Last time, you said Bilbo’s front door was blue, and you said Thorin had a gold tassel on his hood, but you’ve just said that Bilbo’s front door was green, and the tassel on Thorin’s hood was silverBecause Strider was never a hobbit...
Last time, you said Bilbo’s front door was blue, and you said Thorin had a gold tassel on his hood, but you’ve just said that Bilbo’s front door was green, and the tassel on Thorin’s hood was silverBecause Strider was never a hobbit...
Tolkien spent some time growing up in the Black Country, so it's probably pretty close to his imagined "hobbit" accent. Not familiar with that reading though. I first heard the Hobbit read to the class by my primary school teacher. Who I guess had a Liverpool accent since I lived in Liverpool at the time. With regard to the Harfoots, my first thought was "what accent?!" (apart from the occasional Australian twang) so I guess it's pretty close to the accents I grew up with in Liverpool, Lancashire and Yorkshire.
As for dwarves, the "dwarven accent" was a well established trope long before the LotR movies. Check out Baldur's Gate CRPG, and even, in written form, some of the Forgotten Realms novels. It's parodied by Terry Pratchett. I detected more Welsh than Scots in TRoP dwarves. There is a kind of logic in that. The Welsh are stereotypically famous for their mining and singing.
Here's an example of the voices Nicol Williamson did for Bilbo and Gollum:As someone from the West Midlands and currently living there I can say that there aren’t any characters with a Black Country accent in TRoP. (Though Lenny Henry is from Dudley).
These are two good examples of that accent which is really distinctive. Gran and the Bloody Baron. Both from the Witcher 3 game. You definitely know it when you hear it. You can also hear it in the Peaky Blinders series, which is set in and around Birmingham.
So Sean Austin in LOTR had a West Country accent common to SW england - particularly Cornwall. The quintessential farmers accent. Which I guess is easy to confuse with Black Country because of the name. In the first video with Gran, Little Jonny has a classic West Country accent.
Nicol Williamson actually speaks pretty good RP Queens English without any accent at all when reading The Hobbit. Though he tends to use Yorkshire accents for dwarves… which I’m sure started a trend.
The Harfoots definitely have an Irish base with there own twang. That’s been corroborated by producers. To be honest I think they’re trying to evoke the British traveler community accent which also has a strong Irish twang and would make a lot of sense in the context. But maybe they’re downplaying that in interviews.
pacing wise if anything it’s the opposite of GoT season 8. GoT plot was moving lightning fast by the end, quick to the point of absurdity (ie teleporting people to keep up with plot).I feel happy for anybody that enjoys this series, I really tried to at least be intrigued by the mysteries and the beautiful scenery but the dialogue and pacing is GOT season 7 and 8 bad.
It's really good! It sounds like a West Country accent to me - somewhere round Somerset/Wiltshire. See if you can find Pam Ayers for comparison. If you want to be picky, it's a bit too working class - Bilbo should be more upper middle class. In LotR Tolkien makes the class-based accent distinctions plain between the hobbits. But really, who cares? It's a great reading.Here's an example of the voices Nicol Williamson did for Bilbo and Gollum:
Bilbo's accent seems somewhat regional and has been how I imagine hobbits talking since I first heard it. I'd be interested if either of you think it's West Midlands or something else that Williamson might have been going for.
I would go as far as to say it should be Upper Class as Bilbo just lived on his inheritance and it sounds like even his parents were independently wealthy, rather than working.It's really good! It sounds like a West Country accent to me - somewhere round Somerset/Wiltshire. See if you can find Pam Ayers for comparison. If you want to be picky, it's a bit too working class - Bilbo should be more upper middle class. In LotR Tolkien makes the class-based accent distinctions plain between the hobbits. But really, who cares? It's a great reading.
That was considered middle class in those days - independently wealthy, but no inherited title. title. Bilbo is "new money" on the Baggins side. Pippin is "Old Money", and very nearly says "What Ho Gamgee!"I would go as far as to say it should be Upper Class as Bilbo just lived on his inheritance and it sounds like even his parents were independently wealthy, rather than working.
Yes I agree. West Country.It's really good! It sounds like a West Country accent to me - somewhere round Somerset/Wiltshire. See if you can find Pam Ayers for comparison. If you want to be picky, it's a bit too working class - Bilbo should be more upper middle class. In LotR Tolkien makes the class-based accent distinctions plain between the hobbits. But really, who cares? It's a great reading.
Sure but an accent is based on the community you surround yourself with. One family of plummy speakers surrounded by a community of country bumpkins isn’t necessarily going to develop a strong accent in their children if those children are mixing with the farmers and the children.I would go as far as to say it should be Upper Class as Bilbo just lived on his inheritance and it sounds like even his parents were independently wealthy, rather than working.
Now I want a Jeeves & Wooster version of the Lord of the Rings.Pippin is "Old Money", and very nearly says "What Ho Gamgee!"