I'm glad to hear how much you enjoyed the movie, Marthe. For me, it was a very touching movie with a strong performance from Ioan and the other actors. I enjoyed Rufus Sewell and Michael Gambon very much. While I was well aware of the Slave and emancipation issues in the U.S.A., I was not familiar with Wilberforce. Didn't you love Ioan's singing also? I only wish that part was longer, although I understand why they couldn't make it so. It's interesting to read that Ioan's English is more understandable to you as a foriegn speaker than some other actors and people. As an American, his accent is quite different than my own. I can certainly understand Ioan more clearly than I can someone from Liverpool or an Irishman. Of course, If you've ever seen Very Annie Mary, Ioan uses a very thick Welsh accent and that is very hard to understand. I think he put in a lot of work at RADA to be able to speak with a proper and very understandable accent.

Understanding different accents is a real challenge for a non-native English speaker. I, for example, have lived in the States for a while, so partly because of that I consider myself fluent in English (not perfect by any means, but fluent) and can say I understand many different accents without any greater problems. Not many have the privilege to live in an English-speaking country for a longer period of time, just to practice the language. But it's all a combination of pronounciation, pace and vocabulary of the speaker (plus of the surrounding soundscape). If a person speaks really fast and there's a lot of background noice around (like in a pub or something), it gets more and more difficult to follow. Especially if the listener is tired. (I almost couldn't understand a couple of people in London despite their clear English when I had travelled the whole day from Finland to the UK and then around London a full day. I just couldn't grasp the words. It literally felt like my brain was slowing down.) Ioan, and many other actors, are wonderful to listen to without subs. I haven't seen Very Annie Mary (I need to, I love the Welsh accent and I'd love to see if I can understand everything), but I was able to quite easily understand people in both Cardiff and in Bangor (North Wales). Except when they began speaking "Cymraeg" to me. Yikes! And Ioan's singing? Oh yes, I could've listened to more of that! :love:

Oh yes Gaff, I love singing Ioan. I was so touched by it. And also the song Amazing Grace. We have heard it before somewhere. Sorry if I do not know it so well. Yavannie, your English is perfect. It is great that you have travelled so much already. Next year I want to go to Cardiff and perhaps in 2010 to the States, Gaff you know where. Yesterday I read on a site of a Dutch cinema that Amazing Grace is coming out there on Oktober the 16th, but here in Belgium I cannot find anything.

Thank you for your words, Marthe. :blush2: Oh, you're going to Cardiff? Fantastic! You'll love it! It's a lovely city. I plan to go back there some day, because I had such a great time there in the summer of 2007. Remember to go to the Bay area and eat gourmet burgers in the restaurant Ioan's friends own. Those burgers are delicious and the restaurant is very nice. (I don't know if Ioan's still a partner in that business, I haven't read any news about it in quite some time.) And the castle in Cardiff, it's beautiful! (Ah, I want to go back there! I miss Wales. :Wales )

I think that Ioan tends to speak a little slower and ennuciate carefully, particularly in interviews. That maybe why he is so understandable. Although as I said, not so much in Very Annie Mary. Several years back, I listened to a conversation between my Scottish neighbor and Irish Neighbor. They were both speaking quickly and I thought - "we all three speak English, but I can't understand a word they said." Normally, I could understand my Scottish neighbor quite well, but not together. Sometimes, I wonder how well they understood me. My Grandmother in Indiana complained that after we lived in California for awhile that she couldn't understand us because we spoke faster and slurred our words. So, who knows. :dunno It's great Yvannie that you've been able to live in the U.S. to study English or rather American English. What state or states were you in? Marthe - I sure hope you can get my direction in 2010. That would be wonderful. Sounds like fun to visit Cardiff. I hope some day to get back to Britain (maybe a visit to Stevie) and visit Wales, too. If I can do that, maybe I'd take a hop over to Belgium. That would be fun.

Oh yes Gaff, that would be so great. You are always welcome, everybody is welcome. Let us hope that day will come.

Gaff, I was an exchange student in Illinois back in '94-'95. I did travel to over a half of the states (if I count driving through a state as visiting it, heh) and spent some time in places like Pennsylvania, Florida, Kentucky and California.

dinner at Mimosa
Hi all, Had dinner at Mimosa last October. Nice restaurant, good food, well prepared and terrific service. Recommend it. The entire 3 weeks in Wales was wonderful. Thinking about returning next year if we can swing it. Jackiee

Jackiee, I completely agree! Mimosa is totally recommendable. And I loved every moment of my two weeks in Wales, too. Such a lovely place!

Mimosa does sound like a worthwhile visit while in Cardiff. Yvannie - Illinois is one of the states I lived in as a little girl. Having ridden or driven a car many times across country I do consider "driving through" as visiting that state, so you can credit yourself with a few more. Some RVer's ( like my parents) mark off the states they've driven through on a map to keep track of where they have been. There's a little pride in visiting all 48 on the American continent. Marthe - I'll just keep saving my pennies. . . .er, um. . . dollars.

Well, the list of destinations grows longer and longer... When is it that I can stop working? :wink:

Some of the girls from work are off to Cardiff for a PICS (Paediatric Intensive Care Society) conference soon; not my turn to go, unfortunately (but I did get Dublin last year!)

Thanks Jackiee for recommending restaurant Mimosa. That is already one place I can go when I visit Cardiff. It is noted. Gaff, yes travelling is expensive, but everybody who can visit Belgium, will get a hospitable stay with me. Frances, I would like to win the lottery and be able to make a trip from a year to visit everything, starting with America and the 48 states. Gaff I looked it up and I found 51 states according to the Belgian geography (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Distr. Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washngton, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming ) Is this correct ?

Marthe, I think the key is that Gaff said 'on the American continent'......? Hawaii (and there must be one other - I'm thinking Alaska, but I've a feeling I'm wrong; help me out you Americans?) is not part of mainland US.