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Is there any way to know any of these things regarding torrents, Blu-Rays, subtitles and foreign language scenes?


Sorry if that's a bad title, can't think of what else to say. There's a bit I'd like to discuss and ask.

Many torrents don't have subtitles, even in movies with foreign language scenes.

Whenever I watch a movie, before I watch, I always check IMDb, to see if there are any languages other than English listed. If there aren't, I'll download the torrent. If there are, I'll buy the Blu-Ray, unless I already know at least one of these things applies to the movie:

-The torrent has the proper subtitles.

-The foreign language scenes aren't supposed to have subtitles.

-The foreign language scenes are very brief an unimportant.

Is there any way to know/find out in advance if any of these things apply, if you're not already familiar with the movie?

I know I can download subtitles, but when I say proper subtitles, I mean the subtitles that are supposed to be in the movie. For example, if I watch Slumdog Millionaire, I want the colourful subtitles in the middle of the screen, not the standard white subtitles at the bottom of the screen. I'm pretty sure you can't download that.

It is quite annoying, because I prefer torrents, since they're free, and much quicker to get. But I don't think it's worth risking having to stop the movie in the middle, especially since some Blu-Rays I have to order from other countries, and as far as I know, there's no way of knowing any of these things in advance.

Here's the latest example: I recently ordered the Born on the Fourth of July Blu-Ray from another country. It hasn't arrived yet, and I haven't seen it before. I looked at the languages on IMDb, and was surprised to see that Vietnamese wasn't listed as a language. However, Spanish is. It seems like there will probably only be one very brief and unimportant sentence in Spanish, with no English subtitles that have ever been written for it. However, it's possible there will be a long and important conversation in Spanish, where subtitles are essential to understand the plot.

Here's another issue: Some languages, such as Jive in Airplane, don't appear on IDMb. So although it's much more unlikely, there's still always the risk of watching a torrent without subtitles, where subtitles are required, because IDMb only listed English as a language. Is there a more reliable way to find out whether or not subtitles are required?

You'll probably suggest I use things like Netflix. Well I prefer Blu-Rays and torrents. I can't be bothered explaining my reasons, I'm just letting you know I'm not an idiot who thinks Blu-Rays and torrents are the only options.

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Regarding Born on the Fourth of July and Spanish -- The main character, after returning from Vietnam, spends some time living in Mexico with a group of expatriate Vietnam veterans. The locals speak Spanish but the American veterans don't and have no interest in learning the language beyond the bare minimum necessary to buy drinks and hire hookers. It's been quite a while since I've seen the movie but as I recall, there aren't any subtitles and they're not needed.

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OK, thanks.

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surely the Jive in Airplane subtitles are just painted onto the picture? hardcoded?

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I'm pretty sure I remember watching it without the Jive subtitles.

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just checking: did you know torrents are illegal?

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Yes, I do.

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