Microphones in Middle-earth...the BBC Lord of the Rings

[davem]

Originally Posted by Macalaure

One thing that was a bit of a let down to me in this episode were some of the voices, which all seemed to be perfect in the first episode. I'm afraid, I think Gwaihir sounds involuntarily funny, the Witch-King simply fails to be scary, and the praised Aragorn absolutely doesn’t fit my mental image.
I agree that Butterbur was excellent, though.

Well, what should a talking eagle sound like? I know what
you mean though. Perhaps its something that can only work in a book. I have to admit that I've listened to the series so many times now that I just accept the voices without thinking about whether they sound right or not...

[Macalaure]

Originally Posted by davem

Well, what should a talking eagle sound like? I know what you mean though. Perhaps its something that can only work in a book. I have to admit that I've listened to the series so many times now that I just accept the voices without thinking about whether they sound right or not...

I guess that everybody has a certain voice that he hears inside his head while reading the books, just like everybody has a mental image of the characters. But Tolkien usually described the looks in a little more detail than he described the voices, so the sounds of the voices are inevitably much more subjective. Considering that, it's amazing how many voices in this adaptation seem to sound "right" to the majority.

What I can't change, though, is that when I hear a voice that doesn't fit, it makes me feel less like inside of Middle-earth. That's why I'm bringing it up (also to see whether others feel the same). It's definitely much less of a concern than out-of-character behaviour, something which I'm glad I haven't come across in here yet.

[Gwathagor]

Originally Posted by Macalaure

I guess that everybody has a certain voice that he hears inside his head while reading the books, just like everybody has a mental image of the characters. But Tolkien usually described the looks in a little more detail than he described the voices, so the sounds of the voices are inevitably much more subjective. Considering that, it's amazing how many voices in this adaptation seem to sound "right" to the majority.

What I can't change, though, is that when I hear a voice that doesn't fit, it makes me feel less like inside of Middle-earth. That's why I'm bringing it up (also to see whether others feel the same). It's definitely much less of a concern than out-of-character behaviour, something which I'm glad I haven't come across in here yet.

I, like davem, have been listening to the series for a long time. While some of the voices sounded funny at first (e.g. Aragorn, Black Riders, etc.), I don't even think about it anymore. They sound completely natural to me now.

I think that Robert Stephens, Ian Holm, and Peter Woodthorpe are especially good in their portrayals of their respective characters (Aragorn, Frodo, Gollum).

[Lalaith]

I never heard the dramatisation, just the reading by Rob Inglis...
This is a bit off topic, but as a little girl, I used to listen to my mum's box set of Nicol Williamson reading The Hobbit. I still hear him going "smash the glasses and crack the plates" etc.....and his Gandalf was brilliant.

[davem]

Originally Posted by Gwathagor

I, like davem, have been listening to the series for a long time. While some of the voices sounded funny at first (e.g. Aragorn, Black Riders, etc.), I don't even think about it anymore. They sound completely natural to me now.
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This series is very much comfort listening to me. I heard the original broadcasts of 26 half hour episodes back in 1981, then the repeats about a year later, when they'd been re-edited into 13 hour long episodes. I've probably listened to this adaptation as many times as I've read the book, & in a way I see them as complimentary. I'd feel as lost without these cd's to hand as I would if I didn't have the book. I even hear the actors', & especially the Narrator's, voices when I read the book. I remember getting the Radio Times (that's the cover picture in my first post) & reading the article on the series. Sadly that copy has long since disappeared . The artist is Eric Fraser (who, btw, illustrated the Folio Society editions of LotR & TH) - one of the many individuals involved in the production who has since passed away - along with Robert Stephens (Aragorn), Michael Hordern (Gandalf), Peter Woodthorpe (Gollum), John Le Mesurier (Bilbo), Simon Cadell (Celeborn) , Jack May (Theoden) & Stephen Oliver the composer - & possibly others I don't know of....

BTW, I don't know if anyone else has spent a whole day listening to the series all the way through - I've done it twice, & I have to say its a wonderful experience, beginning the Quest in the morning, & ending with Sam's return to Bag End at night.

