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welshing
Well, I spoke to my Mum today and it appears that I may have got things a little wrong. According to Mum, Richard (John Boy) Thomas didn't live near her and she didn't know the family. His family did come from Llywnhendy, the next village along though. It seems Mr Thomas did come back to visit his family and thought he'd take a little trip into Llanelli. He didn't bank on the popularity of 'The Waltons' and according to my cousin, got mobbed. I am glad to know that my Mum is trustworthy and has not deceived me.
I am a bit stunned by Mr McMuffin's soppy film collection for his night in. I took a break from cleaning and gardening and watched 'Serendipity'. I wasn't very keen on it, but then I can't bear the 'soul mate' crap that Hollywood keeps trying to sell us. Given all the people in the world it seems highly unlikely to me that there's just one person for me. No disrespect to Mr McMuffin, but I suspect there are a few men I could have had a happy life with, if I hadn't met him.
Anyway, the thing that bothered me most about the film was the Kate Beckinsale's character's name. We find out she's called 'Sara', which is fine. It's not a hugely popular name in the UK, but I know one very well (Hallo there!). However, we pronounce it 'Sar-rar' NOT 'Sair-rer'. We spell that name 'Sarah'. I know it's just a detail, but it pisses me off that they always seem to do this, create an English character and then assume that they don't need to take account of the culture. Anyone remember Daphne and her brother from 'Frasier'? I rest my case.
mrs mcmuffin on 11 Sep 2004 @ 06:32 PM ✲ Permalink
Comments
Loving all things English, I must ask, what was off about Daphne and her brothers?
Posted by: Loretta | 12 Sep 2004 00:16:29
There is no way Daphne came from Birmingham, and if she did, why did her brother have a cockney accent (sort of)? What about Mrs Doubtfire's (Robin William's 'Scottish' accent) or more recently the granny in Danny Devito's 'Our House' who was supposed to be Irish but had a Scottish (sort of) accent?
When will American filmakers get the idea that accents mean something here, maybe more so than they do in other places. We notice!
Posted by: mr mcmuffin | 12 Sep 2004 00:40:40
I think Daphne was supposed to be from Manchester! The guy who played her brother sounded like an Aussie trying to be cockney. There was no storyline to explain this disparity. Bizarre.
Posted by: mrs mcmuffin | 12 Sep 2004 15:31:59
Three things here:
Firstly the Irish also confuse the 'sara/sarah' issue but reversing what is true and proper. They vocally call someone who's written name is Sara O'Boyle(for example), Sarah O'Boyle. This is an endless source of confusion but then I guess the Irish are used to being in that state of mind ( I can be slightly racist here as I have Irish blood in me, and am currently working on a play written by an Irish playwright who is a law unto himself when it comes to stage directions, left and right, upstage and down stage....but that's just my bug-bare).
I also know of a certain wee schoolgirl of 12 who, when in a class of 3 Sarahs and one Sara (herself) refused to answer the register when the witch-needlework teacher called repeatedly "Sarah". Instead of admitting her mistake when it was pointed out to her, said witch-teacher replied "What were your parents thinking" and sent said schoolgirl to detention.
Secondly, (and I hate Frasier) I believe Daphne was supposed to be from Manchester but I think she did a small vocal tour of the north, with a couple of forays into the west country before she arrived there.
Thirdly, and having a dulcit london accent ( south/south east) myself I have been many times (and I kid you not) mistaken for an Aussie. A Kiwi friend of mine explained this mistake for me. Apparently the Aussie trait of very flat vowels comes directly from their descendants - a large majority of whom were cockney east end boys shipped off the the new world as punishment. Hence the oft made confusion.
I wonder what heinous crime I commit nowadays to get 'shipped off' to the unbelievably tough and terrible world down under.....
Posted by: single cookie | 13 Sep 2004 12:57:00
Haha, Single Cookie. I escaped said witch teacher's attentions due to my big sister's strange interest in all things fabric. You got a detention? How cruel. I was at that school for 7 years and only ever heard of a detention being given out for bunking off. You were oppressed!
So now the Irish have to be taken on, although the Welsh do that strange 'Sarra' thing. Can't believe you have been mistaken for Oz, though. By Southerners? Or Northern and foreign types?
Posted by: mrs mcmuffin | 13 Sep 2004 14:36:15
I guess the film makers don't worry too much about what accents they give us because most of us Americans wouldn't know anything about what parts of the country the accents came from.
As for Sara / Sarah....we pronounce them both the same so I can't even imagine the differences you're talking about.
All I know is that Nicole Kidman's attempt to talk with an American accent makes me want to rip my ears off. And yes I know she's from Australia, not England.
Posted by: Norah Nick | 14 Sep 2004 08:25:34
