Constantino Romero

On May 12th one of Spain’s most iconic voice actors, Constantino Romero García, passed away after a long period of illness, five months to the day after he had announced his retirement to the Spanish public. While perhaps not as well known in the rest of the world, his death meant a lot to a significant number of young, and not-so-young, Spaniards, and for a simple reason: This was the man who gave voice to Darth Vader (Star Wars), Mufasa (The Lion King), the Man with No Name (The Dollars Trilogy), Thulsa Doom (Conan the Barbarian), James Bond during the Roger Moore era, any role played by Clint Eastwood, and a number of other characters from a number of other films. 

His tragic death, at the age of 65 after a long period of illness, effectively signified the loss of an icon both for fans of foreign-language dubbing and Spanish Geek culture in general.

Rather than give an extensive and detailed description of Romero’s career, which can be found on many places on the internet (among them Wikipedia), I will say that one thing that has made the man’s death such a loss not just to his fans but to the Spanish dubbing industry in general is the fact that he was very much a voice actor, and a singularly skilled one at that. It can be all too easy to dismiss voice acting as unworthy of the same consideration or praise as theatre or film acting since its realm lies mainly in animation or, here in Spain, films that have been translated and dubbed for a non-English-speaking audience. Those, however, who have tried voice acting will testify that it can be just as challenging as either film or television, and sometimes more so since the actors have only a script and a recording studio, and nothing else to work with.

To give a convincing, compelling, and above all excellent performance without another actor to play off of, or even without seeing what it is that’s happening or knowing how the character is reacting to a particular situation and how that might affect the tone or modulation of their voice, is something not only worthy of consideration but of outright praise. With extensive experience as a radio and television presenter, as well as in advertising, and blessed with a deep, commanding voice, Constantino Romero was able to give voice powerful and charismatic performances whether in film or in animation. He could be intimidating, powerful, quiet and reserved, or dryly humorous, but he was always memorable and his talent was always palpable.

To his fans Romero’s voice work, particularly when dubbing films, often not only matched the strength of the original actor’s work but in the opinion of some even improved on them.

Talented and possessed of good humour, Romero’s death leaves a void that cannot be easily filled. He was an icon to an entire generation of Spanish film-goers, and both he and his work will be missed by many.

Siempre tuve claro que lo mejor de mi profesión eran las personas. ('I've always known that the best part of my profession was the people in it.')

-Constantino Romero 

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A sample of Contantino’s Romero’s voice-work can be found here (Note: The video is in un-subtitled Spanish).

Edmure Tully

Soft of heart and soft of head.

-Gemma Frey. (George R.R. Martin – A Song of Ice and Fire)

Tobias Menzies as Edmure Tully in Season 3 of
Game of Thrones.

The book series A Song of Ice and Fire, and its television adaptation Game of Thrones, are full of supremely competent and commanding figures. Men, women, and even boys and girls who are either resourceful, charismatic, or cunning. Skilled and deadly.

Edmure Tully is not one of those men. As written by Martin in ASoIaF, and portrayed aptly by Tobias Menzies in GoT, he is instead one of those most tragic of things in a world as grim, hard, and cruel as that of Westeros: He is a good man, who tries his best.

He tries his best at being a Lord leading his House during one of the most destructive wars his country has ever experienced. He tries his best at being a battlefield commander despite not having any experience. He tries his best at being an equal player with other characters. He fails every time, and sometimes without realizing it. What’s worse is that he doesn’t just fail because he has no talent for any of these things – he actually does. He fails because he often does exactly what he shouldn’t, all the while believing that it’s the right thing to do, not just practically but also morally.

This bears repeating: In a world where being manipulative, conniving, and ruthless is not just recommendable but essential to survival, Edmure Tully tries to do what’s morally decent. And too often it’s exactly what he shouldn’t do.

That said, he's not without his flaws. He's impulsive, short-sighted, hungry for glory, and in the book series has a reputation for lechery. Yet despite his failings, or maybe because of them, he’s one of my favourite characters of the series.

