Christian Bale's Batman: Was The Voice Ridiculous?

NEW YORK — Though "The Dark Knight" has been a bona fide cultural event, boasting rave reviews and boffo box office, it hasn't been immune to criticism. Some have quibbled with its political undercurrents, and others have criticized a muddled theme.

But here's the critique most widely held: Why does Batman talk like the offspring of Clint Eastwood and a grizzly bear?

Donning the costume for the second time, Christian Bale has delved deeper into the lower registers. As Bruce Wayne, his voice is as smooth as his finely pressed suits. But once he puts the cape on, the transformation of his vocal chords is just as dramatic as his costume change.

Particularly when his rage boils over, Bale's Batman growls in an almost beastly fashion, reflecting how close he teeters between do-gooder and vengeance-crazed crusader.

"The Dark Knight" hauled in $43.8 million to rank as Hollywood's top movie for the third straight weekend, fending off "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor," which opened a close second with $42.5 million. It has earned $394.9 million in just 17 days, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Though much of the voice effect is Bale's own doing, under the guidance of director Christopher Nolan and supervising sound editor Richard King, the frequency of his Batman voice was modulated to exaggerate the effect.

Critics and fans have noticed.

"His Batman rasps his lines in a voice that's deeper and hammier than ever," said NPR's David Edelstein.

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The New Yorker's David Denby praised the urgency of Bale's Batman, but lamented that he "delivers his lines in a hoarse voice with an unvarying inflection."

Reviewing the film for MSNBC, Alonso Duralde wrote that Bale's Batman in "Batman Begins" "sounded absurdly deep, like a 10-year-old putting on an `adult' voice to make prank phone calls. This time, Bale affects an eerie rasp, somewhat akin to Brenda Vaccaro doing a Miles Davis impression."

Before the similes run too far afield, it's worth considering where the concept of a throaty Batman comes from.

In his portrayal on the `60s "Batman" TV series, Adam West didn't alter his voice between Bruce Wayne and Batman. Decades later when Tim Burton brought "Batman" to the big screen in a much darker incarnation, Michael Keaton's inflection was notably _ but not considerably _ different from one to the other.

But it was a lesser-known actor who, a few years after Burton's film, made perhaps the most distinct imprint on Batman's voice. Kevin Conroy, as the voice of the animated Batman in various projects from 1992's "Batman: The Animated Series" right up until this year's "Batman: Gotham Knight," brought a darker, raspier vocalization to Batman.

Conroy has inhabit the role longer than anyone else and though animated voice-over work doesn't have the same cachet as feature film acting, there are quarters where Conroy is viewed as the best Batman of them all _ certainly superior to Val Kilmer or George Clooney.

The animated series are notable because they drew on the DC Comics of Batman as envisioned by Frank Miller, whose work heavily informs "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight." (Bale and Nolan were unavailable to comment for this story.)

As Batman has gotten darker, his voice has gotten deeper. As some critics suggest, Bale and "The Dark Knight" may have reached a threshold, at least audibly.

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On the Net:

http://thedarkknight.warnerbros.com

Comments

[HWNA]

Ah, leave it to the pundits to try to find something to criticize so they can feel superior to the phenomenon that is "The Dark Knight".

I happened to read these ridiculous complaints before I actually saw the movie, and while watching the movie I didn't see what the big deal was.

Bottom line: No one cares if you think the voice is too raspy. No one cares if you are cynical enough to take on the Batman franchise. And if Batman's voice ruined the movie for you, you were not paying attention. Take your Ritalin, plop back down on your couch and continue watching the advertising that passes for television programming these days.

I'm sure you'll find nothing to complain about.

[AdamInMaryland]

While I think Bale makes a fantastic Bruce Wayne and a good Batman, I'm not sure what I think about his voice...

On the one hand, yes it does mask his identity as Bruce Wayne very well.

On the other hand, it sounds like a cross between Scruff McGruff the Crime Dog and someone who has smoked two packs a day for forty years.

And remember kids: TAKE A BITE OUT OF THE BATMAN!

[CostaMesaJoe]

LMFAO......his voice over the top?

Perhaps it is.
Nevermind the fact that he is a millionaire in a batsuit who flys around and battles an insane clown and the mob. All of which is pretty mundane....

Go see the movie it is killer.

[iranter]

tis movie is a lot like obama. flash (violent) without substance. at the end you think, ok what the hell did i just watch for sooo long.

[congaboy]

That’s your issue with this movie . . . Batman’s voice? That’s it, the voice? You’re not concerned about the fact that no one checked the lower deck of the ferry on which highly protected prisoners were being loaded? You know, the lower deck that was some how filled from floor to ceiling with barrels of gas topped with explosives. Or how Joker was able to rig the hospital with enough explosives that he could level the building. And he did this in about two hours with no one noticing. Or how Joker drove in the oncoming traffic lane on Lower Wacker Drive and didn’t hit any oncoming cars. Have you ever driven on Lower Wacker? You nearly hit oncoming cars in you’re your own lane. This is like getting upset that the wicked witches feet curled up and rolled under the house after Dorothy crushed her to death.

[Swerinjer]

From the first movie you might remember he was taught to "use his anger" to fight crime. His voice is the only way to convey that when the face is hidden so that's why the voice.

BTW "using your anger" to achieve your ends is stupid because you're setting the stage for heart disease. I hope not too many impressionable people walked away from this movie with that idea....

