Movie Language?
Does anybody know what the original language of this film is? Is the English version dubbed? Many thanks.
shareMultiple versions of the film were made at the same time. It was filmed in English, French, and Italian (perhaps other languages as well), therfore the English version is not dubbed.
shareMany thanks for that. I wasn't sure as most of the cast is Italian or French. I'd hate to watch Anna Magnani dubbed into English, but now that you've cleared that up for me, I'll definately look into getting a copy of this movie. Thanks once again and Happy Thanksgiving! :)
shareJean Debucourt is dubbed; none of the other actors is. The French version is all dubbed, except for Debucourt. I haven't seen the Italian version, but it must all be dubbed as well, even the two Italian actors, as they are obviously speaking English and their Italian dialogue would not have matched what was spoken during the filming. For this reason, the English version is actually the preferred one, although the film was shot in Italy and is usually considered a French picture.
P.S. I recently reviewed the French version. The main actors do actually speak French, so every scene was shot at least twice and probably three times: once in English, once in French, and probably once in Italian (although I have never seen the Italian version, so am only conjecturing.) Unfortunately, the French version is poorly post-synchronized and the audio does not always match well with the movement of the lips, even if the actors are speaking French. For this reason the English version--which does have good sound recording--is probably the preferred one.
The commentary by the director says it was in English because he wanted to make an English language film. He said Anna had to learn English and he thought her Italian accent added to the film.