Two moments seem to define Edmure Tully for me. The first occurs in the ASoIaF series, where he allows refugees to shelter inside the castle of Riverrun, When asked why, the grim, cruel world that Martin has built makes Edmure’s answer stand out all the  more:

“Because they are my people, and they are afraid.”

While this moment has not been (thus far) portrayed in Game of Thrones, the second has been: On the death of his uncle Hoster Tully, the former lord of Riverrun, Edmure must light his funeral barge as it drifts downriver with a flaming arrow. He misses his shot three times, and ends up being shoved out of the way by the more skilled Brynden ‘Blackfish’ Tully, who lights the barge on the first shot.

Both these moments establish Edmure clearly to the audience of both the book and the tv series. His first test as Lord is to light his uncle’s pyre, and he fails. He gives starving, frightened people a safe haven in Riverrun, and in doing so threatens the castle’s already-precarious food supplies. Later on he defeats a sizeable invading force, only to learn that by engaging them in open battle and forcing them to retreat, he’s ruined King Robb Stark’s chance to lure the invaders into a trap in which the leaders would have been killed and the army destroyed.  When told he has to go through with an arranged marriage to someone he’s never met, he naturally protests his lack of choice in the matter. He’s then threatened to do it, and rightly so: The marriage is seemingly the key to a vital alliance, and by refusing it Edmure is being selfish, even though most people might react the same way.

No matter what he does, no matter how he tries, Edmure Tully is more of a hindrance than a help. And this actually makes him not only one of the more sympathetic, but also one of the more human characters of the series, whether in the books or the show

"Sorry. I didn't know."

I suppose that’s mostly what draws me to him. Of course we love skilled heroes, and we love seeing them triumph against all odds. We love them being chosen by destiny or having a certain something about them that makes them stand out or go that extra step. 

However, I think at some point we all feel like Edmure: We do our best. We try and we often don’t do badly, but all too often it just isn’t enough. That’s not a message one finds very often in either TV or literature, and it can be difficult to pull off without coming across as nihilistic. 

ASoIaF, oddly enough, actually manage to avoid nihilism in this one case: Despite his failings, Edmure Tully keeps going. He stays true to his family, to his convictions, and in all the series he remains one of the few consistently morally-upstanding characters who continues to try to do what he believes is right and good, even when it would be easier for him not to.

Edmure Tully tries. He fails, but he tries. It’s easy to forget how important it is to try, even if it would be easier not to. If we believe something is worth fighting for, then the least we can do is stand up and try to fight for it. Our best might not be enough, but if we never even try we’ll never find out if it might have been, after all.

And even if it isn’t, Edmure Tully stands as an example of how that’s still not a reason to not keep trying.

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The trailer for Season 3 of Game of Thrones can be viewed here.

About Me

My name is Javier. A former journalism and film student, I’m currently earning my keep as an English teacher in Spain. Despite being born in Spain, and loving this country with every bit of my soul, I’ve been very lucky to experience the life of a globe-trotting expat more or less continuously since I was born, which among other effects has meant that I’m fully bilingual in both English and Spanish, and have lived and studied in a variety of different countries around the world.

I actually started this blog years ago, back in 2009, when I was studying journalism in the University of Stirling, in Scotland. Check out my first post for the reasons why I did absolutely nothing with this site all those years ago.

I have a number of different hobbies, not just reading, writing, and watching films. I also do Historical Re-enactment and Historical Fencing, which I discuss in my other blog. I’m also an avid fan of tabletop games and have occasionally tried my hand at musical instruments, mainly the piano and the flute. I also love sailing, especially in the Mediterranean, but unlike my father I wouldn’t be able to handle a paper boat in a bathtub.

This blog is mainly to express my thoughts and discussions on films, tv shows, music, books, videogames, and anything else that interests me, and which will hopefully interest you as well.

If you’re interested in checking out more of my stuff, why not check out my livejournal account, where I post my short stories?

If you’re interested in knowing more about Historical Re-enactment and Historical Fencing, check out my other blog.

