Heard this today on Kansas Public Radio. I wish someone would do a biography of Etienne Houvet - he sounds like a fascinating personality. There is next-to-nothing about him online that I could find. Laughton also read a poem "The Dharma Bums" by Jack Kerouac that he described as having been a "religious experience" for the poet.
An amazing story from the great Charles Laughton. I moved because Chartres is one of the most profound places for me and Charles Laughton's depth of artistry is a high point in acting and anything else he did. No wonder Houvet chose him, even at that young age. I got to tour Chartres with the great Malcolm Miller, who while not a gardener, may have been Houvet's spiritual successor. Sadly, it was not a private tour...
I and a Muslim friend of mine took a day trip to Chartres when we met in Paris. Chartres was on my bucket list. I remember when we entered, my friend took and carefully bobby-pinned a pretty handkerchief to her head out of reverence. Chartres can do that to a person of any faith. Just magnificent. It is still a functioning Catholic parish - we stayed for 11 am mass.
This used to be the highlight of my Thanksgiving, listening to it every year as part of Public Radio's annual "Giving Thanks" program. Then the local public radio station in my city decided to give longtime loyal viewers the shaft by getting rid of most of its classical or ""highbrow" programming ("Giving Thanks" included) to make room for more "relevant" programming for "the Community."
Yes MR Laughton you were a great man a great actor a great true Catholic To my mother and I You were one of our favorite My fervent prayer is that you both are with your guide from Chartre and with my love ones In the true love of the cathedral of light in heaven
He went there at 19? He was born July 1 1899. So that would've been in 1918 or 1919. Suprised he could travel Europe with the war still going on or so soon after it ended.
war was over in late 1917. Travel btw Great Britain and western Europe went on regularly immediately after the war.... 19 is/was a usual age for young people (mostly men at that point) to travel "on the continent"
It wasn't his first journey to France. He had served in the Northamptonshire Regiment during the war. That he had been gassed during the war probably contributes to his not being willing to call that first French experience a holiday.
Whoever you are that posted this. Thank you. Something very beautiful here! and I hope many people will, by good fortune, get to listen to a beautiful story told beautifully
This is beautiful. There was a 2-disc recording of Charles Laughton reading, reciting, and relating observations. I was hoping you took this from that LP, which I think was called "The Storyteller." I loved listening to that. His voice, he expression, just hypnotizing. Thank you for posting this.
