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Bande a part translation

posted 15 years ago by livehorror101
4 replies | jump to latest

Does "bande a part" literally translate to "band of outsiders"? I thought that it probably didn't, so if not, what does it really translate to?

[–] maxwell-paparella 15 years ago

I think it may translate to just that. I am in no way knowledgeable about the French language, but in an interview that appears in the Criterion Collection edition's book, Jean-Luc Goddard is asked (in translation):

Jean Collet: Why the title Band Of Outsiders, which you finally kept after having tried several others?

Jean-Luc Goddard: I like it precisely because these three characters really do form a "band of outsiders." They're not like other people. They're more hones with themselves than with other people. They're people who lead their own lives. It's not really they who live outside of society. It's society that is far from them. They do everywhere-- you see them in the Lourve, in the bistros; they're no more withdrawn from society than the characters of Rebel Without A Cause.

Hope that helps.

[–] livehorror101 15 years ago

That does help, thanks man

[–] Charlot47 10 years ago

No need to be too precise, but “bande” here means group, gang, clique, crowd, crew or mob, while “à part” means apart, aside, separate, isolated, detached, on their own. So the idea is an exclusive little bunch at a slight distance from everybody else.

[–] Beau_Buffet (324) 6 years ago

My first language is French and I can assure you that the wikipedia explanation is 100% correct :

its French title derives from the phrase faire bande à part, which means "to do something apart from the group"

So it doesn't mean "band of outsiders" per se, but it's probably the best translation possible because "bande à part" is not really a French expression in itself.