Favourite subtitled movies or TV shows
 

I've been watching quite a few recently. I used to have this stupid prejudice - "Oh it's not in English! I'm not watching that!" - but I've seen that I missed out some great drama by clinging to this attitude and really, if the subtitles are done well then who cares? The only other thing I dislike about subtitled movies or shows is that you literally have to keep your eyes on the screen at all times. Much of what I watch is done while I eat, and if I look down to my plate while watching a normal, non-subtitled show or movie I can hear what's being said, whereas with subtitles I'll miss that and have to run it back.

Anyway, I've not seen that many movies yet but the one of course that totally impressed me is Downfall (Der Untergang)

Series:
Isabel
Romanzo Criminale
Gomorrah
Corleone
Below the Surface
Les Revenants
The Out-Laws
Before We Die
False Flag

Any suggestions welcomed, or just post your own favourites.

You still have that prejudice if you think this deserves to be a separate thread from the favourite movies thread.

Here's a few;


The Raid Redemption
The Raid 2
Audition
Blade of the Immortal
Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon
Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame
Ichi the Killer
Oldboy
Hana-bi
Battle Royale
The City of Violence
Agitator
Ong Bak Trilogy
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Kung Fu hustle
Enter the Dragon
Game of Death
14 Blades
36th Chamber of Shaolin
Visitor Q
13 Assassins
Tokyo Story
Seven Samurai
Hero
The Final Master
Zatōichi
Sonatine
Hardboiled
I Saw the Devil
A Bittersweet Life
IP Man Trilogy
King Boxer
Come Drink with Me
Sister Street Fighter Quadrilogy
Shogun Assassin
Ran
Harakiri
House of Flying Daggers
Once Upon a Time in China
Drunken Master
Drunken Master II
Pans Labyrinth
Shaolin Soccer
Spirited Away
The Water Margin
Throne of Blood
Tokyo Twilight
District 13
Cinema Paradiso
City of God
8½
Amélie
Flowers of Shanghai
The Seventh Seal
M
Rashomon
Persona

No, I just want it to be a separate issue and not get drowned in talk about other movies and TV series.

Ziggy, I forgot about The Seventh Seal. Of course I've seen that; wonderful movie.

I think I'm right in guessing that a lot of the others are marital arts movies, yes? I don't like those sort of movies personally.

Separate is inherently unequal.

Next threads coming up

"Favourite albums on vinyl with pink on the covers?"
"Best TV shows with closed-captioning options available when they originally aired?"
"Favourite hard cover books?"

A lot of those picks are yeah, I'm a ML buff tbh.

The Japanese Samurai Films are my favorites, especially the Seven Samurai and Throne of Blood. I also like Das Boot better than the one dubbed in English.

Every film's better with subs instead of dubbed.

I just missed Das Boot recently on the telly. It had like a half hour to go, so there was no point. Must get that at some point. You see Der Untergang, RS?

There Will Be Blood
Begotten
Monty Python's Holy Grail
Frost/Nixon
The Song Remains the Same
Max and Mary

I watch everything with subtitles, even if it's a language I know perfectly.
I don't like it when the volume is too high. Also helps when your snacks are all crunchy and loud.

None of them are subtitled.

All of them are. It says so right there in the DVD settings.

:finger:

Should I change the thread title to "Favourite Movies That Dare to Not Speak English"?

Lion was really good, and quite a bit of it is subtitled although it does eventually become entirely English language. Also, El Mariachi is all in Spanish, and it was made for like $4,000 and has absolutely no actors who you'd really recognize in it, but it's a damn excellent movie.

Lion was a ham-fisted Oscar grab from where I'm sitting. Solid acting and all but I didn't find it compelling in the slightest.

Have you seen Wim Wenders' "Wings of Desire"?

Danish TV thankfully never used dubbing like they do in Germany, so I've grown up with subtitles. They're just second nature to me and I even have them on in English or Danish language movies, just in case someone is mumbling. No matter the language, I avoid dubbing like the plague. I'm honestly a bit of a snob about that. The original voice track is going to be the most authentic and any other option is to do the movie a disservice.

Here's a few weird foregin movies with subtitles that I think are excellent, somehow, despite the fact that they don't speak English/Danish like the rest of us, the weirdos.