[davem]

In the first post I posted some links to reviews of/articles about the series, but the best one, by Brian Sibley himself on his own Website, had been temporarily removed due to site being updated. I emailed Brian & asked when it was likely to reappear, & he's very kindly put it back up (sans pics for the moment). Anyone wanting more background on the series can find it here
http://briansibleytheworks.blogspot....uction_23.html

[MatthewM]

Originally Posted by Macalaure

I guess that everybody has a certain voice that he hears inside his head while reading the books, just like everybody has a mental image of the characters. But Tolkien usually described the looks in a little more detail than he described the voices, so the sounds of the voices are inevitably much more subjective. Considering that, it's amazing how many voices in this adaptation seem to sound "right" to the majority.

What I can't change, though, is that when I hear a voice that doesn't fit, it makes me feel less like inside of Middle-earth. That's why I'm bringing it up (also to see whether others feel the same).

I agree with you. None of these voices match up to my image of the characters nor are they the voices I hear when I read the book (excluding perhaps the Hobbits). I haven't heard the adaption in full yet, but I do have 1979 U.S. adaption, and I will hold my opinions on it until I start a thread pertaining solely to it (which I plan to do eventually)! Although I will say that I was not too impressed with the voice selection of the '79 adaption, however I was pleased that I liked the voice actor they chose for Boromir.

Concerning the voice selection for this BBC adaption, I think they did a good job with the Hobbits. But I cannot stand the voice actor for Boromir, he is much too old and hoarse sounding. Gandalf sounds unconvincing and Legolas has no elegance to his speech. Gimli sounds like he has consumed too many drugs over the years.

Concerning the overall BBC, which I hope to contribute a little bit more in this thread, it is alright so far.

[davem]

Originally Posted by MatthewM

Concerning the voice selection for this BBC adaption, I think they did a good job with the Hobbits. But I cannot stand the voice actor for Boromir, he is much too old and hoarse sounding. Gandalf sounds unconvincing and Legolas has no elegance to his speech. Gimli sounds like he has consumed too many drugs over the years.
.

Well, thanks to Brian Sibley (see my last post) we have a bit more insight into Michael Hordern's Gandalf:

As for Gandalf, Michael Hordern - if the truth were told - never entirely understood what was going on! He was, for example, genuinely perplexed by the wizard's seeming demise in Moria during Episode 8, and asked Jane Morgan whether his agent had been wrong about the number of episodes for which he was required! When told that he would be resurrected in Episode 12, he simply grunted: "Splendid! Splendid!" and shambled away.

Nevertheless, by intuition or some other theatrical magic, he became Gandalf: by turn wise, stern and compassionate, a force for good, a constant light in an ever-darkening storm.

(Of course, 'episode 8' & 'episode 12' here refer to the original broadcast of 26 episodes)

I like the idea of him not really knowing what was going on! However, I agree totally with Mr Sibley - his Gandalf is perfect. As for Michael Graham Cox's Boromir (reprising his role in the Bakshi movie, along with Peter Woodthorpe's Gollum, & it would be interesting to know whether they were chosen for that reason) I 'liked' him , & as with Faramir, he is far truer to Tolkien's character than the more 'sympathetic' portrayal of Boromir in Jackson's movie. By coincidence Boromir makes his first appearance in this adaptation in Episode Three, which we're moving on to tomorrow. I don't see that he's too old - in the book Boromir is in his forties.

Still, this is a matter of personal taste. As I stated, I've listened to this series a good fifteen or more times over the years & I now simply accept all the voices without analysing whether or not they 'work'. When I put the CD's on I simply enter into Middle-earth again, exactly as I do with the books.

[davem]

Bit more on the artist who painted that beautiful Radio times cover (I think I read somewhere that Brian Sibley owns the original) can be found here http://buttes-chaumont.blogspot.com/...1902-1983.html

Fraser was 79 when he painted it & if you click on the picture you will see a beautiful enlargement.

