MovieChat Forums > Effie Gray (2014) Discussion > Effie's Accent

Effie's Accent

posted 10 years ago by QueenJackieB
12 replies | jump to latest

Obviously it would sound a bit different from today's Scotland back then. However I noticed in the trailer Dakota Fanning has opted for a more English posh sound than the more accurate perthshire accent (Effie was from Perth, Scotland). Did anyone else notice this? I wonder why they did not make her do the right accent for the role.

She should have sounded more like this (with slight historical changes):
http://www.ayecan.com/listen_to_scots/fife.html

I wonder why bother giving her a wig if they weren't going to go all the way for the character. As Ruskin was English maybe they found she could get away with just the Brit one (which was easier for her since she already learned one for Now is Good)

The Edinburgh Reporter noticed this also saying:

Her accent is distracting though, leaving us wondering if her Scottish attempt could’ve been that bad?

http://www.theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2014/08/film-review-effie-gray-2 014-at-the-scottish-national-gallery/

I am honestly disappointed because I had high hopes that this role would be her true impress moment as an adult actress.

[–] StarSassy 10 years ago

She will probably still be good at acting in Effie, it will just be her voice that is not accurate.

I'm glad Dakota opted to do English accent, I can imagine her Scottish one would have been horrendous.

Also, that report might probably be slightly biased as, (according to the title) it's from Edinburgh...

[–] QueenJackieB 10 years ago

If you can't be the entire character I don't think you can truly be successful at a role enough to get award recognition. It's not biased as it is right. She DID do the wrong accent. It may not be as distracting for American audiences but I pretty much doubt many Americans will see this film.

[–] Rinzzler 10 years ago

OCD "She DID do the wrong accent" OCD

[–] DCMarvelRules 10 years ago

So Elle shouldn't have gotten the part in Maleficent ?
Her accent in that movie was messed up

[–] Hammerfanatic46 10 years ago

There is the World of a difference between an upper-class English accent and a Perthshire Scottish one. This will be very obvious to British audiences and they will laugh at her . Not sure why one poster thought that a reviewer highlighting an absurdly inappropriate accent was "biased" . Imagine a British actor using the New York City dialect to play a Texan. Who wouldn't say that was silly ?

I suppose getting an American release and consequently funding, would have been contingent upon having a Hollywood actress in the leading roll. It remains to be seen if the compromise was worthwhile.

Gordon P. Clarkson

[–] QueenJackieB 10 years ago

I agree Hammer. It's absurd. And I doubt the lead was worth it. Ronan should have done this role. At least she would have nailed the accent/shown emotion.

[–] Rinzzler 10 years ago

Back on the accent kick.

[–] benman46 9 years ago

Simply because a Scottish accent is difficult to get right. To be honest I couldn't give a toss about the accent anyway. Dakota Fanning was very good.

[–] Shalotka 9 years ago

Nobody in the movie industry goes back with historical accents earlier than 1930s, nobody.
Early 20th century British accent is in all costume movies, whether they are set in the 20th century or 19th, or 17th, or in the Middle-Ages. That's the oldest kind of accent we are used to, because around that time voice recording became common and we have the model.

I heard a reconstruction of how English could have sounded in different time periods and the Victorian era British English sounded already too weird for the modern ear to be used in the movies. Maybe there are crazy linguists and ethnologists who would love to reconstruct mid-19th c. perthshire accent for scientific purpose or for the heck of it, but that's not something that would work in a movie and could have been harder to immitate and understand than you think.

Also, given that she's moving in with an English family who are richer and of higher social status than her, *attempting more posh accent* is perfectly IN CHARACTER. No girl in her situation would stick to the rural and regional.

I'm only disappointed because I expected something more gripping than the biographical notes on wikipedia.

-> Achievement unlocked

[–] 9 years ago

[deleted]

[–] bruno-costa 8 years ago

Perfect comment in all senses.

[–] Prelude (1443) 5 years ago

I may be totally off-base as I don't actually know much about the real-life Effie's family of origin, but if they were even slightly "posh" or genteel, they probably did not speak with a Scottish accent anyway.

It's very widespread that landed gentry who go elsewhere for their education, speak with standard "RP" accents even while their "family seat" is in the heart of Scotland, Yorkshire, Cornwall, etc etc. surrounded by the regional accent. You can see and hear this in upper class families based in locations of non RP regional accents even today.

If Effie had been raised to be "genteel" and educated even a little, and if it was hoped that she would be able to "marry well," she probably would have been expected to sound upper class which usually involved sounding RP "nobility."