When Siân Phillips speaks to her character's grandchildren in Welsh at the very end of the BBC series, that single moment alone is enough to prove that the series is the definitive screen version.
I live in the US so I never knew about the BBC series. I love the 1941 film. One main reason I love it is that my husband’s great grandfather and his brothers moved from Wales to the US to Pennsylvania to work in the mines. It created a positive image of the Welsh who were fairly unknown in most of the US at the time. The Irish and Germans had come in far greater numbers in the early years of the US growth. It is amazing it beat out “Citizen Kaine” in the Oscars. That fact alone shows that for audiences of the period, the film had a great emotional impact. In those years, there was almost no vulgarity nor were there gratuitous scenes of sexual content. Moviegoers read depth into simple gestures…eyes meeting across a room, for example. I am currently listening to an audio of the book recording done by the Library for the Blind years ago. It sounds to me the reader has a bit of a Welsh accent, thus even the words have a musical quality, much like the voices we heard in person over 20 years ago when we visited Blaine in South Wales where my husband’s ancestors lived. I think it is great you have done your channel about Wales in film.
Both very important adaptations of Richard Llewellyn's classic, it´s obvious you agree. The TV series went into more detail. I loved the Hollywood adaptation as a child, it was repeated several times on the TV when I was a youngster. Sue Jones-Davies as Angharad in the 1975 TV adaptation became a bit of a heroine of mine. An excellent adaptation that was broadcast throughout the UK with a powerful cast. I was living in London at the time, I was so proud to see it on TV. I'm not sure it would have that kind of exposure today! I´d love to see a remake!
I really enjoyed the 1975 version, and it encouraged me to read the book. The miners' cottages in that version also look more authentic for the period (the 1941 version doesn't look like the Welsh Valleys to me at all). Both simplify the characters - three brothers condensed into the character of Ianto in the 1975 version for example, and you don't get the sense of how young they were when working down the mine (13 and 15, if I remember correctly). But Sian Phillips and Stanley Baker were so impressive in the TV version.
So giving me the encouragement to dig out the 1975 version... Any idea where to start to start digging... One mind, but not sure I will agree with your 2-1 scoreline
Over here in the States, How Green is My Valley is a Kringle holiday tradition because my mum is from Cardiff. I love this excellent review contrasting the different strengths of each production. I am not sure about colourizing the original movie. It would diminish its essence as a period piece. I wish you would fix your shambolic audio that is drenched in delay like an old Punk song production. It is dreadful. Please get your arms around your settings to remove this and repost your review. The content is pretty good, but the delayed doubler effect up until minute 12:00 makes it unlistenable. It is like you have your audio from an earbud mixed on top of a condenser mic. Dreadful! Gah...
I am a musician with a fair amount of experience with home studio recording. Here is how to vanquish your reverberant uncarpeted living room recording environment. Place your microphone up close, and pointed towards your mouth. This close-micing technique will capture more of your voice and far less of the room. I hope it helps with your future vlogs. Cheers.
For the 1941 film's being in black and white, blame Hitler. 20th Century Fox intended to adapt Llewellyn's novel as a color epic to rival Gone With the Wind, and on-location filming was planned. That would have been ideal. Alas, World War II got in the way, and production returned to southern California, where the hills weren't exactly the kind of vibrant green you find in Wales, and accordingly the plan to film in color was dropped. I will forever wonder what might have been... I love seeing Sian Phillips playing such a strong sympathetic character, after having taken in her tour de force performance as the venomous Livia ("They say a snake bit her once, and died") in I, Claudius. The two performances together show what an amazing actress she was.
Wrong, wrong and wrong. 1941 How Green Was My Valley film was 10x better than the tv show. I relate with it more, way more. Even with the Irish and English accent. The characters do show how much of a community a Welsh mining town had. Don't forget the Welsh choir singing
I'm from Neath and love both versions but I make sure that I always look at them in a different way. The movie has all it's awards for a reason and the remake being done over episodes makes it stand toe to toe with it.
When Siân Phillips speaks to her character's grandchildren in Welsh at the very end of the BBC series, that single moment alone is enough to prove that the series is the definitive screen version.
