nederlander Posted February 3, 2009 Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 Just read an interesting article on the use of accents in Hollywood films, which was brought to light after the cast of Valkyrie used their own accents despite playing Nazi German officers. Despite not having seen the film I'm goin to go out on a limb and say it was probably a wise choice, as there's not much worse than a really dodgy accent. If they had gone down that route then they would have been better to have them all speak German and have the film subtitled. What do you all think on this subject? A link to the article http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7860531.stm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MuckleJoannie Posted February 3, 2009 Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 To hear actors with dodgy accents trying to sound foreign you only need to remember Allo Allo. Some of you may also recall the BBC soap Eldoradohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eldorado_(TV_series) (Apologies about the URL but Shetlink doesn't seem to like the correct one) while the attempt to appear more 'European' by having people speaking other languages without subtitles or bizarre/unconvincing accents was met by viewers with incomprehension and ridicule I think if you are watching any film or tv programe there is a suspension of disbelief anyway. I'm one of those people who constantly notice small errors in films so I think understanding the actors rather than laughing at their attempts to sound authentic is better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fjool Posted February 3, 2009 Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 Allo Allo was a sitcom and much of the humour was deliberately around the bad accents, so I don't really think you can hold that up as an example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marooned in Maywick Posted February 3, 2009 Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 Allo Allo was a sitcom and much of the humour was deliberately around the bad accents, so I don't really think you can hold that up as an example. Agree...'Good moaning' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EM Posted February 3, 2009 Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 What do you all think on this subject?I think that the overall accent skills of actors today is much higher than it used to be. Not just specialist character actors, but the A-list too. For example, when I first saw Paltrow in "Sliding doors" I had no idea she was American, she seemed to have the English sounding real enough for me to be fooled. It comes down to whether it sounds jarring, and that depends on the actors skill, as well as the listener's experience (being familiar with the attempted accent) and expectation. I remember finding Pete Postlethwaite's middle eastern Mr. Kobayashi accent in "The usual suspects" difficult because it sounded so absurd coming from him. Might have been a perfect accent technically but it seemed wrong coming from Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeAyBee Posted February 3, 2009 Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 Much depends on the film and the quality of the actors - anyone remember the horror of Ernest Borgnine's Scandinavian accent in the Vikings? Dick Van Dyke's Cork-kenny? Sean Connery's Russian in the Hunt for Red October? Sometimes, I'd prefer to have a native language with subtitles if the part called for a foreigner rather than insult the intelligence of a watching nation and offend the sensibilities of the portrayed nation. Bram Stoker's Dracula - Gary Oldman did a reasonably authentic Romanian accent as the Count and Jonathan Harker played by Keanu Reeves had an 'english' accent that d**n near made me pee myself with laughter! Mind you, even native speakers have to be careful - I heard a story the other day about the German language release of The Terminator. Despite being fluent, Arnie wasn't allowed to voice his own part as his Austrian accent made him sound like a German Yokel to German viewers. I think that the decision can only be made based on the talent you have and the appropriateness of the accent to the role. Horses for courses I reckon, and if you're going to do it, do it right or don't bother otherwise you'll attract derision and your movie will be remembered for the wrong reasons. "Woah! Nice castle Evil Ugly Dude!""Woah! He totally tried to suck my blood!""Excellent!" Need I say more? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trowie246 Posted February 3, 2009 Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 It's so long ago since I saw the film but I do mind thinking that Mel Gibson's scottish accent in Braveheart was pretty exagerated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinner72 Posted February 3, 2009 Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 Mind you, even native speakers have to be careful - I heard a story the other day about the German language release of The Terminator. Despite being fluent, Arnie wasn't allowed to voice his own part as his Austrian accent made him sound like a German Yokel to German viewers. Another QI viewer I assume Actually, QI is a good link, as Stephen Fry has demonstrated some amazing accents during that show, his Scottish dialects were amazing, and of course the obvious link follows to Hugh Laurie. Pure public school englishman now a mainstream US TV star and many don't know he's not American. Subject matter is also a big part - take Martin Sheen's performance in the amazing Frost/Nixon. If he hadn't been able to pull off the distintive voice of David Frost, I doubt the film would have had half the intensity it does. So, that said, it totally depends on the abilities of the actors at the end of the day. If they are good enough to make an accent work, then by all means, but I would draw the line at films which *should* be in another language, but are spoken in english with that countries accent. However you look at it, you're encroaching onto Allo Allo territory there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeAyBee Posted February 3, 2009 Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 Mind you, even native