While Orlando is a male he retains a "female consciousness" and the voice over must thus be constructed according to this concept.
Both Sasha and Shelmerdine, though different in regards to gender, are essentially mirrors of one another. Both characters leave Orlando in the film. .
Conception of the "true man" during this time. Shelmerdine is extremely soft spoken, a stereotypical trait of women, while discussing the issue of masculinity while Orlando's voice is self assured and comparatively more forceful.
Gender isn't necessarily clear from the portrait. Clothes and hair are arguably masculine while facial features appear to be quite feminine.
The gender of the child is not revealed immediately in the film. Rather, audiences must wait until the helmet and goggles are removed before they realize that the child is a girl. The fact that the child's gender is concealed for a time nicely compliments the theme of fluidity of gender/androgyny as it is represented throughout the film.
Crisp's voice is really interesting. It's fairly androgynous which may be a reason why he was chosen for the role. His mannerisms also seem to be rather feminine as well.
