| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Airbolt |
Posted - 11/17/2006 : 23:50:42 OK - This was prompted by an afternoon showing of 633 Squadron . For those unfamiliar with this War film it was one of the major inspirations for the Death Star Trench Sequence. Plucky Royal Air Force Pilots ( lead by Cliff Robertson ! ) attack a German Heavy Water Plant hidden under an outcrop at the end of a narrow fjord full of Flak Positions. Its worth a watch although there are some truly awful Back Projections and Oak performances .
Anyway in amongst this lot is a Norwegian Resistance Fighter. Who to cast - why George Chakiris of course! He even keeps a luxurious 1960's Hairstyle ( see also Clint Eastwood in Where Eagles Dare ! ) Poor old George both looked and acted pure Teak.
Anyway , I wondered if anyone else had some light-hearted examples of Hollywood's slightly odd casting of other nationalities.
I mean , Tia Carrere as Japanese ?
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| 15 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| TitanPa |
Posted - 11/21/2006 : 18:38:51 Meg Ryan with a New York accent in "Agaisnt the Ropes"
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| Whippersnapper. |
Posted - 11/21/2006 : 18:03:57 quote: Originally posted by benj clews
quote: Originally posted by Chris C
quote: Originally posted by Whippersnapper
Not quite a nationality issue, but Michael Caine in "Get Carter" as a Geordie [that's someone from the Newcastle area].
His accent is pure Sowf Lund'n and anyone who understands anything about English accents knows there is no way anyone with his accent could ever have lived in Newcastle. It's also a stark contrast with the authentic Geordie (or at least northern) accents of most of the cast.
For me its an irritating blot on an otherwise superb film.
Whip - sorry, but I've got to correct you on this one. Caine plays a London gangster who goes north to avenge his brother's death. Check the IMDB plot summary here. I do agree, though, that it's a great movie.
I think yes- he's a London gangster, but only in the sense that he's a gangster in London. If I recall correctly, he heads to Newcastle (i.e. back home) for the funeral of his brother.
I'm always willing to stand corrected, but only when I'm wrong.
And this is not one of those rare, rare occasions. 
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| Chris C |
Posted - 11/20/2006 : 21:40:29 Yup.
She was a Saracen, captured and enslaved in the Crusades and freed by Robin and the gang. |
| ChocolateLady |
Posted - 11/20/2006 : 06:00:37 quote: Originally posted by Chris C
quote: Originally posted by Conan The Camper
quote: Originally posted by duh Kevin Costner was famously miscast as Robin Hood in "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves." Although I liked the idea of a brunette Marian, I also thought Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio was miscast.
Amen to that. What surprises me is that no one has included Morgan Freeman's character in "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves". The bigots who wrote the original legends obviously deliberately omitted the black Arab member of the Merry Men. Racist jerks! 
The current BBC TV "Robin Hood" series features an Arab member of the gang - who also happens to be a woman.
Wait. Anjali Jay is Indian. But there's nothing inherently 'Arab' in the name Djaq. Are you sure she's supposed to be Arab?
(Looks like a very cool series, though. I hope we get it here.)
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| Catuli |
Posted - 11/20/2006 : 00:34:20 Mickey Rooney as a Audrey Hepburn's Japanese neighbor in "Breakfast At Tiffany's" is an all time howler. That casting must have been payback for Pearl Harbor.
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| Chris C |
Posted - 11/19/2006 : 21:24:09 quote: Originally posted by Conan The Camper
quote: Originally posted by duh Kevin Costner was famously miscast as Robin Hood in "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves." Although I liked the idea of a brunette Marian, I also thought Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio was miscast.
Amen to that. What surprises me is that no one has included Morgan Freeman's character in "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves". The bigots who wrote the original legends obviously deliberately omitted the black Arab member of the Merry Men. Racist jerks! 
The current BBC TV "Robin Hood" series features an Arab member of the gang - who also happens to be a woman. |
| benj clews |
Posted - 11/19/2006 : 21:19:06 quote: Originally posted by Chris C
quote: Originally posted by Whippersnapper
Not quite a nationality issue, but Michael Caine in "Get Carter" as a Geordie [that's someone from the Newcastle area].
His accent is pure Sowf Lund'n and anyone who understands anything about English accents knows there is no way anyone with his accent could ever have lived in Newcastle. It's also a stark contrast with the authentic Geordie (or at least northern) accents of most of the cast.
For me its an irritating blot on an otherwise superb film.
Whip - sorry, but I've got to correct you on this one. Caine plays a London gangster who goes north to avenge his brother's death. Check the IMDB plot summary here. I do agree, though, that it's a great movie.
