Mike's Musings: Subtitles...why the hate?
I'll never understand why people are so against watching a movie with subtitles. It's really not that different from watching a movie in English. And quite frankly, I watch most American movies with subtitles anyway.
Subtitles are not new. They're in American movies all the time. "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol" had some and they did interesting things with it. First they were in Russian then the slowly translated into English.
Of course, in American movies, they're not on for very long, so it's not such a big deal, right? Apparently, having a movie where there are subtitles throughout is quite different. But how so?
The most common answer I've heard is "I don't want to read while I'm watching a movie." But it's not really reading, is it? You just glance down, read the dialogue quickly, and watch the rest of the scene. It's not very long, and you don't miss anything because the actor doesn't have good diction. And that happens a lot in American movies. Russell Crowe, Benicio del Toro, Antonio Banderas, Jason Statham...you have to be Daredevil to understand half of what they are saying. Now tell me subtitles wouldn't help things.
Personally, I think that's a smoke screen. It's not the act of reading while watching a movie that's the problem, or else every movie that had a scene with subtitles would tank. I think it's really the fact that "foreign film" has become synonymous with "artsy."
That is something I can understand. Some foreign films (and English-language ones) are really artsy. Everyone speaks in a deadpan, they talk about nothing and are extremely subtle. Believe me, I know the feeling. I once was assigned to review a movie for the Saint Louis International Film Festival called "Rage." It was horrible and it contained everything that makes foreign movies look bad.
Sometimes it's a cultural thing. Like foreign audiences with talky American movies, we don't always respond to the themes and storytelling techniques that other cultures do. For example, Americans love rooting for the underdog. I've heard people say this dates back to the Revolutionary War, but who knows? The point is that many other cultures may not be as touched by that kind of a story, and we may not respond to stories that say, the French adore.
Whatever the reason, it's a damn shame. There are so many foreign movies that are really, really good. My favorite movie of all time, "Brotherhood of the Wolf," is French (although no one will mistake it for an arthouse movie). There's also Paul Verhoeven's World War II thriller, "Black Book," which is incredible. Or the Chinese classic, "Farewell, My Concubine."
All hope is not lost, however. "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" made millions over here, more money than it did in its native China. It was also one of the few foreign films that was nominated for the Best Picture Oscar (an award it should have won, by the way). And kung-fu movies have a substantial fan base, regardless of the language they are in.
My plea to you is this: experiment. Take a chance. There are a lot of good movies that you're missing out on because you don't like subtitles. Feel free to e-mail me, and I'll give you a list of some great ones to choose from.
Subtitles are not new. They're in American movies all the time. "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol" had some and they did interesting things with it. First they were in Russian then the slowly translated into English.
Of course, in American movies, they're not on for very long, so it's not such a big deal, right? Apparently, having a movie where there are subtitles throughout is quite different. But how so?
The most common answer I've heard is "I don't want to read while I'm watching a movie." But it's not really reading, is it? You just glance down, read the dialogue quickly, and watch the rest of the scene. It's not very long, and you don't miss anything because the actor doesn't have good diction. And that happens a lot in American movies. Russell Crowe, Benicio del Toro, Antonio Banderas, Jason Statham...you have to be Daredevil to understand half of what they are saying. Now tell me subtitles wouldn't help things.
Personally, I think that's a smoke screen. It's not the act of reading while watching a movie that's the problem, or else every movie that had a scene with subtitles would tank. I think it's really the fact that "foreign film" has become synonymous with "artsy."
That is something I can understand. Some foreign films (and English-language ones) are really artsy. Everyone speaks in a deadpan, they talk about nothing and are extremely subtle. Believe me, I know the feeling. I once was assigned to review a movie for the Saint Louis International Film Festival called "Rage." It was horrible and it contained everything that makes foreign movies look bad.
Sometimes it's a cultural thing. Like foreign audiences with talky American movies, we don't always respond to the themes and storytelling techniques that other cultures do. For example, Americans love rooting for the underdog. I've heard people say this dates back to the Revolutionary War, but who knows? The point is that many other cultures may not be as touched by that kind of a story, and we may not respond to stories that say, the French adore.
Whatever the reason, it's a damn shame. There are so many foreign movies that are really, really good. My favorite movie of all time, "Brotherhood of the Wolf," is French (although no one will mistake it for an arthouse movie). There's also Paul Verhoeven's World War II thriller, "Black Book," which is incredible. Or the Chinese classic, "Farewell, My Concubine."
All hope is not lost, however. "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" made millions over here, more money than it did in its native China. It was also one of the few foreign films that was nominated for the Best Picture Oscar (an award it should have won, by the way). And kung-fu movies have a substantial fan base, regardless of the language they are in.
My plea to you is this: experiment. Take a chance. There are a lot of good movies that you're missing out on because you don't like subtitles. Feel free to e-mail me, and I'll give you a list of some great ones to choose from.
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