I thought it sounded less British than English learned from the British by Germans/Austrians, leaving the German accent.
I basically agree with you. I believe the actors were trying for Austrian/German accents and I'll leave it to the individual whether they achieved their goal or not.
Actually I've recently become quite fascinated by this subject of accents in movies, not having given it too much thought before. This issue came up on another board about a recent release where accents were not used, apparently to the dismay of some viewers. What I've concluded is that it is a very complicated and highly subjective issue. I think the issue is complicated further by the international audience these movies play too, often being American productions almost exclusively spoken in American English that are likely intended for an American audience (initially anyway).
I really wish I could hear opinions from some acting teachers and coaches on this subject. I did a Google search and did find some interesting material. When you think of all of the movies you have seen where accents have been used, could have been used, were used by some actors but not others, used with great effect or were so poor they ruined the film, it's quite astounding how varied it really is!
My personal take is that accents can be used to great effect but probably should be avoided if the actor cannot use it to good effect. I humbly submit that this is a very subjective matter.
The one interesting thing that I also have observed is that the accent often does not have to have any basis in reality. There was a very interesting discussion earlier in this thread about what language the nobility of the period would have spoken, what the commoners would have spoken, etc. I find that fascinating and historically important, but in the world of movies it is probably irrelevant and important only if an historically accurate piece is being made in the appropriate spoken language. I think many film makers are trying to augment the setting of the film with the accents and it is a perceived sound/feeling they are after.
I found this article written on the BBC site that offers at least one explanation of "Why Villains in Movies have English Accents" and it's a quick, fun read.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A891155Getting back to this movie, which I do like BTW, I perceive the main actors are trying for an Austrian accent. I honestly don't think their accents are very Austrian to my ear, but I do not find them annoying or distracting from the film. Actually, I think the accents are used to fairly good effect to augment the setting of the film. How the movie would have been without the accents is open to debate. It would be interesting sometime to watch a movie with the two different soundtracks (if available) and see how they compare.
Why they'd actually know English is beyond this film's scope except for the benefit of the actors.
As I tried to note above, the reason they are speaking English is strictly because it was made for an English speaking (mostly American) audience. Neither speaking English nor the accents really have any basis in reality. I think it is a tool, akin to costuming and props to aid the setting of the film.
Anyway, those are my thoughts about accents in this movie and in general. Feel free to disagree, I'd like to hear others' thoughts. I have a feeling that the wider international audience likely perceives this quite differently.
"Dave, this conversation can serve no purpose anymore. Goodbye." 2001: A Space Odyssey
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nuclearheadache
16 years ago
Great post. I made my original post to make the point that English Accents have bemome THE standard in historical epics, regardless of the country or period. Take Troy for instance, it was set in Greece thousands of years before English ever existed. I conceded, as you did, that it was necessary for the characters to speak English for the benefit of American audience, but I wondered why the ACCENT always had to be English. It was amazing how many people have never noticed this and seem to have no idea what I was talking about, some even didn't seem to understand the difference between an accent and a language. One Irish man get angry because he thought I was attacking English people or something. Anyway, it's all in the thread history. Thank you for a nice intelligent response.
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16 years ago
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DocCasualty
15 years ago
I'm German and the accents in this movie really were distracting.
Thank you for providing some international perspective!
audience would associate it with the "stupid" Americans
Get a life, a$$hole!
"Dave, this conversation can serve no purpose anymore. Goodbye." 2001: A Space Odyssey
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MarkPants
15 years ago
"Why are you speaking of an "English accent". Do you mean British accent? Cause English accent might very well be either American, British, Australian or whatever other variation of English you can imagine. Not to mention that it differs/differed between classes..."
wrong. accents are named after the place they originate, not the language thats being spoken. an english accent is an accent from england. australian is not an english accent...
but, anyway, onto the main point i wanted to make, which thankfully at least someone has already touched upon.
who, seriously, thinks that its realistic for actors to speak english with a foreign accent when playing characters that should really be speaking another language? if they arent speaking the right language, who gives a *beep* about anything else? in that situation i think accents are fair play, but you may as well try not to draw attention to it by having the actors speak neutral, accentless english.
yes, what you *think* is an "english accent" is actually Accentless English. its how the language is meant to be spoken. if it sounds strange to you, then youre doing it wrong.
however, speaking english with a foreign accent is just wierd. that stuck out to me more in this film than the so-called "english accents". especially as they kept dropping in german words like 'herr'. this isnt allo allo, where ve know zis person iz german bekaus zey speak wiz ze german aksent!
oh, also while im here, can people get over the accents in 300? who cares if the mans speaking with a scottish accent, hes speaking the wrong language anyway, and hes a scot. and scottish accents sound *beep* badass, which is the whole point of that film.
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