Dubbed or Subtitles?

[Tonyblack]

I got (along with Sin City) La Vita E Bella (Life is Beautiful) this morning on DVD. I couldn't imagine watching that in any other language than Italian. I wouldn't want to watch Amelie or Cinema Paradiso, or Les Visiteurs in anything but their original languages. Sure I need subtitles, but watching them in their original language seems more authentic somehow.

[Dotsie]

Films that switch between languages also wouldn't do very well (eg Inglourious Basterds)

[CrysaniaMajere]

I've seen Inglorious Basterds with my bf, in cases like this they dub the principal language but not the others. The English bits were dubbed, while the German or French wasn't.
The problem starts when the other language is Italian. In those cases, they other dub everything, if they can't avoid it, or they change it. I remember in the first season of Friends (or maybe second, not sure) there was an Italian guy, Paolo, and in the dubbed version they made him Spanish calling him Pablo, so they could still say "I can't understand what he said".
They do a lot of these stuff

[Dotsie]

OK, so what about Joey's Italian granny who doesn't speak English? And the fact that Joey only knows Italian swearwords? It's a minefield!

[CrysaniaMajere]

OK, so what about Joey's Italian granny who doesn't speak English? And the fact that Joey only knows Italian swearwords? It's a minefield!

I don't remember seeing that part in italian, I think I only saw it in DVD, so in English, but one thing I can tell you : Joey DOES NOT know any swearwords in italian. If I remember correctly he never used a real Italian word, good or bad it may be (While Phoebe pronounced her three or four words quite well, I remember)

But sometimes they resort to dialect, I wonder if that's the case. There are southern Italians old people who can only speak their dialect and don'tunderstand italian nor can they speak it. I'm curious, I think I'll get a look at my DVDs to find out

[raisindot]

Oh, subtitles, totally. I won't watch a 'fereign' film that's dubbed, especially if it's a masterpiece by Bergman, Truffaut, Goddard, Fellini or any Japanese or Chinese movie. Part of the experience of watching international cinema is to get the flavor of the language being spoken.

Of course, lousy subtitling can ruin a movie, like when a character speaks for 30 second and everything they said is summarized in one sentence. Of when only white and non-bright subtitles are used and they bleed into the background.

[Conforumist]

I have to say dubbed, because I am not always able to read everything before it's gone with some movies. I know I'm a bit of a slow reader, but sometimes it's just too fast, period.
I also find that I can't watch the movie, 'cos all I'm doing is reading.

[Seimimac]

Definitely subtitles if I want to fully appreciate the film, but there are exceptions.

Years and years ago, just when VCRs were becoming popular, we had a Philips VCR, which had double sided video tapes. So, apart from the usual problems with early VCRs - clunky noises, chunky buttons etc - you also had the added hassle of having to get up and turn the tape over halfway through the movie!

I remember we had 'The Big Boss', Bruce Lee's first movie. It had been dubbed, and it was the worst dub-job ever! Awful acting, and a translation done by someone whose first language was neither English or, apparently, any Chinese dialect, eg - Bruce and his cousin are accosted by 6 bad guys, who say they're going to 'teach them a lesson.' Bruce looks at the 6 guys, points at them, and asks, 'What? just you four lousy guys?' And that was one of the better bits.

We loved it. We must have watched that film a hundred times, learning the lines off by heart. I've tried loads of times to find that dubbed version, but some git seems to have gone and done a far better-acted, correctly translated, better lip-synched version. Don't you hate when that happens??

[AgnesOgg]

Subtitles please with english/american movies I prefer no subtitles, because then I get bothered by the lousy translation

[cheery_j.]

I prefer watching the original if it's English, but I'm used to watching dubbed films & TV shows, since that's what they do in Germany.
The Simpsons are an example of how dubbing under pressure can turn the lines into complete nonsense.
Here's some of my favourite examples:
Marge looking out of the kitchen window, seeing it's all misty outside says: "Was ist das für ein Mist da draußen?" (What kind of crap ist that out there?") because the German word for manure is the same as the English for lots of water particles in the air...
Or Lisa ( I think) says something like "you shouldn't swear" was dubbed into "du sollst nicht schwören". Of course she means that the person she's talking to shouldn't use swear words, however they used the other meaning of swearing, as in swearing an oath. Doesn't make any sense at all...

However, the TV show The Pretenders was very, very successful in Germany, partly because of the dubbing that often didn't have very much to do with the original lines. They even commented on the dubbing in the dubbed lines. Here's more on that on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Persuaders!#Radical_dubbing_key_to_German_popularity

[Tonyblack]

The only case I can think of a bit like that was the British version of the French kids' show The Magic Roundabout.

[cheery_j.]

The magic Roundabout is French???

Well, you live and learn...

[raptornx01]

I always prefer the dubbed version. 99% of the time you aren't loosing anything as far as dialouge goes, most dubs here are accurate. and voice acting has come a long way so most of the time the acting is good or decent (sometimes superb). Where as with subs you often do loose alot visually. Even if you don't realize it. shots are composed the way they are for a reason. where the audience looks matters. subs can destroy that.

[Tonyblack]

Hey Raptor! Good to see you again. I was wondering where you were.

[Hvitveis]

Subtitles please!

They dub Everything here in Spain, and so you get those funny moments where you realize Clint Eastwood, Marlon Brando and The terminator have the same voice.......... (an invented example but not far from reality)