I've just been watching one of my favorite TV shows again, HBO's Rome. All the Romans have British accents. As an American, I can't imagine Romans on film not having a Brit accent (Spartacus, Ben-Hur, etc). Out of all the Hollywood productions involving Rome, I don't think they have ever used an American one (it would surely be a disaster like Kevin Costner as Robin Hood). OK, in Gladiator, American actor Joachim Phoenix played the bad guy and maybe he didn't have a proper Brit accent, but he didn't sound American either.

My question is this - in your country (Australia, New Zealand, China wherever) what accent if any do the Romans have on TV and film? If a non-native English speaking country, do they use a special, more classical accent?

So long as they're consistent, I don't see that it matters. What would matter would be if one main character spoke BBC English (or RP if you like) and another spoke broad New York; this would shatter the illusion the film is trying to create.

If they're speaking Latin on screen, it doesn't matter anyway, because we don't know exactly how Classical Latin was pronounced (Greek even less).

So long as they're consistent, I don't see that it matters. What would matter would be if one main character spoke BBC English (or RP if you like) and another spoke broad New York; this would shatter the illusion the film is trying to create.

If they're speaking Latin on screen, it doesn't matter anyway, because we don't know exactly how Classical Latin was pronounced (Greek even less).

It matters a lot. Acting isn't just random. You need to convince the audience you are the character.

If Caesar and everyone around him sounded like Tony Soprano or Kevin Costner or Jocko from Aussie Rules fame it wouldn't work. If they all had French or Chinese accents it wouldn't work either. For Americans, a proper British accent has a classical feel to it. The slaves might have regional Brit accents but the nobility is usually close to a Windsor accent I would guess.

Anyway, what accent do they use for Romans in your country?

It would sound a tad funny if a Roman said " where you at ? "

If they're speaking Latin on screen, it doesn't matter anyway, because we don't know exactly how Classical Latin was pronounced (Greek even less).

btw - in "The Passion of the Christ" the Romans spoke Latin. That was a really nice touch.

So long as they're consistent, I don't see that it matters. What would matter would be if one main character spoke BBC English (or RP if you like) and another spoke broad New York; this would shatter the illusion the film is trying to create.

If they're speaking Latin on screen, it doesn't matter anyway, because we don't know exactly how Classical Latin was pronounced (Greek even less).

It matters a lot. Acting isn't just random. You need to convince the audience you are the character.

If Caesar and everyone around him sounded like Tony Soprano or Kevin Costner or Jocko from Aussie Rules fame it wouldn't work. If they all had French or Chinese accents it wouldn't work either. For Americans, a proper British accent has a classical feel to it. The slaves might have regional Brit accents but the nobility is usually close to a Windsor accent I would guess.

Anyway, what accent do they use for Romans in your country?

I think a British (i.e. European) accent is apporpriate for Romans (Europeans). :-)

In Star Wars, one of the robots (was it C-3PO?) spoke British English while everybody else spoke American English. Yes, the directors play with this and I agree that it matters a lot.

In my country, all of them speak German though.

So long as they're consistent, I don't see that it matters. What would matter would be if one main character spoke BBC English (or RP if you like) and another spoke broad New York; this would shatter the illusion the film is trying to create.

If they're speaking Latin on screen, it doesn't matter anyway, because we don't know exactly how Classical Latin was pronounced (Greek even less).

It matters a lot. Acting isn't just random. You need to convince the audience you are the character.

If Caesar and everyone around him sounded like Tony Soprano or Kevin Costner or Jocko from Aussie Rules fame it wouldn't work. If they all had French or Chinese accents it wouldn't work either. For Americans, a proper British accent has a classical feel to it. The slaves might have regional Brit accents but the nobility is usually close to a Windsor accent I would guess.

Anyway, what accent do they use for Romans in your country?

I think a British (i.e. European) accent is apporpriate for Romans (Europeans). :-)

In Star Wars, one of the robots (was it C-3PO?) spoke British English while everybody else spoke American English. Yes, the directors play with this and I agree that it matters a lot.

In my country, all of them speak German though.

What type of German accent is used? How is it perceived nationally?

For the Brits here, do they notice the Roman's Brit accents? "Oh, why is Octavian speaking like he's from bloody Leicester?"

In Star Wars, one of the robots (was it C-3PO?) spoke British English while everybody else spoke American English. Yes, the directors play with this and I agree that it matters a lot.

The young and old Obi-wan was a Brit. So was that evil Emperor.

