Barbara Carrara Italy Local time: 20:33 Member (2008) English to Italian + ...
Blackadder and A Bit of Fry and Laurie: Those Were the Days
Sep 19, 2011
writeaway wrote:
On the Fry and Laurie show on BBC (back in the late 70's/early 80's??) , they had a weekly sketch where both Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie would put on American accents. Even back then, Laurie excelled. He is one of most versatile of UK actors- I'll never forget him in Black Adder.
His House accent is spot on. Flawless.
Thank you for reminding me of two of my all-time favourite show and three of my all-time favourite people.
I've been a fan of Blackadder (and Rowan Atkinson) for ages, and Blackadder the Third is a must-see. There's a three-part episode on YouTube, called 'Ink and Incapability', from which I am offering you this snippet
And if you have still time, do watch Hugh Laurie playing piano and singing one of his songs, called Mystery, from A Bit of Fry and Laurie (1980s), introduced by Stephen Fry
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Neil Cross United Kingdom Local time: 19:33 Member (2006) Dutch to English + ...
Yanks & Limeys
Sep 19, 2011
Steven Capsuto wrote:
It's impressive enough when people can convincingly cross dialect lines in their own language (Hugh Laurie, Renée Zellweger, Bob Hoskins, Gwyneth Paltrow, etc.)
I agree with you about Renée Zellweger and Gwyneth Paltrow. Very convincing (UK) English accents.
At the other end of the spectrum there is Dick van Dyke with his infamous Cockney accent in Mary Poppins
But then, there are also English actors with less than convincing British accents on US TV shows. Take a bow, Daphne Moon (Jane Leeves) from Frasier...
TTFN,
Neil
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Lisa Simpson, MCIL United Kingdom Local time: 19:33 Member (2010) Portuguese to English + ...
TOPIC STARTER
I could watch him all day...
Sep 20, 2011
Brilliant. Thanks Barbara
I know there are many out there who disagree but I find Renée Zellweger and Gwynneth Paltrow pretty stilted and unconvincing (I might add: from what I remember... may require a re-watch). It's so very slight but they don't sound 'real'. I've never met an English person who sounds like either of them.
I remember being stunned at Tilda Swinton's (Oscar-winning!!!) performance recently in what sounded like an embarassingly poor rendition of an American accent (any comment from our Americans on here?). Goes to show, it's not easy, and if Hugh Laurie has really pulled it off then there's another feather in a very feathery cap.
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Steven Capsuto United States Local time: 14:33 Member (2004) Spanish to English + ...
Bridget Jones's Accent
Sep 20, 2011
Lisa Simpson wrote:
I know there are many out there who disagree but I find Renée Zellweger and Gwynneth Paltrow pretty stilted and unconvincing
As a non-Brit, the main thing that struck me about Renée Zellweger's accent in "Bridget Jones's Diary" is that she sounded just a smidge too posh. But I did enjoy the film and thought she was very good in it.
I remember being stunned at Tilda Swinton's (Oscar-winning!!!) performance recently in what sounded like an embarassingly poor rendition of an American accent
American accents have proven difficult for some of Britain's great actors: Diana Rigg, Emma Thompson (who has gotten much better at it), Warren Mitchell (who came close in "Death of a Salesman" but didn't quite nail it), etc.
However, in recent years there have been a number of Australian or British actors on American TV series who have been utterly convincing: Rachel Griffiths and Matthew Rhys on "Brothers and Sisters" for example. It wasn't until I saw them interviewed in their normal speaking voices that I realized they weren't from here.
Then there are people who lived in both the United Kingdom and the United States while growing up, and who can switch accents easily: John Barrowman and Gillian Anderson are good examples. Angela Lansbury almost qualifies, though there's often just a hint of Brit about her speech even when she plays American.
[Edited at 2011-09-20 14:31 GMT]
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Michael Grant Japan Local time: 03:33 Japanese to English
A bit too American...
Oct 17, 2011
I hate to disagree with my distinguished colleagues, but to me has always sounded like someone who is 'trying' to sound like an American.
Something about the way he pronounces that hard American r sound, especially at the end of a word, always rings false with me...it sounds a little bit TOO hard, a teensy bit affected...
My 2-yen.
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