I guess I'd agree with that, Quinn.... while being exquisitely conscious of the fact that this very much falls into the class of 'making a virtue of necessity' - for, given the practically complete absence of anyone who can really 'do' Churchill's voice, it is a matter of practical prudence to give up the search :-) But notwithstanding this concession to necessity, I still wouldn't want Churchill's words read out to me by someone with, say, the tired and colourless voice of Neville Chamberlain! So while we must, it seems, accept that Churchill will be 'spoken' to us by voices bearing little similarity to the original, there is, surely, a limit.
On Wednesday, September 25, 2013 5:47:20 AM UTC+12, QBastian wrote: > > I am looking forward to purchasing this set. I too watched The Valiant > Years when I was younger and became fascinated by this great man. > > > > With regard to the voice actor, I have listened to many over the years and > have become convinced that it is not necessary to imitate WSC’s well known > speaking pattern or tones. I believe it is more important to have his > eloquent and inspiring words well-read rather than imitated. > > > > Best, > > > > *Quinn* > > > > * * > > *The information contained in this communication is confidential and > intended solely for the individual or entity named above. If the reader of > this message is not the intended recipient, employee or agent responsible > for delivering it to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that > any dissemination, distribution, copying or unauthorized use of this > communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this > communication in error please notify the sender immediately and return the > communication to sender.* > > > > *From:* [email protected] <javascript:> [mailto: > [email protected] <javascript:>] *On Behalf Of *PatFinn1940 > *Sent:* Tuesday, September 24, 2013 10:36 AM > *To:* [email protected] <javascript:> > *Subject:* [ChurchillChat] Re: 'Churchill', narrated by Sir Ian McKellen > > > > Hi, Grimsdyke-- > > I am definitely a great admirer of Churchill; I have been for as long as I > can remember. My earliest recollection of the great man is the > documentary series 'The Valiant Years', which I watched as a child. And > I also remember watching his funeral service on TV. > > Who do you think would have been a better reader of Churchill's words in > this particular documentary? I took it for granted that the person knew > what he was doing; as an American, I am not as well acquainted with > 'Churchill voice-imposters' as many British Churchillians might be. I'm > just curious. (And I am opening that question up to everyone here on the > board, BTW.) > > And thanks for your kind words. > > Pat > > On Tuesday, September 24, 2013 7:04:01 AM UTC-4, Grimsdyke wrote: > > Pat, I am an unashamed admirer of Churchill - as I guess you are. Whatever > our private stations and the lives we each lead, it surely isn't possible > for us to admire Churchill for too many disparate reasons, and so there > must invariably be - present in all of us who admire him - that deep > respect for courage and the unyielding allegiance to principle and honour > that the great man embodied. So I absolutely respect your observations > here, and thanks to you I have now bought this 3-disc set myself....and > have been watching (and listening) entranced. There is however one thing > about it that degrades the experience for me, and also (I feel) cheapens > the production in spite of all McKellen's gravity and skill in narration: > and that is the person who reads Churchill's words. He made me cringe and > squirm with something very near disgust. He labours so much to reproduce > the tonal qualities of the Original, that he sounded by turns like an > elderly coquette attempting to make himself agreeable, and by turns like > some valetudinarian monk trying to coax a juvenile congregation. His > wheedling voice and abominably exaggerated lilt (done with nauseating > frequency, and usually ridiculously misplaced) made a mockery of the > perfectly-turned prose that he was reading. Nor did he prnounce many of his > words the way Churchill did. One example is the word 'sure', which he > pronounces as "shore"; whereas Churchill always said "shoo-er". There are > many more. > > If one listens to WSC (the real man, that is) on the many recordings > available on http://archive.org/details/Winston_Churchill , one will at > once recognize, I think, what a sorry counterfeit this 'stand-in' is. > Churchill's voice is measured and direct. He doesn't wheedle in the > slightest. And whenever he allows a lilt to shape the last words of a > phrase, its aptness is self-evident, and wraps his words in a profoundness > that seems to come from the Ages. > I wish they'd chosen someone else to read the Great Man's words; or at > least had made him study Churchill's delivery more closely. This fellow > spoils it for me. > > On Wednesday, September 4, 2013 2:55:53 AM UTC+12, PatFinn1940 wrote: > > Greetings-- > > I'm wondering if any fellow Churchillians have seen the three-part > documentary *Churchill, *narrated by Sir Ian McKellen? It was shown on > my local PBS channel the past three Sundays. It featured interviews with > family members (Mary, Lady Soames, grandson Winston S. Churchill, and > granddaughter Celia Sandys), colleagues (Anthony Montague Browne, Evan > Davies), and descendants of colleagues (Lloyd George's great-grandson). I > noticed it was done back in 2003. > > I thought it was *very *well done. The person who read Churchill's > words was marvelous. It was like the great man had come back to life!! > > I must confess that I was very sad at the end, watching Churchill's > physical decline. There was wonderful clear footage of the funeral > procession from Parliament up through Whitehall. And when St Paul's > Cathedral choir was singing *The Battle Hymn of the Republic, *I 'lost > it'...and the tears really flowed during the procession on the River > Thames, as the dock cranes were lowered in tribute. > > I live not far from where Churchill's American grandfather, Leonard > Jerome, was born and raised. And that's a real honor to me. > > What are your thoughts on this documentary? Thanks. > > Patricia Finnegan > [email protected] > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "ChurchillChat" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected] <javascript:>. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]<javascript:> > . > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/churchillchat. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "ChurchillChat" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/churchillchat. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
