On Wed, 11 Dec 1996, David Desser wrote: > And when I saw > Godard's _Deux ou trois choses que je sais d'elle_ in Paris without > subtitles (of course) I realized again, but very profoundly, how very often > Godard uses offscreen sounds, shifts the volume on dialogue, etc., so that > maybe you're not supposed to hear what the subtitles assume for you is > crucial! > Ah! Good point, but how often those of us who don't speak a gazillion languages fluently would miss ALL the dialogue, including what is important and/or witty, etc. if there were no subtitles. One could hope, at least, for well-done translations and the kind of subtitles that are clearly readable. (I do wish they'd also translate song lyrics and the like, which are usually left out.) And how often are ambient sound or variations in volume and the like dubbed as they are in the original? A non-native-French speaking viewer/auditor, needs both the original language and sound in his/her ear and the translation, however faulty, to come close to experiencing the film. Maybe we have to see it two or three times, as someone else mentioned, so as to get the visual elements adequately, but many of us do that anyway. My two cents, again. M ---- To signoff SCREEN-L, e-mail [log in to unmask] and put SIGNOFF SCREEN-L in the message. Problems? Contact [log in to unmask]