The Dark Knight Rises The Bat voice

[Mutagen]

Bruce is quite a mess already, but yeah, I agree with Papa Burgundy that it would be interesting to see more of his mental breakdown in the next movie. But really, the guy is becoming a total mess in the head. A really cerebral villain like the Riddler could utilize that if he learns about it.

He's got like... three personalities/acts that are becoming more and more jumbled up together. These are:
*****ebag Bruce - this the public persona, the face that most of Gotham sees, but is actually the most passive and unimportant personality. He's basically acting like an immature billionare playboy.
Batman - this is an act that was meant to be a symbol of anti-apathy, then became a secret persona in order to protect Bruce's loved ones from reprisal and then became a personification of Bruce's childhood fears and hatred towards the criminals. It's clear that at first this is just an act and Bruce is in control, but the more time passes by, the more the act becomes a distinct personality that can suddenly switch itself on in case of danger (when he talked to Rachel with the Batman voice) or can go in autopilot if there is no need for one of the other personalities to come out (when he talked to Fox with the Batman voice).
Serious Bruce - this is the real man. He shares this face only with the people he trusts - Ra's, Alfred, Rachel, Fox. Although he tends to add strokes of it in *****ebag Bruce (when he publicly supported Dent, adding a thin layer of altruism to the playboy) or in Batman (when he speaks to Gordon or Dent, even though he uses the voice and appearance of Batman, the thoughts are clearly Serious Bruce's) and some characters that are close to him sometimes tend to think that he is sometimes losing himself in the Batman persona.
I think that Bruce is more messed up than, say, Dent, but unlike him he hasn't exploded yet. If they touch on that in the next movie, it's gonna be interesting...

I would enjoy seeing that but it's already kind of there kind of, it's just not a big issue. I get what you're saying, that they should expand upon it, but I don't think it's necessary. I like how you have to really think about it, before it becomes clear what the true persona is, something like a higher level of film interpretation.

Alright, if they find a way to make it work without cramming too much into the movie, I won't be disappointed.

 

[TheWrathOfGod]

Kevin Conroy does the voice too, so it's fine.

 

[webslinger81]

I would lose the "Bat voice." If were up to me, he would sound just as he did in Batman Begins. When he was interogating that cop (flash or flask- whatever) he had strung up in the air in BB he sounded pretty menacing without that gritty voice. Someone, back in the summer (on the hype boards) called it "cancer throat Batman".. lol... while I wouldn't go that far- I wouldnt mind seeing Nolan go back to letting Bale do his BB voice. Do I see it happening, nah. I imagine Nolan will keep TDK Batman voice.

 

[RockyBatboa]

If Bale does return for Batman 3, i'd get a solid voice actor to dub him....

like Kevin Conroy.

 

[Demon Within]

Kevin Conroy does the voice too, so it's fine.

Theres a huge difference. Conroy sounded good. Bale does not. Conroy's just sounded so natural it. God TAS was fantastic. Mark doing the Joker was great. I miss it.

 

[Doc Samson]

I've already stated this, but IMO, the perfect voice is the voice Bale's using in the Terminator Salvation trailer, when he's face to face with the Cyborg. It's perfect, although to be honest, his voice wasn't all that bad to me in TDK, it's just the delivery that makes it hard to swallow sometimes, when he's annunciating too much instead of just speaking with regular speed. "This city......just showed you....that it's full of people....ready to believe....in goooood" LOL!, that sounded just as bad as "It's not who I am underneath....but what I dooooo...that defines me" from BB. I'm sure neither would've been so cringe-worthy if he had just said it a bit faster, exhaustion be damned

 

[Christmas]

Doc, ya gotta cut batman some slack, he's friggen tired as all hell after storming a tower, fighting off swat teams, joker's armed thugs, and trying to figure out who's who. After all that plus the fight with Joker he must be pretty wiped out. He punctuates his sentences to breath heavily, pushed to the point of physical and mental exhaustion. He's literally grasping for the clarity of mind to tell Joker that he has now lost and is going away for a long time.

 

[Bathead]

I don't see what all the fuss is about. As I see it, the "Bat-voice" has one purpose only, to distort his voice to the point of unrecognizability, not to be aesthetically pleasing. And to that extent, it succeeds nicely. Of course, being unnatural, occasionally the voice will slip and sound different according to the situation, to me that's not a sign of sloppiness on Bale's part, it's more an indication of his acting skills. I agree it can be jarring at times, but IMO, it works.

