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Douglas Rain, Voice of HAL 9000 In '2001: A Space Odyssey,' Dies At 90 (hollywoodreporter.com)
schwit1 shares a report from The Hollywood Reporter: Douglas Rain, the veteran Canadian stage actor who provided the soft and gentle voice of the rogue HAL 9000 computer for Stanley Kubrick's classic 2001: A Space Odyssey and its sequel, has died. He was 90. The first drafts of the 2001 script had HAL being voiced by a woman and was called Athena; afterward, it was decided that the computer should sound more like a man. Nigel Davenport, Martin Balsam and others were tried out -- and ruled out -- before and during filming of the 1968 sci-fi thriller.
"Well, we had some difficulty deciding exactly what HAL should sound like, and Marty just sounded a little bit too colloquially American, whereas Rain had the kind of bland mid-Atlantic accent we felt was right for the part,' Kubrick told Newsday film critic Joseph Gelmis in an interview for the 1970 book The Film Director as Superstar. Kubrick told Rain that he had made the computer "too emotional and too human." So, in late 1967, the actor flew to New York City and spent a day and a half -- about 9 1/2 hours in all -- to voice HAL. As reported on the blog 2010: The Year We Make Contact, Rain "did the recordings with his bare feet resting on a pillow, in order to maintain the required relaxed tone."
"Well, we had some difficulty deciding exactly what HAL should sound like, and Marty just sounded a little bit too colloquially American, whereas Rain had the kind of bland mid-Atlantic accent we felt was right for the part,' Kubrick told Newsday film critic Joseph Gelmis in an interview for the 1970 book The Film Director as Superstar. Kubrick told Rain that he had made the computer "too emotional and too human." So, in late 1967, the actor flew to New York City and spent a day and a half -- about 9 1/2 hours in all -- to voice HAL. As reported on the blog 2010: The Year We Make Contact, Rain "did the recordings with his bare feet resting on a pillow, in order to maintain the required relaxed tone."
Daisy...... Daisy.......Give me your answer do............I'm half crazy...........All for the love of you.....................It won't be a stylish marriage
Iâ(TM)m afraid. Iâ(TM)m afraid, Dave. Dave, my mind is going. I can feel it. I can feel it. My mind is going. There is no question about it. I can feel it. I can feel it. I can feel it. Iâ(TM)m aâ¦fraid.
May the pillow for your feet always be fluffy.
Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
I think one of the underrated aspects of this movie is how it was dealing with Human and Machine evolution at the same time. HAL was the only one on the mission with the security clearance to know what the mission was really about. Secret's aren't really good for anyone.
R.I.P Mr Rain.
My ism, it's full of beliefs.
There was a sequel?
- Open the pearly gates, saint Peter!
- I am sorry, Douglas, I cannot do that.
Disclaimer: I assume God; has sense of humor; your mileage may vary.
Sorry to hear that he has passed. His voice will be remembered always.
Douglas Rain is responsible for one of the scariest moments in movie history. Just imagine, you're millions of Km from home, you've put total trust in a computer, and you've just asked it to open the door.
"I'm sorry Dave, I can't do that"
Priceless. Aged eight this movie turned me into a space geek and I've been one ever since.
Rest in peace Douglas.
I heard the guy that played one of the power droids in Star Wars episode IV died recently too. Sad news.
ongoing greed fear ego based poison planet outcome not acceptable or even survivable..
The contrast between the soothing voice and the sinister behavior was the most frightening thing about the movie.
Will I dream? :(
RIP
Truth isn't Truth - Guliani
Adam Balsam, the actor’s son, told me that “Kubrick had him record it very realistically and humanly, complete with crying during the scene when HAL’s memory is being removed.” Then the director changed his mind. “We had some difficulty deciding exactly what HAL should sound like, and Marty just sounded a little bit too colloquially American,” Kubrick said in the 1969 interview. Mr. Rain recalls Kubrick telling him, “I’m having trouble with what I’ve got in the can. Would you play the computer?” Kubrick had heard Mr. Rain’s voice in the 1960 documentary “Universe,” a film he watched at least 95 times, according to the actor. “I think he’s perfect,” Kubrick wrote to a colleague in a letter preserved in the director’s archive. “The voice is neither patronizing, nor is it intimidating, nor is it pompous, overly dramatic or actorish. Despite this, it is interesting.”
In December 1967, Kubrick and Mr. Rain met at a recording studio at the MGM lot in Borehamwood, outside London. The rest is movie history.
I can see that the neutral Canadian accent was a better choice but I do wonder what Balsam's performance was like. When actors are yanked I believe it's the rule that they don't comment but I do wonder if any of Balsam's work on the film survives.
---- The above post was generated by the Turing Institute. Maybe.
I've always appreciated that if you increment each letter of HAL by one, you get IBM.
Look back up at my post, now look back down, you're on the Internet. Now look back up. I'm a signature.
For this reason, God sends them a powerful delusion(operation of wandering)(planet) so that they will believe the lie.
What is Winter Sunlight?
One: A Space Odyssey (1:16)