It appears as if the entire film was dubbed... and not well. This is one of my very favorite films of all time but I'm always curious why every stitch of the Italian dialogue was re-recorded? Does anyone know the story behind this?
-JMF
Italian cinema of the 50s and 60s didn't use sound equipment to cut costs. They dubbed the sound in afterwards. In La Dolce Vita (Fellini), for example, actors were told to say the most random of things since what they had to say on set had no impact on what was actually said in the film. Cinema Paradiso seems to be an homage to this.
shareAlfredo and Toto (adult) are portrayed by French actors Philippe Noiret and Jacques Perrin. Both of them have been dubbed in Italian. It seems that Jacques Perrin says his lines in Italian but you hear his real voice only in the French version of the movie. I'm not even sure Philippe Noiret says his lines in Italian, he might have done it in French. I always watch movies in their original version, but for this one, I can only watch it in French because Philippe Noiret (one of the most talented French actor) speaking Italian with a different and dubbed voice it's like watching Jack Nicholson speaking Chinese.
shareYes, I found it very distracting, and I don't even know Italian. Still love the movie but still hate dubbing.
Edward
Yeah, I noticed that a lot in all of the Italian films I've seen, like Suspiria and Rabid Dogs. It really annoys me.
shareIt's a convention that Italian audiences have gotten used to. Sync sound was too expensive (especially in post-war Italy of the neo-realist filmmaking period), and it stuck.
That's why, even in a later, big-budget film like The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, even Clint Eastwood scenes are dubbed, even though the actor dubbing his voice is clearly...Clint Eastwood.
It's just one of those little quirks that make foreign cinema what it is.
[deleted]
Yes, it was really annoying!
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