 

[Mr. Earle]

Bruce is quite a mess already, but yeah, I agree with Papa Burgundy that it would be interesting to see more of his mental breakdown in the next movie. But really, the guy is becoming a total mess in the head. A really cerebral villain like the Riddler could utilize that if he learns about it.

He's got like... three personalities/acts that are becoming more and more jumbled up together. These are:
*****ebag Bruce - this the public persona, the face that most of Gotham sees, but is actually the most passive and unimportant personality. He's basically acting like an immature billionare playboy.
Batman - this is an act that was meant to be a symbol of anti-apathy, then became a secret persona in order to protect Bruce's loved ones from reprisal and then became a personification of Bruce's childhood fears and hatred towards the criminals. It's clear that at first this is just an act and Bruce is in control, but the more time passes by, the more the act becomes a distinct personality that can suddenly switch itself on in case of danger (when he talked to Rachel with the Batman voice) or can go in autopilot if there is no need for one of the other personalities to come out (when he talked to Fox with the Batman voice).
Serious Bruce - this is the real man. He shares this face only with the people he trusts - Ra's, Alfred, Rachel, Fox. Although he tends to add strokes of it in *****ebag Bruce (when he publicly supported Dent, adding a thin layer of altruism to the playboy) or in Batman (when he speaks to Gordon or Dent, even though he uses the voice and appearance of Batman, the thoughts are clearly Serious Bruce's) and some characters that are close to him sometimes tend to think that he is sometimes losing himself in the Batman persona.
I think that Bruce is more messed up than, say, Dent, but unlike him he hasn't exploded yet. If they touch on that in the next movie, it's gonna be interesting...

Well he is not a suffering from multiple personality disorder. Its obvious that under batman's mask its "serious bruce" (as you put it), even when he is fighting or interrogating or whatever. He is just pretending to be a monster in order to be effective.

I don't see what all the fuss is about. As I see it, the "Bat-voice" has one purpose only, to distort his voice to the point of unrecognizability, not to be aesthetically pleasing. And to that extent, it succeeds nicely. Of course, being unnatural, occasionally the voice will slip and sound different according to the situation, to me that's not a sign of sloppiness on Bale's part, it's more an indication of his acting skills. I agree it can be jarring at times, but IMO, it works.

I agree. For people wondering about the scene in the train, batman was obviously being choked by Ras. Its natural.

For me, Bale's voice isnt perfect but it can be very good at times ("where were the other drugs going" for example). And even though i grew up and loved Kevin Conroy's voice, i believe that Batman should sound like Bale. Conroy's voice works for when Batman is talking to Gordon for example (and in situations like this bale's is also good), but when batman adresses or interrogates someone, he has to sound according to his disguise: a bat-monster.

 

[Crook]

What does a bat-monster sound like?

And is it necessary to sound monstrous when everyone already knows you're playing dress-up?

 

[The Guard]

Doc, ya gotta cut batman some slack, he's friggen tired as all hell after storming a tower, fighting off swat teams, joker's armed thugs, and trying to figure out who's who.

He was also in a plane crash.

 

[SheldonLevene]

What does a bat-monster sound like?

And is it necessary to sound monstrous when everyone already knows you're playing dress-up?

They say their words longer. Dooooo for example. They also sometimes employ an underbite.

 

[The Batman]

honestly, the bat voice does need some work. Fanboys can rationalize it all they want, to the general audience, you know, most of the people watching the movie, the bat voice isnt well liked...in fact, its mostly ridiculed...there's a problem when internet sites do articles basically ripping the voice to shreds

 

[SheldonLevene]

honestly, the bat voice does need some work. Fanboys can rationalize it all they want, to the general audience, you know, most of the people watching the movie, the bat voice isnt well liked...in fact, its mostly ridiculed...there's a problem when internet sites do articles basically ripping the voice to shreds

qft

 

[The Batman]

And i just watched the TS trailer....


Why the **** isnt he using that voice for Batman? He sounds threatening, badass, and can carry a conversation without it feeling awkward....

 

[Travesty]

And i just watched the TS trailer....


Why the **** isnt he using that voice for Batman? He sounds threatening, badass, and can carry a conversation without it feeling awkward....