I live in the US so I never knew about the BBC series. I love the 1941 film. One main reason I love it is that my husband’s great grandfather and his brothers moved from Wales to the US to Pennsylvania to work in the mines. It created a positive image of the Welsh who were fairly unknown in most of the US at the time. The Irish and Germans had come in far greater numbers in the early years of the US growth. It is amazing it beat out “Citizen Kaine” in the Oscars. That fact alone shows that for audiences of the period, the film had a great emotional impact. In those years, there was almost no vulgarity nor were there gratuitous scenes of sexual content. Moviegoers read depth into simple gestures…eyes meeting across a room, for example. I am currently listening to an audio of the book recording done by the Library for the Blind years ago. It sounds to me the reader has a bit of a Welsh accent, thus even the words have a musical quality, much like the voices we heard in person over 20 years ago when we visited Blaine in South Wales where my husband’s ancestors lived. I think it is great you have done your channel about Wales in film.
I grew up watching how green is my valley With My Father it'll be a film that will always be close to my heart❤️❤️❤️🏴🏴🏴.
Both very important adaptations of Richard Llewellyn's classic, it´s obvious you agree. The TV series went into more detail. I loved the Hollywood adaptation as a child, it was repeated several times on the TV when I was a youngster. Sue Jones-Davies as Angharad in the 1975 TV adaptation became a bit of a heroine of mine. An excellent adaptation that was broadcast throughout the UK with a powerful cast. I was living in London at the time, I was so proud to see it on TV. I'm not sure it would have that kind of exposure today! I´d love to see a remake!
Dai & Cyfartha 4EVR! 💜
I really enjoyed the 1975 version, and it encouraged me to read the book. The miners' cottages in that version also look more authentic for the period (the 1941 version doesn't look like the Welsh Valleys to me at all). Both simplify the characters - three brothers condensed into the character of Ianto in the 1975 version for example, and you don't get the sense of how young they were when working down the mine (13 and 15, if I remember correctly). But Sian Phillips and Stanley Baker were so impressive in the TV version.
So giving me the encouragement to dig out the 1975 version... Any idea where to start to start digging... One mind, but not sure I will agree with your 2-1 scoreline
walesinthemovies@gmail.com 😉
Over here in the States, How Green is My Valley is a Kringle holiday tradition because my mum is from Cardiff. I love this excellent review contrasting the different strengths of each production. I am not sure about colourizing the original movie. It would diminish its essence as a period piece. I wish you would fix your shambolic audio that is drenched in delay like an old Punk song production. It is dreadful. Please get your arms around your settings to remove this and repost your review. The content is pretty good, but the delayed doubler effect up until minute 12:00 makes it unlistenable. It is like you have your audio from an earbud mixed on top of a condenser mic. Dreadful! Gah...
I am a musician with a fair amount of experience with home studio recording. Here is how to vanquish your reverberant uncarpeted living room recording environment. Place your microphone up close, and pointed towards your mouth. This close-micing technique will capture more of your voice and far less of the room. I hope it helps with your future vlogs. Cheers.
If you haven't read the book, how can you sit in judgement of the interpretation of it?
I used a microphone, camera and some critical thought
For the 1941 film's being in black and white, blame Hitler. 20th Century Fox intended to adapt Llewellyn's novel as a color epic to rival Gone With the Wind, and on-location filming was planned. That would have been ideal. Alas, World War II got in the way, and production returned to southern California, where the hills weren't exactly the kind of vibrant green you find in Wales, and accordingly the plan to film in color was dropped. I will forever wonder what might have been...
I love seeing Sian Phillips playing such a strong sympathetic character, after having taken in her tour de force performance as the venomous Livia ("They say a snake bit her once, and died") in I, Claudius. The two performances together show what an amazing actress she was.
Yn wir. Go to the vid "Wales Doesn't Play Itself" on this channel to see that WW2 bit covered. Although I do think b&w adds a little mystery to it
The TV series was pedestrian , I could have made it. The John Ford film was inspired,creative ,poetic . In a different class
why didn't you then ? 😉
Money
And they never asked me!
@@johnmulvey5121 their loss innit
Wrong, wrong and wrong. 1941 How Green Was My Valley film was 10x better than the tv show. I relate with it more, way more. Even with the Irish and English accent. The characters do show how much of a community a Welsh mining town had. Don't forget the Welsh choir singing
1941's How Green Was My Valley is ARGUABLY THE MOST POIGNANT MOVIE EVER MADE. It was John Ford's favorite movie that he made.
right right right!!!!
I'm from Neath and love both versions but I make sure that I always look at them in a different way. The movie has all it's awards for a reason and the remake being done over episodes makes it stand toe to toe with it.