Connery has "worst film accent"
Moonraker 5
Ayrshire, ScotlandPosts: 1,821MI6 Agent
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/3032052.stm
Sir Sean Connery has been named the actor with the worst movie accent by a UK film magazine.
Movie buffs at Empire magazine gave Sir Sean top spot for his portrayal of Irish cop Jim Malone in the 1987 film The Untouchables.
Connery won a best supporting actor Oscar for his performance in the film.
The Edinburgh-born actor is well-known for his Scottish lilt in numerous film roles.
"Whether he's a Russian sub captain (The Hunt for Red October) or even an English King (First Knight and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves), always that baritone Highland burr remains," says the magazine in its August edition.
Dick van Dyke's much-maligned efforts to imitate an east London cockney accent in Mary Poppins gained him second place in the poll.
Younger actors did not escape unscathed either.
Brad Pitt was voted in at number three for his portrayal as an Austrian explorer in Seven Years in Tibet and Heather Graham came in fifth for her role as a prostitute in the Jack the Ripper film From Hell.
Empire's Olly Richards says actors enjoy trying out different accents.
"Putting on a foreign lilt appeals to a star's vanity, giving them the opportunity to inhabit someone a million miles from themselves and prove that they are more than a pretty face," he says.
"Sadly, in most cases, it does the exact opposite," he added.
Other British actors included in the poll were Pete Postlethwaite, who plays Indian Kobayashi in The Usual Suspects and the late Lord Olivier for his "end of pier Jewish accent" in the 1980 remake of The Jazz Singer.
Worst film accents:
1. Sean Connery in The Untouchables (1987)
2. Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins (1964)
3. Brad Pitt in Seven Year in Tibet (1997)
4. Charlton Heston in A Touch of Evil (1958)
5. Heather Graham in From Hell (2001)
6. Keanu Reeves in Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
7. Julia Roberts in Mary Reilly (1996)
8. Laurence Olivier in The Jazz Singer (1980)
9. Pete Postlethwaite in The Usual Suspects (1995)
10. Meryl Streep in Out of Africa (1985)
Source: Empire magazine
Sir Sean Connery has been named the actor with the worst movie accent by a UK film magazine.
Movie buffs at Empire magazine gave Sir Sean top spot for his portrayal of Irish cop Jim Malone in the 1987 film The Untouchables.
Connery won a best supporting actor Oscar for his performance in the film.
The Edinburgh-born actor is well-known for his Scottish lilt in numerous film roles.
"Whether he's a Russian sub captain (The Hunt for Red October) or even an English King (First Knight and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves), always that baritone Highland burr remains," says the magazine in its August edition.
Dick van Dyke's much-maligned efforts to imitate an east London cockney accent in Mary Poppins gained him second place in the poll.
Younger actors did not escape unscathed either.
Brad Pitt was voted in at number three for his portrayal as an Austrian explorer in Seven Years in Tibet and Heather Graham came in fifth for her role as a prostitute in the Jack the Ripper film From Hell.
Empire's Olly Richards says actors enjoy trying out different accents.
"Putting on a foreign lilt appeals to a star's vanity, giving them the opportunity to inhabit someone a million miles from themselves and prove that they are more than a pretty face," he says.
"Sadly, in most cases, it does the exact opposite," he added.
Other British actors included in the poll were Pete Postlethwaite, who plays Indian Kobayashi in The Usual Suspects and the late Lord Olivier for his "end of pier Jewish accent" in the 1980 remake of The Jazz Singer.
Worst film accents:
1. Sean Connery in The Untouchables (1987)
2. Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins (1964)
3. Brad Pitt in Seven Year in Tibet (1997)
4. Charlton Heston in A Touch of Evil (1958)
5. Heather Graham in From Hell (2001)
6. Keanu Reeves in Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
7. Julia Roberts in Mary Reilly (1996)
8. Laurence Olivier in The Jazz Singer (1980)
9. Pete Postlethwaite in The Usual Suspects (1995)
10. Meryl Streep in Out of Africa (1985)
Source: Empire magazine
Comments
And yes,Dick Van Dyke's cockney accent isn't anywhere near as authentic as Sir Michael Caine's--or Stanley Holloway's, or that of many other fine British actors.However,the man to blame for this miscasting is Walt Disney,who insisted on Dick Van Dyke,despite his lack of skill at mastering the proper accent.
With the benefit of hindsight,Jim Dale could've been a more convincing choice,being an Englishman with as equally an athletic and rubber-faced comedic style as Dick Van Dyke. Anthony Newley might've been good casting,too..But Van Dyke-who's never pretended to be a master of dialects-was quite popular and famous at the time Mary Poppins was filmed.And IMHO it's doubtful the children for whom Poppins was made were especially bothered by Dick Van Dyke's awkward attempt at an accent.
Ironically,Mary Poppins' creator,British author P.L.Travers, approved of Dick Van Dyke but was uncertain about Julie Andrews as Mary.She'd originally wanted Katharine Hepburn cast as the magical nanny...
W.G.
And terrible though Connery was - I mean, if you're not going to bother trying to do the accent, stop telling us you're Irish!!! - nothing can beat Dick Van "luvaduck, gorblimey, its a jollee oliday wiv maaaarreee!!!" Dyke. I love Mary Poppins, but even as a weeny child I cringed when he appeared onscreen. His mouth twisting into those hideously contorted vowel shapes gave me nightmares...
@merseytart
OK, I'll defend Dick Van Dyke. Yes, his accent is terrible, but I can't visualize anyone else singing "Chim-chim-cher-ee" or dancing with those cartoon penguins. Also, he's wonderful in his "unbilled" role as the elderly Mr. Dawes, Sr. Notice, though, that Cubby Broccoli in that attempt to imitate Mary Poppins that was Chitty Chitty Bang Bang had Van Dyke speak in his natural accent.
