I'm curious to hear what other people thought of Joan's cockney accent...
When I first saw this film no one had warned me it was coming so I was taken back considering the sensual purr I was expecting. At the beginning the accent grated on my nerves a little, but as the film progressed I found it added to her character's innocence and it grew on me.
"Climbing the mountain of conflict"? You sounded like a Nazi Julie Andrews!
I felt her accent was not consistent enough and was very distracting. Not believable at all. It bugged me. Were actors and actresses in the '40s just not able to perform with an accent? Walter Pidgeon did not sound at all British. Maybe Joan should've just ditched the cockney attempt.
shareHis lack of accent was terribly explained by his spending so much time at his place in Canada. At least they tried.
shareDid Pidgeon EVER attempt an accent? Two other movies come to mind where he played Brits--How Green was my Valley and Mrs. Miniver. He just used his normal (Canadian) voice. Didn't ever bother me. I'd rather have an actor use their normal voice over attempting an accent that they can't quite pull off.
"Who's running this airline?!"
I just watched this movie this morning on TMC.
Simply put I thought her attempt at a cockney accent was silly and to me, it sounded ridiculous.
I spent some time in the UK and while I realize it was supposed to be the 1940's, NO ONE really talks like that.
It was like listening to Gomer Pyle.
IMHO
Lawks Guv'ner, strike a light, Old Kent Road, jellied eels, do what? Yore 'avin' a larf aintcha? Question me Cockney patois? Do me a lemon.
Marlon, Claudia and Dimby the cats 1989-2005, 2007 and 2010.
What, she had an accent? Sorry, I must have been stunned by that wonderful face.
What I had in mind was boxing the compass.share
It was absolutely horrible. I was stunned when I first heard it. It sounded fake, feigned and affected. Bart Simpson actually does it better. The way I understand it, after a day's shooting, the director looks at the rushes. There's no way he wasn't horrified when he first heard it. I can only assume whoever was backing the picture financially wanted Bennett in the role- and Bennett wanted to do the accent. It annoyed me throughout the movie. I couldn't get it out of my head- even in scenes she wasn't in. I bet the Nazi agents were going to let her go- until she wouldn't shut up!
shareLolol - it was so bad. It reminded me of Welles's horrible Irish accent in Lady from Shanghai.
"I can only assume whoever was backing the picture financially wanted Bennett in the role" - Maybe, or maybe not - the acting throughout the movie was silly and theatrical from a few actors. Not a polished film by any means.
Theatrical to be sure. Intended for undemanding American movie audiences.
Especially juxtaposed in the scenes with the upper crust, bouncing on the couch like Tom Cruise. Jarring that Pidgeon's American one wasn't altered. It's even more out of place.
It was distracting to me too. Some actors can pull it off, some can't. Douglas Fairbanks Jr could do one flawlessly. I was actually stunned the first time I saw Little Caesar and heard him using his natural American voice.
"Who's running this airline?!"
It's better than Dick Van Dyke's in Mary Poppins.
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