Communication in film has been explored in many different ways over the years. Stories have been told through song, dance, complicated battles, and, of course, through the spoken word. With the majority of Hollywood movies made in English, it becomes a bit of an obstacle when a story takes place in a different country or time. The need for full historical accuracy is often cast aside in favor of making the scripts as easy to follow as possible for the viewers. Foreign languages become “English with an accent” and regional accents become exaggerated for effect.
Another issue is the ability of the actors themselves. While many performers have multiple talents, dedicate countless hours, and even immerse themselves in the world they’re about to bring to the screen, there are times when that sadly, isn’t enough. English actors taking on an American accent can become a caricature, and American actors attempting a “British” accent, sound like one of the royals, regardless of where in the UK the character hails from.
10
Robin Hood (2010)
Directed By Ridley Scott
Russell Crowe is a man of many talents, but accents aren’t necessarily one. While the Australian actor can pass as American and British, there is little regional nuance to his dialect work. The story of Robin Hood is canonically set on the cusp of the 12th and 13th centuries in and around the settlement of Nottingham. While, understandably, no recordings of people’s voices exist from that time, there are ways of analyzing the written word to imagine how people sounded in those times. There is also an option to lean into the current accent abundant in the area.
The actors in Robin Hood seem to do neither. With two of the main protagonists Australian, a few Brits from various areas across the UK, and some Americans added to the cast, to say there is any accent accuracy is near impossible. With Crowe himself opting for a sort of English-Scottish-American hybrid, Cate Blanchett leaning towards RP, and the rest doing their absolute best to blend in. The film is well shot and offers an interesting take on Robin of Locksley’s story, but the attention to the accents leaves a lot to be desired.
9
Gangs Of New York (2002)
Directed By Martin Scorsese
Set in late 19th century New York, Gangs of New York depicts many different groups of people all living in one melting pot of culture, and also, accents. With many Irish immigrants, people born in the USA as well as a host of other ethnicities, the actors had quite a lot on their plate. Daniel Day-Lewis opted for a very broad Irish drawl that he committed to throughout. The accent may not have been completely accurate on a historical level, but he remained consistent and made it a character choice.
Cameron Diaz, on the other hand, struggles to maintain her accent throughout. with certain phrases hitting the mark, and others betraying her modern-day Californian sound. Watching her try to navigate this version of Irish-American was widely regarded as distracting. This mishmash of pronunciations and choices of words may highlight the tumultuousness of the times, but any savvy viewer can tell that, in many cases, that was not intentional.
8
One Day (2011)
Directed By Lone Scherfig
Before the popular Netflix adaptation with Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall, the beloved novel had been adapted into a film with Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess. David Nicholls’ heartbreaking story covers over 20 years, starting in Edinburgh in the 1980s. The characters hail from London and Yorkshire, and this regional divide is part of what makes them who they are. Differences in class and upbringing, privilege, and struggle are all topics they discuss and disagree about. They come very close to being together on multiple occasions, but their differences are both what attract and repel them.
That very much includes the way they speak. Dexter is posh and arrogant, while Emma’s working-class Yorkshire accent is exacerbated when she gets excited about politics and injustice. Anne Hathaway is a generational talent, and she even managed to do a good job with a Regency accent in Becoming Jane. However, the nuances of the Yorkshire accent were a bit too much to handle. She never maintained any consistency, jumping in and out of regions from scene to scene. The focus was clearly more on getting a Hollywood star as opposed to giving the character more authenticity.
7
Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
Directed By Francis Ford Coppola
The story of one of the most famous vampires in history has been retold many times. Francis Ford Coppola’s vision was very theatrical and melodramatic. His sweeping visuals and exquisite costuming are at the forefront of the storytelling, and he chose actors who would suit the look of the film, more than necessarily giving historically accurate performances. As the story takes place in late 19th century England, with flashbacks to Eastern Europe, the accent work should have been basically straightforward.
However, with many American actors facing their own individual accent struggles, the story wasn’t quite as simple. Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves have a lot of chemistry and fantastic screen presence, but sounding English is not something either of them should add to their resumes. Gary Oldman goes very big on his Dracula voice, which can seem like a bit of a caricature at times. Altogether, the cast sounds very different from each other, despite all being from the same circles.
6
Gladiator (2000)
Directed By Ridley Scott
Custom Image by Lewis Glazebrook
Many films set in ancient times tend to utilize the British English accent to denote the class divide. That’s not unusual and has been so for many, many years. Seeing as the plot of Gladiator takes place in ancient Rome, it would have been difficult to follow the story if it were told in that particular ancient language. Modern Italian was always an option, but as it was intended to be a blockbuster, opting for this British solution seemed to be a good compromise.
