Rather than respond to a post and have my point get bogged down in the responses, I'm putting it here. I'm so sick and tired of people from other countries claiming that Americans are too lazy to read subtitles, illiterate, etc. I watch foreign movies all the time and they all have subtitles. I actually hate dubbed movies or remakes. So get over it! Not ALL Americans are the same. Get a brain!
shareI enjoy subtitled movies and i don't think most American's are annoyed by them either. I think what piques most people's nerves is the wide-screen format, it seems to drive a lot of people crazy.
"Why am I covered on feathers?"..." I might have bitten a pillow. Or two."
I am an American and unfortunately, I know many people who won't even attempt to watch a subtitled movie. It's sad, really, but I also have a lot of (American) friends who do enjoy foreign movies.
So, yes, it definitely is true that a majority of Americans avoid foreign movies, but I think there is a growing number of Americans who are discovering that foreign movies are almost always way, way better than Hollywood pieces of crap.
I'm an American and I love Foreign films. I don't mind subtitles at all, but I hate it when the film is dubbed. I don't care for remakes as well, I'd rather see the original. If the remake is well done, then that's great but the original tends to be better.
Transiberian: 3.5/4
Milk: 4/4
Wrestler: 4/4
Slumdog Millonaire: 4/4
Curious Case: 3/4
Got to agree with that.. Dubbed films are bloody awful! I'd rather not watch it at all than watch it dubbed. Don't care too much for remakes either. I guess as an American, technically a British film (I'm a Brit!) would be classed as a foreign film, albeit not in a foreign language.
(Good call on Slumdog Millionaire by the way... my favourite film!)
I wish they would make decent dubs instead of doing american remakes of films like this,
I prefer subs but if I had a choice between a cool foreign film that was dubbed or an american remake i would probably choose the dub. If great actors were hired a dub can be good, some studio ghibli dubbed stuff is very good.
First let me just state that ryanne has a good reason to be "sick and tired" of this whole we are better than you because...... Instead of saying a whole country is this or that, why don't you ask some individuals why they may or may not like subtitles and respect their opinion. I don't mind subtitles on some days or in some movies. Somedays I don't want to read subtitles because I may want to just be mindlessly entertained after a long day/week at work. I have a stressful job where I read most of the time and the last thing I want to do is come home and read some more. Secondly, you can't get intonation in subtitles!
Some lines are delivered better to the audience just because of it. I know for sure that in English and Spanish the tone of the way something is said can change the meaning or mood of the sentence.
"I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti "share
I moved to Serbia not long ago and here ALL the movies are shown with subtitles, also on TV. It's good, because people catch the language and even if they don't speak perfectly, they understand what you ask them. And hey, they know the voice of Javier Bardem or Jackie Chan!
Maybe not all the Americans are annoyed by subtitles, but most of those that I know really say they are too lazy to read them. There's usually a choice, you can watch a dubbed movie, you can watch a terrible remake (I had a doubtful pleasure to translate the American version of One Missed Call after having translated the Japanese original and I'm sorry to say that, but it seems like American filmmakers think that the average horror audience in the Western world is a bunch of retards) or you can get a DVD with subtitles from eBay. I'll always choose the third option.
About 70% of the movies I get on Netflix are foreign (tothe US) and I watch the subtitled versions on 100% of them. I just can't abide the mismatched lip movements and the incongruous voices. I know that part of the reason I don't mind subtitles is that I read so fast that I am almost unaware of reading. But I have heard some people complain they can't keep up.
But I recently became aware of a problem with reading subtitles (although I am sure it exists in the dubbed versions) which I had thought was limited to old kung fu movies. And that is bad translations. I am talking about where the meaning is distorted or dumbed down as in the recent American release of Let the Right One In.
