Arrrrrrrrgh

[Vermilion]

Am watching the Johnny Depp 'Charlie and the chocolate factory' and it's driving me loopy - they have english actors with english accents, supposedly *in* england, but all the dialect is fucking American! For fucks sake - either have it one way or the other. Hearing English people say 'candy bar' instead of chocolate bar, 'pants' instead of trousers, 'kid' instead of child - it's INFURIATING. Plus the currency in use in 'England' is dollars. If the fiance didn;t want to keep watching this I'd smash up the video.

Seriously? Can Americans not translate from English dialect into their own when watching a film?

It's bad enough when an english book is transmuted into a fully American film, but when Grandpa George tells Charlie, in an English accent, to 'get that mud off your pants' it makes you wonder what kind of paedophilic child abuser he is!

V <seriously irritated>

 

[cloudy]

It's probably the same irritation I feel when I watch a movie/tv show with a "southern" character who sounds about as southern as you do. They always speak like some caricature of a southerner.

 

[jomar]

The devil's in the details, eh?

 

[DesertPirate]

Am watching the Johnny Depp 'Charlie and the chocolate factory' and it's driving me loopy - they ahve english actors with english actors, supposedly *in* england, but all the dialect is fucking American! For fucks sake - either have it one way or the other. Hearing English people say 'candy bar' instead of chocolate bar, 'pants' instead of trousers, 'kid' instead of child - it's INFURIATING. Plus the currency in use in 'England' is dollars. If the fiance didn;t want to keep watching this I'd smash up the video.

Seriously? Can Americans not translate from English dialect into their own when watching a film?

It's bad enough when an english book is transmuted into a fully American film, but when Grandpa George tells Charlie, in an English accent, to 'get that mud off your pants' it makes you wonder what kind of paedophilic child abuser he is!

V <seriously irritated>

That is one of the worst remakes ever done!
Give me the Gene Wilder version of Willy Wonka anytime!

 

[Salvor-Hardon]

One of the problems with Hollywood is that they assume no one is thinking when they watch a movie. They dumb everything down, and make it an experience where one just sits and watches. Its truly insulting.

 

[English Lady]

I caught a bit of it last night and the same thing bugged me...when Charlie talked about "candy" I pulled a face. Sweets, we talk about sweets here

 

[Vermilion]

One of the problems with Hollywood is that they assume no one is thinking when they watch a movie. They dumb everything down, and make it an experience where one just sits and watches. Its truly insulting.

Yup. It's so sad, too, because if anyone offers opportunities for real weirdness without any need for additions then it's Roald Dahl. <sighs>

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[Vermilion]

I caught a bit of it last night and the same thing bugged me...when Charlie talked about "candy" I pulled a face. Sweets, we talk about sweets here

I could *kind* of understand if he said 'candy' instead of 'sweet's, but he didn;t - he said 'candy' instead of 'chocolate' - what? Do they not have a word for chocolate over there???? Funny thing, cos I could have sworn this film was about a CHOCOLATE factory.

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[NoJo]

Yet, let's not forget how brilliant the very very American Gene Wilder was in the first version of the film.

 

[Stella_Omega]

I infinitely prefer the Burton version, and Depp's Willy Wonka, to Gene Wilder's. Aside from the mish-mash of accents and lingo, it's so much truer to Dahl's book. Even the additions-- I imagined Dahl just rubbing his hands in pure glee, they were macabre and sweet in perfect measure.

Depp's Willy Wonka accent is sort of middle American-- a bit of Mr. Rogers, I thought. So funny!

 

[Lee Chambers]

I always like these kinds of threads because I always learn a little bit more about how a dialect is spoken. Helps improve the genuine feel of a character.

 

[Belegon]

Expectations, people.

The movie is made for a certain audience. The idioms used are going to be the ones familiar to that audience.

Thus, since the major audience they were aiming at was the US, they used US idioms.

Otherwise, to chose another movie that made wild assumptions, Gladiator would use Latin dialog.


Sorry, but for all the fact that I love movies, I don't have too many real expectations for accuracy in fantastical movies.

Now, if they make a movie about a specific historical event or person, that's different. But even then I allow more artistic license.**

**ETA: By this, I mean I allow a movie more license than a book or a non-dramatic documentary.

 

[NoJo]

I infinitely prefer the Burton version, and Depp's Willy Wonka, to Gene Wilder's. Aside from the mish-mash of accents and lingo, it's so much truer to Dahl's book. Even the additions-- I imagined Dahl just rubbing his hands in pure glee, they were macabre and sweet in perfect measure.

Depp's Willy Wonka accent is sort of middle American-- a bit of Mr. Rogers, I thought. So funny!

Tim Burton is reputed to be making a film version Carroll's Alice books. If so he'll almost certainly fuck them up, just like everyone else who's attempted them. Or rather, he'll probably make a great film which has almost nothing to do with the books.

