John Ogwen ‹ 6 Nofel

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-Subtitles	0:00:00	0:00:00
-Subtitles - -Subtitles	0:00:00	0:00:02
-My name's John Ogwen. I'm an actor.	0:00:45	0:00:48
-I'm heading to the village -of Trefor in Gwynedd...	0:00:48	0:00:53
-..for a very special reason.	0:00:53	0:00:56
-Keep your dirty hands to yourself.	0:00:56	0:01:00
-You have to get up early -to catch me out.	0:01:00	0:01:02
-That's what all you men are like.	0:01:03	0:01:05
-You like -stepping out of your chains.	0:01:06	0:01:09
-The novel I've chosen is Mis -O Fehefin by Eigra Lewis Roberts.	0:01:21	0:01:26
-Although it was published in 1980, -it wasn't until 1982 that I read it.	0:01:26	0:01:31
-A television director -called Alan Clayton...	0:01:31	0:01:34
-..wanted me to star in Minafon...	0:01:34	0:01:37
-..an adaptation of the novel.	0:01:37	0:01:39
-It was worth my while reading it...	0:01:40	0:01:42
-..before learning the scripts.	0:01:42	0:01:45
-I thoroughly enjoyed it.	0:01:45	0:01:47
-Eigra is one of our best -and most prolific authors.	0:01:47	0:01:51
-If anyone understands people, -it's her.	0:01:51	0:01:54
-She captures human nature perfectly.	0:01:54	0:01:57
-This novel is worth reading.	0:01:58	0:02:00
-Once I'd turned the first page, -I couldn't put the book down.	0:02:05	0:02:09
-The people were so interesting...	0:02:09	0:02:13
-..and the characters -were colourful.	0:02:13	0:02:16
-The relationships were strong, -hard, uncomfortable and good.	0:02:16	0:02:21
-There are many -different aspects to this novel.	0:02:21	0:02:24
-It's been very well written.	0:02:25	0:02:27
-I'd previously worked on plays -with director Alan Clayton for HTV.	0:02:34	0:02:39
-When he read the script...	0:02:39	0:02:42
-..he had me in mind -to play Dic Pwal.	0:02:42	0:02:45
-I don't know if that was a -compliment, but I relished the role.	0:02:45	0:02:48
-Do you know what happens to...?	0:02:49	0:02:50
-Do you know what happens to...? - -Get lost!	0:02:50	0:02:52
-What are you trying to do?	0:02:52	0:02:54
-What are you trying to do? - -Crikey!	0:02:54	0:02:56
-Another inch -and you'd have hit my head.	0:02:56	0:02:59
-In terms of -Minafon's viewing figures...	0:02:59	0:03:02
-..I think I reached a much wider -audience than I'd reached before.	0:03:02	0:03:07
-"For the first time in weeks...	0:03:14	0:03:16
-"..five, to be exact, -Richard and Lena Powell...	0:03:16	0:03:20
-"..were together at night.	0:03:21	0:03:23
-"Since the house was cold, they were -forced to sit in the same room.	0:03:23	0:03:27
-"They sat -as close as possible to the fire.	0:03:28	0:03:32
-"Gwen Ellis caught sight of them -as she passed by.	0:03:33	0:03:37
-"'That's bound to cause ructions,' -she thought to herself.	0:03:37	0:03:41
-"She called at Katie Lloyd's -next door to repeat the words.	0:03:43	0:03:48
-"'What's wrong?,' -asked Katie Lloyd...	0:03:48	0:03:51
-"..trying to maintain -the composure in her voice.	0:03:51	0:03:55
-"'He's back.'	0:03:55	0:03:57
-"'Who?' 'Who do you think?'	0:03:57	0:03:59
-"Without waiting for a reply, -'Dic Pwal.'	0:04:00	0:04:04
-"'You don't say?' -'I saw him with my own eyes.'	0:04:04	0:04:07
-"'Come with me -if you don't believe me.'	0:04:08	0:04:10
