The Dark Knight Kevin Conroy's thoughts on bale and ledger

[The Batman]

http://www.wired.com/underwire/2009/08/kevin-conroy-brings-batman-street-cred-to-arkham-asylum/

I....pretty much agree with what he had to say

 

[Travesty]

“I thought Christian was excellent as Bruce Wayne, but I didn’t understand his choices there. I thought it was over the top and distracted from his scenes as Batman. I’m not sure what they were going for there. But, what do I know?”

Yeah, I have to agree with that. I think Conroy has the best Bat-voice, Keaton played the best Batman, and Bale plays the best Bruce Wayne.

 

[Boom]

He's absolutely correct.

 

[BestGirl]

Did Bale get these kinds of critiques on his voice after BB?

 

[BatMatt]

to a lesser degree yes

 

[Gilpesh]

Yes, Kevin. We get it. You do the Batman voice great. Let's rag on Bale because he isn't doing it like you would have done it.

 

[Travesty]

Did Bale get these kinds of critiques on his voice after BB?

Yeah, although, his voice was more growley in TDK. I thought his voice was bearable in BB(wasn't great, but wasn't horrible), but I really didn't like it in TDK.

Yes, Kevin. We get it. You do the Batman voice great. Let's rag on Bale because he isn't doing it like you would have done it.

He just gave his honest opinion on it, I don't see whats wrong with that. He didn't like it, so he said how he felt. He didn't answer the question, "well, since I do the best Bat-voice, I think Bale is an idiot. Yeah, screw him and his stupid voice".

 

[The Joker]

Yeah, I can't say I really disagree with anything he said there.

Conroy and Hamill do portray the definitive versions of their characters, IMO.

 

[Gilpesh]

He just gave his honest opinion on it, I don't see whats wrong with that. He didn't like it, so he said how he felt. He didn't answer the question, "well, since I do the best Bat-voice, I think Bale is an idiot. Yeah, screw him and his stupid voice".

He did end it with, "but what do I know?" And it is easy to see it as, "But what do I know? Little ole me, Kevin Conroy, that everyone sees as the best Batman."

 

[Travesty]

He did end it with, "but what do I know?" And it is easy to see it as, "But what do I know? Little ole me, Kevin Conroy, that everyone sees as the best Batman."

LOL. I didn't take it that way at all.

I took it as him saying he wasn't the leading expert on everything Batman, which is why he said he wasn't "up to date on the comics". That or he was saying, he didn't have anything to do with TDK, so what would he know what Bale or Nolan was trying to do with the voice, because we know how his Bat-voice is, and he's saying since it's so different, he doesn't see why Batman uses that voice.

 

[*Id*]

I know I'm going to get some flak for this, but I think Keaton's Batman voice better suits the character, even Bale's (well, when it works). Kevin Conroy was great in the early TAS episodes, where his voice had a bit more gruff and gravelly tone to it. His work in the later TAS series, Gotham Knight and yes, Arkham Asylum was...ugh, he almost sounded way too much like a conventional square-jawed superhero. And did anyone hear his "you will never defeat me, Joker...I won't let you win" line from the PS3 Arkham Asylum during the game over screen as the Joker? That's just one of many examples that make me feel that Conroy lost his touch with the character a long time ago.

 

[Bat-Mite]

Surprised that he was that critical of Bale, but I must agree that the voice was really over the top in TDK. It was much better in Begins, IMO. Maybe that using the computer to tamper with it had something to do with it, or maybe Bale tried to improve upon the voice and went the COMPLETELY wrong direction in doing so. Less is more, Chris.

Conroy and Hamill do portray the definitive versions of their characters, IMO.

QFT. They are the ones who made me love Batman and the Joker as a child, and it will always be their voices I hear when reading the comics.

His work in the later TAS series, Gotham Knight and yes, Arkham Asylum was...ugh, he almost sounded way too much like a conventional square-jawed superhero. And did anyone hear his "you will never defeat me, Joker...I won't let you win" line from the PS3 Arkham Asylum during the game over screen as the Joker? That's just one of many examples that make me feel that Conroy lost his touch with the character a long time ago.

Just because he has to deliver bad lines (Gotham Knight and Arkham Asylum had several) doesn't mean that he has "lost his touch". Those lines would have sounded horrible no matter what. Hamill had to deliver some stinkers as well in AA. And even though I like Keaton's general portrayal of Batman, I've never heard anything special in his Batman voice. And he "lost his touch" as well when he uttered the line, "Eat floor, high fiber".

 

[ChrisB]

Did Bale get these kinds of critiques on his voice after BB?

His voice changed so much in BB! It was perfect the 1st time he talked to Rachel..or even when he was talking to Gordon when the SWAT team was after him. Towards the end of BB Bale's bat-voice sounded terrible, and in TDK I cant think of 1 scene where it sounded good. I agree, definitely distracted me...and its the only thing I didnt like about TDK! Which is a shame.

Bale's John Connor version of the bat-voice in Terminator was much better!

 

[Sonic1002]

His voice changed so much in BB! It was perfect the 1st time he talked to Rachel..or even when he was talking to Gordon when the SWAT team was after him. Towards the end of BB Bale's bat-voice sounded terrible, and in TDK I cant think of 1 scene where it sounded good. I agree, definitely distracted me...and its the only thing I didnt like about TDK! Which is a shame.

