MovieChat Forums > I Saw the Light (2016) Discussion > Problem is.....TH sounds nothing like Ha...

Problem is.....TH sounds nothing like Hank Williams.


Great actor, but the singing is waaaay off, Miscast IMO

Humankind cannot bear very much reality. ~T.S. Eliot

reply

Sorry to hear that you disapprove. Hank's granddaughter Holly Williams disagrees with you.

Holly Williams Weighs In on Hank Williams Biopic 'I Saw the Light'
Singer-songwriter reacts to an early screening of the film, starring Tom Hiddleston as her late grandfather
By Will Hodge September 28, 2015

Sitting backstage at Farm Aid 30 prior to her early afternoon set, Holly Williams was truly reveling in the moment. "I am beyond excited to be here. There are just no words," the singer/songwriter told Rolling Stone Country. "Farm Aid is something I've heard about my whole life and, as a performer, it's something I've always dreamed of doing."

For Williams, one of the day's biggest highlights was getting to share the Farm Aid stage with so many musical heavyweights, especially the festival's Board of Directors: "Willie [Nelson], Neil [Young], Dave [Matthews], and John [Mellencamp], all of the heroes are here, along with so many other amazing artists and friends of mine. . . We're legitimate Monsanto-hating, organic-loving foodies. So everything about this day is perfect."

In fact, while Williams is most often associated with the musical side of her celebrated family tree — her father and grandfather are country music legends Hank Williams, Jr. and Hank Williams, Sr., respectively — the philosophies of Farm Aid seem to fall more in line with her mother's background. "I actually grew up with my mom's side of the family, who were farmers and small town people from Mer Rouge, Louisiana. So from a young age, I was always taught about food preservation and supporting your local community."

Williams has carried those values from her childhood into her adult years. She has a personal friendship with the family farmers who sell meat, cheese and eggs to her own family. "My big thing is, you're supporting a family directly, there's no corporate involvement and you're preventing health bills 20 and 30 years down the line. So Farm Aid is just a huge extension of what we're already involved in at home."

While Farm Aid inspired warm thoughts of her mother's homespun influences, Williams wasn't opposed to also talking about her lionized musical lineage. When asked if she had seen the recent trailer for I Saw The Light, the upcoming Hank Williams, Sr. biopic starring English actor Tom Hiddleston, Williams one-upped the inquiry by divulging that she had actually seen the entire film the previous week. "I'm personally very happy with it," she reports. "The film's producer, Marc Abraham, is a friend and we talked with him throughout the entire process."

Williams admits she was initially a bit skeptical about the casting choice of the London-born Hiddleston to play her Alabama-born grandfather. But after viewing the completed film, she was ready to sing a different tune. "Tom really put his whole heart and soul into it. He worked so hard to embody everything about Hank, all of the nuances and who Hank really was. Tom put all his passion into his performance," she says.


Hiddleston wasn't the only I Saw The Light thespian for whom Williams had high praise: "Elizabeth Olsen, who played Hank's wife Audrey, was really amazing as well. I'm incredibly happy with the whole thing. I thought it was brilliant."

Williams is now working on a follow-up to her stellar 2013 album, The Highway, with plans to start recording with famed producer Dave Cobb in February of next year. Cobb has enjoyed notable success producing Jason Isbell, Jamey Johnson, Shooter Jennings and Sturgill Simpson, among many others.


http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/holly-williams-weighs-in-on-hank-williams-biopic-i-saw-the-light-20150928#ixzz3n3Sl5rlk

reply

So a huge commercial about Farm Aid..?

And who the fck is Holly Williams?

Dude was miscast. Period. End of story.

reply

Hank Williams died before any of his grandkids were born. Even Hank Williams Jr was only three when he died. So how would she know what HW was like? Not saying if the movie will be good or not, just playing devil's advocate.

reply

Tom's intention was never to attempt to sound exactly like Hank. He'd have driven himself crazy pushing for that impossibility.

reply

This
I'm sure...you wanna hear Hank,,,there's plenty of recordings. This is a movie about his life.

Hank's voice was NOT what made him an amazing legend. It was his lyrics.

reply

Sounding perfectly like him isn't the point. The point is a good performance. From what I've seen and heard, Tom Hiddleston is putting all his passion into doing this and really wanted the role. I'm willing to give the movie a chance before taking a dump all over it.




"It's better to be hated for who you are than be loved for who you aren't."

reply

I think the combination of finding someone who resembles him, who can act and sing similar would be very hard. I can overlook it if the acting itself is very good.

reply

Lou Diamond Phillips looked and sounded nothing like Ritchie Valens, but the point of his life and music was made in La Bamba, as it was with Hiddleston (who did resemble Willam's look and sound) in this movie (though to be honest the film needed way more HW songs; too stingy with them).

reply

The soundtrack was even more stingy with the songs, leaving out the title track and other songs sung in the film.

"The dream is to keep surprising yourself, never mind the audience." - TH

reply

Sh-t, and I just ordered it on CD. Hope it at least has Jambalaya.

reply

I haven't seen the film, because it isn't been shown within 100 miles of us. HOWEVER...I don't believe that ANYONE can sound like Hank Williams except for Hank Williams. Not even Hank III...sorry, he can't do it either. I don't think the singing is the story here, so I am willing to forgive the voice. I'd rather see an actor who maybe doesn't get the voice quite right but portrays this role brilliantly and honestly than suffer through a great Hank impersonator who cannot act. Now THAT would be a tragedy!

If I am lucky enough to get to see this film in the theater, which is looking doubtful, I am going for Hank's story, his life, where his music came from. Most people have heard his music...I want to be able to see some portrayal of the man. I want to see someone bring this man's character back to life and bring new appreciation that he existed the tragic short time that he did. It sounds like they were trying to keep this film faithful to his life without adding typical Hollywood embellishments for the sake of drama. I sincerely believe that Hank's life was plenty full of drama anyway.

If you want to hear Hank's voice, there are any number of CDs and box sets to have that pleasure. I own just about every recording Hank ever released, and have been listening to his music almost 50 years. The man was a talent and wrote and sang from the heart...something that most artists cannot do. If nothing else, I hope this film directs some people to seek out Hank's music, and discover the influence he had on just about every genre who came later.

reply

Yeah, because Joaquin Phoenix looked and sounded just like Johnny Cash. 

"If you're waiting for a woman to make up her mind, you may have a long wait." Preacher

reply

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxSwxYqMSw8


How I agree with you! The leads were horrid! I suffered through one viewing and promised myself I'd never have to watch it again! I promised the same thing with "Ray"!



(W)hat are we without our dreams?
Making sure our fantasies
Do not overpower our realities. ~ RC

reply