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December 1996, Week 4

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From:
liz weis <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Film and TV Studies Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Fri, 20 Dec 1996 21:58:16 EST
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Here are the results of my research into dubbing in Europe.  Altho the
research was done in 1985 I checked it with my sound class this fall,
which was comprisedof many students from Europe, and they tell me the
results are still valid.  First, there was a marked disparity of opinion
about what constitutes standard practice in their respective countries.
Take the issue of post-synch. In both Germany and Italy there was a wide
range of estimates among practicing filmmakers as to the extent of
direct sound used.  In Italy estimates ranged from 0% to 35% as to how
much of the original sound track is retained (altho Italians shoot in
synch, outdoor sound is recorded only as a "guide track" and most speech
is post-recorded, often by a different actgor).  There is little
documentation of such practices, so scholars must trust their eyes and
ears.  Or ask.
Conversely, Europeans may have to commute across national borders in
order to attend a sub-titled rather than a dubbed version of a foreign
film.  There are few theaters in Italy or Germany that keep the original
voice and few in France outside Paris.  Surprisingly, it is the smaller
countries such as the former Yugoslavia that are more likely to show
"original versions"--because there is too small an audience to justify
the cost of dubbing.  An American film on Germany television will often
have not only dubbed voices but an entirely new sound track, "Complete"
with modified dialogue.  (The M&E [music and effectgs] tracks of many
American prints have been lost, so sound must be recreated from
scratch.)
Even the notion of an original version is tricky.  During shooting of an
Italian co=-production  all actors may speak in English or perhaps in
their own languages.  An actor not available for looping will find in
the contract that a substitute may be used.  In the early days of sound,
filmmakers sometimes shot each scene in two ore more languages; even
though the versions may differ, one version may not be more
authoritative than the other.  Even today the version in the language of
the director and stars may not necessarily be the better one.  According
to one source, the English version of "Fitzcaraldo" is the definitive
version; Herzog dubbed the film into Germany later and with much less
care.
How does dubbing affect performance?  Even filmmakers vehemently against
dubbing in Germany, france, and Italy boast about the quality of their
country's dubbing.  To them excellence at dubbing means not that synch
is good but that the actors are superior to the original American stars
and provide better line readings.  Not only are the readings  changed,
however, but often the lines themselves.  Most dubbing of major stars in
each country is done by a handful of actors, so that James Stewart and
James Dean may have the same voice quality.  An editor of "Apocalpyse
Now" told of Coppola's and Murch's shock when they heard the dubbing
into Italian of Brando's voice.  The usual actor had been employed--and
in Italy Brano has an immense booming voice to match his stature.  It
was not easy to replace the regular dubber with an actor who could
reproduce the quiet, "interiorized" speech that is so much a part of the
Brando performance.
[TO BE CONTINUED IN PART II]  LIZ WEIS
 
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