On-screen title vs. film's real title.

Bill GrandPre · 07-24-2005, 02:26 AM

So I was just browing IMDB and I get to the page for "A.I. Artificial Intelligence". On their site, which is utilizes user-submitted information, the film is called "Artificial Intelligence A.I.". Now, if I remember correctly, the title screen on the movie does begin with the words "Artificial Intelligence", the lower-case letters fade out and the capital "A" and "I" get closer together to form "A.I." I understand that the words "Artificial Intelligence" appear on-screen prior to the initials but it's a known fact that the film was written, produced and advertised as "A.I. Artificial Intelligence". I have no desire to ever see "Alien vs. Predator" again but I think something similar happens with that title screen and, of course, it is now listed as "AvP: Alien vs. Predator" on IMDB. My whole point is that some people slavishly adhere to the technicality of unusual title design. Take "Apocalypse Now" for example. There is no title card on the film, the title only appears written on a rock towards the end. Take "Batman Forever" for example. The word "Batman" appears nowhere on the title screen, it is replaced by the Batman symbol and the words "Forever" appear across it. IMDB wisely lists the film as "Batman Forever" but some anal-retentive user still had to include "Forever" as one of the film's alternate titles. Another example is "Seven". The title screen cleverly uses the number "7" in place of the letter "v" and I see someone casually discussing the film on the internet and I see that they write it out like "Se7en" and I almost cringe to imagine the person going to the trouble to hit "7" instead of "v". This may be a whole other ball of wax, but Paul Thomas Anderson's "Hard Eight" is listed on IMDB as "Sydney", which was the film's original title. PTA has said that he personally prefers "Sydney" as a title but let's face it, the film was released as "Hard Eight". So, who's with me? An unusual title sequence or a director's original wishes don't always apply to the reality of the situation. If you go into a video store with a list of "Forever", "nameless vietnam film", "Se7en", "Sydney", "AvP: Alien vs. Predator" and "Artificial Intelligence: A.I." you probably aren't going to be able to find them.

Jay Pennington · 07-24-2005, 02:47 AM

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So, who's with me?

In...? You've provided several examples of title discrepancies but I'm not clear on what we're being asked to support.

But here's one for your list: Independence Day being referred to as "ID4".

Bill GrandPre · 07-24-2005, 02:52 AM

I'm just saying that a film can utilize an interesting title sequence without actually changing the title or setting any of the wierdness I mentioned in stone. "Artificial Intelligence" may appear on-screen prior to the letters "A.I." but that doesn't change the film's title in reality. I'm just suggesting that viewers use a little common sense rather than running off to IMDB to "correct" a movie's title and I was curious to see other people's thoughts on the matter.

Dustin Elmore · 07-24-2005, 03:47 AM

The other titles mentioned are really only Aliases. The site isn't nessisarily stating they are official titles. And it works both ways. When the sequel to X-Men was released, the marketing of the film called it X2: Mutants United. This is in fact not the title of the film at all, as was made clear by the director. There is no subtitle, the film is simply "X2". The point being that the Advertising material is just that, advertising. It doesn't affect the official title of the film. This happens a lot with "initials" titling, like T2 and MI-2. I agree that unique title sequences don't have any real meaning, they are just artistic expressions. Usually the Official Title will be the last thing displayed at the end of a film's credits. (all of this only really applies to modern films, as most older movies had to obey stricter rules for crediting by various hollywood unions.)

DavidPla · 07-24-2005, 12:19 PM

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Artificial Intelligence" may appear on-screen prior to the letters "A.I." but that doesn't change the film's title in reality.

Yes it does. Whatver the advertisement for the film may be, the actual title is "Artificial Inteligence: AI". Same goes for "AVP: Alien Vs. Predator". It is what the director intended you to see while watching the film and I truly believe that. As has been brought up about "X2". Bryan Singer HATED the subtitle "X-Men United". If, for example, someone was to find a blank tape, put it in, and watch a film, what else are they going to go by with the title than what is in the film. Advertisement changes all the time (ie. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark) but that doesn't mean the advertisement has the correct title.

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It doesn't affect the official title of the film.

I agree with you 100% Dustin. The titles in the movies themselves ARE the ACTUAL titles.

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Richard Kim · 07-24-2005, 03:29 PM

From the IMDB:

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When we store titles in the database, we use the original title of a movie/show in its original language as it appears on screen in the opening credits at the time of its first public release or screening (including festival premieres). If a film is subsequently retitled, we will list the new title as an alternative title.

http://www.imdb.com/help/show_leaf?titleformat

Another title I can think of is Ghostbusters. In the actual film, the title is shown with the word 'Ghost' on top of the word 'Busters." Hence in the IMDB, it's listed as Ghost Busters (1984), even though the most common spelling is with 'Ghost' and 'Busters' together as one word.

The same example can be seen in the BBC miniseries of "The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy", even though the book and the movie is spelled "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."

Kirk Tsai · 07-24-2005, 04:43 PM

One I can think of is Superman, which most of the times has "The Movie" tagged right along in the advertising material.

Bill GrandPre · 07-24-2005, 06:52 PM

IMDB acts as if it uses the original technical title but I can think of a few cases where it's wrong. "The Evil Dead" premiered as "Book of the Dead" on October 15, 1981 to a paying audience yet it appears on IMDB as "The Evil Dead".

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Yes it does. Whatver the advertisement for the film may be, the actual title is "Artificial Inteligence: AI". Same goes for "AVP: Alien Vs. Predator". It is what the director intended you to see while watching the film and I truly believe that.

Like I said, "Apocalypse Now" blows this way of thinking out of the water. Francis Ford Coppola didn't want the title to appear onscreen but it's not as if he didn't want the film to have a title. As for "A.I.", I still think it's only inventive title design and I maintain that it was never the intention of Steven Spielberg to change the title of the film. I can't think of a single instance of Spielberg referring to the film as "Artificial Intelligence A.I."

Richard Kim · 07-24-2005, 11:42 PM

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Like I said, "Apocalypse Now" blows this way of thinking out of the water. Francis Ford Coppola didn't want the title to appear onscreen but it's not as if he didn't want the film to have a title.

Actually, "Apocalypse Now" does appear as grafitti later on in the film.

DavidPla · 07-24-2005, 11:56 PM

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Actually, "Apocalypse Now" does appear as grafitti later on in the film.

Exactly. As is with the case of "Batman Begins" with the title at the end. The title is still there.

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I can't think of a single instance of Spielberg referring to the film as "Artificial Intelligence A.I."

He also refers to "Temple of Doom" and "Last Crusade" as "Raiders 2" and "Raiders 3" respectively. Doesn't change what he put as the titles in the films.

Mark Hawley · 07-25-2005, 12:25 AM

Here's a couple of title descrepencies:

Army of Darkness is technically Bruce Campbell vs. Army of Darkness.

Die Hard 2 was heavily promoted as being Die Hard 2: Die Harder.