J.K. Rowling Insults Americans boycott Harry Potty
trankscuzzball
harry potty books!
Why is it important for the actors to be British?
http://infoculture.cbc.ca/archives/sounds/story/jkrowlingadults6_rm_1030200
0.ram
Andy Platt
> Why is it important for the actors to be British?
Because the characters are. Although I wouldn't object to some of the adult
actors being non-British if they could pull off the character OK - I had no
probs. with Gwyneth in any of her British roles or Rene as Bridget Jones for
instance. The kids though would have to have lived in the UK for a long time
to get the accent down pat - there's something about a British children's
accents that can't be reproduced (whichever part of the UK they live in).
Andy.
--
I'm not really here - it's just your warped imagination.
Shadow
"trankscuzzball" <tranksc...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:Xns915B8ACE27486tr...@198.99.146.10...
> This woman pisses me off with her pompous attitude. Screw your unoriginal
> harry potty books!
I'd love to see what YOU have to offer....
>
>
> Why is it important for the actors to be British?
Because the characters are British. And she's right about Dick Van Dyke.
He's a fine AMERICAN actor, but damn if she didn't hit it on the head when
she called his performance in Mary Poppins, "the world's only Australian
Cockney."
--
Shadow
When's Book 5 out? See FAQ at:
http://www.geocities.com/hpnewsgroup/faqfdq.htm
(You can feel free to move ahead with your boycott. It will be YOUR loss. It
will also be what my grandmother refers to as cutting your nose off to spite
your face. Lighten up...)
Jess
"Andy Platt" <a...@turnip.his.com> wrote in message
news:3bf56...@vienna7.his.com...
> "trankscuzzball" <tranksc...@yahoo.com> wrote ...
>
> > Why is it important for the actors to be British?
>
Why is it so important for the actors to be american?
The book was set in England, uses English schoolkids and JKR wanted it to be
an all British cast. What's wrong with the British actors anyway? I'd be
complaining whoever they used :)
--
Jess
--
There is a theory, which states, that is ever anyone discovers exactly what
the universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be
replaced by something even more bizaare and inexplicable
*~*
There is another theory which states that this has already happened.
Evenstar
>
> This woman pisses me off with her pompous attitude. Screw your unoriginal
> harry potty books!
Wave hello to the nice killfile, troll.
Its been a while, but I believe the word I'm looking for is *PLONK*
Vessa
trankscuzzball
She acts bitchy about it, by not wanting American actors in her glorious
ALL-Star British cast film adaption. Screw it. I wish it would tank over
here in the states. Just can't stand harry potty!
P.S.
The Star Wars (films) should be limey friggin' free too then!!! They've
been ruined seriously! I feel mind raped!!
Evenstar <vess...@SPAMBEGONEexcite.com> wrote in
news:3BF57EDD...@SPAMBEGONEexcite.com:
Ronald O. Christian
wrote:
>"trankscuzzball" <tranksc...@yahoo.com> wrote ...
>
>> Why is it important for the actors to be British?
>
>Because the characters are.
I agree with that. If you want to pick an issue, a much better one
would be the decision to dumb down the title and some of the dialog
for (and only for) the American audience.
Ron
www.europa.com/~ronc
"If UN peacekeeping had been involved during the US civil war,
it'd still be going on today."
Taras Young
>
> I agree with that. If you want to pick an issue, a much better one
> would be the decision to dumb down the title and some of the dialog
> for (and only for) the American audience.
>
Maybe if the Americans stopped dumbing down cinema for everyone else... ;)
--
from T·a·r·a·s · Y·o·u·n·g
http://www.superfurry.org/
http://alt.cx/
Ronald O. Christian
>Ronald O. Christian <ro...@europa.com> noted:
>
>>
>> I agree with that. If you want to pick an issue, a much better one
>> would be the decision to dumb down the title and some of the dialog
>> for (and only for) the American audience.
>>
>
>Maybe if the Americans stopped dumbing down cinema for everyone else... ;)
Revenge. Wow. That motive had not occurred to me.
A good point, but to be fair, Hollywood isn't America.
Lulu The Cow
<ro...@europa.com> wrote:
>On 16 Nov 2001 21:53:03 GMT, Taras Young <ne...@ras.cx> wrote:
>
>>Ronald O. Christian <ro...@europa.com> noted:
>>
>>>
>>> I agree with that. If you want to pick an issue, a much better one
>>> would be the decision to dumb down the title and some of the dialog
>>> for (and only for) the American audience.
>>>
>>
>>Maybe if the Americans stopped dumbing down cinema for everyone else... ;)
>
>Revenge. Wow. That motive had not occurred to me.
>
>A good point, but to be fair, Hollywood isn't America.
Neither is the United States if you want to get geographic about it.
Cheers,
Todd "Citizen of Earth" McNeeley
.
email: mcneeley at enteract dot com
--
/"\ ||
\ / ASCII RIBBON CAMPAIGN || NO ATTACHMENTS
X AGAINST HTML MAIL || NO STATIONERY
/ \ AND POSTINGS || NO GRAPHICS
Iaan Spence
>
>
>
>
>
Vulpixmaster
> harry potty books!
>
>
> Why is it important for the actors to be British?
>
>
RTJoby
>harry potty books!
>
>Why is it important for the actors to be British? <
Why would you say it's more important for the actor's to be American when the
characters are British ??
If they made a movie of American pop star Aaron Carter----would you suggest
them going to England & hiring a young British actor to play him ??
Iaan Spence
>
> Neither is the United States if you want to get geographic about it.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Todd "Citizen of Earth" McNeeley
> .
the books or movie......but then again...as a Canuck I got the British
edition...it is only south of the 49th Parallel that couldn't spelled
philosopher
hehehehhe
rage on!:)
IS
The Beast
"Ronald O. Christian" <ro...@europa.com> wrote in message
news:ar1bvtk1gk5go0baj...@4ax.com...
Thing about that is it was probably dumbed down by the American publisher's
and editor's,
not by JKR, its our own people that dumbed it down for us, not any one else.
The Beast
http://fictionempire.com
Ralbeart MacDhughaill
>Why is it important for the actors to be British?
>
Hello?
Christopher Lambert and Adrian Paul as Scotsmen (Highlander) :
Kevin Costner as Robin Hood (Prince of Theives):
Richard Gere as Sir Lancelot (First Knight).
Did any of them give a convincing indiginous British accent?
Mar sin Leat
Jonathan Buzzard
He's American, he probably thinks they are perfect British accents.
Of course to residents of Great Britain, or those that have spent
a significant amount of time here, rightly know they are terrible.
Dick Van Dyke in Marry Poppins is the prime example of a disaster
area.
To be honest sometimes I wondered why they bothered. I don't see the
point of using British actors and then have them speaking with American
dialogue.
JAB.
--
Jonathan A. Buzzard Email: jona...@buzzard.org.uk
Northumberland, United Kingdom. Tel: +44(0)1661-832195
Lulu The Cow
The thing that is most shameful, however, is that from a business
perspective, they probably made the right decision.
Cheers,
Todd "Individuals are smart. Masses are stupid" McNeeley
Ronald O. Christian
<theb...@fictionempire.com> wrote:
For the book, yes. It's not as clear who was responsible for the
movie.
Ronald O. Christian
wrote:
>The thing that is most shameful, however, is that from a business
>perspective, they probably made the right decision.
We've been through this before, and as always I disagree. This "US
kids aren't as literate as English kids" riff is crapola.
MaryBeth
"Ralbeart MacDhughaill" <ralb...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20011117111032...@mb-bg.aol.com...
Hit the nail on the head, there!
Love Chris Lambart but gimme a break on that one, made it very hard to enjoy
it as well if he had been British. I HATE when you have any actors up there
speaking with a Bronx/Jersey accent, (and yes, I grew up in and have moved,
recently, back to.....NJ), doing Shakespeare. <LOL>
I'm in the States, have been brought up here, but have British citizenship,
as both my parents wanted it, being from Scotland. I can sniff an 'American'
*attempting* to speak in the various 'tongues', but it NEVER sounds correct. I
can speak with a MUCH better accent than they can, and that's just from growing
up around it, with all my (vast) family, making fun of our parents and Aunties
and Uncles. :)
Haven't seen the movie yet, but am awful glad to know they'd hired all Brits
for the movie. :)) Good for Rowling!