Or he could just go back to the voice he used in Begins?

 

[Mutagen]

And i just watched the TS trailer....


Why the **** isnt he using that voice for Batman? He sounds threatening, badass, and can carry a conversation without it feeling awkward....

It could be that Nolan made him do it in the first place.

 

[Rincewind]

And is it necessary to sound monstrous when everyone already knows you're playing dress-up?

It's not necessary. That's point. The "playing dress-up" has grown into something more akin to a separate personality, though still under control.

And for the record, I think that nobody in the Nolanverse seriously believed that Batman is not a man. Except maybe in his first appearance in BB. And even after that, Falcone thought that he was a goon working for the Scarecrow. The criminals were afraid of him not because they thought that he was a bat-monster, but because they thought that he's a complete wacko.

 

[Mr. Earle]

First of all, Batman isnt a separate personality, its Bruce playing dress up. Come on now...
Now, i know many people from the general audience might laugh at the batvoice but thats their problem. Explain to me how else could he have interrogated Flass. Otherwise, when he is talking to Dent for example, he sounds no different to Conroy's.

And for the record, I think that nobody in the Nolanverse seriously believed that Batman is not a man. Except maybe in his first appearance in BB.

"Can he really fly?" "I heard he can disappear"
Sure, Nolan destroyed Batman's mystery in TDK. Nobody thought he was more than a man in a suit. But that doesnt make him right, because that's against the premise of the character. Just like Flash has the Speed Force, a magic or universe or whatever it is that explains him defying the laws of physics, batman is supposed to look scary. He might not have superpowers, he might be more realistic than others, but he does have unrealistic traits. Just like we take for granted that a normal man survives fighting crime night after night, we have to accept that he is inherently scary in a suit with his underpants on top.

Batman looks like a bat demon to people. Everyone is scared of him, even those who know that he is a man. Because he can take down 20 goons, because he takes on monsters like Man-bat, Killer Croc and aliens when he is in the JL and always wins. Because he can torture you to no end and because he is dressed in a scary suit. See this pic:

Spoiler

"One of them attacking the others" refers to batman fighting the Man-bats. Sure its a bit far fetched, but we are talking about a comic book character. Put too much realism into it and you suck all the fun out of it.

Sure, Nolan is doing a realistic Batman, but that doesnt mean that people should not be afraid of him. Tell me you wouldnt be if you were attacked by a guy dressed in the Begins batsuit (more animalistic less armour looking) who can move and fight like that (like he moved in the docks in begins. Or is that too unrealistic as well?). I would be wetting my pants. So your point that batman should drop the voice is moot, because then, he might as well dress like a SWAT, cause everyone knows he is a man, right? Well no, because Begins showed us why he had to become more than a man. And the voice is no less important a factor in that.

 

[BatMatt]

He was also in a plane crash.

I take it this is you poking fun at the people who complain that in BATMAN he got his assed kicked by one thug, despite the Batwing being shot down?

 

[Rincewind]

First of all, Batman isnt a separate personality, its Bruce playing dress up. Come on now...

It's meant to be a dress up, sure. But if it's only a dress up, why he had to talk to Rachel with the Batman Voice when he was out of costume? Or do the same with Fox, who knew that he was Batman and so there was no need of theatrics? Now, am I saying that he has a multiple personality disorder? No. But he's not exactly the type of man whose picture you're gonna find next to "sane" in the dictionary either.

"Can he really fly?" "I heard he can disappear"
Sure, Nolan destroyed Batman's mystery in TDK. Nobody thought he was more than a man in a suit. But that doesnt make him right, because that's against the premise of the character. Just like Flash has the Speed Force, a magic or universe or whatever it is that explains him defying the laws of physics, batman is supposed to look scary. He might not have superpowers, he might be more realistic than others, but he does have unrealistic traits. Just like we take for granted that a normal man survives fighting crime night after night, we have to accept that he is inherently scary in a suit with his underpants on top.

I meant specifically in the Nolanverse. He doesn't look like a demon and people, in general, don't think that there is a bat-monster in their city. Sure, he is scary. Sure, he is mysterious. And, sure, thugs can be ignorant if they are scared and they are not sure what's going on. But it was clear even in BB that he wasn't seriously considered a monster. Falcone, after his encouter with him thought that he was just working for the Scarecrow to cross him. Loeb called him "an ******* in a costume" etc.

