Screenwriter

Do you like Der Zorn Gottes?

November 11, 2009 @ 10:03 pm | by Donald Clarke

I was interviewing Michael Haneke the other day (as you do) and, for more than one reason, I began to feel like a bit of a moron. Obviously, most people would feel somewhat dim when sitting opposite the director of The Piano Teacher, Funny Games and this week’s first-class The White Ribbon. But I’m getting at something very particular. Every time I mentioned Hidden, his peerless philosophical thriller from 2005, the translator would, while speaking in German, refer to it as “Caché”. Now, I am, of course, aware that this was the film’s original name, but, when talking in English, it is surely proper to use the title that appeared on the English-language poster. Nonetheless, I felt a slight (undoubtedly unintentional) rebuke with each translation. “Ha, ha, this monoglotal bog-trotter can’t even manage one word of French,” the charming translator almost certainly didn’t think.

Hey Deathso, after the game why don’t we go and see that Det sjunde inseglet?

Never mind that. Here’s the issue I’m getting at. When do we translate film titles and when not? German is a language most Anglophones find reasonably unthreatening (at least in terms of vocabulary), yet almost all German films have their titles translated when playing overseas. Werner Herzog’s Aguirre, Wrath of God never appears as Aguirre, Der Zorn Gottes in the pages of The Irish Times or Sight and Sound. Die Blechtrommel is always The Tin Drum. And so on.

By way of contrast, Japanese is, for us, a much more difficult language. Yet films from that country are very often presented with their titles unmolested. Rashomon is always Rashomon. Yojimbo is Yojimbo. True, Tokyo Monogatari often becomes Tokyo Story, but Mizoguchi’s timeless Ugetsu Monogatari is usually, well, Ugetsu Monogatari.

I was in a conversation with an American once who thought me a half-wit because I hadn’t heard of a hot Danish film called “The Celebration”. I ended up looking like a pretentious wazzock instead when I eventually said: “Oh you mean Festen.” It looked as if I expected every one I met to speak fluent Danish. As it happens, the title of Thomas Vinterberg’s contemporary classic was translated for the American market, but not for the British or Irish.

The more you think about it the odder it gets. You would seem up-yourself if you started talking about Les Vacances de M Hulot. (Unless, of course, you were French. In which case there would be never be any chance of you behaving pretentiously.) Yet you’d look like a cretin — or at least weird — if you referred to Federico Fellini’s most famous film as The Sweet Life.

I’m sure nobody else cares, but these anomolies have always bothered me. Anyway, spare a thought for Herr Haneke when he does the Mexican junket. Apparently Hidden is called “El observador oculto” in that part of the world. Cool! Now that doesn’t sound like something in which you’d expect to encounter Daniel Auteuil. Danielo del Diablo, perhaps. But not M Auteuil.

17 Comments »

November 12, 2009
9:38 am

Yes Donald couldn’t agree more. One of my favourite Asian films is YiYi which is always co-billed YiYi (a one and a two) which my extensive network of Taiwanese chums on Craggy Island tell me is a direct translation and basically comes across to someone bilingual as weird if not quite tautological.

It also can happen where there happens to be one of those awful thick accented froggies (although Reno is actually a Walloon) so Léon as we know it 97% in english becomes The Assassin for our North American cousins (though I fancy not in Quebec and french speaking Ontario).

There is something elipitical and yet pithy about Asian cinema that permits the use of the original title a little more and lets face it - its a niche market. I recognise faces when I am in the Lighthouse or IFI and Dublin is not that small a city.

I love european cinema (but not the worthy europuddings) when it is edgy at its best. Cormorrah didn’t need to be translated nor Il Divo and yet a crowning achievement from Italy Il meiglo gioventu become “the best of youth”. The sacharrine La Vite e bella became Its a beautiful life.

You are not alone in by irked by the inconsistency.

Comment by robespierre

November 12, 2009
10:17 am

Interesting observations, and - as you say - there are so many anomolies with this. In my experience, most people refer to Kieslowski’s trilogy by their English names (not that there’s much of a stretch), but I never hear anyone call La Double Vie de Véronique by anything other than the French title.
Similarly, since you’ve mentioned Daniel Auteuil, My Best Friend is never Mon Meilleur Ami, but nobody calls Le Bossu “On Guard”, its would-be alternate UK/Irish title, as featured on the posters.

Comment by redframewhitelight

November 12, 2009
10:45 am

I’ve always felt they keep the original titles when they consist of one, easily pronounceable (for English speakers) word, although I suppose some of the Japanese ones you mention could be seen as being more challenging. And yeah, when you think of La Dolce Vita it does seem weirdly random.

