Ottoathome | 16 Jul 2016 4:57 a.m. PST |
I was watching the movie "Jack the Giant Killer" last night. OK movie as these things go, not the worst I've seen, but I have a question. Is there some law of movie-dom that I don't know about that mandates that all orcs, trolls, giants, and other such beasties all speak in low class English cockney or midlands accents? I guess the Elves get the Welsh and the Dwarves get the Scotts. Who then got the Irish? |
Winston Smith | 16 Jul 2016 5:19 a.m. PST |
Alexander the Great got the Irish. |
Winston Smith | 16 Jul 2016 5:24 a.m. PST |
Tolkien may have started it with the trolls in The Hobbit book to establish things. Someone who knows these things told me once that the accents in Game of Thrones very definitely have regional accents. For instance, the Vale is definitely Welsh. I wouldn't know. I have a tin ear for that. But throw in Tyrion with his "Yank trying to sound English" accent and all bets are off. And then Jaime is Danish. And Frodo and Sam are Yanks. |
Winston Smith | 16 Jul 2016 7:33 a.m. PST |
Why do Romans sound like Olivier? |
The Virtual Armchair General | 16 Jul 2016 7:53 a.m. PST |
John! Better they should sound like Andy Griffith? Dub Taylor? "Festus Hagen?" The Roman Empire (on film) can be a metaphor for the British Empire: Powerful, superior, entrenched, the ultimate "establishment." So since at least "Ben Hur," the Brits play the Romans, and Yanks/Others play the Barbarians. Wouldn't make a lot of sense for the bearded, hairy Gaul/German to be played by Olivier, and the Roman Emperor played by Mel Tillis, would it? Might make a helluva comedy, however…. TVAG |
Oh Bugger | 16 Jul 2016 8:22 a.m. PST |
It's all about the class system and the Empire Otto as viewed from the centre. A question in return why do many Americans spell Scot with two t's? |
evilcartoonist | 16 Jul 2016 8:29 a.m. PST |
Oh accents. Reminds me of Brad Pitt in "Troy": An American playing a Greek speaking with an English accent (or his best rendition thereof.) |
zippyfusenet | 16 Jul 2016 8:44 a.m. PST |
It's all about willing suspension of disbelief, folks. I learned that in Theater Arts 101. If you're not willing to suspend your disbelief, then he's not Julius Caesar, he's just an old poof in make-up wearing a bathrobe. |
Ottoathome | 16 Jul 2016 2:02 p.m. PST |
Dear Oh The same reasons Brits spell it armour, honour, and colour. The real reason for the two T's is that it is the name of a very popular brand of toilet paper in the US. My own real opinion on the accent part is that if you had Orcs, giants and trolls speaking with a French accent everyone would dissolve in laughter. If they spoke with German accents people would do the same and be wanting to draw toothbrush moustaches on their television screens. The image of John Cleese goose-stepping around the Faulty Towers hotel would destroy the movie. I guess you could use Spanish accents… No that wouldn't work because they'd have to speak English and they'd all come out as Pancho and Cisco and Sergeant Garcia (Zorro) and for Black or ghetto accents, well we've all seen Dumbo. Jewish accents? Maybe… Can Mashugena, or Oi vey pass for giants. No, I guess you Brits are stuck with it. I guess even low class cockney and Midlands accents have a gravitas to them. |
Oh Bugger | 16 Jul 2016 3:48 p.m. PST |
Naw, not working for me Otto, the Scots-Irish don't spell it Scotts -Irish. Anyhow the previous usage seems to have been Scotch -Irish so its not a historical usage. Does anyone else actually know? |
Winston Smith | 16 Jul 2016 6:36 p.m. PST |
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zippyfusenet | 16 Jul 2016 7:03 p.m. PST |
A question in return why do many Americans spell Scot with two t's? That's how the personal name is spelled. I have more than one friend named Scott. But of course it's incorrect for the nationality. I think Otto just boo-booed the spelling. |
Oh Bugger | 17 Jul 2016 2:18 a.m. PST |
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Bellbottom | 17 Jul 2016 2:44 a.m. PST |
Any Scotsman will tell you (forcibly!) that 'scotch' is a drink, and the word you are searching for is 'scots' |
Oh Bugger | 17 Jul 2016 3:02 a.m. PST |
True enough, I was just curious at the usage. |
Great War Ace | 17 Jul 2016 7:52 a.m. PST |
Everyone knows that the Raisuli talks like a Scot. So do Greeks in bronze armor. If you want a group of guys to sound tough they have to sound like they belong to a rugby team…. |
Winston Smith | 18 Jul 2016 7:20 a.m. PST |
The Raisuli also talks like Russian submarine commanders. |