What type of German accent is used? How is it perceived nationally?

no way that in some movie playing in ancient or mediaeval time an accent instead of "Hochdeutsch" (high german) is used. that does of course not apply to all other movies.

What type of German accent is used? How is it perceived nationally?

no way that in some movie playing in ancient or mediaeval time an accent instead of "Hochdeutsch" (high german) is used. that does of course not apply to all other movies.

I saw a movie in which everybody spoke British English except and black guy, who spoke American. In the German version, he spoke with a Bavarian accent. Don't remember the name of that movie, was some comedy.

So long as they're consistent, I don't see that it matters. What would matter would be if one main character spoke BBC English (or RP if you like) and another spoke broad New York; this would shatter the illusion the film is trying to create.

If they're speaking Latin on screen, it doesn't matter anyway, because we don't know exactly how Classical Latin was pronounced (Greek even less).

It matters a lot. Acting isn't just random. You need to convince the audience you are the character.

If Caesar and everyone around him sounded like Tony Soprano or Kevin Costner or Jocko from Aussie Rules fame it wouldn't work. If they all had French or Chinese accents it wouldn't work either. For Americans, a proper British accent has a classical feel to it. The slaves might have regional Brit accents but the nobility is usually close to a Windsor accent I would guess.

Anyway, what accent do they use for Romans in your country?

I'm British. I've never considered it as I rarely watch a movie... but it surprises me that somehow a British accent (presumably RP, as we have many) seems more appropriate for Romans. I take your word for it, but I don't really see why. Obviously it has to be a native speaker accent, not French or Germans speaking English (unless the Romans are subsidiary characters in the film).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-l4uoistRg&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-l4uoistRg&feature=related

Twice I've clicked on this on twice it has crashed my computer.

(...)

Twice I've clicked on this on twice it has crashed my computer.

Better to click only once, if you want to see the video instead...

scnr

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-l4uoistRg&feature=related

Twice I've clicked on this on twice it has crashed my computer.

It's selective

My firewall just blocked it.

That's odd.

It's just a standard youtube clip. Works fine for me as well.

What about directly through the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-l4uoistRg

It would sound a tad funny if a Roman said " where you at ? "

Or "ey up me duck, where's tha bin"

It would be freaky to see a film about ancient Rome with accents from Gone With the Wind.

I just thought of another one of my favorite films about Romans where they have American accents - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum with Zero Mostel.

It would be freaky to see a film about ancient Rome with accents from Gone With the Wind.

I just thought of another one of my favorite films about Romans where they have American accents - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum with Zero Mostel.

How 'Roman' is that? Like Frankie Howerd's Rome?

Romans had "British" accents, everybody knows that........

Romans had "British" accents, everybody knows that........

You sound like the Arkansas school superintendent who said, "If English was good enough for Jesus, it's good enough for you."

Imperial Rome, Imperial Britain... where's the surprise? Maybe a bit out-of-date, but with the Romans, who's counting?

Romans had "British" accents, everybody knows that........

of course! and in northern Romania the Romans has a Scottish accent

All the Vikings sounded like Kirk Douglas.

All the Vikings sounded like Kirk Douglas.

Speaking of Scandanavians, in the new Thor movie, the gods - Odin, Thor and Loki - all have Brit accents. Even if Thor is an Aussie, he ditched his native accent.

All the Vikings sounded like Kirk Douglas.

Speaking of Scandanavians, in the new Thor movie, the gods - Odin, Thor and Loki - all have Brit accents. Even if Thor is an Aussie, he ditched his native accent.

The director Thort it would sound better.

Can't nip out to the dunny when you're a god, now, can you?

Use the executive washroom, instead.

OK, chaps. Jolly good!

Romans had "British" accents, everybody knows that........

of course! and in northern Romania the Romans has a Scottish accent

As they say: When in Rome, do as the Romanians.

I was watching The Balance of Terror and noticed that Romulans also speak with a Brit accent. I guess they just personify power and evil, eh?

I was watching The Balance of Terror and noticed that Romulans also speak with a Brit accent. I guess they just personify power and evil, eh?

That's us. Evil to the core

I was watching The Balance of Terror and noticed that Romulans also speak with a Brit accent. I guess they just personify power and evil, eh?

That's us. Evil to the core

Yeah, but really, really good at it. You can bet that if the Hollywood villian has a proper English accent that they are an evil genius of some type. Like Simon Cowell.