Also another review http://www.squidoo.com/audiolotr

And this page has a lovely image taken during the recording, showing William Nighy (Sam) on the left, Ian Holm (Frodo) centre & (I'm almost certain) Peter Woodthorpe (Gollum) on the right.
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/tv/2006/...he_aftern.html

And one of Michael Hordern (Gandalf) left, John Le Mesurier (Bilbo), centre & Ian Holm (Frodo again) right.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/3...kien_radio.jpg

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

Merry sounds too high pitched in my opinion in the radio adaption for my tastes, but that is only me.

[MatthewM]

Originally Posted by davem

As for Michael Graham Cox's Boromir (reprising his role in the Bakshi movie, along with Peter Woodthorpe's Gollum, & it would be interesting to know whether they were chosen for that reason) I 'liked' him , & as with Faramir, he is far truer to Tolkien's character than the more 'sympathetic' portrayal of Boromir in Jackson's movie. By coincidence Boromir makes his first appearance in this adaptation in Episode Three, which we're moving on to tomorrow. I don't see that he's too old - in the book Boromir is in his forties.

Well I was only talking about the voice, not the portrayal. There I would of course agree with you. But Michael Graham Cox does not fit Boromir for me. Here's the thing with him being too old sounding- to be exact, Boromir was 40 years old when The Fellowship set out from Rivendell, and unless his birthday month (which no record is given of) was January or February, he remained 40 until his death. As Boromir was of high Númenórean descent, his life span would have been much greater than normal men. His brother Faramir lived to be roughly 118 years old, as his death date is given in Appendix A as being in the year F.A. 82. Undoubtedly Boromir would have reached a similar age if he was not killed. When looked at this way, Boromir was still in the prime of his life, having lived not even half of what Faramir lived to be. In fact, upon hearing of Boromir’s death, Théoden cried out- “Alas for Boromir the brave! The young perish and the old linger, withering.”

That is why I think M.G.C. was much too old sounding for a young character like Boromir.

[davem]

Michael Graham Cox (another cast member who has passed away - he died in 1995) was born in 1938, so would have been 40 when the Bakshi movie came out, & 43 when the series did.

Again, its a matter of taste & what sounds right to the individual listener. To me he didn't sound 'old', so much as gruff & haughty. As for 40 being 'young', I can only quote Indiana Jones: "Its not the years, its the mileage...."

Théoden cried out- “Alas for Boromir the brave! The young perish and the old linger, withering.”

I suspect most people would seem young to Theoden.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Just to add yet another ingredient to the mix, an excellent German version of LotR was produced as a radio play some 16 years ago: 30 episodes @ 25 minutes each. I remember hearing as many episodes then as possible, though I don't remember details anymore. I will check out the local library to see if they have a copy to refresh my memory.

I do own the BBC recordings of LotR, Hobbit, and Perilous Realm as well as the JRRT recording. I've been listening to The Hobbit to prepare for the German Tolkien Society's annual seminar in April, of which it is the topic. As the "minor works" were last year's seminar topic, I listened to Tales from the Perilous Realm a lot then. I will make an effort to re-hear the LotR in the next weeks so that I can contribute to this discussion.

[MatthewM]

Originally Posted by davem

Michael Graham Cox (another cast member who has passed away - he died in 1995) was born in 1938, so would have been 40 when the Bakshi movie came out, & 43 when the series did.

Again, its a matter of taste & what sounds right to the individual listener. To me he didn't sound 'old', so much as gruff & haughty. As for 40 being 'young', I can only quote Indiana Jones: "Its not the years, its the mileage...."


I suspect most people would seem young to Theoden.

It doesn't matter much, though, that M.G.C. was 43 when the series was created, because Boromir's age cannot be measured by normal man years. Boromir was not "old" by any standards. It is a matter of indiviual opinion, like you said, and M.G.C. just does not fit the bill for me. Boromir's voice, to me, was deep, strong, and clear. M.G.C. does not come across with those qualities in my opinion.

I don't think that comment on Theoden is too fair. He called Boromir young because that was what he was!

[Mithalwen]

Originally Posted by davem

I suspect most people would seem young to Theoden.

Boromir was also the same age as Theodred (who was 24 when Theodwyn died soon after her husband in 3002) and who was killed just the day before him... surely that would have been on his father's mind.