As much as I remember, English and Dutch belong to same, Germanic group... so it can be expected that they speak English good and without a kind of accent that could be expected from Italians, Hungarians or Russians - and Hollywood usually presents us perfect English spoken by these nations... well, if Klingons, Romulans and other extra-terrestrials speak perfect English with Hollywood accent, why would be bothered if it is spoken in Sicilian vineyard or on a Volga ship?
And this theory holds water as long as people speak to the Richmonds, or they are in their company. But why would Dutch people talk English to one another, no matter how good they can do it, when no foreigner is near? Though this movie is listed as "Dutch-German" production, it is more than obvious that it was made for USA and therefore suffers from usual American flaws. It is sad to see European authors humiliating themselves, their countries, their nations, cultures, languages, only to sell their movie and themselves to the Masters of the world.
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marc_hendriks_2000
16 years ago
Being Dutch myself I can tell you that in all actuality, very few Dutch people are able to speak English without accent (we speak English with a thick accent that sounds Scandinavian); even fewer people are able to speak English fluently. Most of us (at least younger generations) understand English (though we often don’t recognize certain words or expressions and often have to ask the native English speaker to repeat his or her question) but when we speak English ourselves it’s mostly done in an awkward, wooden, grammatically incorrect way. For example, a colleague at work tried to explain an American tourist where the bus station was and said something like “You go out…you go right and then eh…right…eh, straight right through…eh...ahead and you see shop there and you go left there and then you see [makes wild hand gestures] this…eh…this…eh…clock in…eh…no, a what is it, a place for eh, God, and you make right and you see busses there and you buy eh strippenkaart…eh, ticket at window in building”. Even in the company of English language guest, most Dutch people will speak Dutch to each other.
O, and just by the way, I absolutely hated every second of this film. Dick Maas makes George Lucas look like an award winning screenwriter.
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przgzr
16 years ago
very few Dutch people are able to speak English without accent
Expecting that anybody who didn't spend his childhood in certain country or among people who speak certain language can speak without an accent is too optimistic. (Children who e.g. live in one country and their parents speak another language can speak both languages fluently, but it is possible that they won't be able to speak any of them without at least a small accent.) However, I have emphasized that accents which will Dutch people have is a tiny one compared to Italians or Russians. I haven't mentioned Scandinavians because they belong to same group as Dutch people, so it is natural that both of them won't have much difference in their accent, and that it won't be too notable or irritating.
And I am not so strict about this movie. I consider it a comedy so all those flaws don't look so important. Also, I don't have chance to travel often, but I was in Amsterdam not so long ago, and this movie brought me some memories back. But this is just a matter of emotions, not the quality of the movie.
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