Cinephile Problems: I’m mad as hell!
I hate dubbing. I hate to see a film not in its original language and I hate that theater chains in Mexico do it automatically when it comes to animated films and movies “for kids”. I know all they care about is making money but some of us still respect the art of film.
Frankenweenie opened last Friday here in my neck of the woods. Naturally, every theater that had it, showed it dubbed in Spanish. Hell no, I want to enjoy it like it should be enjoyed!
Only one theater in the 5th biggest city in the country was showing it in English. As much as it pained me to spend almost a day’s salary on a movie ticket (this theater has the balls to charge you triple because it has comfier, roomier seats and calls itself “VIP“, plus it’s 3D, so the ticket costs almost 4 times what a regular one does at any other theater), I really wanted to see Frankenweenie. I renewed my visa only yesterday, and it takes about a month to arrive, so crossing over to San Diego to see it was out of the question.
Before going over to the theater, though, I called and checked that the information on their website was accurate. I wanted to avoid problems, as it happened when I went to see Mirror Mirror (website said it was subtitled, turns out it was dubbed), not that that one was a big loss. An employee said that, yes, they had it subtitled, so I made the trip (it’s not 90 miles away, but it definitely isn’t close).
I said to the lady I wanted to see Frankenweenie and she said “Two tickets?”
I hate it when people just assume you’re buying two tickets.
DO YOU SEE SOMEONE ELSE?! CAN’T A GUY GO SEE A MOVIE BY HIMSELF?!
I, for one, do not think this is sad. I love going to the theater by myself. I actually enjoy it more.
Anyhoo, back to the lady. I told her “just one”. She said “the movie’s in 3D. Would that be a problem?” I said no. “It’s subtitled, right?” “No, it’s in Spanish”, she answered.
I felt a fire of wrath burning inside me.
“Then I don’t want a ticket”, I told her, and “Could I see your manager?” She froze, and I assured her she was not my problem.
The guy came and I told him how I checked online and then actually called the establishment and an employee confirmed that the movie was subtitled, not dubbed.
I proceeded to tell him that I made the trip to the theather HE managed, specifically to see the film, AND NOW IT TURNS OUT THEY DON’T HAVE IT?!
I also told him that they shouldn’t be giving out incorrect information because, thanks to their negligence, I had lost time and money and, of top of that, I didn’t see any fucking movie.
The idiot’s words said “the schedule is subject to change” but his smug tone said “tough shit”.
And that was it. Not even an apology.
Man, I wanted to tell him off and make a scene like this one:
But then I remembered I’m a nice, well-educated man, that it would be very embarrassing and that, despite my rant, they would still show Frankenweenie in Spanish. So I came home and poured it out on my blog.
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Oh man, I feel for ya Fernando! I hate dubbed films, absolutely hate it! A lot of films/TV shows in Indo were dubbed when I was growing up and boy I just couldn’t stand those!! I wish they offered you choices, I mean why do they assume NOBODY could understand English??! That is just insulting. And yeah, the part about seeing a movie by yourself is still seen as a shame or oddity for some reason, heck I’m sure a ton of movie critics do that all the time!
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Thanks, Ruth! I was so mad last night. Thanks for sharing your experiences. I can definitely identify.
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I feel this was a post written in anger! Ha! I understand your frustration though, I can’t stand dubbed movies. Fortunately, living in England I never have to endure it at the cinema but a lot of DVDs have it as an option and I always ignore it. I have friends who always choose the dubbed version and it pains me. I absolutely love hearing other languages, most are so much nicer to hear than English. Granted I’m not always in the mood for a subtitled film but if that’s the case then I’ll simply wait until I am.
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Yes, it definitely was a post written in anger. I was so mad at the manager, man! And pissed that I didn’t see the movie. Thanks fro dropping by and sharing your thoughts.
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I have never experienced this concerning a movie, but I have called stores for an item that they assured me they had and would put on hold only to drive down there and find out they really didn’t have the item. So I can definitely empathize with your frustration with idiotic people.
The issue I have with dubbing has more to do with the way HUMAN actors look and sound when they talk so I will not stand for it with live actors. However, with animated films, the dubbing matches perfectly so I guess I’ve come to accept it in those instances. I still completely understand your desire to experience the film it its purest form though.
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I’m with you there, Mark. I can’t tolerate dubbed actors, but I kind of prefer dubbed animation. But Fernando has been through this for twenty-three years, so I see what he’s saying, as well.
On a side note, my mother did this same kind of thing last night to a hotel manager who wouldn’t provide her with hair conditioner. If Internet wasn’t so costly ($17/night), I probably would have showed her a striking similarity between her and Steve Martin’s tirade in “Planes, Trains and Automobiles”. 😉
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Thanks for participating in the discussion, Mark! I guess we’ve all experienced a similar situation.