Starting Thoughts

“Listen,” I said. “I don’t know from writing a book. I have all this stuff in my head I want to get down, but what do I write about first? Where do I begin?” 

“Start with the saddest thing you can think of and get the audience’s sympathies on your side. After that, believe me, it’s a walk.”

-Hollis Mason, 'Under the Hood'. Watchmen (Alan Moore - 1985).

In 2004, I was sixteen years old and Mar Adentro, by Alejandro Amenábar, premiered in Spain and then international theatres under the translated title The Sea Inside. Being interested in films but not nearly as passionate as I am now, I followed the film with interest mainly borne out of the buzz that it was going to be a contender for Best Foreign Language Film in the Oscars, competing against notable heavyweights like Der Untergang, or Downfall, and naturally being Spanish I wanted Amenábar to win simply by virtue of his work being Spanish. Childish, yes, but then again I was sixteen.

Normally at this stage I would describe the film to you. Its plot, its characters, the intended message of the director, but not only do I think I’d rather cover that in a separate review, to be honest that’s not ultimately what made the film important for me. I never stepped inside the cinema to see it and I only saw it when had been released on DVD and was being broadcast on television. Really, I could almost say that the film had almost no immediate impact for me.

Except one day, in my curiosity to discover what other people thought of it, I went on RottenTomatoes, and from there I discovered Roger Ebert’s review of the film.

Even years later, I remember what was written in Ebert's review, or at least in most of it. More importantly, I remember how it was written and its effect on me. Here was a discussion of a film not as a product of a technical process, not a cold evaluation its pros and cons like it was a piece of machinery just rolled off the assembly line, but as an experience.  An experience not only of another man’s life but of how that same life reached back into Ebert’s memories and experiences, conjuring up images of people he’d known, read about, knew about. When discussing the protagonist he mentioned Helen Keller, Luís Buñuel, and paraplegic students from his alma mater, the University of Illinois, and clearly held them in the same consideration. In the same level.

The review stuck with me. It still sticks with me. It was an evaluation of a film not based on a pithy-and-easy ‘Check it out!’ or ‘Skip it!’. It was a recounting of an experience, and how that experience had tied into a life. It was unlike anything I’d read before, certainly unlike any film review I’d read before.

I was hooked. For years I was a regular visitor to the site, though in the last few I admit I’d been dropping off. I read as many of Ebert’s reviews as I could, incredulous when he bashed a film I loved or praised one I despised, exultant when he lauded my favourites.

Later I learned of the full scope of Ebert’s career. Of his partnership with the late Gene Siskel and of the show At The Movies With Siskel and Ebert. While I've never seen a single episode of that show, it's strongly recommended by many as one of the best film review programs ever broadcast.

Later of course my influences changed and I widened my horizons, but I maintain and always will that it was Roger Ebert who opened the door to not only my now-much-grown and still-expanding knowledge and love for film, but for my love for film reviews, and it is no exaggeration to say that Ebert was and continues to be a major influence on me as a writer and aspiring film critic.

He’s dead now.

I start with this story, and by paraphrasing one of my favourite works of all time by one of my favourite authors of all time, to give you an idea of where I’m coming from. For the longest time I’d been talking about working as a film critic. Writing seriously. Doing something that I knew I would love. And for the longest time I did nothing, because ‘later’ always seemed to be a better time.

This year, we’ve lost a number of talented actors and writers, among them Ebert and most recently stop-motion master Ray Harryhausen (Jason and the Argonauts, Clash of the Titans). It is an unavoidable fact that the world of cinema, film criticism, and entertainment journalism in general, is changing irrevocably.

Now seems like a good time to start doing what I said I’d do.

This is a place for my musings on the strange, wide, and wonderful world we inhabit and the events that take place in it. In it’s a place where I discuss not just films but books, videogames, characters, songs, music styles, anything that I think can tell a good story, really, or at least give you something to think about.

I hope you enjoy the ride.

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Roger Ebert’s review of Mar Adentro (AKA The Sea Inside) from 2004 can be found here.