Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Top 10 English-speaking Movies that Require Subtitles

Whether movie characters talk fast or have insanely thick accents (or both), sometimes subtitles work better for films, even when they’re speaking your language. And make no mistake, I love each of the films below, I’m just having a little fun with their difficult vernacular.

And believe me, I know I’m a silly American who can’t decipher certain foreign dialects. Fair enough. But mockery aside, make sure to tell me some films you have trouble with.

Head to Movie Mezzanine to view the full list
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24 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 28, 2013 at 9:26 PM

    True Grit for me. Particularly whenever Jeff Bridges speaks.
    -Dan

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    1. Alex WithrowMay 29, 2013 at 10:15 AM

      You're the second person to say that. Very, very interesting.

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  2. Brittani BurnhamMay 28, 2013 at 9:59 PM

    Disco Pigs. That movie for me was SO hard to understand. I'm glad you made a list like this, I feel better about the fact that I had to use subtitles on a movie in my native language. haha I did have a hard time during parts of Fish Tank because of Jarvis' accent, but she was so perfect that I didn't care. I can agree with Brick as well. Love that movie, but that was really rapid fire dialogue.

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    1. Alex WithrowMay 29, 2013 at 10:16 AM

      Ohhh I've heard how difficult Disco Pigs is to understand. I definitely want to check that one out.

      I actually watch every movie with the subtitles on, because I find that there's usually something I've missed previously. No matter how subtle, there's usually something.

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  3. AnonymousMay 29, 2013 at 11:16 AM

    I need subtitles for most movies, frankly. I've always had greater than average difficulty understanding any kinds of dialects or following conversations when there is background noise (even background music in a film). (As you can imagine, I was never a fun woman to chat up in a bar. ;-)) I sometimes even have difficulty with strong Southern accents, and I'm a Southerner, born and bred. Very odd.

    Great list! Love the shout out for Jarvis's performance in Fish Tank. She was magnificent, and she really held her own with talented performers like Michael Fassbender.

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    1. Alex WithrowMay 29, 2013 at 11:24 AM

      Thanks! Hey, I'm right there with you. I don't think I have trouble with dialects, until I turn the damn subtitles on and I'm like, "Oh.... that's what he said?!"

      It took me two years to realize what Travis Bickle's final words were in Taxi Driver. Simple stuff, but I just never knew what he was saying. Ha.

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  4. EvanMay 29, 2013 at 12:38 PM

    i don't have problems with trainspotting, but have you read the book?
    it's all written to be read like scottish, and it's really difficult to figure out. i had to read the first paragraph aloud before i could finish the book silently.

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    1. Alex WithrowMay 29, 2013 at 12:43 PM

      I've always wanted to read that, but have never got around to it. I had no idea it was written that way. Definitely makes me want to seek it out.

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    2. s.May 29, 2013 at 7:06 PM

      I's definitely worth reading - like with American Psycho it is about 10x more shocking.

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    3. Alex WithrowMay 29, 2013 at 7:24 PM

      Oh shit, I'm all over this now.

      Delete
    4. EvanMay 30, 2013 at 9:48 AM

      click on 'look inside' and scroll til you see the first page.

      http://www.amazon.com/Trainspotting-Irvine-Welsh/dp/0393057240/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1369921684&sr=8-2&keywords=trainspotting

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    5. Alex WithrowMay 30, 2013 at 11:40 AM

      Looks challenging. I dig.

      Delete
  5. AnonymousMay 29, 2013 at 1:01 PM

    Hercules in New York! :) Arnie's accept is so thick in that it's almost impossible to decipher it!

    Also, I know it's not a film, but the TV show Deadwood is pretty hard to understand at times.

    Great piece Alex.

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    1. Alex WithrowMay 29, 2013 at 1:24 PM

      Thanks man! Hercules! Haha that's awesome.

      Deadwood is a great call. Very complex vernacular there.

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  6. welek91May 29, 2013 at 5:31 PM

    hahaha,i totaly agree :) I just have to say that Brad Pit did awesome job and realy showed his quality's in Snatch (2000) :D my mouth were closed :D

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    1. Alex WithrowMay 29, 2013 at 6:34 PM

      He's so good in Snatch. I love him in that movie. Glad you liked the list!

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  7. JoshMay 29, 2013 at 8:01 PM

    Great idea for a list man. Most of these I didn't have a problem with. Though, I think I had to turn on the subtitles during that conversation scene in Hunger too. And Pikey obviously takes a while to get used to. I might've turned them on for The Commitments, but I can't be sure.

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    1. Alex WithrowMay 30, 2013 at 9:07 AM

      Thanks Josh! Haven't seen The Commitments, but I'm happy for the heads up! That convo in Hunger is damn tricky, isn't it?

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  8. Gregory RoyJune 1, 2013 at 1:30 PM

    I would probably have to (jokingly) include all films starring Marlon Brando.
    Great list!

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    1. Alex WithrowJune 1, 2013 at 2:26 PM

      Ha, no doubt. Maybe for The Score... Impossible to understand there.

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  9. UnknownMay 15, 2015 at 8:47 PM

    It's actually interesting. Here in Romania the sound editing for films is so poorly done that I need to turn up the volume to understand anything.

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  10. UnknownAugust 6, 2015 at 12:26 AM

    I was thinking of Snatch and Brick as soon as I read the title of the list. My friends and I still break out the Brad Pitt voice every now and then. "You like dahgs?"
    And in Brick, half of Joseph Gordon-Levitt's lines he sounds like a beat-poet, which at first threw me off but by the end I was loving it.

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