MovieChat Forums > Sibirskiy tsiryulnik (1999) Discussion > Russian dialogue?

Russian dialogue?

posted 16 years ago by Happy_Evil_Dude
4 replies | jump to latest

Hi,

I've acquired a copy of this movie which however, seems to sadly have no subtitles in any language whatsoever. Now I know that a good portion of the film is in english, but I also believe there are passages in russian (which is a language I do not understand except for "da", "niet", and "vodka"). So my question is, what is the amount of russian dialogue in this film &nd what is its importance to the story? Is the film viewable/understandable without understanding the russian, or should I try to find another copy, with subtitles this time?

Thanks!

[–] asseveratio 16 years ago

Try to learn Russian.

[–] leopejo 16 years ago

I'd say: watch it. It's a quite visual film and most of the "important" dialogue is in english anyway. You'll miss some jokes between cadets, but you'll understand the context.

Besides, it's a film that is not "spoiled" by the first viewing. I mean, if you liked it, you'll enjoy it more when you watch it a second time. If you didn't like it, it wasn't because of lack of subtitles.

[–] walruseater 16 years ago

If your film is a Divx/Xvid version rather than a full DVD you can find DIVX subtitles at www.divxsubtitles.net, just search The barber of siberia.

[–] on3gin 16 years ago

I'd guess that the 180-minute version I saw was half in Russian, half in English. The Russians talked Russian to each other, and any scene with an American in it was in English. The DVD box says it has subtitles in Russian, English, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Chinese, Arabic, Portuguese and "Ivrit," which I can't translate. It was released in 2001 by the Russian Cinema Council (Ruscico), in their "Kollektsiia Rezhisser". Unfortunately, it is a library copy with labels glued over a lot of information, but the 13-digit ISBN is 4606777003211.

A lot of the Russian dialog consist of military commands and orders to servants, and songs, but there are a few important scenes that need subtitles. Maybe the information above can help you find a copy.