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 ---- To signoff SCREEN-L, e-mail [log in to unmask] and put SIGNOFF SCREEN-L in the message. Problems? Contact [log in to unmask]