Hollywood and Owain Glyndwr?

[Ceri Shaw]

Why has Hollywood not made a movie of the life of Owain Glyndwr? If they did who would play the lead role? Suggestions?

[gaabi]

I love Ioan Gruffudd in anything at all and he's just bone Welsh -
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0344435/

but I also think:

Timothy Dalton
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001096/
Not racially Welsh but born in Wales and makes both a good king and a good sleazebag, old enough to do Glyndwr at the end of his life and very charismatically attractive;

or

Christian Bale
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000288/
Welsh and an incredible actor but maybe too young

[gaabi]

Or, you know, Wesley Snipes

[gaabi]

If "Wesley Snipes" is too esoterically American to be recognized:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000648/
(well Ceri didn't get it!)

[gaabi]

Why Hugh Jackman? He's Australian and aren't his parents English? He did a damned good Wolverine but I don't think he's that great an actor?

[Cynthia Trippett]

So, okay, I'm new at this. But thanks to google, am a bit more up to speed. Hollywood seems to only produce what sells...but an actor? As long as he doesn't look like Charles.

[Lidia Ziolkowski]

Rhys Ifans would be a GREAT Glyndwr with Ioan Gruffudd as his right hand man--can't think of the name but there ya go!
Two Welsh studs in one picture--Lidia swoooooooooons! For sure!
Lidiaxoxoooxo

[Gareth Williams]

Ceri and I have thrown this idea about a lot. My personal view is that the Welsh have merged or blended into the background, quietly and industriously. Wheras the Scots and Irish are louder and brasher and had greater strength in numbers going across the big pond.
It was a good film but I hated the Welsh stereotyped portrayal in 'The Molly Maguires' with the late great Rich Harris, and Frank Finley as the Uncle Tom foreman Welshman, three bags full sir to the mine owners. Elements of truth in it of course. We'd been exploited so much at home I suppose so this was a fresh start in a new land of opportunity, so if we cant beat the capitalist why not join them attitude must have prevailed. That and our non conformist attitude to work ethic and drink led us not to associate with the wild Irish. The mine owners saw us a soberer lot I guess. And Hollywood was later to punish us for this in that film.
Anyways, back to OG. As a soldier who knows minor tactics, the man must stand as one of the top 10 generals in history. He had at his most powerful a battlegroup of no more than 2000 men to play his hand with but to economies of scale he played them as well as Alexander did at various points. So why the Hollywood shyness?
Any script that involves English oppressing Micks or Jocks goes down great with their box offices across the water. The Taff bums on cine seats is not as big a dollar I guess. And Hollywood=Dollar not historical accuracy or integrity.
POINT TO NOTE: At Wallaces defeat at Falkirk, 10,000 of Longshanks 12,000 infantry were Welsh! And up until the night before, a large part of that force were 50/50 as who to fight for. Longshanks shrewdly delivered 200 barrels of ale into the Welsh camp and as this was well before Calvin and the 'efengylwyr' of the 19th century, we got pissed and kicked some Scots ass in the morning!!!! HOORAY. HA, BLOOD, BEER, HAIRY SCOTTISH WOMEN. Longshanks understood the Welsh male psyche obviously.
Gaz

[gaabi]

The thing that's lacking is the good, exciting script. If that's had and sold, then there's a movie that can be cast. What's the story of Owain Glyndwyr? How can that be distilled into concepts you can make a film out of? (only 90 minutes to tell about someone and their life) What's the main thing to tell people about him as a person and then the main thing to tell people that he did?

Following are some generalities that are my opinion and have also been true of me:

Americans don't know they're Welsh. If you asked most Americans what Welsh family names like Williams, Davis, Davies, Evans, Thomas, etc, are they'll say "They're American," and when you press for what country they originally came from they'll guess that either someone at Ellis Island made those up or they're English names. I know because I've been doing this survey for several years. That and who's Welsh in American history always surprises people because we don't learn it: "Thomas Jefferson, no shit?" and many signers of the Declaration of Independence.

I think this is partially so, and the lack of notice of Wales and the Welsh in America, because Welsh people are quiet, they don't boast, it's not in their character to draw everyone's attention to them themselves or the things they've done. It's more in their character to do whatever they're doing and get on to something else when it's done and why would you go on about that, it's done anyway? I had an Irish friend and he would go on at me about how the Irish never gave in, never stopped fighting and how his ancestors suffered as a result and the Welsh didn't experience that and there was even Welsh kings of England and I always said that we just didn't yell about it like he did and we were smarter, worked in the system and got a king or two and which was more effective? (never mind the Irish sea and all that other stuff...)

Ceri and I have the americymru.com site and we've been talking for a long time about how to raise awareness in the US about being Welsh and what it is and how cool it is and we have a lot of ideas and some in progress. We have a great idea for a goofy Eisteddfod, which I think would go over FANTASTICALLY here in Portland, given its local character, and to start something like that in the schools, especially here where artistic creativity is the most prized thing.

Other countries and cultures have qualities and characters that people think of and admire and recognize, what are Welsh? I think some of it is the quality of creative imagination and creativity, the many interesting brilliant polymath eccentrics and original forward thinkers, Wales leading a quiet and unrelenting battle for class equity, fearlessness and tenacious ability to grab something and work hard at it until it's conquered, that historical stereotype of being sneaky and untrustworthy is really being smarter and faster than those big loud Saxon types and thinking rings around them, etc. It's not that Taffy's sneaky, he's just sick and tired of waiting for you to figure out what the f**k he's talking about!

[Gareth Williams]

Wow. Outstanding.
Gaz

[gaabi]

Thanks (assuming you didn't mean "wow, that chick can't shut up!").

What does anyone think a movie should tell people about Owain Glyndwyr and being Welsh?

And I like Rhys Ifans, too. I think he's a fantastic actor and would do a great job. Anybody else?

[gaabi]

:( That should be part of state history in the elementary schools. I want to start a student eisteddfod at my sons' school - like a talent show but Welsh themed, on St David's Day (and of course we'll mention Meriwether Lewis, practically a god in Oregon), and then try to turn it into a system-wide practice.

You ought to research that colony and write something for the schools on it? They might really like something else to add to their state history curriculum. LOL, elementary school US history here is practically "There was a disagreement with Britain but we like them ok today, then Lewis and Clark and Sacagawea came here in great detail all the way to the coast and stayed awhile until they had to go back to the east coast for some reason and then the Pioneers came on the Oregon trail in great detail and now we're Oregon."

My grandparents never said a thing about it until my mother took my grandmother to the UK after grandad had died. They found a hill in Wales called Bubb Hill (grandad's family name) and I was all excited and then she said oh yes, his family's Welsh and mine, too, and that was it on it, that's all we ever heard.

[gaabi]

Did you know that Janice Gattis on here is the person from the Alabama Welsh Association and she has been leading the effort there to restore this plaque? Ceri was also helping on that and there's a ton of stuff on the americymru.blogspot.com.

You could start a forum on here on that to discuss that whole issue, a very interesting story.

My personal belief on Madoc is that there's no proof that it happened and no proof that it didn't. My personal belief is also that, if it isn't true, it doesn't matter and that doesn't detract from it's historical significance because of the way that it inspired Americans (like Thomas Jefferson) in our history and it's a great story. If it isn't true, it's a great testament to the Welsh bullshit gene, or gift with dreams.

Start a forum on it and post about him being buried at Bat Creek - I never heard that, where does that come from?