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Sunday, February 08, 2009
Query
So I just sat and laughed and cried through La Vita รจ Bella for the first time. Hey, I'm only about, what, eleven or twelve years behind the times, right? It is, no pun intended, an absolutely beautiful movie and if you're like me and you routinely watch well-known movies for the first time over a decade after they come out, by all means quit waiting on this one. Just make sure you have a box of kleenex handy. I've never seen such a brilliant use of comedy in a tragic film. Or... such a touching depiction of tragic events in a comic film. Or... such romance in a... oh, man, let's just move on, OK?
(By the way, HOW is it that 1997 is over a decade ago? DOES NOT COMPUTE. Well, OK, really it does, but... nevermind.)
Here's what I knew about this movie before I watched it:
- It was about an Italian guy who used humor to help his family through the Holocaust.
- That actor/director guy who won an Academy Award for it went absolutely bananas when they called his name at the awards ceremony.
Yeah, that was pretty much it. Notably, I had somehow missed that the movie was in Italian, even though I knew it was made in Italy by an Italian director with Italian actors, until the opening credits started. I am not a person who dislikes foreign-language movies with subtitles; in fact I like them just fine, as they kind of make me feel smarter and more cultured than I really am. I'm certainly not complaining at all. The whole point of sitting down here to blog was to ask this question:
When you're watching a movie with subtitles, do you forget that you're watching a movie with subtitles? Meaning do you just absorb the words and later on have to actually remind yourself that you read them on a screen instead of understanding them as they were spoken? This always happens to me. The subtitles become like the black bars when I'm watching a widescreen movie (definitely my preferred format); I just stop noticing them. I suppose I would like to know if this is normal, or if it is something that goes along with my previously discussed mental issues involving seeing words in my head as people speak them. (Because for years -- decades -- I thought that was normal. In fact, in my heart of hearts, I still think so, and that you all [except Kat] are pulling my leg.)
Comments
Hm. Yes, I think I sometimes do that, but other times, it's not so easy. For instance, when I'm trying to eat a meal while I watch a "chatty" foreign film, it can be difficult to watch subtitles the whole time *and* get the food on the fork. Also, I sometimes feel frustrated that I'm somehow missing some nuances in the actors' expressions, because my eyes are constantly drawn away by the text. Normally, this isn't that big of a problem, but there was a period during which Donald wanted to turn on subtitles/captions for almost *everything* we watched. (We were watching lots of movies and programs with heavy British accents.) I found that it made me irritable, after a while. (g) If there are subtitles, I have a very hard time *not* reading them, even if I understand the spoken language.
(I still haven't seen that movie, either...)
Posted by: Michael at February 8, 2009 04:59 AM
Yup, I do the same thing. More so if it is a movie I own and have seen a million times.
I cried through it, too. Such a wonderful flick by such an odd guy.
Posted by: MamaGeph at February 9, 2009 04:06 PM
Not sure if I see words when other people talk - I think I do sometimes, especially when I'm listening closely and trying to figure out what someone is saying. I definitely do see them form upu when I think.
Posted by: Dichroic at February 9, 2009 08:45 PM
I grew up with subtitled movies - not many movies are dubbed into Danish, the only ones that are are children/family movies - and yes, I do exactly the same thing. Like you I also have a hard time not reading subtitles, even if I understand the spoken language.
Posted by: Maria at February 9, 2009 11:23 PM
Yes, I do that. I'm sure that, you know, completely shocks you.
Posted by: Kat with a K at February 17, 2009 07:34 AM
