vampyrate
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Acting (general)
A 1947 Picturegoer article stated: "Picturegoers have been wondering for all of fifteen years now why Willams fails to occupy the commanding position in films that he does on the stage. The mystery seems to deepen when one considers that he has been cast in some of the most important productions ever to issue from our studios--but invariably in a subsidiary role. Supporting part or no, he can steal every scene in which he appears from under the most distinguished stellar noses."
This topic is for general discussion of Emlyn Williams's acting talents.
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"It's all rather stylish and pretty and rather worrying" --Timothy Spall on his costume in Sweeney Todd
"He must have been fun." --Emlyn Williams (liner notes from "Emlyn Williams as Dylan Thomas in 'A Boy Growing Up'")
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10/15/2006, 10:40 pm
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vampyrate
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Emlyn the cad
In both "The Stars Look Down" and "Hatter's Castle," two of the three films in which he appeared that were based on A. J. Cronin novels, it seems to me that Emlyn plays virtually the same character. Both films are depressing (although "The Stars Look Down" features some beautiful cinematography, foreshadowing Carol Reed's brilliant work in "Odd Man Out"), and in both he is a selfish, two-faced, manipulating cad who capriciously ruins other people's lives for his own gain. It's as if he played the role so well in "The Stars Look Down," he was asked to reprise it in "Hatter's Castle" two years later!
I haven't read the book, but I was told by someone who has that the characer of Dennis in the original novel of "Hatter's Castle" is drastically different to the character in the movie--actually sincere and caring. I wonder if the screenwriters for HC were influenced by his work in "Stars" and just dropped the character of Joe Gowlan into Dennis's place in "Hatter's Castle." Hmm, is Dennis even his real name? He's never given a last name. Maybe now we know what happened to Joe, who disappears from the story after setting the fiasco in motion in "Stars Look Down"! ;-)
Has anybody else noticed the similarity between the two characters?
Williams plays a nice character--but only briefly--in the film adaptation of that third Cronin novel, "The Citadel." It's rare to hear him speak in a Welsh accent on film, and it seems far more pronounced in "The Citadel." (I'm *presuming* the coal-mining setting in "The Stars Look Down" is in Wales. [??])
He's played plenty of villains, but can you think of any other films in which he plays the manipulating cad type?
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"It's all rather stylish and pretty and rather worrying" --Timothy Spall on his costume in Sweeney Todd
"He must have been fun." --Emlyn Williams (liner notes from "Emlyn Williams as Dylan Thomas in 'A Boy Growing Up'")
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11/2/2006, 2:41 pm
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htrm
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Acting
He reminds me of why I had wanted to be an actress for over half my life, from watching the tribute video and the only movie in which I've seen him. Maybe it was the pioneering spirit of the silver screen, mixed with the not so high budget matched with high quality work of pre-computerized times. They were artists back then, and seemed to have fun doing it. Current actors don't have that effect. Now everything seems too serious, drawn-out, and fixed-up with special effects.
Something about Emlyn is so familiar that I must have noticed him when I was a kid. It was probably in Ivanhoe. I have always been partial to the scene-stealing supporting actors. A movie is not great without them.
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8/11/2007, 1:15 am
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vampyrate
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Re: Acting
Funny, acting was my first career goal too! Till I took drama class in high school and found out my stagefright was more like a phobia! I guess I've been living my dream vicariously ever since, through watching great actors like Emlyn Williams. (Also why I'm so intrigued by all the behind-the-scenes stuff. You really have to check out The Epic That Never Was. My favorite part is when he's laughing so hard you think he's going to hurt himself, and the director yells cut, and he instantly stands up and walks off with a totally straight face. To me, a great actor is like a magician, able to totally make you believe in an illusion like that.
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htrm wrote:
They were artists back then, and seemed to have fun doing it. Current actors don't have that effect. Now everything seems too serious, drawn-out, and fixed-up with special effects.
So true. Back then, actors all had a solid grounding on the stage. And even today in Britain, all the good ones seem to have come through RADA. In Hollywood today, sadly, that kind of training and experience doesn't seem to be a pre-requisite; the only thing that matters is a pretty, recognizable face, turning models and athletes into instant movie stars. That's why most of my favorite actors are British.
And tell me about the special FX! I'm so sick of movies where the FX totally overshadow any character or plot development (or merely cover up for their lack).
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I have always been partial to the scene-stealing supporting actors. A movie is not great without them.
Absolutely!
