I had been watching the Cidade dos Homens (City of Men) series for hours straight (finished in less than 2 days) and at one point my mother comes in and says. "why are you watching this stupid show?" and I ask her "You haven't even seen it, why is it stupid" she replies "Because you gotta read it". I reply "That is so sad"

What's with this? Why can't people enjoy foreign movies. Are the majority of us American filmgoers that lazy? We barely have any foreign films released widely here and many are  missing out on great filmmaking thats much superior to anything in Hollywood. Even in American movies whenever there's a section with a bit of subtitles I can always feel the audience growing restless....some even groan. I think that's a real shame because American films are frequently the number 1 movies in places like Japan. I don't understand why they can't widely release movies like Death Note instead of remaking them in the english language.
Its kind of a shame.

I think it’s hard because movies are so visual and when you have to read subtitles, you miss the visual imagery. I know when I watch foreign films, I often find myself going back over them to watch the action after I’ve read the dialogue. Some people may not have that problem but I do. It’s hard for me to read the dialogue and watch the action at the same time.

I’m fine with it as long as the film is good though. There’s no question that a good film is worth it.

I think a lot of people think of it as a chore and they consider movies to be recreation. I know what you’re saying though. If I want to watch a film with subtitles, I have to watch it alone.


Breanne

I actually find myself more absorbed with subtitles. As soon as the movie starts, I can't seem to tear my eyes away.

However, I really have a problem with movies that don't need subtitles, but use them anyway. For example, the ten-second scene in The Dark Knight was incredibly superfluous. I mean, come on, it's a comic book movie. It won't be that much of a stretch for these Asian guys to speak English for ten seconds.

Shawnkjr, thank goodness you are an enlightened soul!

You are like my daughter who "reads" tons of Japanese shows. As a result, she speaks a lot of Japanese.

I joined her once in a subtitled show. I'll have to get the name of it from her, but it was very good.

I'm with you! Foreign films shouldn't be excluded just because you have to read the subtitles.

Sandra

I watch English films with subtitles so watching other films with subtitles is no different.

Think how much easier it is for the hearing impaired to enjoy films when they have no other choice.

The only problem I have is in talky scenes because they change the subtitles quickly and sometimes you miss stuff.

But you are right Shawn in that the older generations of movie goers... your parents and even friends who think American cinema is unrivaled but you know different.

Maybe you should allow those people to be ignorant and eat up Star Wars, Spoof Movies and Superhero movies while you see a broad range of entertaining films that may actually provoke some positive conversation.

I have a friend who is similar, He will not watch any movie I recommend if it has got subtitles. He has missed out on some great movies but in that respect we do not have much in common. I see movies as something more than just entertainment, probably like many of us I expect much more from the movies I watch. He on the other hand just wants to be entertained for 90 minutes without having to work for it at all. He is an intelligent guy but just has no taste in films! But I would certainly not say it was ignorance, just a different expectation of what a film should deliver. Different strokes and all that.

Quoted from Breanne Mattson I think it’s hard because movies are so visual and when you have to read subtitles, you miss the visual imagery. I know when I watch foreign films, I often find myself going back over them to watch the action after I’ve read the dialogue. Some people may not have that problem but I do. It’s hard for me to read the dialogue and watch the action at the same time. I’m fine with it as long as the film is good though. There’s no question that a good film is worth it. I think a lot of people think of it as a chore and they consider movies to be recreation. I know what you’re saying though. If I want to watch a film with subtitles, I have to watch it alone. Breanne

It's all a matter of practice. Like countries who dub English movies will always have difficulty understanding them without the dubs. Likewise if you never watch subtitled movies you might never really get comfortable with them, but if you look at the vast majority of filmgoers in the world, they read subtitles and understand the movie 100%, so it's not some inherent genetic impossibility in the human visual cortex or anything. It's just a matter of getting used to it.

But it's actually funny, because when movies began to use sound with talkies in the late 20s people were sort of making the same argument. People wouldn't be able to comprehend both audio and visual inputs at the same time with all the cutting going on.

I've grown up in a subtitle-culture and I don't 'read' subtitles. Not whole sentences. My eyes pick them up and process them subconsciously to add to the meaning of the gestures, intonation etc. of the character.

And it does get you into a lot of cinema you otherwise wouldn't see. I got into Japanese and Korean horror in my teens this way. Del Toro's Spanish films too. You find all these movie cultures that you otherwise wouldn't see.

Just imagine, if you don't wanna read subtitles you will never be able to see Pan's Labyrinth, The Devil's Backbone, A Tale of Two Sisters, Moodyson's Show me Love, Der Untergang, City of Lost Children, Onskan, Sophie Scholl, Y tu mama Tambien, City of God and literally oddles of others.

I can't advocate learning to read subtitles enough.

I think it also has something to do with training your peripheral vision. After a lifetime of reading subtitles I don't have to actually look at them to read them (not that I need them for movies in English).

I heard somewhere that the human eye or brain doesn't have to really read all the letters in a word to understand it, many times the actual shape of the word is enough. That's also why READING TEXT IN CAPS is more difficult than reading regular text.

Quoted from sniper I heard somewhere that the human eye or brain doesn't have to really read all the letters in a word to understand it, many times the actual shape of the word is enough. That's also why READING TEXT IN CAPS is more difficult than reading regular text.

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?

Quoted from Murphy Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?

Ha ha That was cool. I read about it. How long did it take you to write that.

Quoted from Murphy Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?

Yeah, I saw that too on National Geographics.

Quoted from Shawnkjr Ha ha That was cool. I read about it. How long did it take you to write that.

CMD C & CMD V  

I am one who hates subtitles.
Why?
My eyes are bad. Real bad, until I get my surgery later this month.
There I was last night trying to watch Weeds when all these subtitles came up.
I could figure out what was happening, but I would have liked to known what was being said.

cindy

I watch movies all the time with subtitles. English and Foreign movies.

It just started in the last year or so, because I like to see how the words are punctuated together. I think the more I study, the more it will improve the punctuation in my writing haha.

Robert

Hey,

I used to dislike subtitles but no longer have any problems with them. I, like Sandra's daughter, also got comfortable with sub after turning to anime fansubs for my fix after my stock of English dubed episodes ran out.  

Quoted from Death Monkey It's all a matter of practice. Like countries who dub English movies will always have difficulty understanding them without the dubs. Likewise if you never watch subtitled movies you might never really get comfortable with them, but if you look at the vast majority of film goers in the world, they read subtitles and understand the movie 100%, so it's not some inherent genetic impossibility in the human visual cortex or anything. It's just a matter of getting used to it.

I can attest to this. I used to have a similar problem to Breanne but after some time it becomes second nature. You just need to invest the time.

I now prefer subs to dubs.

Quoted from shawnkjr I don't understand why they can't widely release movies like Death Note instead of remaking them in the english language.

In principle I agree but the Death Note movies sucked! A huge disappointment. The anime and manga are far superior.

sheepwalker