Last Life in the Universe/Ruang rak noi nid mahasan

Combat Girls/Kriegerin

A Woman in Berlin/Eine Frau in Berlin (also has another English title seemingly designed to capitalize on the success of Downfall/Der Untergang, namely "The Downfall of Berlin: Anonyma", which is just a weirdly convoluted title that makes no sense.)

The Great Beauty/La Grande Bellezza

Of course there's more, but the came to mind first.

**** German TV (and cinemas) so much. Dubbed **** is the worst.

I do have good memories of watching dubbed TV on vacations in Germany and France. Didn't understand anything, but it was hilarious to watch Arnold and Bruce Willis crack oneliners with dubbing.

And I wasn't actually sure they also did it in cinemas. So you can't even go to some small art cinema and avoid dubbing in Germany?

No but I've definitely heard about it. I'll add it to the list. Thanks.

I feel like this thread should be called "recommend foreign films to Trollheart cus he's a lazy mofo"

Hour of the Wolf
Oldboy
Ikiru
Dogtooth
The Bothersome Man (massively underrated)
Monty Python & the Holy Grail (top use of subtitles here)
El Norte

Anyone who watches the American version instead deserves to be spanked.

Why? They're identical except for some slightly different cinematography. I think they're both excellent.

Yes! I forgot about that one! Hmm, maybe I've seen more movies than I remember or realise.

Anyone who's from the UK will have noticed recently a marked increase in the interest in foreign and subtitled dramas on TV. The Bridge, The Legacy, The Out-Laws, Below the Surface, hundreds of others, mostly Danish or Swedish. Not sure why, but it's brought to us some incredible drama (and in the case of The Out-Laws, ****ing top-drawer black comedy) that we would otherwise have missed, so kudos to BBC, Channel 4 and even RTE for that.

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....0,1200_AL_.jpg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCECQQlomVg
See this.
One of the darkest movies I've seen. From my favorite Polish director, and there aren't that many of them that I respect ;)
I'd say he's the Polish David Fincher, but I don't think this comparison does any od them justice.
It's dark, grim, grotesque. Very funny at times, but this humor quickly fades to show the ugliness beneath. And it's not the ugliness you could expect from an american movie, for example - there is little gore or whatnot. But the atmoshpere.. it's extremely heavy.
I'd love to hear what anyone who isn't a Pole thinks about this.

I suppose I just find the idea of the new one offensive. It only exists because Americans are weird about "foreign countries" and would never have given the original a chance. Meanwhile, in all sorts of other countries, even big cinemas are running movies not in the native language. If it's so similar, doesn't that just defeat the purpose of it even existing? Except of course for said purpose of overcoming weird American attitudes about other countries.

Will be checking that out, Yac.

I think it was simply made to reach a bigger audience not so much because of a prejudice against foreign language films but because people are naturally more likely to see films that are widely shown in their country. It only seems like an American trait because of how massive our entertainment industry is. Generally I actually agree with your sentiment here, but Let Me In and Funny Games are two examples where both the original and remake are masterpieces. Have you seen it?

Lol I'm sure you would've taken kindly to it if they made a bunch of changes, right?

Yeah I suppose it happens elsewhere. Although I can't think of any European remakes of American movies off the top of my head.

Funny games is the one where a couple of dudes trap a couple in their own house and play cruel games with them... or something like that. I believe I saw the first quarter of it, but that was all. I was probably tired or something, and it seemed like the kind of thing I wouldn't likely enjoy. Acutally, it's kind of anomalous that I like Let the Right One In. But I've talked about my dislike of horror movies before.

It depends. I'm not hugely invested in the original, really. I generally like remakes if they do something interesting. The rule of thumb is, never remake an already good movie unless you're doing something clever or different with it. Or perhaps unless there's been 50 years of film technical advancements since the last good attempt at filming a certain story.

Mr Vampire (1985) (Hong Kong)

Part horror, part kung fu, part comedy slapstick.
Can't see the subs on this trailer though.

Pan's Labyrinth. (Spanish, Dark Fantasy)
Suicide Club. (Japanese, Exploitation/Horror)
Battle Royale. (Japanese, Exploitation/Horror)
Rampo Noir. (Japanese, Exploitation/Horror)