Dead of Night : Michael Redgrave sequence

Michael Redgrave sequence

Does Michael Redgrave do the voice of the dummy, Hugo?

If so, it's incredible.

If not, I've probably missed the point, but was curious the last time I watched the film.

Re: Michael Redgrave sequence

I don't think you've missed the point, if you mean did Michael Redgrave record the voice for Hugo. I too wondered this!

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Re: Michael Redgrave sequence

I checked the credits here and it says that John McGuire was uncredited as the voice of Hugo.

Re: Michael Redgrave sequence

I think that's a mistake. I read an interview with one of the directors years ago--he said Redgrave trained to be a ventriloquist and that WAS his voice doing Hugo. Also if you look closely during those scenes you do see Regrave's mouth moving just a little and the vocal cords working.

Re: Michael Redgrave sequence

John McGuire indeed provided the voice for the dummy.

Re: Michael Redgrave sequence

How do you know? Because of the imdb credits?

Re: Michael Redgrave sequence

No Michael did it. I agree, you could see his mouth opening just a little and his vical chords working. The story that the dummy was possessed is utter nonsense. And the bite marks? Frere did it himself. He opened and closed the dummy's mouth hardly. Anyone could see that. Frere was insane. End of story. Possessed dummies! Ha!

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Re: Michael Redgrave sequence

The imdb credit list doesn't specify that it was Hugo's voice that John McGuire played. Perhaps McGuire played the human Hugo who strangles Mervyn Johns in the cell at the end of the nightmare. (There is an all-too-obvious alternation between actor and puppet in this scene. However, in a dream, such alternations are possible.)

Re: Michael Redgrave sequence

Chalk one up for ccoutroulos! You were right about McGuire playing the human Hugo at the end of the film.

Just saw this movie for the first time on TCM and loved it! I also was very curious to know whether or not Redgrave was really doing the voice for Hugo because it did seem to me as I watched it that his vocal chords were being used and once in awhile his lips did move slightly. So I logged on to IMDB to try and find out. I came across this thread, which still didn't seem to have the definitive answer. I then checked TCM's Web site and found an in-depth and very enjoyable article about the film. Here is what it said about Redgrave's performance:

"More interested in playing a schizophrenic than in the supernatural ramifications, Redgrave mastered the art of throwing his voice with the coaching of Peter Brough, a popular ventriloquist on British radio. (Yes, you read that correctly.) Director Cavalcanti had wanted Hugo modeled after Redgrave but the finished product bore a greater resemblance to Brough's basswood nemesis Archie Andrews. (A 25-year-old dwarf named John McGuire was used for moments when Hugo was needed to ambulate on his own.)"

I trust this puts an end to any further speculation that it was NOT Michael Redgrave doing the ventriloquism.



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Re: Michael Redgrave sequence

Have just watched the Blu-ray and I also wondered if Redgrave provided the voice for Hugo. I thought the voice was exactly like actor Edmund Gwenn of the original "Miracle of 34th Street". I was so convinced that after the film I looked at IMDB's listings for Gwenn but this film was not mentioned.

As far as Redgrave actually 'Venting' I dont think so. IMO it was just part of his bravura performance that he was moving his lips and vocal chords and Hugo's voice was added later.

Re: Michael Redgrave sequence

No he didn't supply the voice, Michael Redgrave himself confirmed this. As for moving his lips and vocal chords, he did this to add to the performance.


Re: Michael Redgrave sequence

Coming late to this, but Michael Redgrave did do the voice of Hugo. He talks about it in his autobiography because it was important to him that Hugo sound like him. They even wanted to make the dummy look like him initially.

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Re: Michael Redgrave sequence

I'm glad that most agree that Redgrave did the voice---but...if he did the voice AS IT IS PRESENTED IN THE MOVIE--as an acting ventriloquist--rather than having the voice pre-recorded (the vocal cords moving and lips too don't prove he did it as a ventriloquist)--it is little short of miraculous. I'm never seen such a performance.

In fact, that's still true, either way.

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Re: Michael Redgrave sequence

Since it's not a live performance, but rather an editable film that doesn't require real time, having Redgrave perform actual ventriloquy would be senseless since it can be dubbed without any difficulty. It seems the skill to mimic an ever-so slight movement of the lips and mouth to mimic the ventriloquy without actually vocalizing anything would be easier to master than the rigors of artful ventriloquy.

Re: Michael Redgrave sequence

Of course that's true...shouldn't require any thought. But somewhere, Redgrave does say that he HAD done ventriloquy in his youth. (Which would account for the slight movement of his lips...when they do move...heh, heh.)

"Thus began our longest journey together." To Kill a Mockingbird
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