Can anyone explain why little Tommyboy Cruise has an American accent in Valkyrie? Is it just because he isn't a good enough actor to do a German accent?

I haven't seen the movie yet, but does your question mean that everyone else playing a German adopts a German accent? If so, then it's idiotic in my view.

I haven't seen the movie yet, but does your question mean that everyone else playing a German adopts a German accent? If so, then it's idiotic in my view.

You think it's idiotic to expect for an actor playing an officer in the German army to have a German accent? Why do you think most actors use dialect coaches in order to get an accent right in a film?

Well it seems that Colonel von Stauffenberg attended school in England and spoke perfect English, thus TommyBoy should be speaking with a British accent. Oh, ok, you really don't believe that do you? Sometimes those phony accents are so atrocious it is better not even to try. Out of curiosity did the other English speaking actors use an accent? My guess is that they did.

Well it seems that Colonel von Stauffenberg attended school in England and spoke perfect English, thus TommyBoy should be speaking with a British accent. Oh, ok, you really don't believe that do you? Sometimes those phony accents are so atrocious it is better not even to try. Out of curiosity did the other English speaking actors use an accent? My guess is that they did.

I have only seen the previews. The film opens here next week.

I have only seen the previews. The film opens here next week.

I've seen it. I think the main reason Tom Cruise plays Stauffenberg is because he bears a strong resemblance to the actual Stauffenberg.

 

There is another film entitled "Stauffenberg." It's entirely in German, but I think it's a much better film than "Valkyrie." Also, if anybody remembers the mini-series (I have it on DVD) "War and Remembrance," they did an excellent job of portraying the incident.

You think it's idiotic to expect for an actor playing an officer in the German army to have a German accent? Why do you think most actors use dialect coaches in order to get an accent right in a film?

 

I was obviously not specific enough in my original answer. I meant it's "idiotic" for Cruise not to adopt a German accent if the other actors do it. Do they all do German accents apart from him?

 

Mind you, I have seen a lot of movies where well known actors try to adopt foreign accents which only succeed in sounding as bad as Inspector Clouseau's French accent (and that was supposed to be funny!). Jeremy Irons' German accent in "Die Hard II" was dire.

I was obviously not specific enough in my original answer. I meant it's "idiotic" for Cruise not to adopt a German accent if the other actors do it. Do they all do German accents apart from him?

 

Mind you, I have seen a lot of movies where well known actors try to adopt foreign accents which only succeed in sounding as bad as Inspector Clouseau's French accent (and that was supposed to be funny!). Jeremy Irons' German accent in "Die Hard II" was dire.

From the previews, it seems that all the others have German accents except Tommyboy.

From the previews, it seems that all the others have German accents except Tommyboy.

 

Some of them are actually German or Dutch actors and most of the others are good British actors.

 

As far as the worst ever German accent, it had to be Omar Sharif in Night of the Generals where he portrayed some lisping, effeminate German officer.

most of the others are good British actors

 

Do they all try to speak in fake German accents?

Apart from TC's lackluster performance, it's worth a look. Definitely not Oscar material.

I haven't seen the movie either.

 

Re accents, I really hate when people talk with phony 18th century British accents in period pieces. I'd rather take like normal 21st century people minus the most recent slang.

Re accents, I really hate when people talk with phony 18th century British accents in period pieces.

I don't mind that so much. You're probably not old enough to remember, but many years ago, of all people Tony Curtis played in a crummy movie called "The Son of Ali Baba." He was famous for saying, in his Brooklyn accent, "Yondah lies the castle of my faddah." Somehow, neither he nor the movie made it to the Academy Award nomination list.

 

I think one of the best phony accents was Vivian Leigh in "Gone with the Wind."

 

Here's a bit of trivia I bet you never noticed. In "Ben Hur" the director, William Wyler, intentionally had all the Judeans speak in an American accent and all the Romans speak with a British accent. He did that to set them apart from each other.