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"It's all rather stylish and pretty and rather worrying" --Timothy Spall on his costume in Sweeney Todd
"He must have been fun." --Emlyn Williams (liner notes from "Emlyn Williams as Dylan Thomas in 'A Boy Growing Up'")
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8/11/2007, 1:49 am
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htrm
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Re: Acting (general)
I hadn't even made it to my high school drama class before I started seriously considering other professions. I had realized in Jr High/Middle school that a quiet and reserved person such as myself wouldn't like the loudmouthed cut-throat environment. At least where I was at, at the time, kid's camps and school drama do a pretty good job at preparing kids for the ugly side of what's to come.
Drama class is also "why I'm so intrigued by all the behind-the-scenes stuff"---I don't know how to do the forum's quotes. That is probably part of why I found the boat scenes in "Jamaica Inn" so amusing. My local library has the book. I am looking forward to reading it and finding out how far Emlyn's portrayal of the character and the rest of the movie varies from the written. I wish they had some of his writings 
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8/11/2007, 2:28 am
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vampyrate
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Re: Acting (general)
quote:
htrm wrote:
Drama class is also "why I'm so intrigued by all the behind-the-scenes stuff"---I don't know how to do the forum's quotes.
Ah, all you have to do, instead of hitting "reply" (to the left of the message you want to quote), is hit "quote."
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That is probably part of why I found the boat scenes in "Jamaica Inn" so amusing. My local library has the book. I am looking forward to reading it and finding out how far Emlyn's portrayal of the character and the rest of the movie varies from the written. I wish they had some of his writings
I absolutely love that book! I hope you will too; it's one of my all-time favorites. But I think you'll be surprised by how different it is from the film! They changed a lot of stuff. I think Harry is probably portrayed the closest to the way he is in the book; Mary is not too far off. And ... well, you'll see. (There's no Squire Pengallan at all in the book! That character was invented for Charles Laughton. And Daphne du Maurier was not happy about all the changes.)
As for Emlyn's writings, you can download his play Night Must Fall via that link on the site--on the, you guessed it, Links page. And last time I checked, which was admittedly a few years ago, his books were plentiful and cheap on eBay. There are really only four major ones: the two autobiographies, the novel Headlong (that might be the hardest to find), and his non-fiction work Beyond Belief. You might even be able to find that collection of his plays there. (Also, keep an eye out on TV or check your library for videos of Night Must Fall and The Corn Is Green. I don't think he was very happy with the way they adapted Night Must Fall, but he was more involved with the making of Corn ... and it starred Bette Davis, so it shouldn't be too elusive.)
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"It's all rather stylish and pretty and rather worrying" --Timothy Spall on his costume in Sweeney Todd
"He must have been fun." --Emlyn Williams (liner notes from "Emlyn Williams as Dylan Thomas in 'A Boy Growing Up'")
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8/11/2007, 5:03 am
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htrm
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Re: Acting (general)
I think Granada Media owns the rights to a lot of his movies, and aren't exactly releasing them for us. You have to be in the industry to see their catalog.
Jamaica Inn is in the public domain (probably thanks to it being made by Mayflower Pictures, which I think Charles Laughton partially owned), but I think that others being sold online as such (i.e. Friday the 13th) are illegal bootlegs. As much as I dislike people making money illegaly I don't feel sorry for any companies that own the rights to movies they don't make available. Making the hard work that people did available to those who want it should be more important to them than stuffing their pockets.
We should make a list of Emlyn's movies that are or aren't public domain.
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12/15/2007, 7:51 pm
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vampyrate
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Re: Acting (general)
quote:
htrm wrote:
I think Granada Media owns the rights to a lot of his movies, and aren't exactly releasing them for us. You have to be in the industry to see their catalog.
Know anybody in the industry?? 
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As much as I dislike people making money illegaly I don't feel sorry for any companies that own the rights to movies they don't make available. Making the hard work that people did available to those who want it should be more important to them than stuffing their pockets.
Wholeheartedly agreed! I mean, what on earth are they "saving" them for?
quote:
We should make a list of Emlyn's movies that are or aren't public domain.
I wish I could help, but I don't know how to tell which ones are and which ones aren't. The only one I know is Jamaica Inn!
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"It's all rather stylish and pretty and rather worrying" --Timothy Spall on his costume in Sweeney Todd
"He must have been fun." --Emlyn Williams (liner notes from "Emlyn Williams as Dylan Thomas in 'A Boy Growing Up'")
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12/16/2007, 4:05 am
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