime he's not whispering.

He can't keep his "accent" out of it.

And since BEGINS, he can't do the voice with any emotion without sounding ridiculous.

Even when he's yelling, because then he just sounds like a man yelling. He loses the rasping yell, which he had in BEGINS, and its just Bale yelling in his normal voice.

And when he tries to do "battered an exhausted" he just sounds sleepy or drugged, and it's ridiculous.

There was a sort of quiet intensity to the voice that he simply lost between BEGINS and THE DARK KNIGHT. Which is weird, because he seems to be trying to be even more intense in the sequels.

It just doesn't work as well.

To me the inconsistency is the only thing that's been consistent from early on. It was always changing in Begins.

From "I'm Batman", to "Rattle the cages" to "Storm's coming", to "SWEAR TO ME!", to "I brought mine!" to "It's not who I am underneath"....every delivery seems to have a different approach to the voice. There are many shades of Bat-growl to be found in that movie.

I actually found TDK to be more consistent, it's just that that overblown, post-enhanced growl was one a major constant.

 

[Baneis8feettall]

I like the voice. It sounds metal to my ears

 

[jacobed]

I like it. It has never bothered me and I think it works quite well

 

[BestGirl]

Just remember, it could be worse...it could be....

"You're out Gobby....OUT OF YOUR MIND!"

^ LMAO. Such an awful line from Spidey one. Toby just did not have it in him to be boisterous and sarcastic.

No one could've made that line work.

 

[JawZ270589]

I respectfully disagree.

The Conroy voice would work in live action.

Yep.. I agree with this. Once, Conroy said "I'M NOT WEARING HOCKEY PADS" in his voice, and it turns out very good..

But what I disagree is why people always comparing Conroy and Bale, stating Conroy is the most definitive Batman...
It's like saying Kobe Bryant is the best athlete in the world (and forget there are Lionel Messi, or Cristiano Ronaldo)
It's a completely different media. Different approach.

About Bale's voice, as what've been stated above, why people hate Bale's voice, because sometimes he went over the top in TDK especially in the last scene with the Joker.. Nobody complained about his Batvoice in 2005 (Begins)..

I'm fine with the growl, and I hope it goes well, but not over the top again (like "ready to believe in GoooOOOOoooooOOOdddd") in TDKR..

 

[Darthhawkeye]

I can buy that rational, I just don't get some of the abject HATE for it; I will admit, Keaton's "I'm Batman" is better, but did he do THAT many better line readings in the Batman voice? (Although I always loved his response to the Commish in BR about the Circus Gang being back..."We'll see.") I'm sure people will have examples to refute this, so it just may be a matter of taste, but it's not like he sounds like Jerry Lewis "Heeeey Catwoman, oiiiii" I think it's just become a "thing". I mean, c'mon, "Swear to me!", "Where is he!" the whole interrogation scene....greatness!

 

[Darthhawkeye]

No one could've made that line work.

Could be worse...."What happens to a Toad when it get's struck by lightning?"

or...."Bat credit card...never leave home without it!"

expiration.....FOREVER,,,,

......yikes........

 

[CapedCrusader14]

"Never leave the cave without it"

That line is so bad it's good.

 

[JackWhite]

Gotta love Kilmer's "I'll get drive through".

 

[Darthhawkeye]

OK, just watched Begins again, 1st time in about a year and I gotta say....I like TDK voice BETTER....the BEGINS voice isn't that bad, but in places it doesn't even sound like he's disguising the voice....the last scene, with Gordon, sounds like the DK voice and it's the best of the whole movie....I dunno, the debate will rage on long after TDKR is on DVD, but I just LIKE the Bat Growl from TDK (and presumably TDKR).

 

[Darthhawkeye]

Gotta love Kilmer's "I'll get drive through".

Or, of course, Clooney's "You break it, you bought it."

or

"This is why Superman works alone."

 

[BestGirl]

Could be worse...."What happens to a Toad when it get's struck by lightning?"

or...."Bat credit card...never leave home without it!"

expiration.....FOREVER,,,,

......yikes........

The bat credit card line I'll grant you, but Storm's dialogue was a million times better than Spidey's quip.

 

[Norek]

There are one or two moments where I dislike the voice, but overall I like it quite a lot.

 

[Batman jr.]

Are we STILL whining about his voice?

And Conroy-fans, we know it already.

 

[Batman jr.]

Just remember, it could be worse...it could be....

"You're out Gobby....OUT OF YOUR MIND!"

Please... make it stop. I don't dislike Spiderman 1 & 2 (the latter being the best), but that was extremely dumb.

 

[Batman jr.]

OK, just watched Begins again, 1st time in about a year and I gotta say....I like TDK voice BETTER....the BEGINS voice isn't that bad, but in places it doesn't even sound like he's disguising the voice....the last scene, with Gordon, sounds like the DK voice and it's the best of the whole movie....I dunno, the debate will rage on long after TDKR is on DVD, but I just LIKE the Bat Growl from TDK (and presumably TDKR).

You just came here to rattle the cages about the voice, didn't ya?

 

[BatmanBeyond]

Yep.. I agree with this. Once, Conroy said "I'M NOT WEARING HOCKEY PADS" in his voice, and it turns out very good..

But what I disagree is why people always comparing Conroy and Bale, stating Conroy is the most definitive Batman...
It's like saying Kobe Bryant is the best athlete in the world (and forget there are Lionel Messi, or Cristiano Ronaldo)
It's a completely different media. Different approach.

About Bale's voice, as what've been stated above, why people hate Bale's voice, because sometimes he went over the top in TDK especially in the last scene with the Joker.. Nobody complained about his Batvoice in 2005 (Begins)..

I'm fine with the growl, and I hope it goes well, but not over the top again (like "ready to believe in GoooOOOOoooooOOOdddd") in TDKR..

Exactly. Believe it or not, there are some non-growl lines of Bale's bat-voice that I think are really good: the "I'm Batman" line is fine, the "rattle the cages" is rather iconic for Bale's interpretation, "you'll never have to" is really nice as well. From TDK, I like the very first exchange with Gordon at the bank, Bale uses this whispered growl that's really effective there. I think the "you're gonna love me" line is fine as well and I love the way it sounds during the interrogation scene with the Joker, it sounds like it never sounded before, rather ominous and threatening, without any real hint of a growl. It's really good during the ending as well, it's the whispered growl again, but the growl itself is toned down, giving the voice a much more emotional resonance..."I killed those people".

 

[The Joker]

OK, just watched Begins again, 1st time in about a year and I gotta say....I like TDK voice BETTER....the BEGINS voice isn't that bad, but in places it doesn't even sound like he's disguising the voice....the last scene, with Gordon, sounds like the DK voice and it's the best of the whole movie....I dunno, the debate will rage on long after TDKR is on DVD, but I just LIKE the Bat Growl from TDK (and presumably TDKR).

 

[Batman jr.]

+1