Mare <very confuzzled that anyone is making a stink over such a simple thing, it
IS her book, and she DOES have rights, if you don't like it, don't waste time
blatherin on aboot it, Jimmy. :)) >
Erdos
> harry potty books!
>
>
> Why is it important for the actors to be British?
>
To give the film a classy feeling, i guess!
In Buffy: the Vampire Slayer and Angel, both Giles and Alex are British,
they are supposed to be the authority, providing a guiding hand to Buffy or
Angel on how to kill monsters.
Gosh, compared with those two series, Harry Potter is so pathetic!
Pluto (M)
>
> She acts bitchy about it, by not wanting American actors in her glorious
> ALL-Star British cast film adaption. Screw it. I wish it would tank over
> here in the states. Just can't stand harry potty!
>
>
> P.S.
>
> The Star Wars (films) should be limey friggin' free too then!!! They've
> been ruined seriously! I feel mind raped!!
>
wants, and if Rowling (the author of the frickin' books) says she wants British
actors to play her BRITISH characters, then by damn she should get British
actors to play her British characters. When you write a wildly popular book that
is made into a movie, then you can tell them what kind of actors you want.
Iaan Spence
"ROOTS" were black.....:)
Oh ya I forgot most of you weren't old enough to remeber it.
LOL
Simon Nickerson
MacDhughaill <ralb...@aol.com> writes
Accents and dialects in the English-speaking world have changed a lot
over the last couple of hundred years. A friend of mine who's studying
linguistics at university has told me that many American accents are
closer to the accents of Shakespearean England than contemporary English
accents are. All three of your examples are films set in the distant
past, so as far as I can see, it's no more historically accurate (in
terms of accents) to cast a British actor than an American one.
The situation with Harry Potter is different, as it is set in
contemporary Britain. It is therefore entirely reasonable to use British
actors. (Conversely, if I went to see a film production of, say, "A
Catcher in the Rye", I would expect the actors to be American.)
--
Simon Nickerson
"I went on the Underground - "
"Really?" said Mr Weasley eagerly. "Were there escapators?"
Tom McCafferty
trankscuzzball wrote:
> This woman pisses me off with her pompous attitude. Screw your unoriginal
> harry potty books!
>
> Why is it important for the actors to be British?
The Beatles were British.
My anti-amercan attitude is not pro-Taliban. A woman wrote the book.
Think about this! Do you think president Bush or Osama bin Laden, would like
Harry Potter stories?
America is anti-Canadian. Softwood lumber. Salmon.
Bob
trankscuzzball wrote:
> This woman pisses me off with her pompous attitude. Screw your unoriginal
> harry potty books!
>
> Why is it important for the actors to be British?
>
Take your trank, scuzzball.
You need it.
Bob
Bob
trankscuzzball wrote:
> She acts bitchy about it, by not wanting American actors in her glorious
> ALL-Star British cast film adaption. Screw it. I wish it would tank over
> here in the states. Just can't stand harry potty!
>
> P.S.
>
> The Star Wars (films) should be limey friggin' free too then!!! They've
> been ruined seriously! I feel mind raped!!
How can you feel in something you do not have?
Bob
Carol Hague
> I'm in the States, have been brought up here, but have British
> citizenship, as both my parents wanted it, being from Scotland. I can
> sniff an 'American' *attempting* to speak in the various 'tongues', but it
> NEVER sounds correct.
If you've seen him, what do you think of James Marsters' accent as Spike
in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" ?
He gets my vote as the best US attempt at a British accent I've ever
heard and I know a couple of (English) people who actually thought he
was English, so it *can* be done.
Of course Marsters has the advantage of having Antony Head there to help
him, but it can't be just that - it didn't seem to help the actor who
played Wesley much....
--
Carol h ague
Terry Eden
news:1f34apn.q75l8w3lwem8N%carol...@onetel.net.uk...
> MaryBeth <marb...@home.com> wrote:
>
>
> > I'm in the States, have been brought up here, but have British
> > citizenship, as both my parents wanted it, being from Scotland. I can
> > sniff an 'American' *attempting* to speak in the various 'tongues', but
it
> > NEVER sounds correct.
>
> If you've seen him, what do you think of James Marsters' accent as Spike
> in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" ?
Bloody brilliant. When I started watching Buffy halfway through whatever
teh season was, I was convinced he was a brit. When I went back and saw
the first few eps, there were enough incongruities to trip my suspicions.
> Of course Marsters has the advantage of having Antony Head there to help
> him, but it can't be just that - it didn't seem to help the actor who
> played Wesley much....
Well, anything is better than Dick Van Dyke.... :-)
Terry
--
___________________________________________________________________________
___
Certified 100% virus-free and safe to trust with your life by Wally
AntiVirus,
cos a real e-mail virus wouldn't lie to you with a message like this would
it?
To reply, change "deadspam.com" to "uea.ac.uk"
Pluto (M)
"Terry Eden" <T.E...@deadspam.com> wrote in message
news:9tbr1i$1its5$1...@ID-89774.news.dfncis.de...
> "Carol Hague" <carol...@onetel.net.uk> wrote in message
> news:1f34apn.q75l8w3lwem8N%carol...@onetel.net.uk...
> > MaryBeth <marb...@home.com> wrote:
> >
> >
> > > I'm in the States, have been brought up here, but have British
> > > citizenship, as both my parents wanted it, being from Scotland. I can
> > > sniff an 'American' *attempting* to speak in the various 'tongues', but
> it
> > > NEVER sounds correct.
> >
> > If you've seen him, what do you think of James Marsters' accent as Spike
> > in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" ?
>
> Bloody brilliant. When I started watching Buffy halfway through whatever
> teh season was, I was convinced he was a brit. When I went back and saw
> the first few eps, there were enough incongruities to trip my suspicions.
>
> > Of course Marsters has the advantage of having Antony Head there to help
> > him, but it can't be just that - it didn't seem to help the actor who
> > played Wesley much....
>
> Well, anything is better than Dick Van Dyke.... :-)
Y'know, I still don't remember Van Dyke trying to affect a british accent in
that flick... Whenever I try to remember it, I just hear it the same way as I
hear The Dick Van Dyke show...
Jonathan Buzzard
He did, it was just so terrible, that unless you know what accent he
was trying to do you might just think he was talking funny.
The Fabulous Disney Babe
>
>He did, it was just so terrible, that unless you know what accent he
>was trying to do you might just think he was talking funny.
>
>JAB.
True, and I love the guy. But his Mary Poppins accent is one of the world's
most winceworthy.
Fab
http://www.laughingplace.com
One thing that I do find fascinating is Quidditch, the sport of Harry Potter,
the sport of wizards. It seems just about the greatest sport ever invented,
better even than NASCAR. ~Joe Posnanski
Rebecca Webb
it, we'll always know it, she'll have to live with that. I can't make it
go away, but maybe this will help.
Once, when I was interviewing John Hawkes (THE PERFECT STORM), I asked a
loaded question about theatre or indie actors who sell out and go
Hollywood. John shook his head and said it reminded him of how many
people hate L.A. "New York hates L.A., San Francisco hates L.A., and you
know what? L.A. loves both those places!"
Rebecca
The Fabulous Disney Babe
>know what? L.A. loves both those places!"
So true.
Aiken
Webb <web...@mrs.umn.edu> writes
please explain what you mean by this ?
Do you mean she doesn't like America as a place ? Or she doesn't like
Americans ?
either way please back up your statement
The book is set in England, written by an English author - just because
she hasn't included any Americans in the books doesn't mean she wont do
so later on. Before the 4th book she hadn't even included any wizards
from other European countries - was the whole of Europe branding her
anti European ?
--
Aiken Drum
The most remarkable thing about him was how remarkably unremarkable he was
unterhund
news:4lROiRGK9C$7E...@aiken-drum.demon.co.uk...
> The book is set in England, written by an English author - just
because
Sure she has. GoF, the campground before the World Cup. Yes, they're
walk-on roles, but they're there.
--
Patrick Clark
unte...@lycos.com
http://unterhund.8m.com
Reinhard Zierke
> Thing about that is it was probably dumbed down by the American publisher's
> and editor's,
for the benefit of the "person's" so dumbed down they don't know that
"plural's" form with -s, not with -'s as "genitive's" do?
Reinhard
Jehanneton
> In message <webbrl-2011...@educ11-md.mrs.umn.edu>, Rebecca
> Webb <web...@mrs.umn.edu> writes
>>Yes, Rowling has demonstrated some ugliness towards us Americans. We saw
>>it, we'll always know it, she'll have to live with that. I can't make it
>>go away, but maybe this will help.
