This was an American movie with mainly American actors/actresses, yet they sounded so English! Was this the directors intention or is that how the American accent sounded in those days?
Such a small love. Such a little tear.
To my hears, only the British born actors (Aherne, Stephenson, Fontaine) sounded "English". The rest of the cast enunciated clearly, but still sounded the way they have in other pictures.
"Tell me about the squares, Buzzie."
I'm watching it right now, and I think that's just how they sounded back then. Plus, the characters were so prim and proper. Maybe they stressed the English-sounding dialect a bit to add some flair for that reason. I agree though -- a bit over the top in that regard!
shareIt's called Mid-Atlantic English. Sort of a hybrid of English and American accents. It was common in older films with the more theatrical style acting. Every time I hear Grace Kelly, Constance Bennett, Cary Grant or Katherine Hepburn speak, it's hard not to notice this pretentious sounding (to me) accent.
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