I can understand Spanish well enough that I could tell when the subtitles were not a direct translation even in The Orphanage. "Vi con mis propios ojos" is not exactly "I saw for myself", but in this case there is no substantial difference.
i love subtitles actually. i am american and i love foreign films. sometimes i actually put american films in subtitles because i enjoy reading. so im not a lazy american, even though i do know americans who hate subtitles as well as foreigners who hate subtitles, so its not just us.
share[deleted]
I'm American and I love foreign films (with subtitles.) I would never watch a dubbed version of anything. I like hearing other languages, and subtitles don't distract me or in any way prevent me from enjoying a film. Actually, I watch American movies with the English subtitles (for the deaf/hoh) because I'm always afraid I'm going to miss something. (I have a noisy one year old. Or if I'm eating chips or something crunchy, I can't hear. lol) I really hate when DVDs don't have ENGLISH subtitles. (Stupid DVDs of TV shows from Showtime never do!)
However - I just watched The Orphanage on Netflix and I went to read the reviews and several people gave it one star, saying things like, "Did I miss something? Why didn't the description say this was in Spanish?" This was MULTIPLE reviews! I was so irritated. (And giving a movie a bad review because you didn't like the language it was in? Pssh.)
I have a little collection of foreign films and when I try to show them to friends and they say, "Ew, it subtitled! No thanks."........well, it makes me like them significantly less and casts a massive shadow on my opinion of the quality of their most basic intellect. (How's that for generalizations? lol)
My wife doesn't like subtitles but i do. I guess i am in the minority. Btw we are Americans.
"Those who cast the votes decide nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything."
Stalin
And we do like good foreign films.
"Those who cast the votes decide nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything."
Stalin
why is everyone dissing america anyways?
if you don't like america than don't come here and vist. stay in your own country if it's so fricken great.
I'm American and I'm fine with subtitles. I like them much better than dubbing. And I'm 14!
But I like it when they incorporate subtitles into the movie, like with Night Watch. Like how things in the foreground would cover the words.
Jesus Lol'd.
Amen, princes! Hearing/seeing "those dumb Americans" gets painfully annoying, huh?
As for the whole subtitles thing, if I want to read I'll read a BOOK not a MOVIE! What's the point of reading what's being said and missing the entire movie because of it? Watching French films is not couture; if you want to watch a French movie then learn French and watch it.
-"Hey, Blinkin'?"
-"Did you say 'Abe Lincoln'?"
-"No, I said Hey, Blinkin."
subtitles aren't ideal, but they're far better than dubbing, which completely ruins the movie for me
shareI'm American and love foreign films. I have no problem reading subtitles what so ever. I prefer reading subtitles much more than having to listen to dubbing. I want to hear the actor's voice, whether or not I can understand the language.
shareOpinion (Mine, not necessarily anyone elses and thats a GOOD thing)
Some people can read subtitles and follow visual and audio storylines with no issue. Some other people have slight difficulties. Others have problems and cant manage it at all. That does not give anyone superhuman powers, or make everyone else idiots. Its all down to how much you read, how often you read, how involved you are in the film, and thats before you take into account any visual impairments. Im sure there are many people who use the Subtitling option on their televisions, and its not because the sound has gone.
The reason America is being attacked is it has built up a sort of monopoly on remaking films. This is simply due to America being a hyperpower of all things: commercialism, consumerism etc. If you're wanting to know more about this, there's a section on American film (not a huge one) in 'Why Do People Hate America?', a dissection of American culture shortly after 9/11.
While its annoying that many American Production companies are remaking (and, if the majority is to be believed, RUINING) good films that are produce elsewhere, if Africa, Russia or Australia was in a powerful commercial position like the USA, it would be THEM doing the remaking.
Im English. Many English people hate sutitles. But everyone I know understands WHY they exist and deal with it whatever way is available, be it dubbing or remakes.
I'm a 17 year old American and I have never in my life turned down a film for subtitles. I will admit that the majority of people I know don't watch subtitled films.
I just hate people generalize that all Americans are ignorant slobs who have no respect for foreign films.
I'm willing to bet that most PEOPLE everywhere in the world don't care for subtitles. But people just LOOOOVE to bag on Americans.
share