i dont mind reading subtitles at all, but from what i have read some of the actors voices are dubbed either way. so if i choose to watch in english then some voices would be dubbed in english, but if i watch the regular kazhak audio track, then some of the english is dubbed in kazhak.
which audio track would you reccomend? will it make a big difference?
I just watched this last night. I liked the english Dubb.
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shareAs you say, four of the five main leads (all except Gaukhar, the young Kazakh maiden) were foreigners and they were speaking English during filming. All of the supporting cast were speaking Kazakh. So, either way, you will be watching dubbed actors and actors speaking their native language.
I tried listening to both DVD soundtracks. I hate dubbing, and I can honestly say that this film did A REALLY GOOD JOB in both directions. The dubbing is handled exceptionally well. In the end, I chose to watch the film in Kazakh just to hear what the Kazakh language sounds like (it's a unique sound, sounding like a cross between Russian and Korean, and very pretty when it's not being shouted on the battlefield) and to have a more authentic Kazakh cinema experience.
I think you'll enjoy both though.
Kazakh is a Turkic language. My brother in law is Kazakh and he says he can understand Turkish (which is spoken predomantly in Turkey) like a Spanish speaker can understand Italian. Same language family. Also, you are correct about it sounding a bit like Russian. Close proximity to Russia has lent several words to the Kazakh vocabulary.
shareI would suggest watching it with the Kazakh audio and English subtitles. It lends a little more authenticity to the film.
What some people are over looking is the fact that this was a Kazakh production with European (French) studio funding. If you can't get over the fact that the cast is composed of English, Spanish and Kazakh speaking people, then this movie will be wasted on you. And you might as well forget about the classic kung fu movies, spaghetti westerns, even Il Gattopardo for that matter.
There were some lovely shots of the steppe, and kudos to the production team for their meticulous costume and cultural presentation. From cholpons to kalpoks, the deeply rooted horse culture, fighting tactics and games surrounding the nomadic lifestyle, I think this film is visually fascinating in that it opens doors to a world that most of us don't even knew/know exists. And if you like things Central Asian, then this is a treat.
Sure there are some technical weaknesses and questionable plot development, but I'd rather salute what little of the Kazakh film industry there is for putting this piece together.
Enjoy!
Doesn't matter how you watch it, it is a terrible film. An absolute waste of time, with a terrible script, laughable dialouge, very weak fight scenes, and terrible dubbing on both tracks. Embarrassing on all counts. There is a reason this did not even make 3 million worldwide!
shareand put up the English sub titles. It makes the experience more authentic.
shareIf you're not one of those nutty people who think that subtitles are misery incarnate and won't watch a film unless there's an English dub (I seriously cannot understand the outrage that so many Americans express over having to read), ALWAYS avoid the English dub. They usually suck, even with experienced 'star' actors (e.g. all of Miyazaki's animated films). English subtitles are always WAY more accurate than the dub script anyway.
Of course, most of the main characters' lines were filmed in English and not Kazakh, but it's just as bad as a dub because the American actors use accented English for effect. At least there was a reason for it (the fact that doing so makes the Kazakh dub match their mouth movements better), unlike the ridiculous English in the film Defiance (the Polish speak heavily accented English and the Russians speak...Russian--super lame and pointless). Still, it comes off kinda fake. Plus, some of the lines that have been most mocked as proof of the script being bad are from the English script.
I know this is an old post, but I will only watch this with the Kazakh audio. It adds an extra level of realism to the film. It's the only way to watch it if you really want to immerse yourself in another culture. Anyway, why on Earth would THESE characters be speaking English? Wouldn't that be kind of silly?
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