MovieChat Forums > Elmer Gantry (1960) Discussion > British Accent

British Accent

posted 15 years ago by diamonddog
9 replies | jump to latest

The Jean Simmons performance in this film illustrates how movie performances have changed over the last 50 years. These days it would be hard to imagine a film with a lead actress who can't properly speak in the accent of her character. Jean's character is supposed to be from Middle America but speaks with an accent that could be described as mid-Atlantic at best. That would never happen today - not since Kevin Costner tried to do Robin Hood. If this movie were to be made today and somebody like Kate Beckinsale were to play the role of Sharon, you'd never know she wasn't American.

[–] jake-ryan1968 15 years ago

You can't compare any film today to films like Elmer Gantry, Seven Days in May or East of Eden. "Stars" today are bums. They are not ACTORS. Screen writers today rework or remake films done in the past and do a very poor job of it. In the 50s and 60s the class to junk ratio on Screen and TV was 90% great/10% junk. Today its 99% junk. Denzel, Meryl and Rachel McAdams are just a few of the bright spots in today's screen entertainment. Might want to add Vince Vaughan to that list - but that might be a bit of a stretch eventhough I find him very funny.

[–] michaeldecker 15 years ago

99% junk? Allowing for your exaggeration for effect, films these days are generally of much higher quality, simply because there are far less of them than 50 years ago when people went to the cinema at least once a week. Most of the films shown then were rubbish, and the B movies accompanying them were even worse - perhaps one film would come along every few months back then that would still be viewable today without raucous laughter at its rubbishness.

As for Jean Simmons, I guess the rationale would be that she tried to better herself - and part of that process would have been to lose the mid-West accent. So her accent in Elmer Gantry is understandable at a pinch; perhaps the book explains more about how the character made changes to her voice?

A great, great film. Lancaster at his magnificent best, and great pace to the film despite its length.

[–] OswaldshotKennedy 15 years ago

michaeldecker. 99% junk - no it's actually 100% junk on offer today. The actors are junk too. Burt would wipe the floor with today's nonentities.

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[–] marjuhartley 14 years ago

Don't forget Ryan Gosling - probably the best actor of his generation.

[–] guy_in_west_houston 15 years ago

I think you're putting too much weight into this accent thing. There's no reason to believe someone from Middle America would not have a local accent. I'm from Texas, or in general the South, and I'm fed up hearing actors trying to speak in "accents". Jean Simmons has the sexiest voice ever, and I enjoyed every moment of her, regardles of where she was supposed to be from.

[–] molien 15 years ago

Jean Simmons was a good Actress, but the point is well made. Today, a Kate Winslet or Naomi Watts would have worked on their accent for months and given not a hint that they were British in portraying Sister Falconer. To say the Actors of today are no good is idiotic. Cate Blanchett, for example, is as good as they come as are many others. Simmons got the part in this film because she was Director Richard Brooks' wife at the time. It is what it is. I believe other Actresses of 1960 would have been better in the role.

[–] gribfritz2 13 years ago

But didn't she explain to Elmer about herself? She was Katie Jones from Shantytown. But she has made Sister Falconer from nothing and that is now who she is? Sister Falconer was not from Middle America; Katie Jones is. Sister Falconer has the accent, not Katie Jones.

If she could have dropped her accent just for the scene where she comes clean to Elmer about her past that would have been even better. But as it is, it makes sense. She is now Sister Falconer, accent and all.

[–] on3gin 10 years ago

Didn't you know that Jean Simmons was a British actress?

[–] Altho73 8 years ago

Cary Grant played Americans on film for thirty five years and never sounded American, but nobody complained and I've met quite a few people who not only never noticed but were actually surprised when I told them that he was NOT American.