Managed to find a nice rip on YouTube of Endless Night (1972), which is very significant to your humble host as it features both Hayley Mills and Hywel Bennett, the main stars (not to mention Bernard Herrmann composing again) from the underrated classic Twisted Nerve (1968); one of my favourite British psychological thrillers ever. Imagine my shock then when Hayley Mills started speaking in a horrendous American accent in the film. Enter a possible new feature here at Dada Debaser - Worst Movie Accents.
More pleasing than any mega rich Twitch streamer’s ASMR stream, Richard Burton's dulcet voice elicits a commanding yet soothing presence to many ears. A voice so unique that it's instantaneously recognisable even as an offscreen narrator in the ultimate seige movie Zulu (1964) or Jeff Wayne's musical adaptation of War of the Worlds, but what the Bloody Nora was going on with Burton's Cockney accent as sadistic mob boss Vic Dakin in the film Villain (1971)?
Adapted from James Barlow's novel The Burden of Proof, the film's larger than life mobster shares a couple of common attributes with actual East End gangster Ronnie Kray. Sadly, Burton being born within the sound of the Bow Bells isn't one of them. Although blessed with a strong and recognisable cast like Ian McShane and Nigel Davenport, the film is rather unremarkable, save for Burton's accent. It will never cease to crease me up, especially in Benny's torture scene where he orders his lads to "Peek 'im ap! Peek 'im ap!".
Villain was released in the same year as another British gangster thriller, Mike Hodges' seminal Get Carter (1971), starring Michael Caine, which left it virtually forgotten in its wake. Half a century later, Villain does serve as an interesting curiosity in British cinema; especially as it exemplified Mockney well before posh sounding actors were cast in Eastenders and Guy Ritchie tainted British gangster films forever.
Burton sounds more Aussie than Cockney 😄
ReplyDeleteBrad Pitt is a repeat offender in the terrible accent canon with 2 attempts at cod-Oirish in The Devil's Own and Snatch, and his rastamon patois in Meet Joe Black.
Richard Burton also churned out an awful Southern accent in the highly problematic The Klansman (1974) while getting completely pissed with Lee Marvin.
ReplyDeletePitt's accents are horrific. They're practically criminal; especially that patois scene from Meet Joe Black.
Taking sides:
ReplyDeleteBurton's accent in The Klansman versus Burton's fighting moves in The Klansman?
I mean, a drunk, middle aged Welshman karate chopping in a bust up makes more sense to me than Burton’s Alabama accent. 😀
ReplyDeleteDid you watch the film? Even I’m shocked with movies that offensive were produced back in the day.
Yeah, I watched it a few years back. 70s Hollywood was truly a different time.
ReplyDeleteWondering if films released today would be considered equally offensive a couple of decades from now.
ReplyDeleteIn 2045 Brian & Charles will be deemed #problematic due to insensitivity to autistic people/robots/cabbages.
ReplyDeleteHopefully, I won’t be around by then. 😀
ReplyDeleteIt’s already dour now; e.g, all the awful thinkpiece articles about “toxic masculinity” in The Northman. It’s a film about vikings, FFS!