: : I'm opposed to the gratuitous inclusion of an American accent myself (although, frankly, an ENGLISH accent makes no more sense than any other sort of accent, as Tolkien himself pointed out, because these peoples didn't speak English or any related language). However, the idea of an Aragorn speaking with a (unbvelievable bad, as you usually get in movies and television) southern drawl and chewing tobacco makes me think it would almost be worthwhile to see it!

: : "I say, I say, I say there boah! I'm a RANGER, d'y'see? A R-A-N-G-E-R! [spit!] Now, y'all git along and pack yore thangs. We'll be movin' into them woods there yonder jist as soon as I down these grits and hominy for mah breakfast!"

: I'm American and I have never heard anybody(especially actors) talk like that, and I live in florida which is as far south as you can get. Just English accents WILL alienate an American audience because it sounds stupid to most of us, just like we do to you, It may depend on who will be the larger audience or more likely it will be New Zealand accents.
: (Cyberlock)

I'm American & I have heard characters in movies speak like that (the James Bond film "Live & Let Die" with the southern sherrif comes to mind - and YES he was spitting, too). I think the main thing most viewers would have difficulty with is ANY strong identifiable accent, be it U.S. southern, or Bronx, or a strong Cockney or Yorkshire or Scottish Brough (forgive my butchering any spelling here). I can't imagine why anyone would object to a mild British accent. As long as it isn't strong enough to point to one specific section of the world. As to sounding stupid, I personally am mature enough to base my analysis of a person on their actual words and deeds, not their accent, no matter how strong the accent is. And I usually hear others say how sophisticated the British accent is.

I would prefer British accents in LotR, being American, because it automatically places the movie outside my normal experience - it makes it more foreign, in a sense.

Now, just for kicks, I have to try to give a Pittsburgh version of some LotR dialouge.

"Hey! Yinz guys better be careful! Even if yinz go up the sah side of that mantin, it's gonna be slippy cauz of th' ice." Hmmm... Nope, wouldn't cut it on the big screen!

-Steve S.