That's tough to pull off, if only because everyone paying to see that movie is in the theater because they either want to like Batman or already do. Caine's Alfred is a man defined by the hope that Batman will stop being Batman. Sure, that might seem like faint praise in a movie that's monumentally goofy at best, but the fact that Gough could lend that much gravitas to a film like that speaks to just how good he was in the role. That said, he also provides the much-reviled Batman & Robin with a subplot about Alfred contracting a terminal illness that features some genuinely good work, including George Clooney's best moments as Batman. ![]() In the first movie, he was also a little too eager to lead strange women into the Batcave in hopes that he could marry Bruce off and, presumably, retire to a nice beachfront villa in Santa Prisca, and, by the time we get to the fourth, he's recruiting new crimefighters to join the team without so much as a by-your-leave. Unfortunately, Gough's Alfred never really seemed to get the whole "secret identity" thing. Wodehouse's Bertie Wooster stories, he was a butler who knew what his employer needed long before the employer did and was as capable of pouring a glass of water before being asked as he was hanging out in the Batcave remixing super-criminal stump speeches. Like Jeeves, the archetypal butler of P.G. With a voice and demeanor as crisp as his tailored morning coat, Gough was the perfect counterpoint for Tim Burton's vision of a Batman whose eccentricities weren't just limited to, you know, the whole thing where he dresses up as a bat and throws gangsters into chemical vats. It's easy to see why he'd have so much longevity. Raising a precocious, vengeance-driven orphan would be tough enough if all you had to worry about was getting to soccer practice on time, let alone having to deal with someone called "The Penguin." Gotham's take certainly isn't perfect, but Pertwee's performance manages to convey how much Alfred genuinely cares about li'l Bruce, even as he's going through the kind of over-the-top child-rearing struggles that lead to fistfights in the Manor-not to mention all the other weirdness that you get from trying to be a parent in a city where the mayor is a member of a templar death cult. He balances the proper demeanor of the Wayne family butler with hints of his working-class roots and his background as a soldier, showing him as exactly the kind of person who could conceivably raise the kid who would grow up to become the world's greatest crimefighter. In what is arguably the weirdest possible version of Bruce Wayne's childhood, Pertwee has to walk a fine line between serving as a father figure and a literal employee, and he actually pulls it off in a way that's compelling and believable. That's what makes Sean Pertwee's performance as Alfred so fun to watch. While the movies and TV shows to follow would feature a variety of new looks for Alfred, the comics have kept Austin as the standard ever since. ![]() ![]() When the character was introduced in the comics, it was as a hefty, clean-shaven caricature of a "gentleman's gentleman." After the serial's debut and almost inexplicable success, however, the Alfred of the comics took some time off for a " holiday at a health resort," and returned to the Batcave sporting a thin, mustachioed new look to match Austin's screen portrayal. What really sets Austin apart is that he's probably the most influential Alfred of all time. Like his comic book counterpart of the time, he provides a bit of comic relief, both intentionally-by freaking himself out by reading scary detective novels alone in Wayne Manor-and unintentionally, by being tasked with driving Batman and Robin around in what is clearly just Bruce Wayne's convertible with the top put up. If, however, you do find yourself watching Batman '43, perhaps as punishment for shoplifting or insurance fraud, you can at least look forward to one bright spot: William Austin's portrayal of Alfred.
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