A problem with this arrangement is that the actors seemed to work alone on each of their interpretations of how the characters should sound. Crowe stuck to his usual mix of Australian, British, and American. Joaquin Phoenix, who is ostensibly American, adopted a posh English effect but wasn’t able to maintain it throughout. Connie Nielsen’s Danish twang sneaks in here and there, and the lack of rules when it comes to dialects and accents is evident. This trend continued throughout the sequel to a degree, so perhaps, that was Ridley Scott’s homage to consistency.
5
House Of Gucci (2021)
Directed By Ridley Scott
This film is set, for the most part, in Italy in the 1970s, yet very little Italian is spoken. Instead, the actors adopt various versions of the Italian accent while speaking English throughout. It could be argued that a story so focused on this innately Italian fashion house should have just been shot in its original language, but in order to have the caliber of A-list English-speaking talent, Ridley Scott opted to tell the story in English. It’s possible having the cast deliver the script in Italian would have been much worse.
Jared Leto’s interpretation of the Gucci accent was the most bombastic out of all the actors. This divisive performance was a hit with some critics, who thought his larger-than-life performance added a lot of character to the film, while others found it laughable and borderline offensive. There are accent issues throughout, with neither Lady Gaga nor Adam Driver escaping criticism, but Leto’s choices were certainly the most prominent.
4
300 (2006)
Directed By Zack Snyder
Ancient Greece is the setting for this historical epic. Violent, highly stylized, and dark in tone, this tale of a Spartan king is filled with anachronistic language. Writing the script in the original Ancient Greek dialects would have been very hard to do, and performing it, perhaps harder still. So, the popular choice of utilizing British English was made, with a seemingly limited amount of direction given to the actors.
Gerard Butler opted for his own Scottish accent, which would have made more sense if any of his other subjects sounded anywhere near similar. Lena Heady sounds much more refined, and Michael Fassbender and Dominic West’s accents don’t particularly match any others. However, this didn’t seem to affect audiences who flocked to the theaters, and it made nearly half a billion dollars worldwide.
3
Les Misérables (2012)
Directed By Tom Hopper
This musical film is set in 19th-century France, so, naturally, all the characters speak English. Based on a stage musical inspired by Victor Hugo’s epic novel, Les Misérables had been part of the zeitgeist for many years. After breaking records on Broadway and West End, it was no wonder a film adaptation was on the cards. To reach as many global audiences as possible, and to follow the original songs written for the stage, the characters in Les Misérables speak in a variety of English accents.
While Hugh Jackman adopts a mostly standardized English accent, with his Australian twang popping up from time to time, Anne Hathaway sounds much more posh, as does Eddie Redmayne. Russell Crowe takes audiences on a journey through many different regions as well as musical styles as he brings Javert to life. The inconsistency is clear, but through the medium of song, everything makes much more sense.
2
Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves (1991)
Directed By Kevin Reynolds
The historical inaccuracies in this classic 1990s film are visible in every scene, and the accents are just one of them. From the mullet hairstyles to the interestingly interpreted costumes, the characters in this production should not be taught at school. While highly entertaining, with a memorable soundtrack, the accents are a glaring issue. Compared to other films where the biggest issue is whether the regional accent is authentic enough, here, there’s many a leaning towards a full-blown American accent.
Kevin Costner, Michael McShane, and Christian Slater cannot hide the fact that they’re from the United States, and this has been a running joke among viewers and critics since the film’s premiere. The lack of need to recreate any historical accuracy within the film seems like a conscious choice, and viewers are instead invited to just enjoy the story they’ve heard so many times, and not pay too much heed to how anything is said.
1
Mary Poppins (1964)
Directed By Robert Stevenson
A charming story that features a magical nanny and various cartoon characters might not seem like a historical biopic, but as it’s meant to be set in early 20th-century London, viewers should be able to expect some sort of linguistic consistency. While there are many differences between how a lot of the children speak, as well as the Banks, Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews) delivers a very standardized-sounding version of English on par with what should be expected of the time.
It is, however, Dick Van Dyke’s attempt at the Cockney accent that has drawn widespread criticism over the years. It’s not the easiest accent to replicate, but what comes out of his mouth is not comparable to any known accent or language. Over the years, it has been mocked and ridiculed and tops many “worst accent” lists, but at this point, it only adds to the whimsy of the film. While historically unrecognizable, this version of Cockney is now the official one of the world of Mary Poppins.