 

[Guest]

"England and America are two countries divided by a common language." GBS

But you're right... it was lazy and careless not to vet it more carefully.

 

[Lee Chambers]

Tim Burton is reputed to be making a film version Carroll's Alice books. If so he'll almost certainly fuck them up, just like everyone else who's attempted them. Or rather, he'll probably make a great film which has almost nothing to do with the books.

That's how we got Batman.

 

[matriarch]

The wife and I watched it this afternoon. I'm still reserving judgement, it was decidedly wierd, but as Mils said, the setting to me, was quite obviously Britain, but then we had trick-a-treating, the wayward note he found in the snow, looked to me as if it was going to be English, but then turned out to be dollars (not like any 10-dollar bill I've ever seen, says the wife), and so on, and so on............Either have it set in USA or in England, don't mix and match.

 

[Vermilion]

Expectations, people.

The movie is made for a certain audience. The idioms used are going to be the ones familiar to that audience.

Thus, since the major audience they were aiming at was the US, they used US idioms.

Otherwise, to chose another movie that made wild assumptions, Gladiator would use Latin dialog.


Sorry, but for all the fact that I love movies, I don't have too many real expectations for accuracy in fantastical movies.

Now, if they make a movie about a specific historical event or person, that's different. But even then I allow more artistic license.**

**ETA: By this, I mean I allow a movie more license than a book or a non-dramatic documentary.

I don;t necessarily mind them messing with the book - that's their prerogative as far as artistic license goes. What I am objecting to here is putting American dialect in an English accent. It just sounds too fucked up for words and makes some really inappropriate lines!

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[NoJo]

I was never a big Roald Dahl fan so I don't really care who does what to his stories when they try to adapt them to the screen. I thought "Matilda" (directed by Danny De Vito) was fucking brilliant. I have no idea how it compares with the book.

 

[Vermilion]

The wife and I watched it this afternoon. I'm still reserving judgement, it was decidedly wierd, but as Mils said, the setting to me, was quite obviously Britain, but then we had trick-a-treating, the wayward note he found in the snow, looked to me as if it was going to be English, but then turned out to be dollars (not like any 10-dollar bill I've ever seen, says the wife), and so on, and so on............Either have it set in USA or in England, don't mix and match.

<nods emphatically>

And NEVER say pants in an English accent unless you want all the english audience to think 'underwear'

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[Vermilion]

I was never a big Roald Dahl fan so I don't really care who does what to his stories when they try to adapt them to the screen. I thought "Matilda" (directed by Danny De Vito) was fucking brilliant. I have no idea how it compares with the book.

Terrible, but then - I hate that child actress. Too syrupy for words - makes me gag. Trunchbull was fantastic in the film, though. Just how I pictured her.

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[Trinique_Fire]

Am watching the Johnny Depp 'Charlie and the chocolate factory' and it's driving me loopy - they have english actors with english accents, supposedly *in* england, but all the dialect is fucking American! For fucks sake - either have it one way or the other. Hearing English people say 'candy bar' instead of chocolate bar, 'pants' instead of trousers, 'kid' instead of child - it's INFURIATING. Plus the currency in use in 'England' is dollars. If the fiance didn;t want to keep watching this I'd smash up the video.

Seriously? Can Americans not translate from English dialect into their own when watching a film?

It's bad enough when an english book is transmuted into a fully American film, but when Grandpa George tells Charlie, in an English accent, to 'get that mud off your pants' it makes you wonder what kind of paedophilic child abuser he is!

V <seriously irritated>

It's okay...because frankly, there are English actors/actresses that have played American roles that get completely botched in the process. Pendulum swings both ways.

 

[Vermilion]

It's okay...because frankly, there are English actors/actresses that have played American roles that get completely botched in the process. Pendulum swings both ways.

I'm not talking about people attempting different accents, although that does sometimes work. I'm talking about people saying the wrong words for their accent.

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[Trombonus]

Being brought up in England and then moving to America, I still find myself forgetting to "change over" and then wonder why people don't know what the heck I'm talking about. Like I always confuse trash/garbage/rubbish, bin/can and trunk/boot.

At least I know what I mean.

 

[beautiful_lacy]

I'm American, and I must say that I hated the Johnny Depp version of this movie. It was creepy to say the least. Reminded me too much of Michael Jackson. Depp's expressions made it seem as if he leered at the children which was just a little creepy for a children's movie.

 

[Trinique_Fire]

I'm not talking about people attempting different accents, although that does sometimes work. I'm talking about people saying the wrong words for their accent.

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Yep. That's what I mean too. There are so many regional dialects and versions of American English, as well as colloquialisms, and I've heard it botched plenty of times by English actors, though it happens with other actors too. My point was that I get your frustration.