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

[Mithalwen]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

Other characters are better in this, too, such as Galadriel's voice is nicer (I love Cate Blanchett but my only drawback was she sounded too deep, like Margaret Thatcher, as Galadriel ), Haldir is less camp (I kept expecting him to launch into a rendition of an ABBA song in the film) and Celeborn is not a cipher.

I noticed that Galadriel's arms are described too - so she must be wearing a sleeveless gown then? Might not seem like much of note, but I do like to picture what characters may be wearing...

Oh but while I think Marian Diamond does very well, I dont' thinkyou can criticise Cate since Galadriel is specifically stated to have a voice deeper than usual for a woman. As for the dress, I imagined wide floaty sleeves ... surely bit nippy for sleeveless in February even for an elf.

I like that there seems to be a fairly consistent elvish style of speaking - light and soft but not weak. David Collings voice is very distinctive but Elrond, Glorfindel and Haldir all tone. I must say from the discussions I got the impression that David Collings knew the books but couldn't get many words in edgeways . I don't think you could play an elf so well without knowing what was going on. Gandalf and Bilbo "fall off the page" so much more and have so much more dialogue.

Anyway I am sorry to ramble - and if I am repeating..I am not up to speed with everything yet but now I have got going again...

[davem]

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

Oh but while I think Marian Diamond does very well, I dont' thinkyou can criticise Cate since Galadriel is specifically stated to have a voice deeper than usual for a woman.

Well, they did use a bloke (Oz Clarke) to sing her Lament....no wonder he turned to drink

[Mithalwen]

No it was the fine countertenor David James. Oz Clarke did the baritone stuff - though I think in the production Bill Nighy actually sang Gil Galad and In Western Lands which are sung on the music tape by Clarke. Of course the counter-tenor range is similar to a contralto or mezzo but has a different timbre, and is also often used for "supernatural roles". Sorry to be geeky but this is the song that hooked me onto countertenors .... The purity of sound is presumably why Oliver used a treble rather than a soprano for A Elbereth Gilthoniel and Bilbos last song.

David James is a member of the Hilliard Ensemble which produced the amazing collaboration "officium" with Jan Gabarek,

[davem]

No - it has to be Oz Clarke for the joke to work.

[Mithalwen]

It would take more than that

Besides Clarke had already turned to drink by the time he was at Cambridge.

I'm a geek. Let me be.....

[Mithalwen]

Having been listening again and I am so glad that the gift giving was included in full. It is something that could so easily have been sacrificed to some extent but having seen the threat to the Shire in the Mirror, the box of earth gives hope for healing of whatever wounds may be inflicted. It also preserves a link to the larger mythology since the lone mallorn in the shire and the renewed white tree in Gondor are images of the Two Trees of Valinor.

[davem]

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

Having been listening again and I am so glad that the gift giving was included in full. It is something that could so easily have been sacrificed to some extent but having seen the threat to the Shire in the Mirror, the box of earth gives hope for healing of whatever wounds may be inflicted. It also preserves a link to the larger mythology since the lone mallorn in the shire and the renewed white tree in Gondor are images of the Two Trees of Valinor.

There are just so many 'little' things like that that a less sensitive adaptor would have thrown out. I was quite surprised to read that the BBC were negotiating the radio rights to LotR before they had an adaptor - or was that what happened? Was it the case that they were going for the rights & when they got them they would just have looked for a handy adaptor? I know Michael Bakewell was drafted in because he had adapted War & Peace for Radio 4, but was there anyone else in mind? I can't help thinking how lucky we were to have someone like Brian involved who actually loved the book & was prepared to include such little details.