Anybody else bugged by Harvey's terrible American accent?
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EvasiveApollo03 — 14 years ago(November 09, 2011 10:10 PM)
His accent was just bad. It was to the point where I wonder if he was even trying to pass as an American. It's as bad as when I saw Frankie Avalon playing a British teen in a 1971 Horror film where he doesn't seem to even attempt to come off as a british teenager but rather a middle aged Frankie Avalon.
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deadzombie — 14 years ago(January 27, 2012 03:57 PM)
I agree 100% Awarded Medal of Honor for leading his troops in battle in Korea speaking Proper drawing room English. He gets captured by North Korea,they get "brainwashed" by Russian or Red Chinese or North Korean secret agents.They get released.Major Bennett Marco is the only captured solider not brainwashed and he was in charge.It gets better.Major marco meets Janet Leigh on a train,and she decides to leave her "fiance" for Major Marco even though he is arrested for beating Henry Silva the same day.
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ContinentalOp — 14 years ago(December 01, 2011 04:31 AM)
To cut him some slack:
Laruschka Mischa Skikne, Laurence Harvey, was born and lived in Lithuania until he was five. He then moved to South Africa and then moved to England after the warso he had to master two foreign accents since the age of five.
If you love Jesus 100% keep it to yourselves, perverts! -
movie_nazi — 14 years ago(December 02, 2011 07:33 AM)
Laruschka Mischa Skikne, Laurence Harvey, was born and lived in Lithuania until he was five. He then moved to South Africa and then moved to England after the warso he had to master two foreign accents since the age of five.
Uh, yeah, that's nice he's an ACTOR. It's his job to pretend he is from the United States. On the other hand many "actors" of the time never even tried to pull off accents.
My vote history link:
http://imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=5504773 -
ContinentalOp — 14 years ago(December 12, 2011 04:30 PM)
''Uh, yeah, that's nice he's an ACTOR. It's his job to pretend he is from the United States. On the other hand many "actors" of the time never even tried to pull off accents.''
I am not sure how this is a relevant reply to my comment. I am not criticizing him and I am in fact pointing out that he is technically doing an accent anyway, whether he just sounds English or not, because he grew up in Lithuania and South Africa.
If you love Jesus 100% keep it to yourselves, perverts! -
franzkabuki — 13 years ago(June 19, 2012 05:40 PM)
"On the other hand many "actors" of the time never even tried to pull off accents".
So youre saying that if an actor doesnt try to "pull off accents", or does so poorly, he or she ceases to be an actor and instead becomes an "actor" ie an amateur failure?
And why would such a relatively minor flaw in authenticity bother anyone so much, anyway? Its not like hes speaking like an Australian or a Scot; it more or less passes for an East Coast upper crust American accent.
"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan -
movie_nazi — 13 years ago(June 20, 2012 10:56 AM)
So youre saying that if an actor doesnt try to "pull off accents", or does so poorly, he or she ceases to be an actor and instead becomes an "actor" ie an amateur failure?
It actually seems to be a sign of the times rather than a measuring of the actor's caliber. He most likely was instructed by the director to not speak with an American accent.
I never said that the actor would be an "amateur failure" if he could not pull off an accent (did I? Been so long since started this post). However I firmly believe that no actor can be considered great if they are not able to pull off a convincing accent. They can be considered good but never great IMHO.
And why would such a relatively minor flaw in authenticity bother anyone so much, anyway?
It's a quirk of mine. It's hard for me to immense myself in a movie where the character is supposed to be an American soldier and he sounds like Jeeves bringing the tea and crumpets.
My vote history link:
http://imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=5504773 -
lewisherschell — 13 years ago(August 08, 2012 03:28 AM)
I like Harvey, but his accents were often a little off: for example, see his wonky Lancashire accent in Jack Clayton's "Room at the Top".
'What does it matter what you say about people?'
Touch of Evil (Orson Welles, 1958). -
movie_nazi — 13 years ago(August 08, 2012 08:35 PM)
I like Harvey, but his accents were often a little off: for example, see his wonky Lancashire accent in Jack Clayton's "Room at the Top".
I can't even pretend to know how exactly a Lancashire accent is supposed to sound like. I would have imagined that it would have been easier for him to pull one of those off than an American accent. I've noticed more and more that they really didn't concern themselves too much with authenticity back in the days. -
lewisherschell — 13 years ago(August 09, 2012 07:03 PM)
"I can't even pretend to know how exactly a Lancashire accent is supposed to sound like. I would have imagined that it would have been easier for him to pull one of those off than an American accent. I've noticed more and more that they really didn't concern themselves too much with authenticity back in the days."
ROOM AT THE TOP was groundbreaking in the sense that it was the first British fictional film in which the character spoke with a working class accent not from the South East of England (ie, not from London), which was a big deal at the time. Thus it's such a shame that Harvey's accent in the film was all over the shop. Luckily, only a year or so later Karel Reisz's SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING showed a little more 'authenticity' in its use of Northern working class accents.
