What is everyone thinking about the PAL DVD? I'm of two minds. Clearly my legitimate copy is superior in quality, but I'm having trouble dealing with the 4% PAL-speedup that makes the music sound like it's in a different key. I know I can't do anything about this and it happens on every film, but this is the first time that I've seen a film a dozen times at the cinema to really notice it.
But this brings me to the subtitles. Now I know that many have mentioned issues with these, but I've only now had the chance to check them out. I have to say that when they get it wrong it's more than a little irritating. Sometimes they seem so wrong to me that they're a terrible joke. One that stands out is when Jack and Ennis come down from the mountain the first time and Jack asks if Ennis is going to do this again next summer. Ennis clearly says: "Well, maybe not. Like I said, me and Alma's getting married in November", but the subtitles say: "Like I said, man, I was getting married in November". Is it me or is this a really dumb mistake? I can't believe that Ennis would ever say "man", but even if he would, "Alma" was very clear after all.
And then there's TS2. This was really interesting. The subtitles would have us believe that all the whispered words are from Jack and he repeats "I swear, I swear, I swear". Does he actually say that or did the subtitles screw it up again? I'm not sure. But it made me think of it being a bookend and maybe even a reason for Ennis saying "Jack, I swear" at the end of the film. What do you think?