Birgit Kellner <[log in to unmask]>
mentioned two films with linguistic (white ethnic) misrepresentations:
 
>-       SPELLBOUND. Before Gregory Peck enters the scene, every main
>character speaks British English, at least an English with a remarkably
>non-US-accent.
 
Keep in mind that the characters in question are psychoanalysts and/or
psychologists, vaguely intellectual, and therefore vaguely foppish.
 
RE: Torn Curtain:
 
>The "misrepresentation" shows a certain misinformedness about the
>intricacies of German dialects or idioms, which makes infantile know-alls
>like myself raise their voices, but that's about all there is to it. In
>other words: The "verisimilitude" doesn't matter in this case. Where does it?
 
I think you answer your own question: the "where does verisimilitude
matter" question is dependent upon not just the "where" of the text but the
"where" of the reader (aka the infantile know-all) -- stated more simply,
verisimilitude is in the eye (and ear) of the reader, and not part of the
text itself, no?
 
Peter
 
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