Rorschach's Voice

[Jack Rabbit]

This is something I've been pondering for some time.

Seeing how his speech bubbles were always kind of ragged looking and distinct from others, I always wondered what his voice would sound like. In my mind, I guess I always kind of imagined him speaking through one of those voice-altering devices, very creepy-like.

Was it intended to be hoarse and gravely? Deep and resounding? Or was it supposed to be inhuman sounding? Like a computer, or electronically altered voice? Or should his voice just be very distinctive, and instantly recognizable?

Now that we’ll be seeing and hearing him on the big screen, I’m curious to hear about other interpretations of his voice.

How do you imagine it, and what route do you think Synder will take in the film?

At any rate, I think it has a lot of potential.

 

[sad lieutenant]

This is something I've been pondering for some time.

Seeing how his speech bubbles were always kind of ragged looking and distinct from others, I always wondered what his voice would sound like. In my mind, I guess I always kind of imagined him speaking through one of those voice-altering devices, very creepy-like.

Was it intended to be hoarse and gravely? Deep and resounding? Or was it supposed to be inhuman sounding? Like a computer, or electronically altered voice? Or should his voice just be very distinctive, and instantly recognizable?

Now that we’ll be seeing and hearing him on the big screen, I’m curious to hear about other interpretations of his voice.

How do you imagine it, and what route do you think Synder will take in the film?

At any rate, I think it has a lot of potential.

In an interview where this subject was brought up, Snyder referred a documentary called something like "The Mindscape of Alan Moore" in which Moore reads from Watchmen. Apparently, Moore used a specific voice when reading Rorscach's dialogue and journals -- and Snyder suggested that Jackie Earle Haley might use that as a model.

Has anyone seen this? I haven't (Better yet: Can someone post it on Youtube?!?!)

 

[Motown Marvel]

i always imagined it being rough and gravely.

 

[Jack Rabbit]

In an interview where this subject was brought up, Snyder referred a documentary called something like "The Mindscape of Alan Moore" in which Moore reads from Watchmen. Apparently, Moore used a specific voice when reading Rorscach's dialogue and journals -- and Snyder suggested that Jackie Earle Haley might use that as a model.

Has anyone seen this? I haven't (Better yet: Can someone post it on Youtube?!?!)

Ooooh, I gotta hear this.

 

[Lobster Charlie]

I can't find that documentary anywhere. *wink wink*. But I always imagined it to be rough, gravely, and monotone--as Laurie described it.

 

[waylayer]

I read/hear it as a sociopathic monotony of calmness...whatever that means.

 

[sad lieutenant]

I can't find that documentary anywhere. *wink wink*. But I always imagined it to be rough, gravely, and monotone--as Laurie described it.

I found the trailer on Youtube. the production looks rather ****-rate, actually.

CLICK HERE FOR UNDERWHELMING TRAILER

 

[sad lieutenant]

I found the trailer on Youtube. the production looks rather ****-rate, actually.

CLICK HERE FOR UNDERWHELMING TRAILER

That's right: I QUOTH MYSELF.

Here's an excerpt from a review of the film from "Ninth Art":

Moore's paranoid reading of the words of Rorschach is illustrated by the camera pulling out of the scene where Dave Gibbons' art reveals close up details of a body that has fallen from the roof of an office block, making the people on the street seem even more like insignificant ants. This scene ends with an actor in Rorschach's mask, writing in his diary.

I wonder if his voice actually has a "paranoid" quality to it. I find that interesting, because while Rorschach's world-view is certainly paranoid, I never imagined that his voice itself would reflect that. For most of the book, I always imagined a gravelly monotone, as described in the text; when he's taken down by the SWAT team, I always imagiend something much more vulnerable and wounded -- with his mask as a psychological armour, its sudden disappearance would reveal the trauma he experienced as a child.

Enough of my Dr. Phil antics.... someone on this forum has to have this thing, no?

Click here for the review

 

[IKnowSomeJudo]

I always imagined he would have a HAL 9000-esque kinda robotic voice.

 

[Luchastyle]

i always imagined he had a raspy voice. like a classic hard-boiled noir cop.

 

[Captain Carnage]

A pretty essential purchase for the serious Moore acolyte, actually filmed in 2003 but recently released in a new double DVD package:

http://www.shadowsnake.com/market_place_films.html

As for his reading of the infamous Dog carcass in alley this morning,... passage (which isn't in the movie script, incidentally, Rorschach's opening VO now comprising of Came across a crime scene earlier today. Initially thought to be a suicide, later learned to be a homicide. Someone's time was up. Sure hope that's changed.), it's done in a creepy, hissing monotone rasp that's somewhat affected by Moore's own English Midlands Northamptonshire accent. The actual concept is fairly spot-on (I guess this is the voice that Moore heard in his head when he wrote the damn thing)... I just hope Jackie E isn't planning on puttin' a Noo Yawkese spin on it.

 

[Carmine Falcone]

I just hope Jackie E isn't planning on puttin' a Noo Yawkese spin on it.

That'd be pretty cool actually. Not too thick ofcourse.

 

[Sandman138]

No it wouldn't. I still wish I'd never seen that fan film.

 

[Sandman138]

I found the trailer on Youtube. the production looks rather ****-rate, actually.

CLICK HERE FOR UNDERWHELMING TRAILER

That trailer was awesome. I really wanna see it.

 

[Sandman138]

i always imagined it being rough and gravely.

Every time I see those edges around the word balloons, I think of Tom Waits.

 

[Jack Rabbit]

I just got Watchmen in the mail form Amazon, and I've been re-reading it(it's been a few years...), and there's a few scenes where he pulls up his mask to eat beans, or toss a sugar cube down. Which kind of rules out the voice-alterer.

And Laurie also described it as monotone...but I really like the idea of a distorted, altered kind of voice. I just think that would be cool.

 

[StorminNorman]

whenever I read Rorschach, I hear JLU's Question.

 

[the amazing fro]

whenever I read Rorschach, I hear JLU's Question.

exactly what i hear

 

[Captain Carnage]

I know actor Jeffrey Combs topped many a fanboy dream casting list for the part of old Squidgy Face based largely upon his voice work as the animated JLU's The Question (the inspiration for Rorschach, as we all know).

I sure hope that Jackie E can approximate summat akin to that, especially since for a good 95% of the time whilst on screen the script calls for him to be behind the mask - pretty damn near perfect tones for Rorschach.

 

[X-Punisher]

i always pictured it to be kind of muffled

 

[Dope Nose]

I've always imagined that Rorschach sounded like The Blank from Dick Tracy, except with a deeper voice.

 

[Steelsheen]

whenever I read Rorschach, I hear JLU's Question.

agreed.

 

[Shifty]

I know actor Jeffrey Combs topped many a fanboy dream casting list for the part of old Squidgy Face based largely upon his voice work as the animated JLU's The Question (the inspiration for Rorschach, as we all know).

I sure hope that Jackie E can approximate summat akin to that, especially since for a good 95% of the time whilst on screen the script calls for him to be behind the mask - pretty damn near perfect tones for Rorschach.

[YT]5VooHPmia9Q&mode[/YT]

 

[Sun_Down]

whenever I read Rorschach, I hear JLU's Question.

Me too.

 

[Rust]

The Question sounds too "gentle". The voice should be more rasping and hoarse. I imagine he sounds more like Bale when he's Batman in BB but less booming. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5FLR59Qj8U&mode=related&search=
More a mixture of Boba Fett and Leia's Boushh-character...