It seems to me that more and more movies are coming out where a good part of the dialog is in another language, and is sub-titled in English.

Whether to add authenticity or to cut production costs, this is beginning to detract from my enjoyment.

Yesterday, I watched two movies on Amazon Prime. The first was Saints And Soldiers, based on true events, four Americans and one Brit struggle to return to allied lines after escaping German capture. The Germans in the movie speak German, and since most of the movie takes place behind enemy lines, there's a lot of it. There's also a short segment with a French housewife who speaks, French. Of course.

The other was Siberia starring Keanu Reeves. As the title suggests, the movie takes place in Russia. Where most of the population speaks -- you guessed it -- Russian. (By the way, even the most die-hard Keanu Reeves fan would be hard pressed to enjoy this movie, sub-titles or no).

Here's my beef: I can't stay pinned to the screen for 90 - 120 minutes or more. I like to sip my drink, stretch my legs, grab a snack, check my messages -- that sort of thing.

I can do none of these when everything occurring on the screen is being sub-titled. If I miss 30 seconds of sub-titling, I might miss something vital to the plot. When the soundtrack is in English, I can follow the plot even if my eyes aren't riveted to the screen. And it seems more movies are engaging in this form of "realism."

Hey, movies are entertainment. In WWII movies of the past, the Germans spoke English -- with a German accent. The audience was to just assume they were speaking German. Heck, as one who knows a bit of German, I could barely make out some of the dialects spoken in Saints And Soldiers!

I'm hoping this is just a fad, but I fear this is the "global" economy taking over...

Well Saints and Soldiers came out in 2003, so if it is, it's an old fad.


I would argue just the opposite, I prefer they speak the proper language and have subtitles. But I understand your point, it's not conducive to "sort of watching" a movie. That's why I stopped watching Narcos, because I was trying to "watch" it on my computer, which means I'm usually doing things on the other screen, which is not conducive to reading. Some things deserve your full attention and I wasn't giving it.

If you're not watching broadcast programing, there's no excuse for not stopping it when you get up and walk away.

I’ve been trying to turn the subtitles off in this forum for years.

I actually prefer the native languages and in some case, DAS BOOT for example, is a better movie in all German. IMO.

I've been watching a LOT of sub-titled series and movies.

Doesn't bother me over all, but as stated it IS possible to miss something if your attention drifts for a moment.

On the plus side, I'm learning quite a lot of Spanish...

I do not mind subtitled films. I hated it when they would dub the voices. It sounded ridiculous at times when the voice did not seem to match the character they were playing.
I remember Johnny Carson playing clips of the TV show Bonanaza with the voices dubbed in Japanese. It made for a good laugh.

The more you watch sub titled movies, the better you get at it. It's a skill to read and watch the action at the same time. It does require more of your direct attention. You can't be wandering around the room or you will for sure miss things. I can't say watching sub titled movies has taught me much Spanish, but there is quite a bit dialog where I pretty much know what they are saying.

I wouldn't be bothered by the subtitles...if they're in a contrasting color you can actually read.

I'm going to turn on subtitles on our TV because the background music (on network shows) is louder than the dialogue these days. It's supposed to add to the drama but it detracts from the viewing 'pleasure'.

Got to watch Das Boot with the subtitles, same with Kung Fu Hustle

quote:

Originally posted by BigSwede:
Got to watch Das Boot with the subtitles, same with Kung Fu Hustle

I like foreign films w/ subtitles, mainly b/c rarely do the voice actors in a dubbed version do justice to the delivery by the original actors.

quote:

Originally posted by fpuhan:
Here's my beef: I can't stay pinned to the screen for 90 - 120 minutes or more. I like to sip my drink, stretch my legs, grab a snack, check my messages -- that sort of thing.

If I got some things to do, and can't sit still for the duration, I'll put on a movie I have seen previously that I want to watch again, and if I answer a call, or use the bathroom, get a snack, etc, I'll know what I'm missing. If it is a new film, I will pause it for a bathroom break, otherwise I pay attention. And I never get up when I pay for a movie in a theater.

quote:

Originally posted by fpuhan:
I'm hoping this is just a fad, but I fear this is the "global" economy taking over...

Subtitled films have been around for awhile

Aside from the many foreign films (French New Wave, Italian, Japanese samurai, etc) released in the U.S., many American films have used subtitles for scenes involving a foreign language. The Godfather and Godfather II are some prime examples.

Say what? I am very hard of hearing and Close Caption everything.
Its actually funny watching our local news try to close caption the talent.

Maybe you should stick to cartoons.

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Now that was funny. I watched quite a few foreign films in college. I wish they would show more of these. TCM shows some one night per week. It really provides a nice perspective.

I have no issues with subtitles, I prefer having the actual language spoken rather than dubbed-over. If you're not used to watching shows/films with subtitles, it can be annoying if you're not used to it, keep at it and you'll get used to it, you just need to focus. Just consider how the rest of the world has to deal with American films and shows. The last three months I've watched shows and speaking in Norwegian, Russian, Japanese, Cantonese and Scottish.

I used to strictly watch subtitled anime but now prefer dubbed simply because I miss seeing what action is taking place on the screen when I'm reading the subtitles.

I had no problem watching the subtitled 9 hour Swedish mini-series of The Millenium Trilogy - well worth it. I acknowledge having read the books first, though.

quote:

Originally posted by Orguss:
I used to strictly watch subtitled anime but now prefer dubbed simply because I miss seeing what action is taking place on the screen when I'm reading the subtitles.

You've got to train your eyes

Been watching Anime for decades.

There are a lot of good shows and great story lines that just didn't make it through translation.

Reading the subtitles while watching the show is second nature, I almost forget its not in English.

I turn on subtitles most of the time because a lot of dialogue is indecyperable, especially in loud action flicks. But yes, you do miss some visuals.