AcCeNt Of EviL

Here I am, hunkered down for the weekend, watching the second movie of the night with my roommates. It's nearly 3am, but we are shoveling the porch/sidewalk/driveway in one-hour increments, so movies pass the time. As we watched Night at the Museum II--our tribute to getting stuck in D.C.-- I remembered something that has bothered me for years: Why do all villains in movies (Disney included) have a British accent? Have you noticed? It doesn't matter what country they are supposedly from, they all speak with a British accent.

Have people in Hollywood just not let go of colonial-time animosity? (We won, get over it!) Do they think it sounds more sophisticated and therefore perfect for a conniving, evil arch nemesis? Or, do they expect us to believe that all villains were educated together as good-ol' boys at Oxford? Whatever the reason, apparently in Hollywood foreign=British.

If you don't believe me, here are a few examples:

King Kahmunrah
Born: Cairo, Egypt
Movie: Night at the Museum
Accent: British


Scar
Born: African Pride Land
Movie: Lion King
Accent: British


Commodus
Born: Rome
Movie: Gladiator
Accent: British


Fernand Mondego
Born: France (book-Spain)
Movie: Count of Monte Cristo
Accent: British


Magneto
Born: Germany
Movie: X-Men
Accent: British