-"'No, I do believe you, Gwen Ellis.'	0:04:11	0:04:14
-"'You'd think -they'd at least draw the curtains.'	0:04:14	0:04:17
-"'Some people have no shame.'	0:04:18	0:04:20
-"But Lena Powell -left the curtains open...	0:04:20	0:04:24
-"..in the hope that Gwen Ellis -came by and saw them.	0:04:25	0:04:28
-"When she heard -next door's gate open and close...	0:04:29	0:04:32
-"..and the sound of footsteps -on the slate...	0:04:32	0:04:35
-"..the pounding of her heart -began to subside.	0:04:36	0:04:39
-"She could count on Gwen Ellis to do -the things she wouldn't dare do...	0:04:39	0:04:45
-"..shamelessly and easily."	0:04:45	0:04:48
-As the title suggests...	0:04:53	0:04:55
-..it follows the lives -of eight households in June...	0:04:55	0:04:59
-..in a fictional street -called Minafon...	0:05:00	0:05:03
-..in an imaginary town -called Trefeini.	0:05:03	0:05:07
-That's the basis of the book.	0:05:07	0:05:09
-We hear -about people's relationships...	0:05:09	0:05:12
-..and their problems.	0:05:12	0:05:14
-We also get beneath the skin -of the characters.	0:05:14	0:05:18
-We know where they live and -whose house is next door to whose.	0:05:18	0:05:22
-A row of houses -in a fictional town...	0:05:22	0:05:25
-..that could be anywhere in Wales.	0:05:25	0:05:28
-That's what makes it interesting.	0:05:28	0:05:31
-By now, Eigra Lewis Roberts -has written more than 30 novels.	0:05:34	0:05:40
-Understandably, she's a prominent -figure in the Welsh literary world.	0:05:40	0:05:45
-We're on our way to Dolwyddelan -to catch up with Eigra.	0:05:46	0:05:50
-"Sundays had always been -very lazy in Minafon.	0:05:54	0:05:57
-"Residents took the -seventh-day commandment to heart.	0:05:58	0:06:03
-"Back in the 1950s -it was rare to see anyone...	0:06:03	0:06:06
-"..between 10 in the morning -and six in the evening.	0:06:06	0:06:10
-"If you stood on the corner of -Pyrs's shop on Sunday evenings...	0:06:11	0:06:14
-"..at 5.50pm, just to be safe...	0:06:15	0:06:17
-"..you'd see them -heading to the high street.	0:06:18	0:06:21
-"Children in the front, some still -full of beans from the Saturday.	0:06:21	0:06:26
-"The women -would be tight on their heels.	0:06:26	0:06:29
-"About 50 yards behind the women -came the husbands and fathers.	0:06:29	0:06:35
-"They weren't angels - -not by a long shot.	0:06:35	0:06:38
-"There were several idiots -and more than one shark.	0:06:38	0:06:42
-"There were -plenty of rascals back then...	0:06:42	0:06:46
-"..like there are today."	0:06:47	0:06:49
-When did you begin writing, Eigra?	0:06:49	0:06:53
-At school?	0:06:53	0:06:55
-School itself -wasn't much of an influence on me.	0:06:55	0:07:00
-Home was more of an influence on me -and I began by writing poetry.	0:07:00	0:07:06
-After going to bed at night...	0:07:06	0:07:09
-..I'd shout down -for a paper and pencil.	0:07:09	0:07:12
-Mam kept the verses.	0:07:13	0:07:15
-They were written for fun, -but that's where it began.	0:07:16	0:07:19
-What inspired you -to write the book?	0:07:19	0:07:22
-I had an urge to write a novel.	0:07:23	0:07:25
-I wanted to write something -that I could get my teeth into.	0:07:25	0:07:29
-I wrote about people.	0:07:29	0:07:31
-I call them -ordinary/extraordinary people.	0:07:32	0:07:35
-Nobody is ordinary. -Every person has individual traits.	0:07:35	0:07:39
