MovieChat Forums > Doctor Zhivago (1965) Discussion > Why all the British accents?

Why all the British accents?


Since the film takes place in Russia, why do so many of the actors and actresses speak with upper-class British accents and inflections? Particularly in the Moscow scenes - I expected the actors to speak with Russian accents, but those scenes come across as an upper-class British drama, almost Jane Austin-esqe. What's the deal with that? Everyone should have a Russian accent.

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I've wondered about the British accents myself but they've never really bothered me. For a while though, I was rather confused about the nationality of the Gromykos. I had thought perhaps the father (Alex Gromyko) was British and had emigrated to Russia. One line of dialogue in particular supported that thought. It is in the letter Yuri writes to Tonya, and she reads it out loud; "How is Uncle Alex? Can he still get his English tobacco?" I thought maybe Alex was buying imported tobacco that he had come to enjoy while he was still living in England, before moving to Russia.

It's funny how a few words of dialogue can seem to support something that is inaccurate.

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I had thought perhaps the father (Alex Gromyko) was British and had emigrated to Russia


At that time, because of the close connection between the royal families a number of Russian aristocrats were educated in England (or another of the western European countries), so it would have been quite possible for Uncle ALex to have spent several years in England and have acquired English tastes.

After all, the actors had to be speaking with some kind of accent -- had they all been speaking English with American accents, that would not have been more authentic.

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I agree totally. Even an attempt at a Russian accent would have been better than blatantly British. Don't get me wrong I love British accents - just not on Russians! The grandfather even went so far as to call young Yuri "old chap" a time or two!!!!

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