I was watching the film version of Arnold Bennett's The Card again recently. How good is it? Granted, it represents the spirit of capitalism re-presented as some benign, benevolent force we should all aspire to, but there is a certain charm that the film lends, in a similar way to other films of the era such as Genevieve. We shouldn't celebrate the repressed imperialistic culture but damn it, we can't help it.
What is laughable* however, is the way the Potteries accent is portrayed. This is something no programme or film has ever got right. With the possible exception of those idiots who'd be on Blind Date. Here though the generic 'northern' accent comes out in a clear display of ignorance. Landlords, lawyers and mayors all conforming to late 19th-century fatties who say "ey-up" and "t'road"like they're from Lancashire. (which is about 50 miles up t'road incidentally)
Alec Guinness himself does not even need to do this himself though you know. His Received Pronunciation is good enough for us, with the occasional "t'ra" thrown in to remind us he's playing a working-class person.
*The other laughable thing of course being somewhere like Chell having a Countess.
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