MovieChat Forums > Il gattopardo (1963) Discussion > My disappointment

My disappointment

posted 19 years ago by fanaticita
10 replies | jump to latest

I'd been waiting to see this film on DVD for years, and when I finally did -you guessed it, it was dubbed in Italian. I rented the Criterion collection version and there was the "American" version, which had Burt Lancaster's voice alright, but the dubbing of the other actors was horrifying. So I just watched the key scenes of the "American" version with Burt because he was my favorite actor for a long time. I think this was by far the finest film he ever made. The commentary section described the close friendship that developed between Lancaster and Visconte. I think Visconte was able to bring out things in Lancaster that no other director could achieve. We lost two majestic people of film when we lost those two.

[–] 19 years ago

[deleted]

[–] e-applebee 19 years ago

it wasn't dubbed in italian, it was dubbed in english. the film was shot in italian.
____________________
Nelville Flynn: Enough is enough.
[cocks gun]
I've had it with the snakes.

[–] 19 years ago

[deleted]

[–] enbilal 19 years ago

THey don't speak english in Italy.

[–] fernandooo7 18 years ago

no, but generally, italian films are dubbed later. i read it somewhere. i think it was here.

[–] NickNameNotAllowed-2 18 years ago

Italian films were often shot with out Sync sound(M.O.S). Fellini was notorious for telling actors who couldn't remember their lines to just speak numbers to the rythem of the lines. It didnt matter because later they'd have to dub the scenes anyway.

[–] bluemilkcarton 18 years ago

Delon speaks Italian. Sure, his dub isn't so great, but it's him.

[–] Jack1721 18 years ago

If I'm not mistaken Lancaster and French spoke English, Delon and Cardinale French (as Cardinale was more accustomed to French than Italian having grown up in Tunisy).

[–] Kinematico 17 years ago

Lancaster could have been dubbed because he didn't speak italian, but most of the cast did speak italian and made the dubbing by themselves.

IMO to watch this movie in english would ruin completely the feeling of authenticity that it has.

In Italian was perfect, no matter if Burt didn't his own dubbing. I can't imagine "Il Gattopardo" in english, sorry.

[–] ducdebrabant 17 years ago

Actually I prefer the Italian version. Lancaster's accent in English was never aristocratic, and this movie is no exception. In many ways, it's an exquisite performance, but the vocal characterization isn't perfect. I'm fine with subtitled Italian. I have the same problem with DeNiro in 1900. He's supposed to be the aristocrat and Depardieu the peasant, but he sounds like a Jersey boy on vacation in Italy.