Heath Heath Heath

[belbbmfan]

I tell you, they f*ed up badly with the dubbing of BG.  .

Normally, every actor has their "own" German voice = dubbing speaker. Yesterday, the Heath character spoke, but I heard Matt Damon's voice  . Then Matt's character answered, and I thought, no, wait a minute, *that* is Matt Damon's voice.
To make it short: both voices were Matt Damon's. Damon's regular dubbing speaker died and therefore he has a second one, and we're used to both voices.

I have to say, I'm puzzled by this whole 'dubbing' thing. I mean, you do take away an essential part of an actor's performance, his voice and the way he uses it. I guess this has never been more true than for Ennis in Brokeback Mountain.

I was flipping through channels the other day and came across The Patriot in French. It was weird, listening to Heath and knowing that that wasn't the way he sounds at all.

Are there no people who are asking for more original subtitled movies in Germany? The only ones that are dubbed over here are animated movies, but that's because the children they are made for aren't old enough to be able to read the subtitles. I have to say, some of the dubbing is very good. But you don't 'miss' the actor's voice because it's not a real actor of course.

[MaineWriter]

You are right about the dubbing thing, Fabienne. Here in the US, all foreign movies have subtitles. US movies are in English. I am not sure I have ever seen a dubbed movie in the theater. I have seen some on TV. And I think the DVD version of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" has an English version and a Chinese one with subtitles. But in the theater, we could only see it in Chinese.

L

[oilgun]

I just came here from the ABCs at the Movies thread, where oilgun quoted Sarah Silverman's "I'm f*cking Matt Damon" song.  So that was going around and around in my head, and here he is!  Thanks a lot, Gil! 

♪   ♪    ♪
On the bed, on the floor,
        on a towel by the door,
               in the tub, in the car,
                     up against the mini-bar!
                           ♪   ♪

 

You're welcome!

[Kerry]

In Australia, we strictly only ever use subtitles for non-English productions, both at the cinema and also on the SBS television network, which plays lots of foreign-language movies and television programs. Dubbing is never used here.

I personally believe that an integral aspect of an actor's skill and talent lies in the application and use of one of the primary instrument of their profession - their  voice. And each actor's voice is unique and different. Idiosyncratically unique and different. How appalling to have a two-bit voice-over "actor" dubbing for a major artist. 

[Penthesilea]

Are there no people who are asking for more original subtitled movies in Germany?

I've never met any person who would prefer subtitles to dubbing  . I think it's a matter of what you're used to. To be honest, I also don't mind the dubbing of a, say, Chinese movie very much (although I'd still prefer subtitling, if I had a choice). I agree that a part of the acting gets lost in translation. But when you grew up with it, you don't know it any other way.
Just imagine aliens caming to the earth and they're very human-like, with the only difference they have three eyes. If they asked you if you don't miss a third eye, you'd probably say no.

I personally believe that an integral aspect of an actor's skill and talent lies in the application and use of one of the primary instrument of their profession - their  voice.

Yup, agreed.

And each actor's voice is unique and different. Idiosyncratically unique and different. How appalling to have a two-bit voice-over "actor" dubbing for a major artist. 

For the red part: now, that's a bit too harsh, IMO. Dubbing itself is an art, too (or at least a craft). Different from acting, but also something that requires skills.
Usually, they really try hard, from what I can judge. They try to find similar voices, they do not only translate, but try to use their voices in a way that is true to the original. You're right that it will always stay a surrogate and that parts of the acting will get lost. You will never achieve 100% the same thing as the original. That's why I'd prefer subtitling, like I already said.
But it's not the evil on the earth either.

Apart from Brothers Grimm, of course  . They really f*ed up the movie in this case.

[oilgun]

I've never met any person who would prefer subtitles to dubbing  . I think it's a matter of what you're used to. To be honest, I also don't mind the dubbing of a, say, Chinese movie very much (although I'd still prefer subtitling, if I had a choice). I agree that a part of the acting gets lost in translation. But when you grew up with it, you don't know it any other way.

That's interesting because ieven in France, and we all know how chauvinistic the French can be  , they offer both a dubbed and an original version.  At least that's was I was lead to believe.

[Penthesilea]

That's interesting because ieven in France, and we all know how chauvinistic the French can be  , they offer both a dubbed and an original version.  At least that's was I was lead to believe.

Now that would be a good compromise. In Germany, many networks (I think all public channels) used to do this. But only via cabel, not via satellite. But they quit doing so a few years ago, because it's more expensive. The networks then have to pay for the rights to air a movie twice: for the German version and for the original version.

Oh well, I'll have to live with it. But that doesn't keep me from bitching about it from time to time  .

[Mikaela]

I've seen some dubbed-to-German films and TV shows (I used to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Pro7 years and years ago...) and I have to agree with Chrissi that it by and large is amazing how well the dubbing works. They take great pains to make the spoken German fit the lip movements, and to use relatively distinct voice actors, etc. So it's normally not at all *that* bad -  but when you have an original version with an actor sporting such a distinct voice as Heath's, an original version voice that makes you positively weak in the knees.... then there's no matching that and a lot of necessity *has* to be lost in the dubbing.

Norway does as Belgium - nothing is dubbed except animated movies for small kids. Otherwise it's subtitling all the way. One of the reasons Norwegians are relatively proficient in English, I'm sure, since most films and TV are English-spoken.

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Have you noticed that the 5,000th post is coming up on this thread? Should we all do something to mark the occasion - post a favourite Heath pic, or something?

[oilgun]

Now that would be a good compromise. In Germany, many networks (I think all public channels) used to do this. But only via cabel, not via satellite. But they quit doing so a few years ago, because it's more expensive. The networks then have to pay for the rights to air a movie twice: for the German version and for the original version.

Oh well, I'll have to live with it. But that doesn't keep me from bitching about it from time to time  .

Actually I meant for movies shown at the cinema, one theatre would show the dubbed version and another would show the subtitled Version Originale (VO). They do that in Montreal as well.  I don't know about movies shown on TV.  Of course they can only do that in large urban centres I can't imagine small towns showing two versions of the same film.  It's probably a result of the multi-cultural aspect.

[MaineWriter]

Have you noticed that the 5,000th post is coming up on this thread? Should we all do something to mark the occasion - post a favourite Heath pic, or something?

That's a great idea. Favorite Heath pics work for me, unless others have more innovative ideas...

L