Runboard.com
Слава Україні!

Emlyn Williams: A Fan Tribute

Welcome to the Emlyn Williams Forum! This is a place to discuss the work and life of the acclaimed Welsh actor/writer/director.

Return to the Emlyn Williams Fan Tribute
(If for some reason the main website is down, please click here to view a backup copy.)

Board address: bemlynwilliams.runboard.com


runboard.com       Sign up (learn about it) | Sign in (lost password?)

 
htrm Profile
Live feed
Blog
Friends
Miscellaneous info

Registered user

Registered: 08-2007
Posts: 37
Karma: 0 (+0/-0)
Reply | Quote
The Last Days of Dolwyn


Emlyn Williams wrote, directed, and played a main character in The Last Days of Dolwyn.

It is one of my favorites of his movies, mostly because it is about a village that ends up under water.

Modern pictures can be seen of the dam in this movie by looking up Lake Vyrnwy on Wikipedia.

It is also a good opportunity to hear Welsh, which is used sporadically throughout.
9/9/2007, 8:50 pm Link to this post Send Email to htrm   Send PM to htrm
 
vampyrate Profile
Live feed
Blog
Friends
Miscellaneous info

Head Administrator

Registered: 10-2006
Location: Northeastern U.S.A.
Posts: 101
Karma: 0 (+0/-0)
Reply | Quote
Re: The Last Days of Dolwyn


I know, this is an awesome movie, especially if you love anything to do with Wales. The only fault I found with it was I was a little disappointed in the ending.

And also I was disappointed that he went and cast himself as the villain--even refusing to speak with a Welsh accent! As far as I know, the only place where you can hear him talking with a full-on Welsh accent is in The Citadel, although he lapses in and out of it on some of the Dylan Thomas readings. I would so love to hear him speaking Welsh (especially after he got me so eager to learn the language at the beginning of George), but I don't know if any recordings even exist of him doing so. In fact, one of the funny parts of Emlyn is where he's first going on stage and he's so nervous, he can't cover up his Welsh accent--he describes it with such humility and dry humor, like everything I've read in that book so far. At least you get to hear Richard Burton speaking Welsh--I so love the sound of it.

Anyway, I think the movie was quite an accomplishment for him. And I actually recognized that drowned village from an episode of the BBC documentary series from the mid-'80s, I think, hosted by Frank Delaney, called "The Celts." It starts off with Delaney rowing across that lake, panning backward to show the church steeple--and then goes into the history of how the English went to such unbelievable lengths to try to destroy the Welsh language ... all so vividly depicted in Emlyn's film.

---
"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'")
9/10/2007, 10:13 pm Link to this post Send Email to vampyrate   Send PM to vampyrate
 
htrm Profile
Live feed
Blog
Friends
Miscellaneous info

Registered user

Registered: 08-2007
Posts: 37
Karma: 0 (+0/-0)
Reply | Quote
Re: The Last Days of Dolwyn


I kept getting interupted when trying to post yesterday, and yet again a moment ago. At least the views count looks good now. So, as I've been trying to say...


quote:

vampyrate wrote:
And I actually recognized that drowned village from an episode of the BBC documentary series from the mid-'80s, I think, hosted by Frank Delaney, called "The Celts." It starts off with Delaney rowing across that lake, panning backward to show the church steeple--and then goes into the history of how the English went to such unbelievable lengths to try to destroy the Welsh language ... all so vividly depicted in Emlyn's film.



I am now going to have to find out if my mom has a copy of "The Celts". If not, hopefully she won't mind a slightly used birthday/christmas present. She absolutely loved it when it came out and has been a huge fan of Enya ever since, if not before. Unfortunately I was so young at the time (1987, but it was '88 or '89 when I remember it being on) that the music and a few scenes of water/landscape is all I really remember.


quote:

vampyrate wrote:
one of the funny parts of Emlyn is where he's first going on stage and he's so nervous, he can't cover up his Welsh accent--he describes it with such humility and dry humor



That reminds me of what I just went through with the film school acting auditions. I did fine on the first read through althouh I was literally shaking (my nerves are already shot), but the director wanted for me to try a different take on the character. I knew exactly what he wanted but was to nervouse to control my voice, so he described in detail how he wanted me to sound more seductive for the third try, and my voice still ended up sounding high and dry. At least they were nicer than the kid who filmed my campaign speech for high school class councel when I kept saying the wrong year even after 5 tries. The camera lacks the calming effect of being able to settle into a role onstage. I miss that feeling emoticon

Having tried to write this so many times yesterday made me have a dream last night about an ex from high school who had become very acclaimed across campus because of his talent in the school play. He was very intelligent and dark-haired-handsome like Emlyn, but last I heard hasn't gotten over his depression. Ironically, Emlyn's played a part of his success.