As for horrible accents, I've only seen the promos, but what's with Kate Hudson's awful accents in Alex & Emma?
I'm just sniping, of course, but I think saying Connery has the worst film accent is sniping at a much greater level. People don't go to Connery films to see his mastery of different accents--they go to see Sean Connery (and the same is true of Arnold). That said, my favorite Connery accent moment comes in First Knight, when he shouts to the imprisoned Lancelot, "Tha LAW ish going ta deal with YEW!"
Gibson smiles and responds(in a perfect imitation of Sir Sean),"Ad-VARE-saree??No,no dear boy--it's ADversary..." By now,most everyone knows that Connery's accent is "unique",to say the least.
One could also complain about Connery's Arab chieftain in The Wind and the Lion.Or his equally unusual Westerner in Shalako.Ultimately that's pointless.(Why not complain about John Wayne's Mongolian accent in The Conqueror,as well?"Yer Beyooteeful in yer wrath,"The Duke informs his captive--the lovely red-haired and green eyed Asiatic maiden played by Susan Hayward...)
Big stars rarely have to sound right or even look appropriate for the roles they play onscreen.They're hired because they're famous and because audiences want to see them.Look at Dustin Hoffman's Captain Hook in Hook,for example.Now there's miscasting. At least in Sir Sean's case,he is of Irish ancestry and he looks like a son of the Old Sod.Of course,when he starts to talk,all bets are off....
W.G.
Well, in that Arnie doesnt play a Russian sub captain, with a Scotish accent. Now, playing James Bond or that guy in First Knight can excuse the Scotish accent, but not a Russian Sub capt.
But it's funny, everyone else in this top ten gets slammed for "putting on" an accent and Connery is getting slammed for not putting one on. Really, any list that doesn't have Costner for "Robin Hood" or Kenneth Brannaugh for "Wild Wild West" is severely misjudged anyway.
MBE
The enduring image of Arthur is that he was a Briton King, who would speak the early forms of English, at that time a Britonnic/Latin mix. Any historical basis to the character would be that he rose to fame as a warrior battling the Germanic invaders. Unless the entire cast was to be subtitled and speak an ancient language (and setting aside that the film is based on the legend and not history), the best accent to sit with the legend is Ye Olde English. So no once again, Scottish isn't really as good as any other accent and most of Scotland at that time spoke Scots, Gaelic or the unknown Pictish anyway.
He most certainly was not a 'Scottish' figure going by history and, contrary to popular belief, the population of Scotland was not entirely Celtic - there were Britons and Angles in the lowlands south of the River Clyde and Picts to the north, the rest being Scots (Celts). The Romans never made it any further north than the River Clyde because of the devasting allied Pictish-Scots raids.
Then again as said, he's hired probably as much for his famous accent and voice as anything else, and people would be dissapointed if he altered it. I know I perk up even when I just hear him doing banking/investment commericals during golf coverage.
MBE
I mean he didn't even try to speak any form of Brit.
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
Surfing through old threads on the site and couldn't resist I guess.
I realize it's pretty ancient.
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
I think The Untouchables is a fine film, but only another example of why the Oscars are nothing but a laughing stock. Connery's accent was atrocious, and if he gave the best supporting performance of any actor for that entire year - then I'm Auguste Comte!
(Just a quick aside, since we've mentioned a Hollywood genre I love -- submarine movies. Neither of those films rose to the level of Crimson Tide, an absolutely modern classic. Not quite up with Das Boot, but real close. And it didn't have the benefit of WWII going for it. Two great actors -- Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington -- mano-a-mano under the sea. No women or love story to screw things up and distract from the drama of tense guys with sweaty upper lips in a tight spot and the fate of the world in the balance. I may have to pop that one into the DVD player tonight. Great flick)
Thanks, HH {[] As is usually the case, I'm with you
Might as well condemn all those movies for portraying ancient Romans (and Nazis) with immaculate British accents
And I'm with you on on submarine pictures, as well B-) Here's one: The Enemy Below, with Robert Mitchum and Curt (TSWLM) Jurgens. Great stuff.
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Hi Auguste.
If you listen closely to the scene where he meets Costner's character on the bridge, he actually attempts an Irish accent. Fine. No problem.
The problem is when he virtually forgets (either that, or is too lazy) about it afterwards and suddenly there's a massive continuity error in the film. If he'd been consistent one way or the other, then that would've been better. Still, in my opinion there were inumerable better performances that year. The Oscars are a poor judge of any achievement, let alone best performances! They only gave it to him because he's Sean Connery, and because it was about time he got one! It's happened too many times. In fact - it happened this year with Alan Arkin, too!
Had any other actor dropped his accent part-way through a film, then he'd be panned by every critic and movie-fan going. The fact that it was Sean Connery shouldn't be relevant - you can't overlook a gaping problem like that simply because he's been good in other films! Just my opinion, anyway.
True- I have an odd sort of respect for big movie stars who decide that an accent isn't that important: Robin Hood as an American? Sure why not- call Kevin. The thing is; it doesn't really matter! It's so silly and fun that his accent manages not to matter. After all, once you've swallowed the idea that Kevin Costner's dad is Brian Blessed...
Of course, James Bond with an American accent would be plain wrong
I promise I won't hijack the thread, but those are all classics. One of the big pleasures of Crimson Tide[i/]for me is the scene in which the crew compete to see how many submarine movies they can name. Those three came up.
I don't suppose 'Down Periscope' got a mention?