One of my pet theories about acting is that at least half of the work an actor does is with his voice. That’s why the ranks of great leading men are filled with exceptionally powerful and wonderful voices (think George Clooney and Paul Newman and Russell Crowe and Alec Baldwin). British actors tend to use their voices to even better effect–probably because they pay more attention to the language. You show me a great Brit leading man and I’ll show you a truly great voice. (See: John Gielgud, Christopher Lee, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Bernard Hill, Brian Cox, Geoffrey Palmer–you get the picture.) Tolkien was obsessed with the power of voice throughout his Lord of the Rings series, particularly in the person of Saruman the White. Saruman’s voice is so powerful, we’re told, that it is able to suggest and shape the actions and thoughts of men. Here’s Tolkien’s description of “The Voice of Saruman”:
Listening to Barack Obama speak, for example at his victory speech tonight, it strikes me that this passage might just as easily describe him. I’d argue that at least half of Obama’s power as an orator comes from his voice, which is, by any measure, a beautiful and powerful instrument. Don’t get me wrong, he does a lot with cadence and timing (in addition to his message itself), but the native quality of his speaking voice is incredibly distinctive. I don’t know that I’ve heard a better one in the realm of politics. (And no, I’m not comparing Obama to Saruman because that would be silly. Because Saruman never actually beat Sauron. If he had, then maybe there’d be a parallel . . .)
