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

[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.
.

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