And then, sometimes the translated titles we do get are totally different, presumably to make them sound more accessible in some cases - The Edukators” original title was “Die Fetten Jahre Sind Vorbei’ (basically “The Years of Plenty are Over”); I presume when the distributors or whoever is in charge of such things decided to change the name they decided to put that “k” in to look more anarchist or faux-germanic, even though the German word for educator is totally different (Erzieher, I think). And “Run Lola Run”’s original German title was the more basic “Lola Rennt” (Lola Runs).

I do like seeing the bizarre renaming of English-language films for the German market, though. In Bruge was called “Brügge Sehen….und Sterben?” which means “See Bruges….and Die?” Rather vague surely. And I just saw a mocking reference in a German magazine to a film called “Der Club der Teufelinnen”, which means “The Club of the She-Devils” - it turned out to be “The First Wives Club.”

What often happens is that the original English film title is used with a subtitle in German, which is sometimes just a translation - I just saw a review of “Orphan: Das Waisenkind”, which just means The Orphan, or sometimes just a bizarre new name (sadly I can’t think of any of the top of my head, but there have been plenty of amusingly cheesy ones). Independent films - or films with some kind of vaguely indie aesthetic, like 500 Days of Summer and Away We Go - usually seem to just retain their English titles. So at least they’re just as inconsistent as us.

Comment by Urchinette

November 12, 2009
10:54 am

Mr. Clarke, commiserations on your meeting with Mr. Haneke’s patronising translator. Does anyone know if ‘Hidden’ was promoted under its French title in Germany? It is a measure of the absurdity of such a protocol, (should it exist), that the French title was insisted upon during the mediation of a conversation in German with and Austrian director. I would have assumed that the pragmatic approach would have been to use a German translation of the title. It is obvious you were being discreetly chided.
As to the cultural quirks which influence the entitling of world cinema in this English-speaking, (possibly red, but I only speak for myself), neck of the woods, again I think a sense of pragmatism means that the majority of such titles are known and considered using their English translations. The exceptional minority, (e.g. ‘La Dolce Vita’), has a broader currency due to a combination of a monolithic status in world culture and an ease of pronunciation relative to other languages. For example, and allowing only for my own thick-tongued mumble, I could never imagine myself using the words ‘Die Blechtrommel’ in public, as I would probably mangle them into the embarrassing phonic equivalent of an expectoration mixed with an eructation.
As to the comments on Japanese cinema, I have only ever seen one Mizoguchi film, which I viewed and remembered as ‘Crucified Lovers’ and not, as IMDB informs me, ‘Chikamatsu monogatari’. Perhaps, like an excited Mexican cinema patron about to view a film by Mr. Haneke, (or more accurately, the philistine that I am), I had subconsciously anticipated some Jess Franco-style Eurosleaze or an exercise in adolescent grumpiness by Lars Von Trier and it is those associations which ensure that the English title remains in my memory.

Comment by Nam Citsale

November 12, 2009
1:11 pm

Why do you say Japanese film titles are usually not translated? Spirited Away? Howl’s Moving Castle? The Seven Samurai? The Ring? Battle Royale? Rashomon is not translated because it’s a proper noun. Yojimbo means a bodyguard, maybe it should be translated, but then again “samurai” and “ninja” and “shogun” are never translated into English.

Comment by James

November 12, 2009
1:29 pm

Smart comments.

When do we translate and when do we not?
Definitely no rhyme nor reason in the last century.
With marketing the way is now though, it would seem you’ll get a translated title for any foreign film that had aspirations of appeal beyond the hardcore IFI’ers.
Yojimbo released today would likely go the Seven Samurai route.

By my reckoning, it also seems most foreign trailers are also excised of any dialogue or foreign references in an attempt, I suppose, to not alienate people who would be put off by such things.

On the other hand, what’s in a name?
I’ve certainly attended movies not exactly sure what the foreign title meant til it unfolded in the subtitles.

Comment by Sean Brody

November 12, 2009
1:45 pm

got docked marks for a latin american film studies essay, managed to spell ‘Amores Perros’ wrong three times each with a different variation on the spelling-r’s here and o’s there-as a result i have always taken the simplistic route thereafter of using the english title, you also sound a bit less of a tit trying to (badly) pronounce the foreign title to the confused girl working in cineworld. Delighted to see that ‘Hidden’ topped the saturday times poll for film of the decade. The rest of the list however requires much further debate.

