Just to know where I'm coming from: I rarely post on board, but I usually read it for info on the movies. There may be a post on this very topic, and I apologize should I repeat what others have said before, but I feel it justifies a thread of its own.
I'm from Norway, and as a Marvel fan, I appreciate the stuff Marvel Studios is doing these days, and naturally I'm looking foreward to Thor by Kenneth Branagh.
Now, like the title says: Please, at any point of the movie, do not let Thor or any of the Asgardian gods talk Norwegian.
Naturally, I'm expecting Thor to speak english the entire movie, he is a norse god, but more so, he is an american superhero in a movie intended for the big audiences. But here in lies also my worries, that Marvel/Branagh/who ever that's in charge will experiment with the character, letting him speak norwegian, swedish, norse, or any other language that resembles an idea of what a norse god would speak. To most audiences, it will sound exotic, and for that reason, I can very well see the makers of the movie try to pull off a stunt like this. But to a very small audience of a couple of hundred thousand movie fans in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Finland, it will sound horrible.
It can't be done, he will not sound like a Norwegian, and if they try having him speak norse (dead language of bronze age scandinavian culture), it will sound even worse.
The current language that comes closest to norse (we believe) is islandic, which probably isn't the hardest language to learn, but I doubt Chris Hemsworth is able to do it in less than a year.
There's a few options I could accept:
- Thor could talk like he does in the comic. The old english style. It works in the comics, it could work on screen.
- Thor could talk with an accent. Will be hard for an actor, but that's their job.
I certanly don't expect Mr.Branagh to read these forums, I just wanted to explain to my fellow fans - from my (and probably most Scandianvians') point of view - why an Australian actor trying to speak norwegian could ruin this movie.
I'm from Norway, and as a Marvel fan, I appreciate the stuff Marvel Studios is doing these days, and naturally I'm looking foreward to Thor by Kenneth Branagh.
Now, like the title says: Please, at any point of the movie, do not let Thor or any of the Asgardian gods talk Norwegian.
Naturally, I'm expecting Thor to speak english the entire movie, he is a norse god, but more so, he is an american superhero in a movie intended for the big audiences. But here in lies also my worries, that Marvel/Branagh/who ever that's in charge will experiment with the character, letting him speak norwegian, swedish, norse, or any other language that resembles an idea of what a norse god would speak. To most audiences, it will sound exotic, and for that reason, I can very well see the makers of the movie try to pull off a stunt like this. But to a very small audience of a couple of hundred thousand movie fans in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Finland, it will sound horrible.
It can't be done, he will not sound like a Norwegian, and if they try having him speak norse (dead language of bronze age scandinavian culture), it will sound even worse.
The current language that comes closest to norse (we believe) is islandic, which probably isn't the hardest language to learn, but I doubt Chris Hemsworth is able to do it in less than a year.
There's a few options I could accept:
- Thor could talk like he does in the comic. The old english style. It works in the comics, it could work on screen.
- Thor could talk with an accent. Will be hard for an actor, but that's their job.
I certanly don't expect Mr.Branagh to read these forums, I just wanted to explain to my fellow fans - from my (and probably most Scandianvians') point of view - why an Australian actor trying to speak norwegian could ruin this movie.
