Variations in Subtitles


I am curious if anyone has seen the VHS version. I just saw the DVD version and some of the subtitles are not as I remember them. For instance, just before he shoots the father of the bride in the VHS version i could swear he says "the castle it swellith like a dick" and in the VHS version it says "the castle it swellith like a blowfish." Can anyone confirm. I saw the VHS version apprx 1997/98 and I saw the DVD version this year.

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[deleted]

Just watched the VHS version last night - and yes, I can confirm it says what you remembered.

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I agree, too. I've seen the film (1) when it was released in cinemas in Australia in the early 1990's; (2) several times broadcast on Australian SBS TV; and (3) on DVD, having recently having bought a copy of the version available from Amazon.

I can definitely confirm that the English subtitles vary substantially between those of the cinema release and the version shown on TV (which to my recollection were the same) and those in the more recently released DVD. In my opinion, the latter have been "dumbed down" and altered to more closely resemble American-style (obvious and fairly jeuvenile) humour. They're not nearly as clever (or as close to the original French) as the earlier subtitles. I was really disappointed, I have to say. If the film's run again in its original form, I'll definitely tape it and watch that copy instead of my "official" DVD copy.

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I'm noticing something similar. I'm in Denmark, and when this movie was shown on TV (which I videotaped and watched many times), it had some good, professional subtitles. But the Danish DVD release has subs of a substantially poorer quality (all the more annoying because the subs are large and ugly). What does one have to do to get a proper, non-bowlderized version of this movie? I am tempted to get the French Blu-ray - but sadly it doesn't have English (or any, as far as I'm aware) subs.

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