Sure, Nolan is doing a realistic Batman, but that doesnt mean that people should not be afraid of him. Tell me you wouldnt be if you were attacked by a guy dressed in the Begins batsuit (more animalistic less armour looking) who can move and fight like that (like he moved in the docks in begins. Or is that too unrealistic as well?). I would be wetting my pants. So your point that batman should drop the voice is moot, because then, he might as well dress like a SWAT, cause everyone knows he is a man, right? Well no, because Begins showed us why he had to become more than a man. And the voice is no less important a factor in that.

I never said that he should drop the voice. But people are afraid of him, not because they think that he's a demon, but because they think he's a wacko. In the Nolanverse, that is. If I was attacked by that guy, I'd sure be afraid as hell. But I doubt that I'll think that I'm being beaten by a demonic bat-monster.

 

[p4poetic]

Yeah and no one would really know Clark kent is really Superman just because of the glasses he wears. Please. I have yet to watch either of these movies with normal people who dont post here that dont laugh out loud the instance Batman uses his scray voice. I get the need for it and it worked great in batman the animated series but Bale just isnt delivering well enough.

What do you mean by 'normal people who don't post here'?! I find that offensive

That said, I like it. Michael Keaton's was better, but I still like Bale's.

SWEAR TO ME.

DO I LOOK LIKE A COP?

You are a LIAR if you didn't like those parts.

That was kind of my point. I don't feel like Batman should sound like he's putting on a voice, especially when Batman is supposed to be the real personality. Conroy and even Keaton and Kilmer sound like Batman's voice is Bruce's real voice and the voice he puts on for the public as Bruce Wayne is the fake one. With Bale, the fact it sounds forced would not allow that aspect of the character to appear.

And dave, I understood Bat-Bale decently on DVD, but in the theater I was lost in many scenes. Maybe I need to get my ears check but he sounded undecipherable to me.

Uh, since when? I think you may be confusing Batman with Clark Kent/Superman.

i agree i was so impressed with his batman in begins but it pissed me off cos katie holmes' un-nessecary character was in it, like in the subway when she tries to taser him she totally put me off what batman was saying.but hey , at least the character managed to re-write the two-face origin.

great.

......................

 

[RockyBatboa]

What do you mean by 'normal people who don't post here'?! I find that offensive

That said, I like it. Michael Keaton's was better, but I still like Bale's.

SWEAR TO ME.

DO I LOOK LIKE A COP?

You are a LIAR if you didn't like those parts.



Uh, since when? I think you may be confusing Batman with Clark Kent/Superman.

Exactly. "Swear to me" and the other dialogue with Flass in BB was the best Bale has brought to the table as Batman.

His "Dark Knight" voice brought on a migraine for most of DK, but he managed to emotionaly salvage it at the end with the "call it in" and all that jazz.

But at what price? A film that will always stand as "The Remarkable Final Acting of Heath Ledger" moreso then even a Batman film.

I was really exited when Bale was first cast, and he was potent in BB (if lacking just a Little Bit More), but he seriously lost just about all of his good will w/ DK.

Keaton was better. Batman for the ages.

 

[p4poetic]

Exactly. "Swear to me" and the other dialogue with Flass in BB was the best Bale has brought to the table as Batman.

His "Dark Knight" voice brought on a migraine for most of DK, but he managed to emotionaly salvage it at the end with the "call it in" and all that jazz.

But at what price? A film that will always stand as "The Remarkable Final Acting of Heath Ledger" moreso then even a Batman film.

I was really exited when Bale was first cast, and he was potent in BB (if lacking just a Little Bit More), but he seriously lost just about all of his good will w/ DK.

Keaton was better. Batman for the ages.

You know, they said Jack Nicholson overshadowed Keaton in Batman too. Just history repeating itself.

 

[RockyBatboa]

You know, they said Jack Nicholson overshadowed Keaton in Batman too. Just history repeating itself.

Did you even read what i said??


I said that Bale himself dropped the ball in DK. He had the opportunities, he just didnt reign it in. His voice was irritating, near-comprehensible, and completely one note.

That some stoned movie audiences decided to pay no attention to Keaton, and kept laughing at Nicholson's one liners has nothing to do with how Keaton played Batman.

Keaton was their in spades. He made Not one false movie in B89.

Why do i bother?