The Simpsons: French Track (1 Viewer)

[Robert Durand]

I normally listen to movies and television series in their correct language (original), but sometime come a series that can be listen in more language without problem.
Those series are not " dub" but are more rewrite. It use local reference (political, geographical, etc). The drawback is that normally it only works in the same country.
The Simpsons are one of those series. I can listen to an English version or a French version (French from Quebec) anytime.
But FOX put the French version from France on the DVD.
So, I cannot listen to the French track, only the English one. I personally know nobody who wants French from France on a region 1 DVD. And no, French from France and from Quebec is two different things in that kind of series.
My question is: Why ?
(Excuse my English, I read more that I write!)

 

[Sandra]

I personally know nobody who wants French from France on a region 1 DVD.

Well I know my cousin is more than happy about that.
So are all the other French who import DVDs from R1 (as I did to UK) if only because it's less than half the price!! (£18 for importing R1, £35 for the R2 UK, and that's through a very cheap retailer).
There's a much bigger population in France than Quebec and French people find Canadian dubbing irritating at best and downright incomprehensible at worst (which tend not to be true the other way around).
There's very little adaptation in the dialogues (I know 'cos I've seen the same episodes in French and English before) so the difference in text between Canadian and French dubbing would be extremely minimal (apart from the different expressions, but then after all, the English track in R2 is not redubbed with British words).
I personnaly don't care 'cos I'll never watch the dubbed version if I can avoid to (EVIL thing dubbing) but the subtitles have to be in France french (for when I have non-english visitors).

 

[Jesse Skeen]

Well, I listen to dubbed tracks for my own amusement, so this'll be interesting. I know these were also dubbed in Spanish, why wasn't that put on the DVD too?

 

[Vincent Matis]

I'll never watch the dubbed version if I can avoid to (EVIL thing dubbing)

I agree with you: in 99.99999% I find the dubbed version of a movie/TV serie way inferior to the original one.
However The Simpsons is the only case where I find that the dubbing almost perfectly catch the spirit/tone of the original soundtrack. Kudos to the French translator and voice talents!!!
I still haven't decide if I'll watch it in FR or in ENG...
Vincent
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[Robert Durand]

So the French track on a region 1 DVD was choose for Europe?
And I agreed that dub is normally not good and I normally listen to the original language track.
But for The Simpsons it’s not the same thing. I have tried to listen to the France version when I was in Paris and I have to turn down the TV. The reason: this show was not dub using international French, but use a lot of slang language (like it should be!).
BTW: I do I use the " Quote " thing ?

 

[Sandra]

The slang difference from France to Quebec french is not much worse than from US to British english, you get used to it.
See there for the Quote function and a few other http://www.hometheaterforum.com/uub/ubbcode.html

 

[Robert Durand]

Fortunately I don’t has to get it !
I listen to the original language most of the time. And French movies that are like are almost with no slang.
The Simpsons was the exception.
I think that what I don’t like was the fact that FOX had announced on French site that they use the French-Canadian track for this DVD. Probably a mistake in mastering.
I know that many people are upset in Quebec because they almost never use the same French track from the VHS and the DVD in movies, and many here cannot listen to English, but this is not my case.
Thanks for the link.

 

[Paul Wu]

I have to agree with Robert. If it was advertised with a French Canadian dub, that's what it should have. As the set does not come with said track, but the European French, then that is an error in mastering, or a deliberate change in tracks.
I hope this will be corrected for future releases. Maybe even replacements for season 1.
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Paul Wu
"There are three kinds of people in this world; those that can count and those that can't."

 

[Sandra]

Fair enough if it was advertised with Canadian french track and they changed it. I'd only seen French track advertised but I've got to admit I didn't pay much attention to it.

 

[Robert Durand]

The announcement was made on a French-Canadian DVD web site. Up to now I have trusted them with that kind of announcement.

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

Robert,
Is it shown dubbed French-Canadian on TV up there?
Just curious if maybe the reason France Frech was included was because source tapes were available, while Canadian French were not (or expensive to get).
-Vince
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[Robert Durand]

Is it shown dubbed French-Canadian on TV up there?

Yes, The Simpsons are shown with a local French dub (from Québec). It was never, to my knowledge, shown with the French dub from France here.

 

[Jean Weitzmann]

I personally know nobody who wants French from France on a region 1 DVD.

Well, we are quite a few french (from France) people living in the US and, although I agree, like you, I usually do not play dubbed tracks, but on some animation titles, it's funny (South Park LBU is a good example, err... Blame Canada!). Also when kids want to watch DVDs, they prefer the dubbed track to reading subtitles!
And as Sandra pointed out, a lot of DVD users in France have region free players so that they can buy R1 DVDs, which are cheaper, and titles are released often much earlier in R1 than R2.
And it's true that for french people, Canadian french is sometimes difficult to follow (see "le declin de l'empire americain").
JW