-I wrote about characters -with whom people could empathize.	0:07:40	0:07:44
-People we all know.	0:07:44	0:07:47
-Can you picture them?	0:07:47	0:07:49
-Do you -visualize scenes and people?	0:07:49	0:07:52
-Sometimes, but not all the time.	0:07:52	0:07:55
-I tend to hear people's voices -and the things they say.	0:07:55	0:08:00
-I'm led by my ears -rather than my eyes.	0:08:00	0:08:03
-I love writing dialogue.	0:08:04	0:08:07
-Everybody speaks so differently.	0:08:07	0:08:10
-You don't realize it -until you listen intently.	0:08:10	0:08:13
-Each person -has his own rhythm and metre.	0:08:14	0:08:19
-Some speak in short sentences, -others speak in long sentences.	0:08:19	0:08:24
-We all speak differently.	0:08:24	0:08:26
-When you heard about -the adaptation...	0:08:26	0:08:29
-..how did you feel?	0:08:29	0:08:32
-It came as quite a shock.	0:08:34	0:08:36
-I didn't write the novel with -the intention of it being televised.	0:08:37	0:08:41
-Things changed after that because -the characters had been established.	0:08:41	0:08:46
-It was very exciting.	0:08:47	0:08:48
-I said, "Yes, I'm interested."	0:08:49	0:08:52
-It's the kind of thing -you have to do in Wales...	0:08:52	0:08:55
-..otherwise someone else steps in.	0:08:55	0:08:57
-But it was exciting.	0:08:58	0:09:00
-I thoroughly enjoyed it.	0:09:01	0:09:03
-The bonus -of writing for television...	0:09:03	0:09:06
-..is seeing -the characters come to life.	0:09:06	0:09:08
-The one thing -I will always remember...	0:09:09	0:09:11
-..are the descriptions -of the characters' inner thoughts.	0:09:12	0:09:16
-That's one of the perks of writing.	0:09:16	0:09:20
-It allows you to convey -their innermost thoughts...	0:09:20	0:09:24
-..and peer into -their hearts and minds.	0:09:25	0:09:27
-.	0:09:29	0:09:30
-Subtitles	0:09:34	0:09:34
-Subtitles - -Subtitles	0:09:34	0:09:36
-Norman Williams of Ffilmiau Eryri...	0:09:40	0:09:43
-..was the producer of the second, -third and fourth series of Minafon.	0:09:43	0:09:48
-I remember reading the novel -for the first time...	0:09:48	0:09:52
-..and marvelling -at Eigra's linguistic ability.	0:09:52	0:09:58
-She's in the same league as Kate -Roberts in terms of her writing.	0:09:59	0:10:04
-Her dialogue is very special. -She never writes the obvious.	0:10:04	0:10:09
-Her characterisations are based -on people of flesh and bone.	0:10:09	0:10:15
-I'd say that's the -principal strength of the book...	0:10:15	0:10:20
-..and why it appealed to me -as a novel of substance...	0:10:20	0:10:24
-..and one which could be adapted.	0:10:25	0:10:27
-As a collective, -the characters are very special.	0:10:27	0:10:32
-If you wrote a list -of S4C's most-loved characters...	0:10:32	0:10:36
-..in a television series...	0:10:37	0:10:40
-..I'd say some of Minafon's -characters would be at the top.	0:10:40	0:10:45
-Start quaking, you rascals. -Pwal's back.	0:10:45	0:10:48
-You think mostly of Dic Pwal...	0:10:48	0:10:52
-..who was played so convincingly -by John Ogwen himself.	0:10:52	0:10:57
-Another of the characters -who appealed to me...	0:10:57	0:11:01
-..was Gwen Ellis.	0:11:01	0:11:02
-..was Gwen Ellis. - -I saw our new neighbours earlier.	0:11:02	0:11:05
