MovieChat Forums > Jane Eyre (1973) Discussion > The Voice

The Voice

posted 18 years ago by sophie_amundsen
5 replies | jump to latest

Thisbeciel found a recent interview with Michael where he talks about his voice. :)

Michael has a most distinctive voice - dark, rich, resonant and thoroughly actorish. Yet in conversation the vowels of his native Nottinghamshire emerge through the Received Pronunciation. A member of the same local amateur company that produced Peter Bowles, Hi-di-Hi's Su Pollard and the film director Ken Loach, Michael won a scholarship to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.

"It's funny about my voice" he says. " I remember arriving at drama school and one of the teachers commenting that I listened to my voice too much. I assume he meant that I was a bit too much in love with the sound it made. Yet I was amazed when people compared it to Richard Burton's or even Olivier's.

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Bronteana Bronte Studies Blog:

http://bronteana.blogspot.com

[–] kenzie2 18 years ago

Well he does have an amazing voice, it's very distinctive. I do think at times his voice sounds a bit like Richard Burtons. I've heard him doing regional accents as well and he is very convincing.

Where does Thisbeciel get these wonderful interviews from?

[–] whentheskyisstarless 18 years ago

Actually I'm from Nottingham myself, my mum worked at his school, and I can hear our dialect within his accent very clearly. It's lovely to know that someone very dapper with R.P can still speak like my entire family.

[–] sophie_amundsen 18 years ago

It must be a lovely place then! :) I could listen to his voice all day.

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Bronteana Bronte Studies Blog:

http://bronteana.blogspot.com

[–] whentheskyisstarless 18 years ago

Well I wouldn't know about it being a lovely place, but as I'm biased I'll say so! I know the area where he went to school and it's just an ordinary village like every other part of England.

[–] lucy_snowe 18 years ago

Indeed, I am very partial to a rich actorly voice (Robert Donat's my particular favourite) and Jayston's is lovely indeed. It's not just one tone though, he can be light as well as deep.