>>
>>Once, when I was interviewing John Hawkes (THE PERFECT STORM), I asked a
>>loaded question about theatre or indie actors who sell out and go
>>Hollywood. John shook his head and said it reminded him of how many
>>people hate L.A. "New York hates L.A., San Francisco hates L.A., and you
>>know what? L.A. loves both those places!"
>>
>>Rebecca
> UGLINESS?
>
> please explain what you mean by this ?
> Do you mean she doesn't like America as a place ? Or she doesn't like
> Americans ?
> either way please back up your statement
>
> The book is set in England, written by an English author -
Hear hear!! :-)
>just because
> she hasn't included any Americans in the books doesn't mean she wont do
> so later on. Before the 4th book she hadn't even included any wizards
> from other European countries - was the whole of Europe branding her
> anti European ?
Oh no, she hasn't included any Australians, either! Does this mean we
Aussies are on her hate list as well?????????</sarcasm>
Get a grip, guys. Why should a British author include *any* other
nationality in her books. How many of you Americans ever went to school
with a British kid? How many American kids go to everyday schools in the
UK? And why should JK Rowling make a special effort to cater for the
American market anyway? Her books have sold just as well in the US for not
having Americans in them as they would if she did introduce a character.
Jehanneton :-)
--
"You guys have *way* too much crap". Everyone visiting our lounge room,
October 2001.
Joshua Migdal
>
> please explain what you mean by this ?
> Do you mean she doesn't like America as a place ? Or she doesn't like
> Americans ?
> either way please back up your statement
>
> The book is set in England, written by an English author - just because
> she hasn't included any Americans in the books doesn't mean she wont do
> so later on. Before the 4th book she hadn't even included any wizards
> from other European countries - was the whole of Europe branding her
> anti European ?
I couldn't agree with you more. Although I do not think she *ever* has to
include americans in the books...why should she?
But one thing I do note, is something I heard a while ago during an
interview with Rowling about the movie. This is a statement and a question
all rolled up in one :-)
She said that she was a little hesistant about letting an "american"
director direct the movie. She said she didn't think an american would get
it right. Take that to mean whatever you think it means. But then, she said,
when the director (and I am sorry I do not even know who directed it and i'm
too lazy right now to look it up) said *his* favorite part of such and such
HP book was such and such, Rowling totally agreed and became relaxed that
this director would indeed get it right, even if he was american. She said
she was also worried that an american "hollywood" director would make harry
take his glasses off (not exactly a fashion statement). This is the
question. Rowling said that Harry's glasses are at the center of his
insecurity and form an integral part of his personality. Thus removing them
would severely deprive Harry Potter of his character. Does anybody else find
such a powerful statement in Harry's glasses? Throughout all four books, I
cannot point to one line where Harry feels bad because of his glasses. He
deals with them sometimes more as an annoyance than anything else (like
during the rainy Quidditch match, or when he had to look for them). I don't
think he has ever thought of them as a weakness.
josh
The Fabulous Disney Babe
>with a British kid?
I did.
Karen
Migdal <no...@nowhere.com> wrote:
> "Aiken" <Aiken...@aiken-drum.net> wrote in message
> news:4lROiRGK9C$7E...@aiken-drum.demon.co.uk...
> > In message <webbrl-2011...@educ11-md.mrs.umn.edu>, Rebecca
> > Webb <web...@mrs.umn.edu> writes
> > >Yes, Rowling has demonstrated some ugliness towards us Americans.
> > >We saw it, we'll always know it, she'll have to live with that. I
> > >can't make it go away, but maybe this will help.
> > >
> > >Once, when I was interviewing John Hawkes (THE PERFECT STORM), I
> > >asked a loaded question about theatre or indie actors who sell out
> > >and go Hollywood. John shook his head and said it reminded him of
> > >how many people hate L.A. "New York hates L.A., San Francisco
> > >hates L.A., and you know what? L.A. loves both those places!"
> > >
> > >Rebecca>
> > please explain what you mean by this ? Do you mean she doesn't like
> > America as a place ? Or she doesn't like Americans ? either way
> > please back up your statement
She has made numerous negative remarks regarding American involvement
in the film project. Not enough to make us dislike her, but it does
sound like she's been hanging out too much with JAB. As Rebecca points
out, these remarks may have been responses to loaded questions and
quoted out of context. Could be that these remarks are getting more
play in the US than in the UK, the media is like that.
> >
> > The book is set in England, written by an English author - just
> > because she hasn't included any Americans in the books doesn't mean
> > she wont do so later on. Before the 4th book she hadn't even
> > included any wizards from other European countries - was the whole
> > of Europe branding her anti European ?
>
> I couldn't agree with you more. Although I do not think she *ever* has to
> include americans in the books...why should she?
I wouldn't expect to find a token American in the book without a good
reason. But that is a different issue than the involvement of
Americans in the film. I believe Rowling's across the board fear of
American actors portraying British characters and American directors,
etc, to be unfounded. I blame it on the fear of being misunderstood
and misinterpreted by Rowling who has never been in a position to
influence such as big project before. I commend her, she's doing well
considering it all. I'm just concerned that the all British policy
unnecessarily narrows the talent pool.
>
> But one thing I do note, is something I heard a while ago during an
> interview with Rowling about the movie. This is a statement and a
> question all rolled up in one :-) She said that she was a little
> hesistant about letting an "american" director direct the movie. She
> said she didn't think an american would get it right. Take that to
> mean whatever you think it means. But then, she said, when the
> director (and I am sorry I do not even know who directed it and i'm
> too lazy right now to look it up) said *his* favorite part of such
> and such HP book was such and such, Rowling totally agreed and became
> relaxed that this director would indeed get it right, even if he was
> american.
The insinuation that a director can't handle her baby with love simply
because he is an American is the sort of thing that I find so annoying.
What does being sensitive have to do with being an American? I wonder
if she has ever noticed that one of her favorite directors is an
American, (unless he's renounced his citizenship)
http://us.imdb.com/Name?Gilliam,+Terry
A lot more British entertainers leave the UK for the US. John Cleese
for one.
> She said she was also worried that an american "hollywood" director
> would make harry take his glasses off (not exactly a fashion
> statement). This is the question. Rowling said that Harry's glasses
> are at the center of his insecurity and form an integral part of his
> personality.
She said that Harry's glasses are "the key to his vulnerability" in a
Reader's Digest article. To me, that means that he is short sighted,
both figuratively and physically. His chess playing (lack of) skills
is further evidence.
> Thus removing them would severely deprive Harry Potter of his
> character. Does anybody else find such a powerful statement in
> Harry's glasses? Throughout all four books, I cannot point to one
> line where Harry feels bad because of his glasses. He deals with them
> sometimes more as an annoyance than anything else (like during the
> rainy Quidditch match, or when he had to look for them). I don't
> think he has ever thought of them as a weakness.
He doesn't seem to be bothered by his glasses very much at all. They
are annoying, that is mentioned, but self esteem issues? Don't see it.
> josh
--
Karen
"But let's also remember that there was a moment, way back in the mists
of the late last century, when Harry Potter was a cool club you could
join only by reading." Tracy Mayor, Salon.com
Pluto (M)
"The Fabulous Disney Babe" <dscve...@aol.comFabulous> wrote in message
news:20011123034446...@mb-md.aol.com...
> >How many of you Americans ever went to school
> >with a British kid?
>
> I did.
I went to Driver's Ed. with one!
Terry Eden
But I can resist everything except temptation :-)]
"Karen" <Ka...@infobreak.net> wrote in message
news:231120011649365656%Ka...@infobreak.net...
> I wouldn't expect to find a token American in the book without a good
> reason. But that is a different issue than the involvement of
> Americans in the film.
Not really. Can you tell when a Brit is doing an American accent? Try
watching "Dead Again" to see Kenneth Branagh slipping in and out of USAian.
Or "Portrait of a Lady" to hear Nicole Kidman slide back and forth between
English, Australian and American.
Granted, Rene Zelweiger[however you spell her name] and Gwyneth Paltrow
made very good British accents... But that misses the point...
The actors are mostly children. Most children can't master an accent
sufficiently to pass it off as authenic (think Dexter Fletcher!)
> I believe Rowling's across the board fear of
> American actors portraying British characters and American directors,
> etc, to be unfounded.