-It's strange reading the novel now.	0:11:05	0:11:07
-The characters of Minafon -tend to jump out of the screen.	0:11:07	0:11:12
-It was a wise decision...	0:11:12	0:11:14
-..because the novel -is awash with many rich stories.	0:11:14	0:11:19
-That's what I discovered -from working with Eigra.	0:11:19	0:11:23
-When discussing the series -which followed the first...	0:11:23	0:11:27
-..I was responsible for producing -the second series onwards...	0:11:27	0:11:33
-..when I discussed -the stories with Eigra...	0:11:33	0:11:36
-..it's easy for a production team to -impose a storyline on a character.	0:11:36	0:11:41
-But Eigra would always say, -"Dei Ellis would never do that."	0:11:42	0:11:47
-"Gwen Ellis would never say that."	0:11:47	0:11:50
-It was a great learning curve...	0:11:50	0:11:53
-..working alongside an author -who knew her characters so well.	0:11:53	0:11:57
-"An overgrown kid, -relying on his blue eyes...	0:12:12	0:12:16
-"..to get him out of trouble."	0:12:16	0:12:18
-That was Richard Powell, according -to Eigra, and she was right.	0:12:18	0:12:23
-He wasn't a bad man -but neither was he a good man.	0:12:23	0:12:28
-He was a mix of both which made him -an interesting character.	0:12:28	0:12:32
-Richard was a hit with the ladies.	0:12:33	0:12:36
-Make a cup of tea, -there's a good girl.	0:12:37	0:12:40
-If I searched, -I'd find goodness in you.	0:12:41	0:12:43
-Search as much as you want.	0:12:43	0:12:46
-I had a fan club, -or at least Richard Powell did...	0:12:46	0:12:50
-..at the Aykroyd factory in Bala.	0:12:51	0:12:53
-They sent me pyjamas -with a sewn-up fly.	0:12:53	0:12:56
-They sent me underpants -with odd words sewn onto them.	0:12:56	0:13:00
-I received a sweatshirt -with "Follow me" on the front...	0:13:00	0:13:04
-..and "to bed" on the back.	0:13:04	0:13:06
-When I became a grandfather, -they sent me booties.	0:13:06	0:13:10
-He was a special character -for any actor to play...	0:13:10	0:13:14
-..especially one with blue eyes!	0:13:14	0:13:16
-"15 people -live in the eight houses in Minafon.	0:13:27	0:13:31
-"It was a troublesome June -for every one of them.	0:13:31	0:13:36
-"Who was sending -the anonymous letters?	0:13:38	0:13:41
-"What was the strange relationship -between Kate Lloyd and Dic Pwal?	0:13:41	0:13:46
-"Why didn't anyone -see Mat Parry and Os...	0:13:46	0:13:49
-"..and see how things -really were between Les and Pat?	0:13:50	0:13:54
-"And how Mati -was coping after losing Arthur?	0:13:54	0:13:58
-"What did the storm -on the Sunday night...	0:13:58	0:14:01
-"..do to their relationships -with one another?	0:14:02	0:14:05
-"A storm in more than -one sense of the word."	0:14:05	0:14:08
-"'Goodness me, Minafon has become -a right old common place.'	0:14:12	0:14:17
-"'Between them two, that bold -Murphy girl and her next door...'	0:14:18	0:14:23
-"Dei grabbed her from behind.	0:14:23	0:14:26
-"His hands sunk into her neck -and she tried to wriggle free.	0:14:26	0:14:31
-"But his grip was too tight.	0:14:31	0:14:33
-"'You're hurting me, Dei,' -she groaned.	0:14:34	0:14:37
-"'You need hurting. You've done your -share of hurting over the years.'	0:14:37	0:14:44
-"'Who have I hurt, in all honesty?'	0:14:44	0:14:46
-"'Everybody, in turn.'	0:14:47	0:14:49