Bale's John Connor version of the bat-voice in Terminator was much better!

look at it this way - at least in TDK, it was consistent

 

[ChrisB]

look at it this way - at least in TDK, it was consistent

Haha good point, though it got out of control at the end of TDK! But I heard Bale said he changed it then because Batman had been beaten with a crowbar/shot in the chest. I guess that'd change someones voice...

Though his voice when talking to The Joker when he has him hanging upside makes me cringe everytime =\

 

[cokebabies]

One thing from the Arkham videos I've seen (haven't played it yet, but I should be in a week or so), is that I'm starting to feel Conroy's voice fit the animated series more perfectly than he does Batman in general.

While I love Conroy as Batman either way, I think his sound fit that stylized look of the animated series the best. Of course, this could be due mostly because I associate him with the animated series. But when i hear Batman in Arkham talk, I think "Oh, that's Batman from the cartoon" not "That's Batman". I just think it's so hard to disassociate him from the animated series, just because he (along with Hamill) did such perfect jobs.

 

[*Id*]

Just because he has to deliver bad lines (Gotham Knight and Arkham Asylum had several) doesn't mean that he has "lost his touch". Those lines would have sounded horrible no matter what. Hamill had to deliver some stinkers as well in AA. And even though I like Keaton's general portrayal of Batman, I've never heard anything special in his Batman voice. And he "lost his touch" as well when he uttered the line, "Eat floor, high fiber".

See that's the thing - Hamill had some atrocious lines in AA but he made them work. Conroy on the other hand, didn't. I personally think Batman's voice should have a sort of dark edge to it, and Conroy has been steadily losing that. For example, compare his voice in episodes like Heart of Ice, On Leather Wings, Riddler's Reform and even Mask of the Phantasm with his voice in Gotham Knight and Arkham Asylum and there is a noticeable difference because he sounds more like a confident superhero than the brooding vigilante from the former TAS episodes. Heck, even his in-game conversation with the guards and doctors in AA is just...lackluster. Keaton's Batman voice always had that 'dark edge' which has been missing from Conroy's performance these last few years. That is why even his bad lines worked.

 

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

Agree with the majority of what he said...

Bale is fantastic, but he needs to work on that voice. Although to be completely honest, the only time the voice takes me out of the film is when he says the line... ''This city (PAUSE) just showed you (PAUSE) that it's full of people (PAUSE) ready to believe in GOOOOOOOD!!''

Yeah, he was hit in the chest and had a metal bar on his throat but... still, it was just too much.

I can't believe Chris Nolan let that one go through.


---

Kevin Conroy is Bruce Timm's Batman, which might explain why it's hard to accept his voice on different designs... but I love the man and his voice.

I think he will sound right again in Superman/Batman: Public Enemies.

 

[Ace of Knaves]

His voice was actually modulated in post production wasn't it? So I think so of the blame has to go to Nolan and co. Which I understand some of you might not want to accept

 

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

His voice was actually modulated in post production wasn't it? So I think so of the blame has to go to Nolan and co. Which I understand some of you might not want to accept

No... not at all.

Nolan deserves half the blame for not directing Bale properly. (Although Bale probably would have told him to ''f**k off''... I kid )

Bale comes up with concepts on how to play the character... Nolan's job is to fine tune and give advice were necessary... which he obviously failed to do in this small instance.

 

[Hound55]

I always viewed his Batman voice as an effect to make his voice difficult/impossible to recognize in a more modern age where that would be the easiest method to identify him.

 

[Ace of Knaves]

Yea that's understandable Hound. But I do think he went a little over the top with it.

In Begins I thought it was great. When he was like "Swear to meeeeee!!" I was just like "Yea that's pretty bad ass"

 

[Hound55]

Yea that's understandable Hound. But I do think he went a little over the top with it.

In Begins I thought it was great. When he was like "Swear to meeeeee!!" I was just like "Yea that's pretty bad ass"

I agree.

I think Conroy just has an opinion on the situation, just like we all do. Difference is he's had an official position in Batman lore and he's got a member of the press picking his brain for that opinion.

It depends on how gritty and "realistic" you want to make the character... I'm sure that was the likely reason behind the decision that Nolan and Bale went with. But by that same reason, Bruce Wayne just putting on a darker voice isn't going to be beyond voice equipment tracing it back to Bruce Wayne off of the voice if someone were to try.

You either ignore the whole angle and let Bale just do a more rational "Bat-voice" or you do what someone in Wayne's position would likely do and you go the extra nine yards and make the mask more full-faced and include a voice modulator (which would also bring jeers from comics purists, but at least you could give a better explaination for this than what they've gone down).

 

[BestGirl]

Surprised that he was that critical of Bale,

Me too. I would've thought he'd say something neutral like, "His voice isn't anything like mine, but I respect what he's done with the character blah blah."

 

[ChrisB]

Yea that's understandable Hound. But I do think he went a little over the top with it.

In Begins I thought it was great. When he was like "Swear to meeeeee!!" I was just like "Yea that's pretty bad ass"

Yeah...in TDK when he tried to pull off the "swear to meeeee" type voice when interrogating Maroni, it just didnt come close!

Don't you think his Begins voice got bad towards the end though (I loved it in the beginning) ? I thought it was terrible in Begins when he was talking to Gordon about the train.