I think yes- he's a London gangster, but only in the sense that he's a gangster in London. If I recall correctly, he heads to Newcastle (i.e. back home) for the funeral of his brother. |
| Chris C |
Posted - 11/19/2006 : 21:14:52 quote: Originally posted by Whippersnapper
Not quite a nationality issue, but Michael Caine in "Get Carter" as a Geordie [that's someone from the Newcastle area].
His accent is pure Sowf Lund'n and anyone who understands anything about English accents knows there is no way anyone with his accent could ever have lived in Newcastle. It's also a stark contrast with the authentic Geordie (or at least northern) accents of most of the cast.
For me its an irritating blot on an otherwise superb film.
Whip - sorry, but I've got to correct you on this one. Caine plays a London gangster who goes north to avenge his brother's death. Check the IMDB plot summary here. I do agree, though, that it's a great movie.
Missing from the list of dodgy accents is Sean Connery as an Irish cop in "The Untouchables".
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| Conan The Westy |
Posted - 11/19/2006 : 18:09:16 quote: Originally posted by duh Kevin Costner was famously miscast as Robin Hood in "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves." Although I liked the idea of a brunette Marian, I also thought Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio was miscast.
Amen to that. What surprises me is that no one has included Morgan Freeman's character in "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves". The bigots who wrote the original legends obviously deliberately omitted the black Arab member of the Merry Men. Racist jerks!  |
| ChocolateLady |
Posted - 11/19/2006 : 13:05:58 quote: Originally posted by duh
Joel Grey as the Korean martial arts guru in "Remo Williams"; he did an excellent job but I couldn't forget that he wasn't really Korean.
Which reminds me of Marlon Brando's playing the part of Japanese interpreter, Sakini in "Teahouse of the August Moon". Marvelous movie, despite the iffy Brando accent and highly obvious make-up to "slant" his eyes.
Which reminds me, I don't think that Richard Gere needed that extra stuff on his lids when he did "Rhapsody in August".
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| duh |
Posted - 11/19/2006 : 12:18:14 quote: Originally posted by AIRBOLT
While we are in the South what about Michael Caine taking the Southern accent and giving it a going over in " Hurry Sundown " .
I enjoyed Michael Caine very much in "Second Hand Lions" even though his Brit accent flared up from time to time.
A famous British actor well know for her dead-on portrayal of a southerner was Vivian Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With The Wind.
The actor who played Charlie Chan in all those Charlie Chan movies was a caucasion guy, wasn't he?
Joel Grey as the Korean martial arts guru in "Remo Williams"; he did an excellent job but I couldn't forget that he wasn't really Korean.
Kevin Costner was famously miscast as Robin Hood in "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves." Although I liked the idea of a brunette Marian, I also thought Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio was miscast.
I've never watched "King David" but read that Richard Gere was horribly miscast as David.
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| ChocolateLady |
Posted - 11/19/2006 : 06:51:18 quote: Originally posted by Conan The Camper
quote: Originally posted by ChocolateLady I also enjoy watching Santiago, Chile born Cote de Pablo play the part of Israeli ex-Mossad agent, Ziva David on NCIS. She doesn't do a bad job, but her accent isn't Israeli - trust me on this one.
How did you like Eric Bana in Munich? (It has to be a step up from The Hulk.)
I didn't see it. The press wasn't thrilled so it didn't run for very long in the theatres and I missed it. I wasn't all that anxious to see it anyway, since "Sword of Gideon" had already done the story and was a good film (not great, but without the Spielberg hype), but considered better than Munich.
If it comes on TV I may watch it. I'm thinking it will appear on the small screen sometime around our Memorial Day.
Even so, anything would be a step up for Bana after The Hulk.
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| Airbolt |
Posted - 11/19/2006 : 00:38:02 quote: Originally posted by benj clews
quote: Originally posted by AIRBOLT
Apparently Hugh Jackman's London accent is better than Christian Bale's in " The Prestige " ironically enough.
But Hugh Jackman had an American accent I thought? Curious to know what a "London accent" is, BTW 
I was quoting a review of a film i haven't seen - rumbled!
In cinema terms London is a mixture of
*Barrow Boys speaking Cockney - they live " Dahn the Old Kent Road" and all carry "Shootahs"
*Toffs and Fops of the Hugh Grant variety -terribly well spoken - they all live in Notting Hill and tend to have US Girlfriends
There are no other sorts of people in London !( Holllywood Version ) |
| lemmycaution |
Posted - 11/18/2006 : 23:14:04 Clark Gable as Parnell?
Frankly, my boyo, I don't give a damn! |
| benj clews |
Posted - 11/18/2006 : 22:16:31 quote: Originally posted by AIRBOLT
Apparently Hugh Jackman's London accent is better than Christian Bale's in " The Prestige " ironically enough.
But Hugh Jackman had an American accent I thought? Curious to know what a "London accent" is, BTW  |