MovieChat Forums > Ripper Street (2013) Discussion > Language authenticity

Language authenticity

posted 8 years ago by gould-6
2 replies | jump to latest

BBC is usually reliable with its research, but are the actors speaking authentic late-Victorian English (with London accent in Drake's case)? At times, the grammar and syntax sound more 17th century than 19th.

[–] SrEditor 8 years ago

They seem to bend over backwards to include what they know of the vocabulary (sometimes the actor can barely roll his/her tongue around it) while using syntax that merely ensures it all "sounds as though" it is antiquated, not necessarily authentic to late 1800's.

[–] calmeilles 8 years ago

No, they're not. It's more like a pastiche of nineteenth century novels or even penny dreadfuls. It's the thing that irritates me most about the series. Reid always speaking in portentous pronouncements would be one thing — but all of them is just too much.