Not really. Apart from a select few directors (David Lynch springs to
mind) I can't think of a single US director who can capture the spirit of
life. It all seems to be hyper-obnoxious 12 year olds or Ultraviolent
Malichiks.
> I'm just concerned that the all British policy
> unnecessarily narrows the talent pool.
That's right. Britain has very few good actors. And almost no acting
industry. We lack the skill and talent to create movies like Star Wars,
The Fully Monty, Full Metal Jacket, Hamlet etc.
Do me a favour! While there hasn't been an excellent childrens' film for a
while (one of the reasons that I think Chris Columbus is a fairly decent
choice) there is no shortage of talent to make the film.
> The insinuation that a director can't handle her baby with love simply
> because he is an American is the sort of thing that I find so annoying.
> What does being sensitive have to do with being an American?
It's cultural sensitivity - not emotional sensitivity.
For someone who grew up reading "Jennings and Derbyshire", "Just William",
"Tom Brown", "Billy Bunter" etc. etc. I found reading HP a very culturally
familiar experience. The boarding school novel and its related apparatus
is quite quintessentially British.
It is also somewhat telling that a Brit director (Sam Mendes) made one of
the most American films of the last few years ("American Beauty") and yet
I'm stuck for finding an American director who has created such an
evocative feel for a foreign climate (I'm not holding out much hope for
Speilbergs "Memoirs of a Geisha")
> I wonder
> if she has ever noticed that one of her favorite directors is an
> American, (unless he's renounced his citizenship)
> http://us.imdb.com/Name?Gilliam,+Terry
Yes - but look how long he lived and studied in Britain (You've heard of
Monty Python, right?)
> > She said she was also worried that an american "hollywood" director
> > would make harry take his glasses off.
> He doesn't seem to be bothered by his glasses very much at all. They
> are annoying, that is mentioned, but self esteem issues? Don't see it.
I think you're missing the point slightly. It's not just about the
glasses - it's about removing something that belongs to the character and
idiom for the sake of a perceived market. viz "Kids like normal looking
kids - lets loose the NHS specs, make the scar smaller and have him speak
with an American accent."
You've got to remember that Speilberg tried to get Haley Joel Osment
playing HP. How would you fancy a British director having Denis The Menace
(or whoever you grew up with) played by Daniel Radcliff?
Sorry for the slightly haphazard posting. Past my bed time ;-)
Terry
--
Knowledge is power
Power corrupts
Study hard
Be evil !
Rio de Janeiro
Teacher in Portugal teaching English there and they (student) hated her more
then anyone...
"Karen" <Ka...@infobreak.net> wrote in message
news:231120011649365656%Ka...@infobreak.net...
Jim Cowling
>
>I wouldn't expect to find a token American in the book without a good
>reason. But that is a different issue than the involvement of
>Americans in the film. I believe Rowling's across the board fear of
>American actors portraying British characters and American directors,
Y'know, Zoe Wanamaker's from New York City.
--
"Gussie it up all you want, Trebek."
Jonathan Buzzard
Karen <Ka...@infobreak.net> writes:
[SNIP]
> I wouldn't expect to find a token American in the book without a good
> reason. But that is a different issue than the involvement of
> Americans in the film. I believe Rowling's across the board fear of
> American actors portraying British characters and American directors,
> etc, to be unfounded. I blame it on the fear of being misunderstood
> and misinterpreted by Rowling who has never been in a position to
> influence such as big project before. I commend her, she's doing well
> considering it all. I'm just concerned that the all British policy
> unnecessarily narrows the talent pool.
JKR's fears are well founded in a wealth of previous stories that have
been butchered by Americans/Hollywood when been turned into films.
[SNIP]
> The insinuation that a director can't handle her baby with love simply
> because he is an American is the sort of thing that I find so annoying.
> What does being sensitive have to do with being an American? I wonder
> if she has ever noticed that one of her favorite directors is an
> American, (unless he's renounced his citizenship)
Again the point is that the track record of Hollywood/America is
absolutely dire in this respect. She had every right to be worried
and concerned. That you are unable to appreciate this fear and appear
to be totally unaware of the track record shows how bad the situation is.
Karen
<jona...@buzzard.org.uk> wrote:
> In article <231120011649365656%Ka...@infobreak.net>,
> Karen <Ka...@infobreak.net> writes:
>
> [SNIP]
>
> > I wouldn't expect to find a token American in the book without a good
> > reason. But that is a different issue than the involvement of
> > Americans in the film. I believe Rowling's across the board fear of
> > American actors portraying British characters and American directors,
> > etc, to be unfounded. I blame it on the fear of being misunderstood
> > and misinterpreted by Rowling who has never been in a position to
> > influence such as big project before. I commend her, she's doing well
> > considering it all. I'm just concerned that the all British policy
> > unnecessarily narrows the talent pool.
>
> JKR's fears are well founded in a wealth of previous stories that have
> been butchered by Americans/Hollywood when been turned into films.
Is there really an overwhelming tendency for American directors to do a
much worse job of adaptation than non Americans? If so, wonder why so
many are in the business?
>
> [SNIP]
>
> > The insinuation that a director can't handle her baby with love simply
> > because he is an American is the sort of thing that I find so annoying.
> > What does being sensitive have to do with being an American? I wonder
> > if she has ever noticed that one of her favorite directors is an
> > American, (unless he's renounced his citizenship)
>
> Again the point is that the track record of Hollywood/America is
> absolutely dire in this respect. She had every right to be worried
> and concerned. That you are unable to appreciate this fear and appear
> to be totally unaware of the track record shows how bad the situation is.
>
> JAB.
I appreciate her fear that her creation might get screwed up when
turned over to someone else to interpret and present. I also find it
surprising that someone who writes so well about bigotry along class
lines would display a similar attitude along national lines. These are
two different issues.
Karen
<T.E...@deadspam.com> wrote:
> [Disclaimer - I do try not to get involved with this silly US/UK fight....
> But I can resist everything except temptation :-)]
Wonderful, I don't enjoy the slinging mud across the pond kinda debate.
I wouldn't dream of boycotting HP in either book or movie form over
something like this. But like sterotypes and urban legends, these
accusations have a small grain of truth hiding in them. A civil
discussion is possible if we want one.
<snip>
>
> The actors are mostly children. Most children can't master an accent
> sufficiently to pass it off as authenic (think Dexter Fletcher!)
I agree with you in the case of children. Acting is difficult enough
for them without faking an accent. In the case of children, they
usually try to cast someone who is similar in real life to the
character that they are portraying. That means someone other than a
British child would have to be absolutely awesome to even be
considered.
As far as adults are concerned, there are all kinds of accents in both
the UK and the US. Unless it is specified somehow that a character is
from a particular region, I'm not sure it really matters if an accent
isn't exactly right. An unfamiliar accent would simply mean that the
character must come from an unfamiliar region.
<snip>
Didn't understand a lot of what I snipped, so I'm not qualified to
debate. It appeared to be a bunch of comparisons of US/UK along very
general lines. I don't like generalisations concerning two countries
where each is very diverse within itself. That is exactly what I was
protesting in my earlier post.
> The insinuation that a director can't handle her baby with love simply
> > because he is an American is the sort of thing that I find so annoying.
> > What does being sensitive have to do with being an American?
>
> It's cultural sensitivity - not emotional sensitivity.
> For someone who grew up reading "Jennings and Derbyshire", "Just William",
> "Tom Brown", "Billy Bunter" etc. etc. I found reading HP a very culturally
> familiar experience. The boarding school novel and its related apparatus
> is quite quintessentially British.
Most Americans and Brits are only familiar with boarding schools from
the literature and other second hand experiences. Boarding schools
themselves are all over the place, not just in Britain. I do have
first hand experience, but I would probably have enjoyed HP even if it
didn't seem at times to be an exageration of my own experience.
> > http://us.imdb.com/Name?Gilliam,+Terry
>
> Yes - but look how long he lived and studied in Britain (You've heard of
> Monty Python, right?)
I didn't look and I don't really care. When I base movie going
decisions on the people involved, I pay attention to who they are, not
where they were born or raised. Talent is more important then
nationality. I'm sure any Brit who has ever made a professional
quality movie would be better at directing an "American" movie than me.
> You've got to remember that Speilberg tried to get Haley Joel Osment
> playing HP. How would you fancy a British director having Denis The Menace
> (or whoever you grew up with) played by Daniel Radcliff?
