Cockney Accent - Of Human Bondage (1934) Discussion

[–] Anne-F 15 years ago

The accent was truly dreadful and really rather funny (and I don't think that the film was intended to be a comedy).

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i love bette davis so much but when she said

"do you always order chamPIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINE????"

i laughed very much.

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[–] Regina_Giddens 14 years ago

Maybe it's something you only notice when you know the accent, but it sounded fine to me. I'm Australian and I thought it sounded like a normal Cockney accent.

Although, I also laughed at the 'do you always order champaaaaaaaaaaaiiigne' line.

But you are, Blanche. You are in that chair!

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[–] Sugarminx 9 years ago

I'm Australian and I thought it sounded like a normal Cockney accent.

I'm Australian and I knew she sounded ridiculous! Still, good effort on her part.

So put some spice in my sauce, honey in my tea, an ace up my sleeve and a slinkyplanb

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[–] toxina90 13 years ago

That was one of funniest lines, I thought she was okay overall with the accent but that line was just, wow.

I own the Jelena Jankovic board

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[–] denham 12 years ago

I live in London and am very familiar with the Cockney accent and other London accents. Bette Davis's accent was nothing like Cockney or any London or for that matter British accent. Someone said it was even worse than that of Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins. This is true, it was more like that of Robert Duvall in The Seven Per Cent Solution, and that's saying something. If she'd merely stuck to her normal accent the result, though not ideal, would have been preferable.

"I beseech ye in the bowels of Christ, think that ye may be mistaken."

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[–] Jason_Radley 11 years ago

I live in South London but I don't think I've ever heard a Cockney accent. Maybe they only ever existed in films.

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[–] summerfields 12 years ago

But what IS it which made her accent so bad?

Even larks and katydids are, supposed by some, to dream

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[–] Anne-F 12 years ago

It sounds like someone trying to do a comedy accent of some kind, not Cockney, not London, not any sort of English accent. I think most people who live in the British Isles would be able to tell that it was a very poor effort by Bette Davis, and I have to agree that it was worse than Dick van Dyke's famously bad Cockney accent.

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[–] mynameisvince 13 years ago

That accent was horrible. Even worse than Dick Van Dyke.

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[–] tomfern 12 years ago

Oh, no...nothing beats that hideous excuse for an accent Dick Van Dyke came up with. Every time I hear it, I cringe. If' I had been the director, I'd have made him study harder, or just have his voice dubbed over. Bette Davis' accent, though not great, was at least recognizable as being somewhat Cockney..just think of Michael Caine at his best..Alfie. And while I'm here, I might as well address all the comments about Bette not being beautiful enough to play Mildred. I thought she was wickedly gorgeous..the big black eyes, tousled bleached blond hair..classic gutter glamor. The opposite of what Howard's character was used to..hence the appeal. During the 60s through the 80s, that was the look for all the most popular models..Twiggy, Jean Shrimpton,..I even wore the Biba makeup, and Mary Quant look...And looking back at pictures of women in the 20s and 30s...the flappers, et al..they all sought out the same look. I think it rocked.

:( I want my Biba makeup back! :(

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[–] JayBee-66 11 years ago

It's no worse an attempt at a Cockerknee accent than an English actress putting one on in the 1930s. The cafe owner in Brief Encounter comes to mind.

I aint not 'eard nuffin like i' and no mistake.

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[–] clocksnmirrors-932-761321 10 years ago

I popped in the DVD and after ten minutes of Bette Davis' accent I raced to IMDB to make a thread about it. Thank goodness someone had already done so.

She sounded ridiculous!

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[–] erictopp 10 years ago

Bette Davis struggles with the accent but is not too bad. Frances Dee (Sally) and Kay Johnson (Norah) were much worse IMHO.

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[–] Sugarminx 9 years ago

Frances Dee (Sally) and Kay Johnson (Norah) were much worse IMHO.

Che? But they weren't even trying to sound like cockneys. I'm fairly sure they were a different class altogether (especially Norah), much more 'suitable' matches for Howard's character.

Davis' accent was another indication that Mildred was lower class and all wrong for Phillip from the beginning.

So put some spice in my sauce, honey in my tea, an ace up my sleeve and a slinkyplanb

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[–] monterey59 9 years ago

American players are generally notoriously inept in getting Cockney accents "just right". Davis certainly did a better job than Dick Van Dyke did in MARY POPPINS, however!

Even larks and katydids are, supposed by some, to dream

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[–] clairus99-1 9 years ago

Aside from the fact that Cockney isnt an accent, but a person born within the sound of Bow bells.... i am a born, bred and buttered Londoner with ancestors going back here for at least 200 years. I talk with a typicsl "working class" accent, but im not from east or s e london (what people call "cockney"), where the accent is different to my sw london accent... yes, there is a difference!

I say her accent is terrible and how a lot of americans try to do "cockney". However, there are times when it's okay, and most of the time no actually irritating, but occasionally cringeworthy.

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[–] michaelbullen 7 years ago

I took it that Bette Davis's accent was a kind of affectation - someone pretending to be different from what they are, like young white schoolboys talking gangster.

I didn't hear it as an attempt at cockney. If that's what it was it was ludicrous.

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[–] 7 years ago

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