MovieChat Forums > Seppuku (1964) Discussion > Profound Subtitles

Profound Subtitles

posted 12 years ago by gooachooyumyum
3 replies | jump to latest

Does anyone who speaks Japanese know the accuracy of the Subtitles for this movie? I have the Criterion Collection, and the Subtitles are some of the most profound ever written for a film. Reading them is almost like going through a classic novel, and perfectly suits the reactions of the characters. The translation is almost like poetry (although, ironically I do not like poetry, but I do appreciate well-written novels). This film never once insults the integrity of the viewer, and I’ve always been amazed by the cleverness of the script. Each line is masterfully written. In fact, I'd say the script reminds me of Casablanca in terms of complexity (referring to the language; not the plot). I'm only curious if the translation is more ornate than the literal Japanese they are speaking. Are the actual lines delivered as impressive? Would I be as impressed if I knew Japanese?

[–] logmeinyoucnt 12 years ago

Great question! I also thought they were unusually literary. As good as reading a novel for sure.

"Me annoy you long time." Yoko Ono

[–] ranran-001 12 years ago

On the criterion blu-ray there is an extensive set of interviews with the screen writer and with the actor who played Hanshiro, Tetsuyo Nakadai.

Nakadai gave a lengthy explanation on the dialog spoken claiming that the lines were meant to resemble classical Japanese Kabuki dialog, it was not meant to be taken as a realistic depiction of day to day speech. An example in English would be the difference between modern everyday English speech and the heightened expressive dialog spoken in Shakespeare's plays.

It could very well be that the English translation is trying to stay true to the structural form of the screen play which is rooted in theatrical dialog, not realistic dialog. But I wouldn't know myself cause I know nothing about the Japanese language itself to make a definitive answer.

[–] TheAntiJohn 12 years ago

I noticed that too but I think I had a different copy and (possibly) different subtitles. My copy had the same type of dialogue but there was some weird things about them too. Like, they translated "ronin" as "ex-warrior." If I'm not mistaken, ronin better translates to "masterless samurai" right? There was also a "Hon." before every person's name which I assume is short for Honorable. e.g. Hon. Elder or Hon. Tsugumo. Never seen any of those things in the dozens of samurai movies i've seen.

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