When it comes to biopic I hate to see films set in a non English speaking country yet all the characters sounds like Brits. It just hard for me to get into it because it makes zero sense. I rather watch films like "La vie en Rose" with subtitle than having an Engli-fied version of real facts. It's like if non English speaking country took a British figure like tolken and made a movie in London but with all French actors speaking French.
shareYou do realize that NOBODY on planet earth actually prefers subtitles to directly understanding the dialogue? That is, including you!
You just belive that because either:
1) you understand the other language you want (french in this instance), or
2) you have been so nicely and thoroughly brainwashed by the english-speaking mainstream industry, that believe their bs protectionism telling you:"how silly they look when they are dubbed/speaking another language instead of their own/translated - it's MUCH better to READ instead of watching the MOVING PICTURES on the screen, that's the experience you, intellectually superiors, really want with cinema. What is the problem, you cannot read?" In reality, you hate it too, you know that it's much better to actually watch the movie and listen to what the audio adds to it (including intelligible dialogue) to any subtitle, but don't realize that not dubbing/translating movie is just pure protectionism.
PS: sorry if I might sound brash, but I will not tolerate any promotion of subtitles in movies (other than for hearing impaired).
I am not "intellectually superior" lol Just because I like to discover other cultures through their films does not make me Intellectually superior. I would agree to disagree with you in regards to subtitles. If I see a film set in Japan I personally like to feel like I am fully there and not an Anglo-fied version of Japan, same with other countries. it's my personal preference.
shareOlivergbyrne, sorry but I don't agree to disagree. You must understand your mistake!
I take that, being on moviechat, you are a film buff.
As such, I MUST try to make you see how wrong it is to buy into this mere industrial protectionist propaganda: movies are a visual experience. You are watching it, and your eyes should be looking at the pictures. That's what any director intended for any movie ever made. There's NO director that thinks "hey, let me go light on content here because people are gonna be busy reading the subtitles".
So it's clear that subtitles are just a "solution" to not understanding the dialogue.
If there were no other solutions, I would tell you "I agree with you" but in reality there are other solutions, like translations (eg Colette) or like dubbing (like in ANY other movies in the planet except for english speaking protectorates).
Nobody is saying that french speak english in Colette, it's just so we understand.
These other soultions are objectively better for the viewer. How on earth an actor talking gibberish to you makes the scene better than having a dubber interpret the same scene so you can understand it?
Also it's better for the dialogues: do you have an idea how many words are skipped or cramped together with two lines of subtitles when translating from another language?
It's a fact that most of the planet watches mainstream movies, Hollywood movies, dubbed.
And has no problem with it. And hates subtitles. And Hollywood agrees with this.
Why do you think Hollywood wants you to watch FOREIGN movies in the original language and boycotts any form of dubbing, but is totally fine with their movies being dubbed for most of its audience?
Because they know that dubbing is superior, and want to keep their top spot by boycotting any foreign production chances.
Look, if I understand the language, I prefer the original language. But I only speak two languages. For the rest, dubbing/translating is the best choice, as you say with animation.
With certain movies like Hayao Miyazaki animations, I tend to use the English dub as, whilst the movies themselves are made by the Japanese, they're set in places like Europe as well as Japan, or even entirely different worlds altogether, and so I don't think it matters.
And as for most biopics or movies, I don't mind either.
But I would much rather see something like Downfall in the original German, as it is an historical epic and you feel like you're there in the bunker with Hitler in his last days (memes be damned).
Thanks Foebane72 that was exactly my point with my original post. If it's something that is reality based I want it in the language it is suppose to be. For Fantasy or animation I am OK with the English.
shareSeemed just fine to me. It also did not bother me that wherever these characters go it seems that a movie camera follows them, and they never even notice it. Even though movie cameras had not even been invented yet!
shareLOL! Thanks for the laugh.
shareHAHA Yes your patronizing comment is just hilarious! Of course! A movie is a movie just like a play is a play or a book is a book. The purpose is to tell a story and in this case it is a true story. The fact that it is a medium of film does not make it unreasonable for people to ask that they pick actors that are the nationality or race of the character they are playing. If they do a movie about Lincoln and ask Gerard Depardieu to play him in French , what then? It would be unreasonable to question the casting choice because "It's a movie" and "Camera follow them around without noticing"? (Again, you should be a stand up comic) Some of you guys should just be honest and admit that you do not want foreign actors to play non English characters in US films because you just absolutely HATE to read! Also this could be interpreted as a certain hint of bigotry for anything that is not in the English language..Well fair enough, if you guys feel this way, I'm not judging. At least I can be amused by the fact that close minded people who hate anything that is not in the English language is making fun of me for not minding reading subtitles.
shareLighten up just a little. The movie camera bit was funny.
I actually agree with you. I watch plenty of foreign language films and I refuse to watch them dubbed - only subtitled. I don't even like English remakes. But, most Americans don't like reading subtitles.
Collette's British dialect didn't bother me, but I still haven't watched the Versaille series because I agree with many who said it should've been filmed in French. Or at least hire actors who can pull off a light French accent.
I previously complained about Brooklyn Nine-Nine because not one cop has a New York dialect. It's unwatchable to me.
Depardieu doing Lincoln? I would seriously watch that.
Yeah I noticed that about Brooklyn Nine-Nine as well lol
shareCancelled TV show Frequency had an actor trying to sound like a New York cop but instead he sounded like he was from Boston. At least he tried.
The best show for accents and languages is Outlander although sometimes I can't understand the Scottish dialect and I end up reading subtitles.
I totally admit it, I hate reading during movies. Same as I hate watching a movie while I read a book. I also don't like to eat while I'm going down on a pussy. Or vice versa.
See, there are some activities which are incompatible: when you watch a movie you want your EYES to be on the screen center or following the action and details of the image, not at the bottom reading some overimposed text because you don't understand the language used by the actors. That's the reason why this movie being in english makes sense. I think you are slowly getting there, Oliverbyrne...
Thanks.
Actually I have a medical problem with my eyes and cannot read subtitles so such a movie would be unintelligible for me. I don't think I am alone in this, especially among older people.
Yeah that totally explain why you felt the need for patronizing and making fun of me Jes'Sayin'! Did you say, "In my opinion, subtitle are not an option to some people like me because ..?" No you didn't you wrote and I quote "It also did not bother me that wherever these characters go it seems that a movie camera follows them, and they never even notice it. Even though movie cameras had not even been invented yet!" You guys are funny instead of discussing the issue and stating you have a different opinion than mine, you go on a sarcastic rambling, hinting that I am stupid to think the way I do and when I call you out for it you act like victims! Well cry me a freaking river! If you wanted to give your opinion you could have explain why you disagree in a mature way instead of making a joke of what I was trying to explain.
share100% agreed. In general, if you're gonna represent people who are speaking in some language but actors are using English (or whatever other language), then you either use a very neutral and standard accent (like a dubbed movie), or use the original language and subtitle it (like Mel Gibson movies, or Dances with Wolves).
In the last Assassin's Creed game, set in Ancient Greece, characters speak English with a VERY hard modern greek accent (so hard that sometimes it's even difficult to understand them). And that feels extremely weird. They should have used a neutral English or used real Classic Greek.