MovieChat Forums > Un long dimanche de fiançailles (2005) Discussion > French translation?

French translation?

posted 15 years ago by doodleboy
2 replies | jump to latest

so, when they're telling about Mathilde's past, and she's chanting to forget her parents (or whatever), the English subtitles say "ashes to ashes, dustto dust".

she's obviously not saying that in French, so i assume it's another figure of speech. this is quickly followed by her burning the photo.

it sounds like she's saying Fumer Bar, which i can't find a translation for. Fumer = Smoke, so i can only think it's something like "Smoke Obscures {memories}".

any help?

thanks

[–] lecuyer-arnaud 15 years ago

She says "feu mes parents".

It means "my late parents"

[–] GrandeMarguerite 15 years ago

She says "Feu mes parents", which means "My late parents".
When Mathilde burns her parents' photo, it is actually a sort of visual play on words, for "feu" is both an adjective and a name in French.
When Mathilde says "Feu mes parents", she uses the adjective that comes from the Latin word "fatum" (= "destiny") we French people use sometimes to refer to deceased people. It is a very strange adjective indeed, as its form never changes when used before a common name as in the example beneath.
Now, when Mathilde burns the picture, it is an obvious reference to the name "feu", which means "fire" (from the Latin word "focus" = "fire"). Therefore Mathilde uses the word in both meanings, with some irony.
I think the translator wanted to create some sort of equivalent in English, hence the phrase "ashes to ashes" which is also to be understood into two different ways (a reference to burial and also something to be taken quite literally!!!). It is actually a good stroke of inspiration.