-"'I don't know what you mean.' -'Don't you?'	0:14:49	0:14:53
-"Gwen remembered the stormy look on -his face when he left Katie Lloyd.	0:14:53	0:14:58
-"She should've realized before now.	0:14:59	0:15:01
-"That witch -had poisoned Dei's mind about her.	0:15:01	0:15:05
-"What on earth had she been saying? -'Well, what did she say about me?'	0:15:05	0:15:10
-"'Who?' 'That Katie Lloyd.'	0:15:10	0:15:14
-"She's the one -who's been sullying my name.'	0:15:14	0:15:18
-"'You've sullied yourself, Gwen.'	0:15:18	0:15:21
-"He loosened his grip.	0:15:21	0:15:23
-"She turned to face him -and gave him a gormless look.	0:15:23	0:15:27
-"For a second, she thought -he was about to strike her.	0:15:27	0:15:31
-"'I've a right to know -what she said about me.'	0:15:31	0:15:35
-"'She didn't say a word about you.'	0:15:35	0:15:37
-"'Nobody would ever dare.'	0:15:39	0:15:41
-"'And do you know why?'	0:15:41	0:15:44
-"'Because they're afraid of you.'"	0:15:44	0:15:47
-I'm looking forward to meeting -members of Caernarfon book club...	0:16:02	0:16:07
-..to see what they made -of Mis O Fehefin.	0:16:07	0:16:10
-Dic Pwal would be in his element!	0:16:19	0:16:22
-The ladies of -Cylch Darllen Y Cofi join me...	0:16:22	0:16:25
-..for the second time in the series, -though Mis O Fehefin...	0:16:25	0:16:29
-..differs greatly from Cyw Haul.	0:16:30	0:16:32
-What did you think of it?	0:16:32	0:16:34
-I enjoyed it.	0:16:35	0:16:37
-I read it years ago -and had forgotten about it.	0:16:37	0:16:40
-I'd forgotten the story.	0:16:40	0:16:42
-I like the way Eigra writes. -She uses vivid language.	0:16:42	0:16:46
-She portrays characters who -we're all familiar within society.	0:16:46	0:16:52
-The nosy lady...	0:16:52	0:16:54
-..the spinster, Dic Pwal, -the widow - they're all there.	0:16:54	0:17:00
-You've made a few notes. Things -have obviously caught your eye.	0:17:00	0:17:05
-I'd forgotten -how good the book was, to be honest.	0:17:05	0:17:09
-The language is rich -and she says profound things...	0:17:10	0:17:13
-..during ordinary conversations.	0:17:14	0:17:16
-I've written one of them down.	0:17:16	0:17:18
-I think -it's Mati Hughes who says this.	0:17:19	0:17:21
-"Nobody had -ever mustered enough strength...	0:17:22	0:17:25
-"..to avoid the bruises -which harden a person."	0:17:25	0:17:29
-I thought that was fantastic. I'd -love to be able to write like that.	0:17:29	0:17:34
-There's also a line here where -she describes Emma Harries's legs.	0:17:34	0:17:39
-She says, "Her legs never had the -kind of shape you'd want to keep."	0:17:39	0:17:45
-You suddenly realize -what kind of legs she had.	0:17:45	0:17:49
-Completely shapeless!	0:17:49	0:17:51
-I can understand how it was -so easily adapted for television....	0:17:51	0:17:56
-..because the character profiles...	0:17:56	0:17:59
-..had already been -adeptly thought out in the novel.	0:18:00	0:18:03
-It lent itself perfectly -for a dramatisation.	0:18:03	0:18:08
-It's interesting finding out -what happens behind closed doors.	0:18:08	0:18:13
-It made me think of Under Milk Wood.	0:18:13	0:18:16
-All these things -are going on behind closed doors.	0:18:16	0:18:21
-It was a claustrophobic community...	0:18:21	0:18:24
-..and the same thing -is true of this novel.	0:18:24	0:18:28