Comment by bateman

November 12, 2009
2:44 pm

Ah, but some of the translated titles are hilarious! In Argentina, they always managed to translate any movie title into “Love and passion in the Insert Location Here” or something along those lines. My favourite was always: Perdido in Tokyo, where Lost in Translation’s translation took on a more literal significance . . .

Comment by Fiona

November 12, 2009
4:36 pm

I didn’t say Japanese titles were “usually” not translated, James. I said they were “very often” not translated. I guess I should have clarified that I meant in the past. That does not, it is true, happen so often these days.

On the subject of odd translations, I always found it weird that Haute Tension, the French slasher film, was released first here as Switchblade Romance then later, in America, as High Tension. There are many other weird examples.

Comment by Donald Clarke

10.

November 12, 2009
4:47 pm

I’ve just been reminded of the story of the person who went to the cinema and asked for a ticket for “La Confidential”, as if it was a French thriller in the same mould as Le Samourai.

Comment by redframewhitelight

11.

November 13, 2009
4:19 am

What a pompous little man! He spent some valuable paper knocking Woodstock last week in a review of the movie; knocking the music, especially. Well, he would, wouldn’t he. And what’s worse, he’s both badly written and badly subbed. I think between 80 and 100 words will do from you in future, lad. and remember the first rule: take yourself out of the piece you are writing. And stop taking yourself so seriously. A couple of appearances on ‘The View’ and you want critical legitimacy?

Comment by Fred Johnston

12.

November 13, 2009
11:42 am

The French tend to use 10 words in their film titles to translate one or two, for English-language films anyway. (’The Deer Hunter’ is known as ‘Voyage au bout de l’enfer’ while ‘Airplane’ became “Y-a-t-il un pilote dans l’avion?’). A recent (confusing) trend is to re-title already English titles into English. ‘East is East’ thus became ‘Fish and Chips’ . I live in Paris and find myself, like a prat, asking Irish friends if they enjoyed ‘Good Morning England’ (The Boat that Rocked’).

Comment by Jean O'Sullivan

13.

November 13, 2009
12:56 pm

Indeed, Jean. And the Boat that Rocked now has a third English-language title. It is called Pirate Radio in America.

Comment by Donald Clarke

14.

November 13, 2009
5:24 pm

Well which is worse - reimagine the title or creating something truly awful. Saving Private Ryan was the clumsy “Il faut sauver le Soldat Ryan”, the horse whisper took the biscuit though “L’homme qui murmurent dans l’oreil du cheval”.

Has to be some room for flexibility where a barbarism is being inflicted on the public.

Comment by robespierre

15.

November 14, 2009
5:16 pm

It’s an interesting one this, and there sure as hell is no rule. Out of respect for Kurosawa I should refer to Shinchinin no Samurai, but when it comes down to it I always have to look up “Shinchinin” to check the number of “in”s. Seven is easier to remember, and no one will offer me a glare for it.

That said, I do prefer to use French titles, because they always roll so beautifully off the tongue. La Regle Du Jeu, Les Quattre-Cent Coups, or the excessively but delightfully elongated Les Fabaleux Destins De Amelie Pulain. “Jules and Jim” just sounds like a children’s puppet show if you don’t French it up.

Festen is the best example for confusion, given it’s alternative title and how it almost sounds like an English word, it’s probably just best to say both - “Festen: The Celebration”. Indeed, Americans won’t even know what The Boat That Rocked is now that it’s been retitled for them.

Unless it was released in the foreign language title (La Dolce Vita being the obvious one, but Y Tu Mama Tambien being another that never got translated), then just say it in English - or risk being deemed pretentious in the worst manner.

Of course, the French do have the best titles for English-language films, as pointed out above. My favourite is Les Dents de la Mer, “The Teeth of the Sea”, how Jaws appeared in Paris.

Oh, and for the record, Leon was The Professional in the States.

Comment by David Neary

16.

November 14, 2009
5:26 pm

Well, David. By mentioning a few French classics, you remind us that those films are often referred to equally often in French and English. La Regle Du Jeu is a good example. It is as often called that as it is The Rules of the Game. (Though my BFI DVD has it in French I note.) One hard and fast rule: Bergman films never, ever seem to be titled in their original Swedish in anglophone publications. Fanny och Alexander? I don’t think so.

Comment by Donald Clarke

17.

November 15, 2009
11:28 pm

It’s also worth noting that when you compare BFI or Eureka DVDs to Criterion editions, the latter will always go for the title in English wherever possible.

As for Bergman, a lot of the Swedish titles border on unpronounceable to me, but for Cries And Whispers, the harshness of its Swedish title “Viskningar och rop” sounds almost as harrowing as the film itself!

Comment by David Neary