UK Villains (is it the accent?)

[TheEarl]

I'll have to disagree with Pear's recommendation of James Marsters and Juliet Landau's English accents (Spike and Drusilla is Buffy the Vampire Slayer). Spike's got better throughout the series, but neither of them are perfect. In the last series, they introduced three 'British' characters, one spoke with an American accent, one spoke with a Dick van Dyke mockney and one with a proper English accent. Of course the only one who had the decent accent got killed within two scenes.

Just a minor point of semantics - Can you specify a single 'American accent'? No? Well probably not a good idea to refer to a British accent then. If you look at Pear's list then you have a Sctosman with a broad Scottish accent (Dougray Scott in Mission Impossible 2). I find it very difficult to pick accents, so I wouldn't expect you to identify between the different regional dialects, but I don't think it's too much to ask to separate English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh.

The Earl

 

[Guest]

Just a minor point of semantics - Can you specify a single 'American accent'? No? Well probably not a good idea to refer to a British accent then. If you look at Pear's list then you have a Sctosman with a broad Scottish accent (Dougray Scott in Mission Impossible 2). I find it very difficult to pick accents, so I wouldn't expect you to identify between the different regional dialects, but I don't think it's too much to ask to separate English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh.

The most evil Welshman I've heard is Anthony Hopkins; Welsh doesn't usually sound evil to me. Maybe it is in the eyes, his stare is invading.

The Irish and Scottish usually sound too sexy to me, to be evil. Robert Carlyle did a good job in the latest Bond, but I kept remembering him in The Full Monty, so it threw me off a bit.

Lou

 

[MathGirl]

Arrrrrrr, Matey!

Why has nobody mentioned Robert Newton in "Treasure Island?"
MG
Ps. Avast!

 

[Guest]

Earl, I can't be bothered to reread myself but if I said JM&JL's accents were perfect I ddn't mean that. I do recall my Oxford friend only occasionally catching wrong bits so I went by his judgment, but then I suppose his accent is unique too.

Also I suppose 'we' refer to British accents for lack of knowing and hearing differences aside from general Irish, Scot, Welsh, Yorkshire ones.

Pear put right

 

[TheEarl]

The most evil Welshman I've heard is Anthony Hopkins; Welsh doesn't usually sound evil to me. Maybe it is in the eyes, his stare is invading.

Lou

Anthony Hopkins doesn't really sound that Welsh to me though. I remember being astonished when I found out his nationality.

The Earl

 

[Guest]

Anthony Hopkins doesn't really sound that Welsh to me though. I remember being astonished when I found out his nationality.

The Earl

Fair point, he did mask it well in The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal, he put a much more English slant on his voice.

However, when he talks 'normally,' ie not acting, his Welsh accent is quite pronounced. I first heard his true 'Welshness' back in the 80's, when he appeared on Wogan. Ever since then I've always noticed it in his voice. Oh, wait, you're too young to remember that show, that explains a lot.

Loulou

 

[Svenskaflicka]

Snipping and numbering done by me.

1. My first thought was that UK* actors are generally better than Yanks and we need villains to at least sound intelligent.

*SNIP*

2. This phenomenon has led to such creative use of accents as can be found in Robin Hood movies. Beginning with Errol Flynn's classic portrayal, and leading up to Kevin Costner's laughable (and anachronistic) accent in "Prince of Thieves", Hollywood Robin Hoods have had American accents. The Sheriffs of Nottingham have, naturally, spoken with English accents.

3. *SNIP*

Alan Rickman, Charles Dance, Jeremy Irons and many others always steal the scene away from the likes of Kevin Costner, Bruce Willis and Tom Hanks every time.[/i]

1. I think this is because the films are made for the American audience. The heros, clumsy and foul-mouthed as they may be, must be Americans to appeal to the American audience. Sort of a "our boys" - thing. The heros may be stupid and tripping and screaming and running and messing things up, but the audience loves them, because they are heros, and they speak with American accent. There is this Swedish movie, in which the bad guys are Americans, and there's a rather interesting scene in that film, where the hero - a Swede - is talking to the American Baddie. The Swedish accent makes the Swedish hero even more genuinely farmer-boy-like, whereas the American English of the bad guy makes him sleazy and lewd.