-The characters are being stifled.	0:18:28	0:18:31
-It's very interesting.	0:18:31	0:18:33
-What didn't you enjoy -about the novel?	0:18:33	0:18:36
-I was shocked how dark it was.	0:18:36	0:18:38
-The title -is Mis O Fehefin (Month Of June)...	0:18:39	0:18:42
-..but it was more like -a month of November for me!	0:18:42	0:18:45
-It's not at all light hearted.	0:18:45	0:18:47
-There was -an uncomfortable portrayal...	0:18:48	0:18:51
-..of how women were treated -during that period.	0:18:52	0:18:55
-Thank goodness things have moved on.	0:18:55	0:18:58
-She's brave in the way -she deals with certain topics.	0:18:58	0:19:04
-Although it was written -in the 1980s...	0:19:05	0:19:07
-..it's more adventurous -than other novels of the time.	0:19:08	0:19:12
-What was your favourite part?	0:19:12	0:19:15
-My favourite part -is the succinct portrayal...	0:19:15	0:19:19
-..of when Dic Pwal went up -to the mountain with Kate...	0:19:19	0:19:23
-..and ate those Welsh cakes.	0:19:23	0:19:27
-I could taste them!	0:19:29	0:19:31
-There was something -about the way he ate those cakes.	0:19:31	0:19:35
-I remember -the first time I read it...	0:19:35	0:19:39
-..I found it strange that -a woman as old as Katie Lloyd...	0:19:39	0:19:43
-..fancied an attractive man.	0:19:44	0:19:46
-I thought, 'Eurgh, yuck, an old -woman fancying a younger man!'	0:19:46	0:19:51
-But this time round, -I thought, 'Oh, yes!'	0:19:51	0:19:55
-The test of a good novel...	0:20:12	0:20:14
-..is that you enjoy it even more -on the second reading...	0:20:15	0:20:19
-..or the third or fourth reading.	0:20:19	0:20:21
-A sentence -instantly grabs your attention.	0:20:21	0:20:25
-A certain adjective...	0:20:25	0:20:27
-..or a very observant description.	0:20:27	0:20:30
-Mis O Fehefin is a special novel.	0:20:31	0:20:35
-Minafon is Wales to me	0:20:38	0:20:42
-People are the same everywhere	0:20:46	0:20:52
-"It's easy to blame the elements...	0:20:54	0:20:56
-"..and say it was because -it was too hot or too cold...	0:20:56	0:21:00
-"..or raining too heavily.	0:21:00	0:21:02
-"Who can prove there -isn't a wider purpose to a shower...	0:21:02	0:21:06
-"..which enables things to grow?	0:21:06	0:21:08
-"No storm, -in all its primitive force...	0:21:09	0:21:12
-"..fails to affect us -as it passes by.	0:21:12	0:21:15
-"Hearing it roar and threaten...	0:21:15	0:21:18
-"..is bound to play havoc -with our feelings.	0:21:18	0:21:21
-"Though there are -different severities...	0:21:22	0:21:25
-"..the storm -which passed by on Sunday 4 June...	0:21:25	0:21:28
-"..had a power of its own.	0:21:28	0:21:31
-"Afterwards, in a few weeks' time, -some thought that the storm...	0:21:31	0:21:37
-"..had something to do -with the commotion....	0:21:37	0:21:40
-"..that occurred -in Minafon that June.	0:21:40	0:21:43
-"Having thought about it, it seemed -a good idea to blame the storm.	0:21:43	0:21:48
-"After all, it was -always necessary to apportion blame.	0:21:49	0:21:53
-"And for those -who couldn't blame the storm...	0:21:53	0:21:57
-"..there was nothing for it but -to blame someone else, as usual."	0:21:57	0:22:02
-S4C Subtitles by Adnod Cyf.	0:22:28	0:22:30
-.	0:22:30	0:22:30

John Ogwen 6 Nofel

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