Andy Serkis audiobook-reading

Makar

Makar

Member
I have lately been listening to Andy Serkis reading The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.
Myself i have found them capable, but increasingy annoying.
Firstly it was the fact that he was trying to sound like the actors in the movies, but that is understandable so i rolled with it, except Bombadil which is atrocious But my main gripe is him doing the villains. The prime example is the Witch-King when speaking to Eowyn...thismust be heard to be believed.

I recently started with his reading of The Silmarillion, but i had to stop at Ainulindalë. And now i am afraid to continue listening, i was hoping that the more high prose would be more fitting, but alas it does not seem to be.

Any comments ?
 
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I’ve only listened to his reading of the Silmarillion and I only lasted a a few minutes. I couldn’t get past his pronunciation of Illuvatar. He stresses the third syllable ‘va’ which I found unbearable, although I could be in the wrong and that’s how it should be pronounced, I don’t know.
 
Which is very strange since precisely that one is of the few criticisms of the prenounciations i have read about the (excellent) Martin Shaw reading too.
I still have not gotten any further is my listening, i am highy doubtful that i will give Serkis any more chances.
 
Gent said:
I’ve only listened to his reading of the Silmarillion and I only lasted a a few minutes. I couldn’t get past his pronunciation of Illuvatar. He stresses the third syllable ‘va’ which I found unbearable, although I could be in the wrong and that’s how it should be pronounced, I don’t know.
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It could well be as "atar" is the main word here - meaning father - the compound word means "All-Father" - and so its stress is probably kept on the main word?

stress in Quenya:
The stresses employed metrically were those used in the normal pronunciation of Quenya. The main (high-toned) stress was originally on the first syllable of all words, but in words of 3 or more syllables it had been moved forward to fall on the penultimate syllable [second-to-last], if that were long; if it were short, it fell on the antepenult [third-to-last] irrespective of length, (as in éleni) (RGEO/60).

So the stress on the penultimate syllable seems o.k.
 
Odola said:
It could well be as "atar" is the main word here - meaning father - the compound word means "All-Father" - and so its stress is probably kept on the main word?

stress in Quenya:
The stresses employed metrically were those used in the normal pronunciation of Quenya. The main (high-toned) stress was originally on the first syllable of all words, but in words of 3 or more syllables it had been moved forward to fall on the penultimate syllable [second-to-last], if that were long; if it were short, it fell on the antepenult [third-to-last] irrespective of length, (as in éleni) (RGEO/60).

So the stress on the penultimate syllable seems o.k.
Click to expand...

Ah ok thank you so much for clarifying, it's good to know this. I'll have to read it in my head like this from now.
 
Corey is not on Shaws (or Serkis) side concerning the prenounciation of Illuvatar if i remember correctly.
 
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