
Douglas Rain, voice of HAL, has died - rustcharm
https://www.mystratfordnow.com/56807/stratford-festival-founder-dies/#
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ak39
The deactivation of HAL 9000, a scene that took over 6 minutes of running
time, is one of the most indelible cinematic memories from my teenager years.
I have never felt more conflicted with empathy for and gripped by fear of an
electronic conscience since. In the scene at one point when HAL says "I'm
afraid, Dave", I'd almost want to stop Dave, but I am also simultaneously
aware and fearful that HAL may be manipulating the human!

I've watched many SciFi movies with similar themes - even ones where the
artificial beings are given faces. But HAL's baritone voice and the precise
controlled cadence did for evoking emotions what none could top. Douglas
Rain's voice and how Kubric used is an example of craftsmanship mastery at its
best!

RIP HAL 9000. I'll sing Daisy for you.

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sureaboutthis
HAL did not have a baritone voice.

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ak39
I think you’re right. I’m going to leave my embarrassment unedited for all of
internet history. (If anyone knows Douglas Rain’s voice type, I’d appreciate
some education.)

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ASalazarMX
I'd like to hear HAL in a baritone anyway. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, DAVE?"

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toomanybeersies
Apparently he never actually watched 2001: A Space Odyssey. I find it pretty
incredible that somebody could have such an iconic role in such an iconic
movie and never actually watch the finished result.

He's apparently not the only person to have done that either. John Williams,
the composer of the film score for Star Wars, has never watched any of the
Star Wars movies.

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sparky_z
I've never heard that about John Williams, but it's probably not quite the
same sort of thing. He must watch the nearly-finished rough cuts dozens of
times in the process of scoring (which is one of the last steps in the movie
making process). Then again, on the screen behind the orchestra, during the
recording process. By the end, he probably knows the movie by heart and isn't
excited to watch it yet again, just to see the last bit of polish.

That's pretty different from recording some voiceover lines in a studio then
never even seeing the movie they fit into.

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rbanffy
In that specific role, I'd direct him not to watch and to avoid getting too
much context in order to prevent emotion from getting into the voice.

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Jaruzel
Wishful thinking, but according to his bio, he's been in more than a hundred
film/TV roles, so there's quite a lot of his voice that's been recorded. There
would be enough for his voice to be sampled and re-created for an AI
assistant. Obviously this would require the approval of his next of kin.

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rbanffy
I think it'd depend on how fond of that role he was.

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mcjiggerlog
Damn, just yesterday I went to an exhibition about AI that heavily focused on
2001 and HAL. A truly visionary film. RIP.

For the curious - [https://espacio.fundaciontelefonica.com/evento/mas-alla-
de-2...](https://espacio.fundaciontelefonica.com/evento/mas-alla-
de-2001-odiseas-de-la-inteligencia/)

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Zealotux
I visited the Stanley Kubrick exhibition in Barcelona this week-end, the 2001
area is still the one that gets me the most, they were projecting the opening
of the movie, which is always breathtaking, but what got me the most is the
HAL wall repeating the lines from the movie. A great place to visit if you
have the the opportunity.

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js2
NYT published a nice article on Rain and his role in HAL’s voice earlier this
year:

“The Story of a Voice: HAL in ‘2001’ Wasn’t Always So Eerily Calm”

[https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/30/movies/hal-2001-a-space-o...](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/30/movies/hal-2001-a-space-
odyssey-voice-douglas-rain.html)

Discussion:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16734859](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16734859)

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vietvu
I only watched the movie recently, but still overwhelmed by how a 60s movie
can be so realistic. Rest in peace, your voice will forever be remembered.

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squarefoot
RIP Douglas/HAL. Yes, you will dream.