Dubbing is acceptable in animated films, I agree. I even prefer the Spanish dubbing for Ratatouille, for example. But yes, I have a “desire to experience the film it its purest form”.
I ended up not seeing the film because I was so mad and disappointed, and I definitely didn’t want to give them my money after what they did. In another context, maybe I wouldn’t be so mad about seeing it dubbed.
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I wish I could say I know how you feel, but I truly cannot. If you weren’t such an eloquent writer, I wouldn’t have been able to imagine!
With every paragraph, the post kept making me think, “For the love of God, Fernando, move to the U.S., please…” But I kept remembering the strong, loving patriotism you have expressed toward Mexico; there are probably several other reasons also, but that seems by far the most memorable for me.
I’m actually very surprised how you managed NOT to slap the theater manager upside the face! I probably would’ve, not because I wasn’t aware it’s illegal, but because it’s a natural, involuntary response to such awful situations. Either that or shouted, “¡Chinga tú! yo mierda en su ceméterio.” (Is that right? My Spanish is a bit rusty, so for all I know I’m not even close, but it’s supposed to say, “Fuck you, I shit on your grave.”)
I have no earthly idea as to why or how that guy became a theater manager in the first place. My best guess is that one of his parents was a devout cinephile who made a lot of money during his time on the job, and he himself was just some snob who inherited all of the money and continued the theater, though he could really care less about film. Yeah, that’s pretty farfetched.
About the lady trying to get you tickets, she sounds about as useful as a kiosk (which for some reason does exist and takes an entire five minutes to get a single ticket). She probably has double vision if she thinks you’re two people. Did she frown when you tried to leave your “twin brother” out of the theater? Ehh. I guess it’s nothing to joke about. She probably has several other problems that would bust a gut.
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I’ve considered moving to the US but not right now. Maybe when I’m much older and stable financially. With all its flaws (and trust me, there are many) I love my country.
I’m amazed too at the stupidity of the manager and I’m, at the same time, proud and ashamed that I didn’t insult him. He deserved it.
And “Fuck you, I shit on your grave.” would translate as “Jódete/chíngate/vete a la chingada, me cago en tu tumba” haha
Although the “shit on your grave” part sounds more like a Spanish insult than a Mexican one.
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sorry to read about this Fernando. i haven’t been through this exact situation with a cinema.
hope you didn’t travel too far.
as far as difficult experiences at the cinema, i didn’t have internet back then so i relied on newspaper information. i do remember some inconsistencies between what was showing on the theaters and what was on the paper. but nothing too dramatic. the theater was only 10 minutes away by car.
this was in the philippines, where i grew up. Watching movies there is an experience in itself. am not sure about now, but back then, they would continue to sell tickets even if all the seats where taken. particularly when it was a good movie, i found myself sitting on the aisle, or standing throughout the entire movie. i got use to it.
another incident involved watching I Robot. the picture quality was so bad, that it had a double vision. so i went outside and mentioned it to an employee. they fixed it after a few minutes.
so i’ve experienced some cinema difficulties.
its good you didn’t make a scene. it would have made things worse!
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Thanks for sharing your issues, Martin! I get what you mean about sitting in the aisle. Idon’t think they do it anymore over here, but once I went to watch X2 on opening day and they over-sold the screening! I went with my siblings and the three of us had to sit in two seats.
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Oh Fernando, I hate dubbed films. I loaded Oldboy on Netflix but it was overdubbed with American accents that didn’t match the characters AT ALL! I also had to wait years until The City of Lost Children came out on region 2 DVD that wasn’t dubbed. Thankfully it’s not something I come into contact with very often.
The worst customer service I received at the cinema was when Red stopped about 15 minutes towards the end. The assistant manager simply shrugged his shoulders when we expressed dissatisfaction at having to come and see the film all over again. I never really find the customer service that great in multiplexes because they’re so focused on driving popcorn sales, but thankfully nothing to your extent. Hope it doesn’t happen again!
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Thanks, Amy. As you can see, I hate dubbing too. I think it’s awful and they destroy a movie by doing that. I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with inept theater employees, as well. Seems there are those in every country! haha
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I felt so angry on your behalf when I read this man. Living in an English speaking country (Australia), I’m lucky to have never experienced this. Every non-English language film I’ve ever seen in cinemas here has been subtitled, I despise dubbing. I think Studio Ghibli films get released in both dubbed and subtitled versions here, but I’ve only ever seen the latter.
The closest I can go to feeling your pain is occasionally putting a DVD on and it defaults to the dubbed version. My frustration at having to go to the menu and change it to subtitled prob does not match yours though.
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Thanks for reading, man! I sure was super angry that day.
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