Why are fantasy world accents British?

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Kuruharan

Film is a visual medium. The more elaborate something is the more visually impressive.

And accuracy has never been very high on a film-maker's to do list.

Does it need to be impressive though? A Game of Thrones is a huge success but it's quite low on the visuals, compared to most US output. The joust scene in the first series was hardly epic, more like something the BBC would turn out - and I think the producers of the series Merlin would have made it more 'visually stunning' (and the books give the impression of lots more colour/pageantry, too). An amazing script and cast can mean the SFX and art department needn't cost mega bucks. Also see: Robin of Sherwood for high impact but less showy 'historical' drama.

I think it's because there are different perceptions or audience expectations of the period, not always, certainly nowadays, limited to which country is making the drama, but in the past it seems to have been. It might be a British thing to react with distaste if something isn't accurate (I couldn't enjoy The Kings Speech for example because it's simply wrong). Certainly our re-enactment societies are a completely different kettle of fish to the fun that seems to be had at Ren Fairs.

[Galadriel55]

While carefully spending precious homework time on the olden days of the Downs, I stumbled onto this post by SPM where he quotes the Letters with Tolkien's own opinion on accents:

Originally Posted by The Saucepan Man

Well, I have to admit that he had a point.

[Kuruharan]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

A Game of Thrones is a huge success but it's quite low on the visuals, compared to most US output. The joust scene in the first series was hardly epic, more like something the BBC would turn out - and I think the producers of the series Merlin would have made it more 'visually stunning' (and the books give the impression of lots more colour/pageantry, too). An amazing script and cast can mean the SFX and art department needn't cost mega bucks. Also see: Robin of Sherwood for high impact but less showy 'historical' drama.

Interesting you should mention that but it is a factor regarding Game of Thrones that the critics almost always make mention of what they tactfully refer to as "budgetary constraints" which is newspeak for "We want things to be more showy."

[Alfirin]

For the most part I agree with Lalwende (except maybe about the HBO thing, in my area HBO is bundled into the standard cable package, you have cable, you have HBO, and I imagine similar arrangements exist in a lot of other areas of the US. but no matter.) If I may use a non-Tolkein example; amongst my collection of well loved audio CD's are a selection of adaptation done by the Atlanta Radio Theatre company of some of the stories of H.P. Lovecraft. One of the big reasons I love these recordings so much is that the Atlanta Radio Theatre company actually took the time to make the accents sound appropriate to the characters given thier region and characters. Armitige sounds like a Boston Brahmin (which is I suppose as close as you can get to a real world to the accent of an Arkham academic), Obed Marsh sounds like a Nantucket Whaler/Shipper (aka a "Captain Ahab" accent) etc.

[Bêthberry]

Originally Posted by Alfirin

Armitige sounds like a Boston Brahmin (which is I suppose as close as you can get to a real world to the accent of an Arkham academic),

Do you mean like Charles Emerson Winchester III from MASH?

[Morthoron]

Originally Posted by Bêthberry

Do you mean like Charles Emerson Winchester III from MASH?

Or Katharine Hepburn referring to her fondness for callalilies.

[Alfirin]

Originally Posted by Morthoron

Or Katharine Hepburn referring to her fondness for callalilies.

Actually I meant a little like Ted Kennedy; I think I may have gotten confused as to what a "Boston Brahmin" accent is. Larchmont Lockjaw I'm good at, but I get a little foggy outside of my range.