Harry had to be played by someone who could act. HJ Osment can act,
most child actors can't act like anyone other than an exagerated
version of themselves. Dan Radcliff can act, so I'm glad he got the
job. If he hadn't hopefully they would have found another 12 year old
British actor, but if they didn't, I'd rather see an Actor who isn't
British than a Brit who isn't an actor.
>
> Sorry for the slightly haphazard posting. Past my bed time ;-)
No problem, I enjoyed it and neither of us got too muddy.
>
> Terry
Karen
<word...@scowling.net> wrote:
> Y'know, Zoe Wanamaker's from New York City.
And John Cleese is from California and says American sitcoms are
funnier than Britcoms and Terry Gillian is from Minnosota and Kris
Kristopherson is from Saudi Arabia and this has nothing to do with how
well they understand British characters or how talented they are.
>
> --
> "Gussie it up all you want, Trebek."
--
The Fabulous Disney Babe
>watching "Dead Again" to see Kenneth Branagh slipping in and out of USAian.
>Or "Portrait of a Lady" to hear Nicole Kidman slide back and forth between
>English, Australian and American.
Even the best actor alive, Alan Rickman, sounds funky in Dark Harbor.
>Not really. Apart from a select few directors (David Lynch springs to
>mind) I can't think of a single US director who can capture the spirit of
>life. It all seems to be hyper-obnoxious 12 year olds or Ultraviolent
>Malichiks.
>
I can think of many who can.
>That's right. Britain has very few good actors. And almost no acting
>industry. We lack the skill and talent to create movies like Star Wars,
>The Fully Monty, Full Metal Jacket, Hamlet etc.
Wasn't Star Wars..oh never mind.
>You've got to remember that Speilberg tried to get Haley Joel Osment
>playing HP.
He really needs to be covered with honey and tied to a red ant hill for that,
no matter where he's from.
The Fabulous Disney Babe
>surprising that someone who writes so well about bigotry along class
>lines would display a similar attitude along national lines.
Me too.
Tim
"Joshua Migdal" <no...@nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:HXiL7.2148$682.4...@typhoon.ne.mediaone.net...
You may have a point there. JKR could have a very important plot based on
the glases in the future but doesn't really want to give anything away. She
probably was really scared that important parts of the book that seem
irrelevant now, could reveal themselves as extremely important later, would
be cut out of the film, and didn't think that a hollywood director would
listen to her objecttions. Before you know it, they have changed the movie
so that its makes it very hard to understand elements in later films based
on her books. In an extreme case, though not likely, she may find herself
having to write the books to suit the movies due to parts cut out of earlier
movies. Though thats not likely.
-Tim
Terry Eden
> >That's right. Britain has very few good actors. And almost no acting
> >industry. We lack the skill and talent to create movies like Star Wars,
> >The Fully Monty, Full Metal Jacket, Hamlet etc.
>
> Wasn't Star Wars..oh never mind.
Well, yes, it was an American film. But it was shot in England (those bits
not in Tunisia), the crew were (mostly) English and so were a lot of the
cast (Prowse, Cushing, Lawson etc).
:-)
Terry
--
___________________________________________________________________________
___
Certified 100% virus-free and safe to trust with your life by Wally
AntiVirus,
cos a real e-mail virus wouldn't lie to you with a message like this would
it?
Aiken
<Ka...@infobreak.net> writes
>In article <HwGL7.66951$6b.34...@news2.calgary.shaw.ca>, Jim Cowling
><word...@scowling.net> wrote:
>
>
>> Y'know, Zoe Wanamaker's from New York City.
>
>And John Cleese is from California and says American sitcoms are
>funnier than Britcoms and Terry Gillian is from Minnosota and Kris
>Kristopherson is from Saudi Arabia and this has nothing to do with how
>well they understand British characters or how talented they are.
>>
>> --
>> "Gussie it up all you want, Trebek."
>
Funny I always believed John Cleese was English
Jonathan Buzzard
Aiken <Aiken...@aiken-drum.spam.net> writes:
> In message <241120012237574614%Ka...@infobreak.net>, Karen
> <Ka...@infobreak.net> writes
>>In article <HwGL7.66951$6b.34...@news2.calgary.shaw.ca>, Jim Cowling
>><word...@scowling.net> wrote:
>>
>>
>>> Y'know, Zoe Wanamaker's from New York City.
>>
>>And John Cleese is from California and says American sitcoms are
>>funnier than Britcoms and Terry Gillian is from Minnosota and Kris
>>Kristopherson is from Saudi Arabia and this has nothing to do with how
>>well they understand British characters or how talented they are.
>>>
>>> --
>>> "Gussie it up all you want, Trebek."
>>
>
>
> Funny I always believed John Cleese was English
>
He is, as is Wanamaker. She is taking the piss I think.
Jim Cowling
>In article <HwGL7.66951$6b.34...@news2.calgary.shaw.ca>, Jim Cowling
><word...@scowling.net> wrote:
>
>> Y'know, Zoe Wanamaker's from New York City.
>
>And John Cleese is from California and says American sitcoms are
John Cleese is from Somerset, England.
The point I'm trying to make is that Wanamaker is American-born, so it's not
like they cast an all-British cast.
Jim Cowling
>> Funny I always believed John Cleese was English
>
>He is, as is Wanamaker. She is taking the piss I think.
No, Wanamaker's from New York, and her father was from Chicago. Sure, she
moved to the UK, but what the hey.
Karen
<jona...@buzzard.org.uk> wrote:
> In article <BEFQqACl...@aiken-drum.demon.co.uk>,
> Aiken <Aiken...@aiken-drum.spam.net> writes:
> > In message <241120012237574614%Ka...@infobreak.net>, Karen
> > <Ka...@infobreak.net> writes
> >>In article <HwGL7.66951$6b.34...@news2.calgary.shaw.ca>, Jim Cowling
> >><word...@scowling.net> wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >>> Y'know, Zoe Wanamaker's from New York City.
> >>
> >>And John Cleese is from California and says American sitcoms are
> >>funnier than Britcoms and Terry Gillian is from Minnosota and Kris
> >>Kristopherson is from Saudi Arabia and this has nothing to do with how
> >>well they understand British characters or how talented they are.
> >>>
> >>> --
> >>> "Gussie it up all you want, Trebek."
> >>
> >
> >
> > Funny I always believed John Cleese was English
> >
>
>
> He is, as is Wanamaker. She is taking the piss I think.
>
> JAB.
My point is that English people live all over the world, living in NY
or California doesn't require them to stop being British.
Karen
Disney Babe <dscve...@aol.comFabulous> wrote:
> >You've got to remember that Speilberg tried to get Haley Joel Osment
> >playing HP.
>
> He really needs to be covered with honey and tied to a red ant hill for that,
> no matter where he's from.
Especially when you consider he was planning a cartoon, where Osment
would simply be providing the voice talent for a British character.
FriarED
everything.
The Fabulous Disney Babe
>> >playing HP.
>>
>> He really needs to be covered with honey and tied to a red ant hill for
>that,
>> no matter where he's from.
>
>Especially when you consider he was planning a cartoon, where Osment
>would simply be providing the voice talent for a British character.
>
>--
>Karen
Naked. In the hot sun.
The Fabulous Disney Babe
Date of birth (location)
13 May 1949,
New York, USA
Drink your own piss, JAB.
Jonathan Buzzard
Is that like born in American, moved to Britain when three months old,
and then spent the next twenty years growing up here? That is what
I call technically American, a bit like Liz Taylor is technically
British.
Anyway born in America then. Should be good enough to shut the wining
Americans up that their are no Americans in the film.
Cheshire55
Well, yes, it was an American film. But it was shot in England (those bits
not in Tunisia), the crew were (mostly) English and so were a lot of the
cast (Prowse, Cushing, Lawson etc). >>
Yes and it was the british extras calling all the main characters names in the
end where luke and Han get their awards. Didn't even know what an honor it was
to be a part of that movie... sigh. If I could go back in time I'd sooo trade
any one of them for their place in the crowd just to be able to say I was
there.
Lots of movies are filmed in Brittian and plenty are filmed here in the US big
deal. JKR wanted it to be filmed there and have a British cast. Ok fine. Why do
I care? I'm just glad that she's protecting the spirit of her book and staying
active in the process. I don't give a flying hippogriff where anyone involved
in the movie come from. The only thing I care about is that they stay true to
the books. And while they hacked the story into tiny pieces I think that over
all they did well.
Take care and give it a break.
