The Crime of Bi-Lingual DVD Cover Art? (1 Viewer)

[Rob T]

I'm waiting to get it from the US because of that reason.

 

[Stephen_J_H]

There was a plus to having the French track on the Monsters, Inc. DVD: no overly compressed widescreen to make room for a fullscreen version. That's a compromise I can live with.

 

[ChristianB]

Don't forget the bottom line. Money. Quebec represents 25% of the home video market in Canada. So some studios provide bilingual packaging while others provide separate English and bilingual packaging. Have to cater to the masses.

What I find funny is the amount of work and money involved to abide to Quebec's language laws. All this in the name of providing a French STEREO track most of time.

If you're a Home Theater nut in Quebec, you get shafted Take the recent The Running Man SE DVD, drop the English DTS track and offer French Stereo Wouldn't English DTS and French subtitles be better? or hey a French DTS track.

Christian

 

[CraigF]

I always watch French movies with English subtitles. Dubbing rarely matches the original language presentation, usually ruins things. I'm sure those who complain about the out-of-sync dts tracks on English discs can imagine, though subtitles are not exactly tolerated in the U.S. in general, rare exceptions, POTC being one. I can sympathise somewhat with French-speaking people having to watch French dubs, but hey, the rest of the non-English world does it to English movies all the time too.

 

[Paul_Stachniak]

I have no problem with Quebec getting French versions of movies. But just like they get French only books, some which are no doubt translated from the original English, they should get French only DVDs. Honestly, what's next half french/ half english books to pleases the masses?

Obviously my statement is a bit unfair. After all there are places outside of Quebec that are also French speaking, this has to end somewhere, or be solved somehow. Two version on the shelf, or a small french section in small french speaking parts of the country.

 

[Tom Tsai]

Actually, in Taiwan, people have almost stopped dubbing English movies and movies have been shown in theatres in their original language track with Chinese subtitles for a while now. Except, of course, for Disney movies that are targeted for kids.

 

[Lars Vermundsberget]

Here in Norway (and in quite a few more smaller European markets) only Disney animation and other material targeted at kids is dubbed. We are very used to subtitles. Otherwise I tend to think of dubbing (e.g. of American movies into German...) as... pretty much stupid. Others may disagree, of course. The integrity of the original film is one thing - another the fact that it's easier to learn foreign languages if you don't get most movies dubbed in your own.

 

[Cees Alons]

Lars is right. Here's another argument: most German people don't know the voices of, say, John Wayne or Marlon Brando or Emma Thompson. They wouldn't recognize Liz Taylor if the heard her on the radio.

In fact, they have different voices in different films! And speak German of the kind "Hände hoch, John" ('John' to be pronounced as English as possible). Many verbal jokes fall flat.



About this topic: the Belgians could basically have the same problem (Flemish and French), but solved it gracefully. No ugly bi-lingual artwork there.


Cees

 

[Richard Michael Clark]

Does anyone know the score for the Platinum 2 disc version of "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (2003)?
This New Line title is (I think) released by Alliance in Canada. Does anyone know for definite whether it'll be bilingual? Most Allaince releases of New Line discs I've had have replaced English 2.0 with French 2.0 audio and used biligual packaging. Just wondered as it would be a shame to mess with the rather groovy digipak design of TCM.

 

[Tom Tsai]

^
http://www.dvdsoon.com/product-image...80&quality=0.8

no big deal in my opinion but I don't know how tolerant you are of bilingual packaging.

 

[Richard Michael Clark]

many thanks, Tom Tsai

 

[Brian Thibodeau]

Massacre With A Chainsaw, hmm?

Someone could have some fun retranslating these French titles directly back into English.

They forgot

"dans Texas"

 

[Tom Tsai]

you're welcome

 

[Greg Madsen]

Here is the reply I recieved from Aliance Atlantis when I emailed to complain about Bilingual Packaging:

 

[ChadMcCallum]

Anyone know why they list the extras in french even though they usually aren't subbed or dubbed? Its kind of like rubbing it in the faces of people who don't speak english.

 

[Ocean Phoenix]

I too am infuriated by bilingual covers. I just realized months after buying Scarface that the title on the cover is in French and English, as is the blurb on the back. Does anybody know if there is any chance that this bilungualizing DVD packaging in Canada will stop? Are any of the companies aware of how many people are annoyed by them? I am ashamed of my ignorance in buying Scarface in fullscreen with a bilingual cover (it was my first DVD purchase). Now that I've been told repeatedly that widescreen is better and have noticed the bilingual packagining, I really want to buy it again.

 

[Tom Tsai]

Don't they usually write that it's only in English? I also know there are some dvds that has the same thing but it's in French only.

 

[Tony Whalen]

Bull hockey. Is that why no one else produces the dreck that AA does?

It's not done because it was asked for. It's done because it's cheaper than producing two different inserts.

Why can't they produce an insert with an all-French side and an all-english side, and then put a sticker on the cover that says "Reversible English/French cover" in both languages?

...grr...I hate AA.

 

[Greg Madsen]

Please email Alliance and let them know your feelings on Bilingual cover art.

Thanks

[email protected]

 

[Tom Tsai]

...Universal does the same thing, Paramount does it sometimes too.