I've just started reading Emlyn so I hope it says something about how he feels about any difference between stage and film.

I wish he had made Full Moon into a movie, I want to watch it.

My favorite parts of this movie are:
1. When the boy offers to give him a ride in his wheelbarrow
2. When the preacher/driver offers to wait around so that they can see his "conveyance"
3. When he leaps over the wall and runs down the hill
4. The whole scene with Marri and Lord Lancashire (particularly the part when she walks in front of the camera because my mom's mom often moves just like that).
5. More than enough scenes to turn this list into a synopsis of the movie.
9/12/2007, 2:48 pm Link to this post Send Email to htrm   Send PM to htrm
 
vampyrate Profile
Live feed
Blog
Friends
Miscellaneous info

Head Administrator

Registered: 10-2006
Location: Northeastern U.S.A.
Posts: 101
Karma: 0 (+0/-0)
Reply | Quote
Re: The Last Days of Dolwyn


Glad you persisted and made your post!

Oh, that's right, I forgot Enya did the music for that series. I'm going to have to watch it again too now!

Whatever happened with your film school acting auditions? Did you get in? If you're involved in theatre, I'm sure you will enjoy Emlyn (at least as much as I read of it), as well as Headlong.

Now you've got me interested in reading about his depression (and how it played a part in his success) since I struggle with it too. I find him so inspiring. I can't believe he's not more famous. (I guess we just have discriminating taste, huh?)

OK, I'm gonna have to watch Last Days of Dolwyn again too now. (I only wish he'd given himself a more faceted role! I hate that he's the bad guy--with really no redeeming qualities. I mean, come on, some people made fun of him as a kid so he comes back to destroy the whole village? Doesn't seem like enough of a reason to me--I'd have liked to see him show at least a moment of remorse or hesitation, rather than the way he is dealt with. Still, I love the movie for its Welshness! Maybe watching it again will prompt me to pick up my "Teach Yourself Welsh" book again. I've been so lazy about it; it's tough to feel motivated when you have no occasion to use the language.)

This doesn't really qualify as a favorite scene, but, having read George, did you wonder if there was some kind of symbolic inside joke there in his naming the horse Myfanwy? (BTW, I think the way he's re-teamed with Edith Evans all those years later in David Coperfield is so cool. And now she's the boss, and he's almost like her pet! He's adorable as Mr. Dick. Oh, God, here goes that stupid profanity filter again, I'm sure; I already shut it off once, but it didn't stick!!!)

Last edited by vampyrate, 9/12/2007, 8:45 pm


---
"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'")
9/12/2007, 8:42 pm Link to this post Send Email to vampyrate   Send PM to vampyrate
 
Britmovie Profile
Live feed
Blog
Friends
Miscellaneous info

Registered user

Registered: 03-2009
Posts: 6
Karma: 0 (+0/-0)
Reply | Quote
Re: The Last Days of Dolwyn


This had a strange feeling when it all came to pass at Capel Celyn in the 60's. A valley was flooded again to supply water to quench the thirst of Liverpool.

Cofiwch Tryweryn!
3/22/2009, 11:46 am Link to this post Send Email to Britmovie   Send PM to Britmovie
 
vampyrate Profile
Live feed
Blog
Friends
Miscellaneous info

Head Administrator

Registered: 10-2006
Location: Northeastern U.S.A.
Posts: 101
Karma: 0 (+0/-0)
Reply | Quote
Re: The Last Days of Dolwyn


It's really sad to think that this was still happening as recently as the '60s. (Capel Celyn, is that the town that is shown in The Celts documentary hosted by Frank Delaney in the 1980s? Delaney is seen rowing across a "lake" much like the one that was the subject of Last Days of Dolwyn, as he introduces the institutionalized attempts to stamp out the Welsh language back in the 1800s. My impression after seeing that documentary was that Emlyn was rather generous to the English in his film, even casting himself as the villain. (In fact, it's too bad he's about the only Welsh person in the film who doesn't speak Welsh. I would so love to hear him speaking the language. I don't suppose any recording exists that anyone here knows of? In fact, it's rare that he even speaks with a Welsh accent in any of his films, except for a few lines in The Citadel.)

---
"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'")
3/22/2009, 7:31 pm Link to this post Send Email to vampyrate   Send PM to vampyrate
 


Add a reply





You are not logged in (login)

Original banner design
copyright © 2006 by Susan Dauenhauer Ciriello.
All rights reserved.

Return to the Emlyn Williams Fan Tribute