TTFN,
Jennifer
25yrs old
PCO
AP SAHM to Chris (12/98) and Ian (8/00)
"We can dream our dreams forever
Dream our dreams together
Open our eyes
make a wish on a star in the sky
And keep the dream alive"
Karen
<chesh...@aol.com> wrote:
> JKR wanted it to be filmed there and have a British cast. Ok fine. Why do
> I care? I'm just glad that she's protecting the spirit of her book and staying
> active in the process.
You hit the nail on the head.....I am so glad Rowling is involved in
this project. I'm sure if they a strong need to deviate from the all
British thing, they'd have no trouble getting her to go along. As long
as they do consult her and go along with her wishes as much as
possible. The last thing they need is a messy dispute. Wouldn't do
anyone any good.
Jonathan Buzzard
chesh...@aol.com (Cheshire55) writes:
[SNIP]
>
> Lots of movies are filmed in Brittian and plenty are filmed here in the US big
> deal. JKR wanted it to be filmed there and have a British cast. Ok fine. Why do
> I care? I'm just glad that she's protecting the spirit of her book and staying
> active in the process. I don't give a flying hippogriff where anyone involved
> in the movie come from. The only thing I care about is that they stay true to
> the books. And while they hacked the story into tiny pieces I think that over
> all they did well.
>
However for many, myself included, to even stay remotely true to the story
it would have to be filmed in Britain using a British cast. That said
apparently Wanamaker is American by birth.
Cyber Scout
> Why is it important for the actors to be British?
In the grand scheme of things, it isn't all that important,
at all. With all respect to likes of JAB who are oversensitive
to such offensiveness.
BUT- there is actually no good reason to change things and make
any of the characters American. People are actually miffed at
the suggestion that American actors should be cast, when there
is no reason for it, as there are plenty of huge British/Southern Irish
stars to fill the roles. People are also miffed at the suggestion that
a big film with no Americans in the cast is some sort of insult.
Terry Eden
news:p2htt9...@192.168.42.254...
> However for many, myself included, to even stay remotely true to the
story
> it would have to be filmed in Britain using a British cast. That said
> apparently Wanamaker is American by birth.
Sorry? How do you know all the characters are British?
Dumbledore could quite easily have been born in Scandanavia and moved over
to England? Where does it explicitly say that Flitwick wasn't born and
raised in Texas? Can you point to the exat passage where Snape tells us
that he grew up in a Derbyshire glade?
Give it a rest.
Andy Platt
> However for many, myself included, to even stay remotely true to the story
> it would have to be filmed in Britain using a British cast. That said
> apparently Wanamaker is American by birth.
The Wanamaker's moved to the UK early enough in Zoe's life to be corrupted
enough to be a fully-fledged Brit. I personally couldn't care if an actor
was not British so long as he or she could get the requisite accent and
mannerisms down pat. No child actor I've ever seen could do this but there
are plenty of fine North American, Australian and New Zealand actors who
could pull some of the roles off.
Obviously for on-location scenes it couldn't be filmed anywhere other than
the UK. It always amuses me when they try to half do things and you see cars
driving down the left hand side of the road in somewhere that obviously is
not the UK (they make a joke out of this in the second Austin Powers movie).
Andy.
--
I'm not really here - it's just your warped imagination.
Rebecca Webb
> > > please explain what you mean by this ? Do you mean she doesn't like
> > > America as a place ? Or she doesn't like Americans ? either way
> > > please back up your statement
>
> in the film project.
The sneering-est one was probably as she was walking the red carpet at the
premiere. She asserted how glad she was there was no American Harry. Not
"glad it's a British Harry" but rather "glad it's NOT an American Harry."
Can you see the difference and what it reveals?
Rebecca
Andy Platt
> The sneering-est one was probably as she was walking the red carpet at the
> premiere. She asserted how glad she was there was no American Harry. Not
> "glad it's a British Harry" but rather "glad it's NOT an American Harry."
> Can you see the difference and what it reveals?
If she did say that (it wasn't in the interview I saw) it was probably
because the only people who had made anything out of the actor being British
were Americans! I don't notice many Canadians moaning that a Canuck wasn't
picked for the role!
Bob
Cyber Scout wrote:
Some people are idiots. Why the hell should there be Americans in the
film. I don't think there are any American characters in the book.
Bob ( American, for you knee jerks. XGI. )
Meljnsn
Mel
An American Anglophile
Jonathan Buzzard
cyber...@coooool.co.uk (Cyber Scout) writes:
> trankscuzzball wrote:
>
>> Why is it important for the actors to be British?
>
> In the grand scheme of things, it isn't all that important,
> at all. With all respect to likes of JAB who are oversensitive
> to such offensiveness.
However in the context of the film and the story it is important.
[SNIP]
> People are also miffed at the suggestion that
> a big film with no Americans in the cast is some sort of insult.
I would venture that these people have a serious reality problem,
and misses the point as there is at least one American born actor
with a speaking part in the film.
Jonathan Buzzard
"Andy Platt" <a...@turnip.his.com> writes:
> "Jonathan Buzzard" <jona...@buzzard.org.uk> wrote:
>
>> However for many, myself included, to even stay remotely true to the story
>> it would have to be filmed in Britain using a British cast. That said
>> apparently Wanamaker is American by birth.
>
> The Wanamaker's moved to the UK early enough in Zoe's life to be corrupted
> enough to be a fully-fledged Brit. I personally couldn't care if an actor
> was not British so long as he or she could get the requisite accent and
> mannerisms down pat. No child actor I've ever seen could do this but there
> are plenty of fine North American, Australian and New Zealand actors who
> could pull some of the roles off.
I am afraid I have to disagree with the idea that their are plenty of
none British actors that can do British accents. Perhaps they can pull
it off to a none British audience but not to a British audience which is
the acid test. Insert names of numerious actors that have attempted and
failed *badly*.
>
> Obviously for on-location scenes it couldn't be filmed anywhere other than
> the UK. It always amuses me when they try to half do things and you see cars
> driving down the left hand side of the road in somewhere that obviously is
> not the UK (they make a joke out of this in the second Austin Powers movie).
>
I suspect it is also much cheaper to film in Britain, due the the
ready availablity of locations. Why bother making a set for Kings Cross
when you can just trot along to the real station.
Joseph Romagnano
> In article <TObM7.71712$6b.38...@news2.calgary.shaw.ca>,
> word...@scowling.net (Jim Cowling) writes:
>
>>In article <241120012237574614%Ka...@infobreak.net>, Karen <Ka...@infobreak.net> wrote:
>>
>>>In article <HwGL7.66951$6b.34...@news2.calgary.shaw.ca>, Jim Cowling
>>><word...@scowling.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>Y'know, Zoe Wanamaker's from New York City.
>>>>
>>>And John Cleese is from California and says American sitcoms are
>>>
>>John Cleese is from Somerset, England.
>>
>>The point I'm trying to make is that Wanamaker is American-born, so it's not
>>like they cast an all-British cast.
>>
>
> Is that like born in American, moved to Britain when three months old,
> and then spent the next twenty years growing up here? That is what
> I call technically American, a bit like Liz Taylor is technically
> British.
>
> Anyway born in America then. Should be good enough to shut the wining
> Americans up that their are no Americans in the film.
>
> JAB.
>
>
Bah. What's her passport say?
Joe ;-)>
Andy Platt
> Bah. What's her passport say?
I wouldn't be surprised if she has both a British and an American passport.
Lynn
>> corrupted enough to be a fully-fledged Brit. I personally couldn't care if
>> an actor was not British so long as he or she could get the requisite
>> accent and mannerisms down pat. No child actor I've ever seen could
>> do this but there are plenty of fine North American, Australian and
>> New Zealand actors who could pull some of the roles off.
>
>I am afraid I have to disagree with the idea that their are plenty of
>none British actors that can do British accents. Perhaps they can pull
>it off to a none British audience but not to a British audience which is
>the acid test. Insert names of numerious actors that have attempted
>and failed *badly*.
Well, Zoe sure fooled you.
------------------------------------------------
From: Jonathan Buzzard (jona...@buzzard.org.uk)
Subject: Re: J.K. Rowling Insults Americans boycott Harry Potty
Newsgroups: alt.fan.harry-potter
Date: 2001-11-25 10:47:56 PST
> Funny I always believed John Cleese was English
He is, as is Wanamaker.
--------------------------------------------------
Your bias against all things American is showing again. Here was your chance
to prove to Fab that you are not Anti-American and you blew it.
