The American's can't do an accent.

The_Celtic_Bard · Post by **The_Celtic_Bard** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 12:50 pm

To name a few

Johnny Depp-Captain Jack Sparrow, Sweeny Todd, J.M. Barrie

Dick Van Dyke-Bert (Mary Poppins), Caractacus Potts (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) he didn't even try

some I just won't touch

There are plenty aren't there?

MTGuru · Post by **MTGuru** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 1:03 pm

The American's can't do plurals, either.

emmline · Post by **emmline** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 1:03 pm

Kevin Costner, Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves.

But I've found it interesting to note that in many older movies there is no attempt whatsoever made to adopt accents appropriate to roles. British seamen may have New York accents or just about anything else.

The_Celtic_Bard · Post by **The_Celtic_Bard** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 1:13 pm

MTGuru wrote:The American's can't do plurals, either.

whoops my bad

Post by **Dale** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 1:29 pm

emmline wrote:Kevin Costner, Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves.

.

That was the worst, I guess.

I'm not sure a guy in Alabama (me) is in the best place to evaluate, but I thought James Cromwell in "The Queen" sounded pretty authentic.

Dale

Post by **Dale** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 1:29 pm

emmline wrote:Kevin Costner, Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves.

.

That was the worst, I guess.

I'm not sure a guy in Alabama (me) is in the best place to evaluate, but I thought James Cromwell in "The Queen" sounded pretty authentic.

Dale

Post by **Dale** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 1:31 pm

Actually, authentic Southern accents are incredibly rare in movies and TV shows among actors who didn't grow up in the South.

Post by **Dale** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 1:31 pm

Actually, authentic Southern accents are incredibly rare in movies and TV shows among actors who didn't grow up in the South.

The_Celtic_Bard · Post by **The_Celtic_Bard** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 1:41 pm

There are a lot of things that could be mentioned *cough* LotR *cough* but won't be.

Innocent Bystander · Post by **Innocent Bystander** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 1:45 pm

Considering Johnny Depp's accent in From Hell was unremarkable, for Victorian London, maybe his accent in Pirates of the Carribean was deliberate. Then again, I didn't notice his accent in that (those) either.

They keep showing The Parent Trap on UK TV over and over again - both the Lindsay Lohan and the Hayley Mills ones. The one accent that gets me in that (the Hayley Mills Parent Trap) is Maureen O'Hara's Bostonian Irish accent. I don't believe anyone spoke like that outside of a film set. [/i]

Innocent Bystander · Post by **Innocent Bystander** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 1:47 pm

The_Celtic_Bard wrote:There are a lot of things that could be mentioned *cough* LotR *cough* but won't be.

You mean a Lotr of Thrings could be mentioned but won't be?

MTGuru · Post by **MTGuru** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 2:17 pm

Going the other way, I thought Kate Winslet's American accent in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" was phenomenally accurate. As a Long Island kid myself, I honestly didn't recognize her at first, she was so spot-on. Hugh Laurie and Toni Collette are others I find very convincing.

Research suggests that most regional accents throughout England prior to the 18th century were highly rhotic, with a strong pronounced "R", and more akin to what we might perceive as an Irish accent or certain West Country accents today. So the authenticity of British actors strutting through pre-1800 period scenes mouthing RP accents is about as suspect as that of their accent-challenged American counterparts.

s1m0n · Post by **s1m0n** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 2:20 pm

Dale wrote:
emmline wrote:Kevin Costner, Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves.
That was the worst, I guess.

It beats Tom Cruise in Far and Away.

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 2:22 pm

Can't do an accent? Hollywood can't even do an Oklahoma accent. Witness the non-rhotic accents in the film Oklahoma!

djm · Post by **djm** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 2:47 pm

But doesn't that depend on how schwauve the speaker wishes to appear?

And let us not forget the greatest American film character accent of all: Charlie Chan!

djm