2. Prince of thieves was a parody of Robin Hood-movies! I once read a book about classical mistakes in movies, such as actors in Ben Hur wearing wrist watches, etc. That book had an entire CHAPTER dedicated to Prince of thieves!!! Kostner's accent, the fact that the castles that were supposed to be recently build during that time, was filmed as the ruins they are today, Christian Slater saying "Fuck, he made it!" about, what, 700 years before "fuck" was made a cuss-word...
I really liked Mel Brooks' parody of that movie, Robin Hood - Men In Tights, especially the scene where Robin Hood says something like:
"Well, unlike other Robin Hoods, I can speak with a Brittish accent!"

3. Well, duh!

 

[oggbashan]

Richard Burton, boyo, doesn't sound too Welsh but he is. Not a great villain though.

Can't remember the name of the villain in Kind Hearts and Coronets but the upper class accent was perfect.

Og

 

[Guest]

Welshmen

I know two Welshmen at work (one teaches 'sports science' so is fit as can be) to whom I send St. David's Day greetings each year.

I want to meet a Welshman like the "irregular and wild Glendower" from Henry IV, part 1.

Just another of my fantasies,

Perdita

 

[Guest]

Tom Jones kicked alien arse in the Burton film 'Mars Attacks.'
Ok, he didn't play the villain, but that is one Welshman and a half, my lovelies.

Loulou

 

[Svenskaflicka]

Sean Connery - naturally.
Alan Rickman - ofcourse.

But I draw the line at Tom Jones.

I may find SOME older men attractive, but I have my limits!

 

[Guest]

But I draw the line at Tom Jones.
I may find SOME older men attractive, but I have my limits!

Same here, Flicka; I never 'got' Jones.

 

[Guest]

Same here, Flicka; I never 'got' Jones.

I 'got' him, only as far as hearing him sing goes. I never went much for his pelvic girations. I grew up hearing his voice; my Mum was a massive fan. She was even one of the screaming girls that threw their knickers at him.

No accounting for taste, I guess.

Loulou

 

[Quasimodem]

Boris Karloff was born in London, England, but he scared the hell out of me as "Imhotep," when I first saw the 1932 version of “The Mummy” on television.

And all one could see of him, were his eyes.

Alfred Hitchcock was also born in London, England. While I never saw him truly acting - except, of course, that the man was always “on” - he always gave me the "impression" that he truly relished his evil display.

Math,

Robert Newton as “Long John Silver” always seemed too much like comedy relief to me. His “Bill Sykes” in David Lean’s 1948 version of “Oliver Twist” was acceptably evil, however.


Ogg,

In “Kind Hearts and Coronets,” Dennis Price played the villain while Alec Guinness performed his eight victims.

Great black comedy.

 

[Svenskaflicka]

I 'got' him, only as far as hearing him sing goes. I never went much for his pelvic girations. I grew up hearing his voice; my Mum was a massive fan. She was even one of the screaming girls that threw their knickers at him.

No accounting for taste, I guess.

Loulou

I think the screaming, panty-throwing girls of history have been misunderstood. They were not hysterical fans, as we have been tuaght to think by the propaganda machine.

What the girls were actually screaming, was "SHUT UP! YOU SOUND LIKE MY GRANDMA!", and the reason why they were throwing their panties up on stage was that they wanted to a)stuff the artist's mouth so he wouldn't be able to make any more noise, and b) cover the artist's face, so they wouldn't have to see the ugly mutt anymore.

Yay fans! The misunderstood heroïnes...

 

[TheEarl]

The worst thing about Costner's accent is when he says the line "This is pure English courage" in the first scene. With an American accent.

That line was cut out of later English editions of the film simply because we ripped the piss out of it so much.

The Earl

 

[Svenskaflicka]

Is that... VIOLINES, I hear?

LOL


Being a Swede, I always laugh whenever someone is being patriotic. "Jack, you gave your word to the American people..!"
I almost pee in my pants laughing at lines like that.