I've been watching (and reading) sub-titled films all my life. I usually forget that I'm reading titles within minutes of the film beginning and often when I think back on a given film I'll remember the characters speaking English, even though in fact they were speaking another language.
I prefer the titles over dubbing because dubbing (even in this day and age) is so badly done. Sad to say, it's usually lesser actors who are hired to dub foreign films. I also prefer to hear the actors' actual voices, which can communicate nuances through their inflections, even in a language I don't understand. BTW, if you're looking to learn another language, sub-titled films is one of the best learning tools. And, as for reading the titles and watching the images: If you can read a comic book you can watch a sub-titled film. Best, Dave Posteropolis www.posteropolis.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "Phil Edwards Cinema Arts" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, December 14, 2006 5:36 AM Subject: Re: [MOPO] Subtitles > The first subtitled film I ever saw was SEVEN SAMURAI, the 205 minute > version (because the print was an original from Japan brought in by the then > distributors here because they believed in such stuff), in 35mm at a > screening by the film society at Sydney University one Saturday afternoon. > It was about 1964... I was certainly no older than a young 15 at any rate. > > I'd read about this "great movie" in several movie history books I had been > devouring since I was about 10 or 11. I thought I'd better get myself along > to see one of these "foreign films" I'd been reading about. I thought it was > going to be a chore. You know - you have to see this because it's "art" and > famous and film history. I figured I'd be bored stiff. And you know, it was > sub-titled... one of those fillums with writing down the bottom of the > screen. I only found out when I got there that it was well over 3 hours... > sheesh. > > So I emerged 205 minutes later totally gob-smacked. After 10 minutes I > hadn't even realised that I was watching and reading simultaneously. If > there's anyway I can see a film in its original language with subtitles, > then that's what I'll go for - whatever it is. > Phil > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Shelly Whitworth-King" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Thursday, December 14, 2006 9:12 PM > Subject: Re: [MOPO] Subtitles > > > > In non-English films in general, the quality of the subtitles is sometimes > > an issue for me. It is often apparent that what is being said in the film > > and what the subtitles say are not the same thing. Much can be lost. > > > > I am fully aware of the limitations of subtitles, but I do think that > > sometimes the standard could be raised. It is an art in itself really. > > > > Shelly > > > > > > ----Original Message Follows---- > > From: Toochis Morin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Reply-To: Toochis Morin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > To: [email protected] > > Subject: Re: [MOPO] Subtitles > > Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2006 11:01:01 -0800 > > > > The characteristic about both films: Letters from Iwo Jima and Apocalypto > > is that they are much like silent films and you can follow them easily. > > There isn't heavy dialogue and yet it has made both films quite > > compelling. > > > > Toochis > > > > channinglylethomson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: The main > > problem I have with subtitled movies is that I prefer to > > "watch" a movie rather than "read" a movie. That said, it's definitely > > an acquired skill that becomes easier -- but never as easy as watching > > a film produced in your native language. > > > > Channing Thomson in San Francisco > > > > Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List > > > > Send a message addressed to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L > > > > The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. > > > > > > Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List > > > > Send a message addressed to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L > > > > The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. > > > > _________________________________________________________________ > > Be the first to hear what's new at MSN - sign up to our free newsletters! > > http://www.msn.co.uk/newsletters > > > > Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List > > Send a message addressed to: > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L > > The author of this message is solely > > responsible for its content. > > > > Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com > ___________________________________________________________________ > How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List > > Send a message addressed to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L > > The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. > Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.
