How come in fantasy movies or movies about ancient civs like Greece and Rome the actors take on British accent

Question

Ever noticed that?

Answer 1

Because only British actors will work for the money those lo-budget movies provide.

Answer 2

I've often wondered and have never had a good answer. Most movies about the ancient world (particularly the classic movies from the 1960s) were made in Hollywood. Perhaps American movie execs decided that an American accent would sound too familiar to be believable as the accent of an ancient person, so they tried the British accent instead. There's also often a tendency for people to think of the British accent as refined, and this helps the director present the grandeur of the ancient world. (You don't want Pericles to give an impassioned speech about Athenian democracy in a southern drawl.....)

Answer 3

Because if they took on American / Greek / Italian / French accents they'd just think it was a comedy. Think Mel Brooks in History of the World.

Seriously though, because the bulk of the American viewing audience may find it difficult to understand a film where the actors have accents (many regional English accents have to be dubbed when on American networks), the only authentic way to represent historical accents in films is to use an accent that predates modern american english and can be clearly understood i.e. Received Pronunciation.

Answer 4

i've got been questioning that for an prolonged time. possibly with the aid of fact between the final portrayals of historic Rome on the reveal screen, "I, Claudius," starred Britishers it has circuitously grow to be linked with the accents. or possibly it is going lower back extra beneficial than that. i don't be attentive to.

Answer 5

No, I haven't - seems to me they usually have American accents.

Answer 6

it would take you too long to translate from the original greek.