Though I have experienced student distaste for subtitled films (they involve reading, after all), I remain vehemently opposed to dubbing. Whether the language is one that the viewer is relatively familiar with or not, the loss of original voice inflection that results from dubbing is catastrophic in most cases. One has only to view (and listen to) the dubbed vs. the subtitled versions of "The Conformist" to drive this point home. The negative effect of dubbing is exponentially increased if the film happens to star one's favorite foreign actor, but I won't go into that. We might make a list of excellent films which lose much of their effect in dubbed form. I'd certainly rank "Das Boot" high on the list. The tension generated by the predicament of a submarine crew trapped underwater is almost totally defused by inappropriate and tinny dubbed voices. What a relief when the subtitled version (which I had originally seen in the theater) became available on VHS. Another interesting category of experience to consider is the viewing of a foreign film in the host country, so to speak, without benefit of subtitles or dubbing. "Keiner Liebt Mich" (Nobody Loves Me) is an example of a film which comes across pretty well whether one is up on one's German or not. After viewing a film without subtitles, however, one appreciates the value of subtitling all the more, given the opportunity to pick up on nuances of meaning. Then again, there is a big difference between good subtitling and poor subtitling, not to mention the problem of reading white subtitles in a film in which the actors all seem to be wearing white shirts and blouses. Dan Gribbin Ferrum College [log in to unmask] ---- To signoff SCREEN-L, e-mail [log in to unmask] and put SIGNOFF SCREEN-L in the message. Problems? Contact [log in to unmask]