speakers have to be careful - I heard a story the other day about the German language release of The Terminator. Despite being fluent, Arnie wasn't allowed to voice his own part as his Austrian accent made him sound like a German Yokel to German viewers. Another QI viewer I assume Absolutely! Most funny in my opinion. Subject matter is also a big part - take Martin Sheen's performance in the amazing Frost/Nixon. If he hadn't been able to pull off the distintive voice of David Frost, I doubt the film would have had half the intensity it does. I quite agree. Without the grotesque of the voice it would fall flat. Michael Sheen was marvellous in "Fantabuloso" as Kenneth Williams, but again the voice was that of a grotesque. Nevertheless, without Sheen's talent for accents he couldn't have pulled it off. I maintain that propriety and ability should be the key factors in making the decision to use an accent or dialect in a movie. So, that said, it totally depends on the abilities of the actors at the end of the day. If they are good enough to make an accent work, then by all means, but I would draw the line at films which *should* be in another language, but are spoken in english with that countries accent. However you look at it, you're encroaching onto Allo Allo territory there! Again 100% on the money. I really enjoyed the Oscar winning movie "The Lives of Others" and applaud the film makers and studios for maintaining their commitment to the German language on an international release where so many others have dubbed and thus destroyed their movies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EM Posted February 3, 2009 Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 ...applaud the film makers and studios for maintaining their commitment to the German language on an international release where so many others have dubbed and thus destroyed their movies.Very true. Unfortunately it was not something typical of the German film industry. Like much of the world, German culture prefers films foreign to them to be dubbed into German rather than subtitled. They are used to dubbing and even German film-buffs prefer it. Personally I hate dubbed films, especially in the case of actors whose whole performance is strongly voice driven such as Woody Allen or Jack Nicholson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeAyBee Posted February 3, 2009 Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 ...applaud the film makers and studios for maintaining their commitment to the German language on an international release where so many others have dubbed and thus destroyed their movies.Very true. Unfortunately it was not something typical of the German film industry. Like much of the world, German culture prefers films foreign to them to be dubbed into German rather than subtitled. They are used to dubbing and even German film-buffs prefer it. Personally I hate dubbed films, especially in the case of actors whose whole performance is strongly voice driven such as Woody Allen or Jack Nicholson. Another suitable example is Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - the film was originally shot in Cantonese, dubbed into Mandarin, and then redubbed into English. Absolutely horrible! I managed to buy a Region 2 Chinese language version (the aforesaid dubbed Mandarin) that had English subtitles, but they'd helpfully authored it in letterbox rather than anamorphic widescreen, and when you zoom to see the whole movie on a 16:9 display the subtitles disappear as they're positioned on the bottom black of the letterbox! Some days you just can't win! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Para Handy Posted February 3, 2009 Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 Allo Allo was a sitcom and much of the humour was deliberately around the bad accents, so I don't really think you can hold that up as an example. Agree...'Good moaning' I was pissing by the door Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spencey7 Posted February 3, 2009 Report Share Posted February 3, 2009 I really enjoyed the Oscar winning movie "The Lives of Others" and applaud the film makers and studios for maintaining their commitment to the German language on an international release where so many others have dubbed and thus destroyed their movies."The Lives Of Others" is indeed a fantastic film - and an English-language remake is on the way. The Weinstein's were bankrolling it, and Anthony Minghella was involved somehow, so I'm not sure what the latest is given his untimely death last year. However pointless and inferior they may seem, English-language remakes simply draw in more money, as people don't have to "concentrate" on subtitles... I seem to have kind of wavered from the "accents" point which started this thread... So to compensate - some ludicrously bad accents which spring to mind: Don Cheadle in "Oceans 11"Charlie Hunnam in "Green Street" (<-- AWFUL film.)Mike Myers in "Shrek"Forest Whittaker in "The Crying Game"Ray Winstone in "Anything Which He Doesn't Play A Cockney" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeAyBee Posted February 4, 2009 Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 Ray Winstone in "Anything Which He Doesn't Play A Cockney" My names Bay-Oh-Wolf and I'm here to kill yore monst-ah! Oh dear.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nederlander Posted February 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 So many examples of people cocking up accents.... the Irish must get annoyed with the quality of Irish accents in film and tv! Tom Cruise in Far and Away, Brad Pitt in Snatch, the Irish guys in Heroes when Peter ended up in Ireland - to name a few! However there are always exceptions, and many actors can pull of good accents. I would hold Leanardo Di Caprio in Blood Diamond as one of them. Although it helps that his speaking in English works in the context of the film, but his accent really is superb, but then again it's the first time I've heard that particular accent, so I didn't have a hell of a lot to judge it on other than the fact that I fully believed it! I can't really understand the apathy towards subtitled films, I really like them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now