Question

bondgrl007

I know that it is said the James Bond is from Scotland, if that is true why haven't they cast anyone since Sean Connery with a Scottish accent, because you really can tell the difference between the two. Just wondering.

s96024

I thought everyone always moaned that the actor was never English.

Osato

As I recall, Bond is described as having a Scottish father and a Swiss mother, and having been raised and educated partly in England and partly in Scotland. So in casting, there is an option to use the Scots accent or not.

The only actor whose accent gave me cause for concern is Dalton, whose voice has slight "North-East of England" notes in it which sound a little inappropriate for Bond. I feel Bond's voice should be standard English (referred to as "received pronounciation"), with the option of slight Scots accent, but no other provincial accent.

Sir Miles

Osato wrote:

The only actor whose accent gave me cause for concern is Dalton, whose voice has slight "North-East of England" notes in it which sound a little inappropriate for Bond.

Dalton's accent is great - and his accent has been no-where near the North East of England - you think he sounds like a Geordie ?:)

North West yes, but never the North East.

Jamesbondjr

I'm with Sir Miles on this one. Dalton's accent slightly North East, no way. Being a fellow North Westerner I don't think it sounds North Western either. I think it sounds quite neutral.

Am I right in thiking that he's Welsh? I haven't ever heard him speak with a Welsh accent. Even in interviews he sounds English

Johmss

I love Dalton Voice and tone, i personally had no idea his accent was North something. He and Craig have a similar way to deliver the lines (b]FOR ME[/b] and both are in some ways hardly understandable (again, for a non native).

The legend says that Fleming wasn't "happy" with Connery for being Scottish, but after seeing him, he decide to make Bond "more Scottish" so he gave hin that lineage, and several references (i recall OHMSS and TMWTGG)

Sir Miles

Jamesbondjr wrote:

I'm with Sir Miles on this one. Dalton's accent slightly North East, no way. Being a fellow North Westerner I don't think it sounds North Western either. I think it sounds quite neutral.

Am I right in thiking that he's Welsh? I haven't ever heard him speak with a Welsh accent. Even in interviews he sounds English

Dalton, I believe, spent quite a lot of his formative years around the Manchester area - you can definately pick up on his North West tones in a few scenes, particularly at Sanchez's house when he says..."things were just about to turn nasty".

I prefer Dalton's voice to any other Bond actor so far - Craig's voice is a close second though.

Barbel

s96024 wrote:

I thought everyone always moaned that the actor was never English.

No, not everyone...;)

Osato

Sorry guys, of course I meant North-West, don't know why I typed "East".

It's words like "nasty", "b***ard" etc where the accent is noticeable, those short vowels instead of the standard English eg "nahsty".

And I detect an occasional rolled R, so perhaps there's a splash of the Mersey in there too?!

Jamesbondjr

I watched LTK last night and I noticed the accent, it doesn't come through very often but it is there for all to hear.

Osato, I think that the rolled R's are more likely from the Welsh in Dalton, whereas the Welsh tend to do it quite often we scousers don't tend to roll our R's too much. We're more famous for getting consanants stuck at the back of our throats, i.e. Chikkken