For a 'real' Lancashire accent, check out Jane Horrocks in LITTLE VOICE
'What does it matter what you say about people?'
Touch of Evil (Orson Welles, 1958). -
lewisherschell — 13 years ago(August 12, 2012 03:39 PM)
Not quite. Osbourne's got a Birmingham accent
Other Lancashire-accented public figures include the comedians Victoria Wood and Peter Kay. George Formby had a Lancashire accent too.
'What does it matter what you say about people?'
Touch of Evil (Orson Welles, 1958). -
nightprism — 13 years ago(September 03, 2012 06:23 PM)
He's not trying to do a standard American English accent like we have them today. He's supposed to have a Mid-Atlantic Accent that was cultivated among rich Eastern Americans until the mid-20th century. Cary Grant, for instance, has a wonderful Mid-Atlantic Accent, although he came by it naturally, as his accent naturally became more Americanized when he emigrated to the USA when he was a teen.
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MrEdnablackadder — 13 years ago(November 07, 2012 07:00 AM)
To be frank , I don't think Larry sounded any different from what he usually did . I don't think he was trying to make an American accent at all . If memory serves me right , Frankenheimer wanted him to speak in perfectly pure English to set his upper class character apart from the other , less refined soldiers . It's not like you have to sound like a Kentucky coal miner just because you're playing American . Raymond comes from a very important family : I say it's likely that he was raised to speak with impeccable pronounciation . Lansbury doesn't seem to speak with an American accent either , maybe Mrs.Iselin was British and Raymond learnt from her to talk properly . Or maybe she isn't , but that doesn't change much . An upper class Boston accent for example is not that dissimilar from a British one . I also disagree that Harvey sounded like Jeeves , considering that he wasn't even British born . He just spoke a flawless English , he never picked up any local accent .
Oh , and Joe Lampton is from Yorkshire , not from Lancashire , so any comparison with Jane Horrocks doesn't make sense . Now , I read many people complaining that his Yorkshire accent in "Room" was intermittent . I'm Italian , so I suppose I'm not really an expert on this . But since Joe has also been an amateur actor , I think it's logical that he would try to change the way he sounds , since eliminating any trace of a regional accent is the first thing you're told to do if you wish to hit the stage . Also , remember that the character is basically pretending to be something he isn't - he wants to join the elite club he doesn't belong to - so I think it's quite fitting that the accent comes and goes . And how about his co-star , Simone Signoret ? I'd say it is much stranger that a Yorkshire woman speaks with a French accent . It's something that happened quite often at the time . But it rarely spoiled my enjoyment of a movie , if well-acted .
Final thoughts :
1.I know it's very difficult for an actor to constantly do accents and never being knocked for it . Unless you're called Meryl Streep or Martin Landau , there will always be some native speakers who won't appreciate your imitation
2. . Said that , I don't trust the majority of people when it comes to judge accents . It's usually the easy way to deride an actor's efforts , but most people do not really know what a foeign accent sounds like . For example , I remember an article where Jane Lapotaire was mocked for her supposedly "phony" French accent in the mini-series "The Dark Angel" . But ..it happens that she's perfectly bilingual . The name Lapotaire could have arisen some slight suspicions . I think all of this is pretty instructive . -
Altho73 — 13 years ago(March 03, 2013 10:49 AM)
I'll add that I can't help noticing that John McGiver didn't sound particularly American either, yet no one here has criticised his accent. He was born in New York city but sounds more British than American.
MrEdnablackadder, you are quite correct when you say that certain Boston accents sound like British accents, in fact a friend of mine from Boston is an example. On one occasion at Dallas/Fort Worth airport my friend went to the information desk and in the course of his enquiry told the man behind the desk that he was from Boston, this rude jerk snapped at him, 'Not with that accent your're not, you come from England'.
To his credit my friend was too polite to respond or to complain about this idiot. -
movie_nazi — 12 years ago(July 20, 2013 05:50 PM)
MrEdnablackadder, you are quite correct when you say that certain Boston accents sound like British accents,
The reason this is detected sometimes is the lack of accentuating the 'R' sound which both Bostonians and British share. Iv'e heard many actors say that the key to mastering the typical American accent is the over accentuation of the 'r's which most other English speaking countries, including Australia, New Zealand, UK, etc. usually gloss over. A thick Boston accent for example such as "park the car" sounds more like "paak the caa" . -
Baskerville — 4 years ago(January 16, 2022 07:24 PM)
I have just watched The film again, on disc, for the first time in decades. Harvey's accent bothered me now as much as it did then. Surely a line could have been written in about his having been sent to school in England. Angela Lansbury, on the other hand, sounded mid-Atlantic to me. She could revert to Englishness when required: I saw her as Gertrude, Hamlet's mother, at the National Theatre when Albert Finney played Hamlet. Nowadays, by the way, she has three nationalities: British, American and Irish.