Don't pretend you like them; we know you don't. We know that the words, "In French" or "In Italian" or "In Japanese" more often than not are heard as code for "You wouldn't like this film" and that's ok. We're just curious to know why you dislike them so strongly, and perhaps, if we're lucky, change your mind. Does the film the subtitles go under affect how you feel about them? Are there films you love that transcend the irritation of reading along while listening to another language?Is the avant garde French film by Jean-Luc Goddard, Film Socialisme more or less appealing than the Japanese samurai film, 13 Assassins or is the prospect of dealing with the subtitles equally off putting in each case?
We love you all and we want to bring you a variety of the most thrilling, entertaining, thought provoking, and generally wonderful films out there. Some of the best films being made right now are not being made in the US and therefore never find an audience here because of the subtitle issue. In an article in the New York Times recently, film reviewer A. O. Scott complained that the majority of Americans are missing out on these films because theaters are not showing them due, in part, to the perception that Americans are not interested in films with subtitles. However, there are signs that this is changing. Michael Barker, co-president of Sony Pictures Classics, gave a more hopeful take on the subject on NPR recently saying that "the younger generation does not have the same challenge to reading subtitles that the older audience has."
Are you more or less likely to watch a foreign language film than your parents? Your kids? Your brother? Your sister? Your friends? Your spouse?
I like foreign films. My husband sometimes falls asleep when something is subtitled. My parents like some foreign films too (especially The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest series).
ReplyDeleteAny sense of beauty in a foreign film's native tongue won't possibly come across during the translation, making all poetic foreign films (which are abundant) lack the desired experience I would have watching them if I were able to understand their language. Sometimes these films are obvious when they're being poetic, which is irritating as the translation is unavoidably bland. I would say it's a minor problem, however, and that in any given year the majority of the best films and the films which offer the most innovation are from countries outside the US. I hope that Michael Barker is correct.
ReplyDeleteSarah, my parents are big fans of the Girl Who films as well! They seem to have a lot of crossover appeal. With luck, all those people who overcame their uneasiness with subtitles to enjoy those films will decide to give some more foreign films a try.
ReplyDelete@ Shooting Wall, I tend to agree. There's definitely something lost in translation that brings the viewer out of the film at times. This is a problem with any translated work. However, sometimes the sound of the language brings something to the film even when the viewer doesn't understand the language. When we showed I Am Love last year we had many people comment on how much they enjoyed listening to the Italian language even though they couldn't understand it.
I also wonder if the alternative filmmaking styles that are common in many foreign films don't contribute to the overall "otherness" feeling that many American viewers find so off putting. It seems that alternative narrative styles + american english or Hollywood filmmaking styles + foreign language are more palatable for viewers than alternative filmmaking styles + foreign language.
People seem to be increasingly comfortable watching films with alternative narrative structures though so maybe Barker is right & an increasing comfort level with foreign language films is next. As a fan of foreign films, I hope so!
Ok, so now we need to hear from some of you who don't like subtitles or who find them enough of a frustration that you generally avoid them if possible. We know you're out there!
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