Don't bother with a comeback about how you don't have to prove yourself to
anybody. It's so overdone it's pathetic.
Lynn
--
When will Book 5 be out?
For the answer to this and many other questions,
consult the FAQ at http://www.geocities.com/hpnewsgroup/faqfdq.htm
Rugrat
> the UK and the US. Unless it is specified somehow that a character is
> from a particular region, I'm not sure it really matters if an accent
> isn't exactly right. An unfamiliar accent would simply mean that the
> character must come from an unfamiliar region.
Well, the size of the UK being what it is, we're always bumping into people
from different regions. There aren't any "unfamiliar" ones.
I generally agree with the tone of your post, though.
Rugrat
Rugrat
> ready availablity of locations. Why bother making a set for Kings Cross
> when you can just trot along to the real station.
Yes, it's not as if any trains would be coming in and out to mess up the
shot! Not these days, anyway.
Rugrat
Jonathan Buzzard
zoz...@aol.comnospam (Lynn) writes:
>>> The Wanamaker's moved to the UK early enough in Zoe's life to be
>>> corrupted enough to be a fully-fledged Brit. I personally couldn't care if
>>> an actor was not British so long as he or she could get the requisite
>>> accent and mannerisms down pat. No child actor I've ever seen could
>>> do this but there are plenty of fine North American, Australian and
>>> New Zealand actors who could pull some of the roles off.
>>
>>I am afraid I have to disagree with the idea that their are plenty of
>>none British actors that can do British accents. Perhaps they can pull
>>it off to a none British audience but not to a British audience which is
>>the acid test. Insert names of numerious actors that have attempted
>>and failed *badly*.
>
> Well, Zoe sure fooled you.
Seems to have fooled most Americans as well.
Jonathan Buzzard
"Andy Platt" <a...@turnip.his.com> writes:
> "Joseph Romagnano" <jrd...@charter.net> wrote :
>
>> Bah. What's her passport say?
>
> I wouldn't be surprised if she has both a British and an American passport.
>
I don't think that you can do that. In particular you cannot hold an
American passport at the same time as any other, otherwise your American
passport is not valid. I have to say it's about time we implemented that
in the U.K. as well.
Morrighan
>for them without faking an accent. In the case of children, they
>usually try to cast someone who is similar in real life to the
>character that they are portraying. That means someone other than a
>British child would have to be absolutely awesome to even be
>considered.
>As far as adults are concerned, there are all kinds of accents in both
>the UK and the US. Unless it is specified somehow that a character is
>from a particular region, I'm not sure it really matters if an accent
>isn't exactly right. An unfamiliar accent would simply mean that the
>character must come from an unfamiliar region.
Believe me! It matters! This will sound incredibly sad, but I am still
pondering the accents in the movie. The lad playing Neville had a
distinct Yorkshire accent, which is convincing, though I am personally
convinced he's a Lancashire lad (his uncle Algy once tried to drop him
off Blackpool pier, remember.) Plus they did Hagrid as West Country,
rather than Yorkshire (which is how he's done on the tapes. Having
always imagined Hagrid as West Country, this pleased me no end. I'd
expect him to live near mountains, cos of his mum, though, so perhaps
Yorkshire's right after all.
As to the aversion to an 'American' director, I sort of know what
Rowlings means. British culture is very different to American culture,
& just as complex. To *any* foreign director, it's going to be alien
territory, and I suspect she feared an American director being tempted
to make it more attractive to the American market without really
understanding the culture on which it's based.
There! I've stuck my neck out - feel free to chop it off.
--
Morrighan
The one and only Filch Groupie...
"God! I do miss the screams..."
Joseph Romagnano
> In article <3c027cc5$1...@vienna7.his.com>,
> "Andy Platt" <a...@turnip.his.com> writes:
>
>>"Joseph Romagnano" <jrd...@charter.net> wrote :
>>
>>
>>>Bah. What's her passport say?
>>>
>>I wouldn't be surprised if she has both a British and an American passport.
>>
>>
>
> I don't think that you can do that. In particular you cannot hold an
> American passport at the same time as any other, otherwise your American
> passport is not valid. I have to say it's about time we implemented that
> in the U.K. as well.
>
> JAB.
>
>
Actually, we do have dual-citizenship in this country. I know several
folks who have valid passports for two different countries. For
instance, one of my friends is both French and American. His mother is
a French citizen, born in France, his father American. He was born in
France but his family moved to the US. It's all rather messy.
Joe :-)>
Cheshire55
> in the movie come from. The only thing I care about is that they stay true to
> the books. And while they hacked the story into tiny pieces I think that over
> all they did well.
>
However for many, myself included, to even stay remotely true to the story
it would have to be filmed in Britain using a British cast. That said
apparently Wanamaker is American by birth.
JAB.
>>
I do agree that they should NOT "move" Hogwarts to America. That is dead wrong.
I also agree that the characters should be british. I still don't give a flying
hippogriff where it's flimed or who acts in it as long as they are right for
the part. I don't care where they are born. Yes they should be able to do a
passable british accent but pass that I don't think it should matter. If they
found a good castle piece in America or France or Germany or wherever then
great use it. But I'm not going to jump down JKR's throat b/c she'd prefer it
to be filmed in Britian and have an all British cast either. It's her baby and
if that how she sees it, I feel that's her choice.
Tho I do feel that Richard Harris was a poor choice and I wish he'd get sacked
now. But hey, it's not my choice and they didn't ask me. Oh well. I think that
Patrick Stewart would have done the role justice. I know there are a few other
great actors out there who would have done a lot better too but that's the
thought that's amusing me now. :)
Take care.
Meljnsn
decent and consistent accent for somewhere, anywhere in the UK. Most end up
with one somewhere in the middle of the ocean! I'm going to be interested to
see what "Lord of the Rings" does with its attempt to give the hobbits a
consistent West Country sound. The little snippets I've heard have been
encouraging, but I'll have to see the whole thing. Billy Boyd seems to drift
back into Scottish, now and then, but Elijah Wood seems to hold his own rather
well. This latter doesn't surprise me, as Mr. Wood is an actor of unusual
ability. My people were West Country, and I'll see when the movie opens how
well they do!
Mel
Pluto (M)
"Joseph Romagnano" <jrd...@charter.net> wrote in message
news:3C02D122...@charter.net...
In Government class I was told that it's illegal, in the U.S., to have dual
citizenship. You're either a U.S. Citizen or you're a Citizen of some other
country. Not both.
Joseph Romagnano
[snip]
>>>
>>Actually, we do have dual-citizenship in this country. I know several
>>folks who have valid passports for two different countries. For
>>instance, one of my friends is both French and American. His mother is
>>a French citizen, born in France, his father American. He was born in
>>France but his family moved to the US. It's all rather messy.
>>
>>Joe :-)>
>>
>
> In Government class I was told that it's illegal, in the U.S., to have dual
> citizenship. You're either a U.S. Citizen or you're a Citizen of some other
> country. Not both.
>
>
That's a new one on me. When we come back on international flights and
they give us a customs form to fill out there is a box to check for
"dual" nationals.
Joe :-)>
Jens Müller
> In Government class I was told that it's illegal, in the U.S., to have dual
> citizenship. You're either a U.S. Citizen or you're a Citizen of some other
> country. Not both.
Well, it's not your government class which makes the law.
I bet that U.S. citizenship laws provide for dual citizenship.
The LaGrand brother e.g. were in fact German citizens - though their
German citizenship had not been formally declared before (that is not
uncommon for people living abroad - you can have the German
citizenship formally declared by the Federal Administration Office
(Bundesverwaltungsamt)).
The Fabulous Disney Babe
that's pretty clear. (Sorry, silver platter and all that)
> that you can do that. In particular you cannot hold an
>American passport at the same time as any other, otherwise your American
>passport is not valid. I have to say it's about time we implemented that
>in the U.K. as well.
I think you should, personally. Get yourself a large, pointy weapon and stand
at the border, threatening everyone who wants to cross. And wear your hankie
on your head.
Fab
http://www.laughingplace.com
One thing that I do find fascinating is Quidditch, the sport of Harry Potter,
the sport of wizards. It seems just about the greatest sport ever invented,
better even than NASCAR. ~Joe Posnanski
Pluto (M)
"Jens Müller" <je...@unfaehig.de> wrote in message
news:afh.10068...@jens.unfaehig.de...