[Prousa]

Clearly his bat suit is a little tight.

[TurgidCaterwauling]

I didn't like the way his hair was parted.

[CFAmick]

"Particularly when his rage boils over, Bale's Batman growls in an almost beastly fashion, reflecting how close he teeters between do-gooder and vengeance-crazed crusader."

That's why.

[honeydiva]

now that he may have smack his mom and sis around you want to criticize.­..laughabl­e.

[BackStJoe]

Oh how silly. A box office success, one of the best movies in history (unlike the horrible Titanic which deserves to be knocked off its tin throne) and this is the only thing you can come up with to bash it?
His voice? I don't remember complaints when he did it for Batman Begins.

[Swerinjer]

What's with all the titanic hate? That movie was good.

[CostaMesaJoe]

Probably because it is the gold standard in symbolism for love-starved women everywhere - who saw it 5-6 times (Which IS what propelled the movie).
A pretty sad reflection.

I still haven't met a guy who admits seeing it.

[lesterfreeman]

Titanic is leagues better than The Dark Knight. Not sure if you remember the immensity and credibility of that boat sinking into the ocean. Expertly crafted. Also, the love story had a classic Hollywood feel and was certainly more feeling and interesting than whatever comment on the "nature of the masses and corruption" the TDK was trying to make.

[PeacefulRevolutionary]

okay it was a good movie but you have to admit it was a little ridiculous with him blowing everything up in his way regardless of the safety of people around him, faking the death of Gordon for no good reason not to mention they never said how they pulled it off, or the product placement of Budweiser. It is in no way one of the best movies in history it is an entertaining film with the best part being the joker which was amazing. Much credit is due but it is a little hyped up.

[villain2]

Yeah, a bit much, but hey, what can you expect. The movie was good overall, but the voice was certainly noticeable.

The Dark Knight Does Monster Business

[JoeLosFeliz]

It didn't really bug me that much. I noticed it and figured he was talking like that so that people wouldn't immediately recognize him as Bruce Wayne (I guess that's obvious, isn't it?).

I don't understand what Barriosbabe's problem is with the film being like a good Law and Order episode with special effects. Law and Order is a great show and this latest Batman movie was at least as good, if not better.

[lesterfreeman]

She's (I think barriosbabe is a she) referring to the fact that TDK is ranked as the best movie of all time on IMDB (which is absurd). Law and Order is a brainless formula-based show with non-descript craft and limited dramatic satisfaction. In the pantheon of great film art that people want to put TDK into (Where Kubrick, Bergman, Francis Coppola, Welles, and Spielberg have all laid the foundation), being compared to Law and Order is an insult. Yet, it is an apt comparison for TDK. It is unfortunate what gets passed off as well made and excellent nowadays, and the dilution of the film art by years of television like Law and Order is certainly one of the reasons. I recommend Steven Spielberg's MUNICH to all who want to see a recent film that actually uses the medium to its potential.

[lesterfreeman]

I'd also like to add that not all TV is bad. MAD MEN and THE WIRE are both excellent and are obviously influenced by both good movies and literature.

[scurryscurryandyshere]

Batman has surpassed Eddie Vedder as my preferred voice for making jokes about bowel movements. Thank you, Christian Bale.

[barriosbabe]

The Dark Knight. Yeah, the voice was awful. What a movie though. It really depresses me. This movie was not that good. Okay. Like a good law and order episode plus special effects. The whole sequence with the fake clowns did not make sense, you could not tell who was who. The ending was unclear, they didn't even say what happens to the joker. The movie was well paced but pretty thin and I LIKE silly movies (really). It became the "best movie of all time" rate wise on IMDB. Oh, come on! I am an artist and the low tastes of people today, well, it depresses me. Everything is dumbed down.

[DrJimmy]

You should go see "THE DARK KNIGHT"

[Schallvain]

barriosbabe, I'm confused. Are you comparing this movie to art? I find it depressing when people feel that entertainment should be held to the level of art. Art is supposed to evoke emotion and have an affect on our senses. Entertainment is supposed to, as it is defined, entertain. Entertainment should be more of a simple pleasure versus an emotional experience.

As for the voice, I would imagine that Mr. Bale's throat must be a little raw after filming.

[lesterfreeman]

Ah, entertainment vs. art. They can, and should in fact, run along the same highway.

Examples of movies that made money, "entertained," and are brilliant pieces of art:

E.T., Jurassic Park, Forrest Gump, Jaws, Catch Me If You Can, Batman Returns, Wall-E, Terminator 2, The Godfather 1/2, The Lion King, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Close Encounters, The Back to the Future trilogy, The Game.

Do you think the Beatles weren't artists? They entertained and were popular, right?

Your differentiation between art and entertainment as "an emotional experience" versus "a simple pleasure" is really really narrow minded. You are way to confident in your understanding of those two words and basically giving a free pass for all those dumbing down the masses with diluted content. BTW, i would have loved to see a batman movie that was an emotional experience as well as entertaining (I'm SURE Nolan was going for this too). Didn't get one though.

[CJGibson]

Well if you like silly movies, no wonder you didn't care for The Dark Knight.

[iranter]

a man with so strong a moral streak would have offed the joker the first chance he got. he would have saved at least a billion lives!

[PeacefulRevolutionary]

i agree