> "Pluto \(M\)" <plu...@flash.net> writes:
>
> > In Government class I was told that it's illegal, in the U.S., to have dual
> > citizenship. You're either a U.S. Citizen or you're a Citizen of some other
> > country. Not both.
>
> Well, it's not your government class which makes the law.
>
> I bet that U.S. citizenship laws provide for dual citizenship.
>
Yesss, but do you have any /proof/ that they do? 'cuz I have the statement of my
Government teacher, a professional who /should/ know what she's talking about.
Karen
<jrd...@charter.net> wrote:
I knew a girl who was 17 at the time, born in Germany to a German mom
and an American soldier. She was dual national. At 18, she was to
choose a nationality as required by US law. I'm not sure of Germany's
law, but some countries do not allow you to give up citizenship so
easily. If a US dual national was from one of those countries, they
could make their official choice be American, yet still be a dual
national since the other country wouldn't let them give up citizenship.
A person in that situation would need to be very careful when traviling
or they might find themselves paying extra taxes or even serving in the
military of a country that they may not feel connected to.
--
Karen
"But let's also remember that there was a moment, way back in the mists
of the late last century, when Harry Potter was a cool club you could
join only by reading." Tracy Mayor, Salon.com
Karen
<T.E...@deadspam.com> wrote:
> Can you point to the exat passage where Snape tells us
> that he grew up in a Derbyshire glade?
I thought Snape was from Nottingham? Definetely British.
The 27th Paladin
>
It looks like we do. From the US Department of State Passport application,
US passports are only issued to US Citizens. Period. But, from the website
http://www.webcom.com/richw/dualcit/faq.html
we have this. It appears that holding dual US/other citizenship has been
explicitly legal since 1986 - which, depending on when you were in high
school, may have rendered your old Government class moot.
This is a direct paste from the referenced web site.
[QUESTION]
But I thought US law didn't permit one to be a dual citizen -- that if you
were (by birth or otherwise), you either had to give up the other
citizenship when you came of age, or else you'd lose your US status. And
that if you became a citizen of another country, you'd automatically lose
your US citizenship. So what's all this talk about dual citizenship?
[ANSWER]
It indeed used to be the case in the US that you couldn't hold dual
citizenship (except in certain cases if you had dual citizenship from birth
or childhood, in which case some Supreme Court rulings -- Perkins v. Elg
(1939), Mandoli v. Acheson (1952), and Kawakita v. U.S. (1952) -- permitted
you to keep both).
However, most of the laws forbidding dual citizenship were struck down in
1967 by the US Supreme Court. The court's decision in this case, Afroyim v.
Rusk, as well as a second case in 1980, Vance v. Terrazas, eventually made
its way explicitly into the statute books in 1986; up till that time, the
old laws were still on the books, but the State Department was effectively
under court order to ignore them.
Rules against dual citizenship still apply to some extent to people who wish
to become US citizens via naturalization. The Supreme Court chose to leave
in place the requirement that new citizens must renounce their old
citizenship during US naturalization. However, in practice, the State
Department is no longer doing anything in the vast majority of situations
where a new citizen's "old country" refuses to recognize the US
renunciation.
The official US State Department policy on dual citizenship today is that
the United States does not favor it as a matter of policy because of various
problems they feel it may cause, but the existence of dual citizenship is
recognized in individual cases. That is, if you ask them if you ought to
become a dual citizen, they will recommend against doing it; but if you tell
them you are a dual citizen, they'll usually say it's OK.
[QUESTION]
Doesn't the US Constitution forbid dual citizenship?
[ANSWER]
No. The Constitution says nothing explicitly about dual citizenship at all.
Indeed, in its 1967 ruling in Afroyim v. Rusk, the Supreme Court used an
argument derived from the 14th Amendment to the Constitution to affirm a
right to dual citizenship.
[QUESTION]
If dual citizenship is legal now, then why do people who want to become
naturalized US citizens still have to take an oath giving up their old
citizenship?
[ANSWER]
The Afroyim Supreme Court ruling, which paved the way for dual citizenship
after foreign naturalization, dealt specifically with the 14th Amendment's
guarantee of citizenship to people "born or naturalized in the United
States." The court did not prohibit Congress from establishing prerequisites
to naturalization. Hence, it is still OK for Congress to require prospective
new citizens to be willing to renounce their old citizenships.
Incidentally, this asymmetry may explain why many immigration lawyers in the
US are seemingly unaware of the laws permitting dual US/other citizenship.
They spend all their time dealing with people who want to become US citizens
or permanent residents -- and since the US requires a renunciation of prior
citizenship as part of the naturalization procedure, these lawyers may
incorrectly assume the law works the same both ways and thus misadvise
someone who is already a US citizen that he can't become a dual citizen. Be
very mindful of this point if you look for a lawyer to discuss a dual
citizenship situation with; if you find one who insists it's flatly
impossible because US law prohibits it, keep looking.
Also, officials of the US Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) may
not always be aware of the full story on dual citizenship, for the same
reason. INS employees who work as immigration officers at US border
checkpoints presumably know dual US/other citizenship is possible -- but INS
people who handle naturalization applications may not (since, as already
mentioned, the US naturalization oath does contain a renunciatory statement
which all would-be citizens must agree to make). Keep in mind that the
primary US agency which deals with people who already are (or claim to be)
US citizens is not the INS, but the Department of State. Consular officials
at US embassies and consulates overseas work for the State Department.
Many other countries do not recognize the act of renouncing their
citizenship as part of US naturalization, so a new US citizen may very
likely still be considered a citizen by his old country. This is apparently
a big reason why the State Department decided (in 1990) not to go after
people any more, as a rule, when they continue to let their old country
treat them as a citizen despite US naturalization.
Karen
<mel...@aol.com> wrote:
Middle Earth is supposed to be in the UK? Somehow, I got the
impression that it was a completely madeup fictional world. West
Country makes perfect sense as a descriptor, but how would you know
what it is supposed to sound like since none of us has ever been to the
West of whatever country is depicted? The accents can be whatever
Jackson and his crew think best. For convenience, they will probably
resemble real accents, just as most of the main characters in Star Wars
used ordinary voices even though they were in a golaxy far, far away
and had no connection to Planet Earth.
Karen
<chesh...@aol.com> wrote:
> If they
> found a good castle piece in America or France or Germany or wherever then
> great use it.
I know where a better great hall is right here in Georgia. The movie
really failed for me whenever they showed the Great Hall. The main
dining hall at Georgia Tech is in a lovely gothic style building that
resembles a church and has the covered arched walkways down the sides.
But the best part is the stained glass windows. Obviously in a state
run university, they will not depict Saints and Angels, so who do they
depict? Famous philosphers, mathematicians, scientists, and even
alchemists. I was wondering whether they would have windows like that
at Hogwarts (depicting wizards, not scientists) it doesn't seem that it
would have been hard to do. And it had the long wooden tables and
everything.
Karen
<a...@turnip.his.com> wrote:
> I don't notice many Canadians moaning that a Canuck wasn't
> picked for the role!
Harry with a Canadian accent, that's about the coolest English accent
in the world.
Cyber Scout
> > People are also miffed at the suggestion that
> > a big film with no Americans in the cast is some sort of insult.
> I would venture that these people have a serious reality problem,
> and misses the point as there is at least one American born actor
> with a speaking part in the film.
Who are? The people suggesting "that a big film with no Americans
in the cast is some sort of insult", or the people pointing out that
saying "a big film with no Americans in the cast is some sort
of insult", is a bit offensive.
I wouldn't want to be misunderstood of supporting an unsupportable
view you understand.
Jonathan Buzzard
"The 27th Paladin" <paladin...@corelcity.com> writes:
> "Jens Müller" <je...@unfaehig.de> wrote in message
> news:afh.10068...@jens.unfaehig.de...
>>
>> I bet that U.S. citizenship laws provide for dual citizenship.
>>
>
> It looks like we do. From the US Department of State Passport application,
> US passports are only issued to US Citizens. Period. But, from the website
>
> http://www.webcom.com/richw/dualcit/faq.html
>
> we have this. It appears that holding dual US/other citizenship has been
> explicitly legal since 1986 - which, depending on when you were in high
> school, may have rendered your old Government class moot.
Fair enough it has changed to some degree. However what is the rule on
someone born in the US and seeking to aquire dual citizenship of another
country? Which would appear to be the case for Wanamaker, or is it the
case that Wanamakers parents are British and just happened to be living
in the states when she was born.