The use of the F-word in the film is incorrect. The word was not in exsistence in 709 AD. If you are thinking that Kainan knew it from the where he was from in his language...I doubt that it would have come out as the F-word in English since the word did not exsist then. Plus it was also used by Boromir in a scene that was deleted from the film.
shareThat WAS silly and unnecessary. I rolled my eyes when he said it. Took me right out of the movie. I don't expect a whole lot of accuracy from this sort of movie, but that was just ridiculous. It becomes downright puzzling, if you take into account that they actually bothered to make the language Kainan speaks authentic Old Norse. What the *beep*? Why? You put in all that effort, and then you ruin it with a self-indulgent, completely pointless "*beep*"? What kind of reasoning is that?
Reminds me of some of those completely ridiculous moments in the LotR movies, like Legolas skating down a flight of stairs on a shield or whatever it was. I strongly suspect these decisions get made when the entire crew is completely exhausted and fed up with everything, and everyboy just wants to wrap and go home. How these things make it past the final edit, though, that's a mystery.
I agree with some of the OTHER POSTERS on this. Since we are just HEARING English (he is really speaking old norse) I just assumed he was cursing an appropriate profanity of the time. It didn't have to mean exactly our MODERN cursing, but had to convey the same Sentiment. That's all.
Didn't bother me at all. I was always keenly aware what WE were hearing and what they were saying were vastly different, just for the sake of OUR viewing experience.
Dr. Kila Marr was right. Kill the Crystalline Entity.share
I don't really have a problem with it at all. He was speaking Norse, not modern English. So he didn't actually say the F-word, he said some Norse equivalent. I find it perfectly reasonable to assume there was some old Norse vulgarity used as an expression of exasperation, and that's what he was really saying.
I'm not sure exactly when this movie supposedly takes place, but it's possible nothing resembling modern English existed at all back then. Old English (think Beowulf) and Middle English (think Chaucer) are different enough that a modern English speaker would have to study them like any other foreign language before they could understand them. Early Modern English (think Shakespeare and King James) is the oldest variant that most modern English speakers can parse without training, and even that can be an uphill slog.
So modern English was used in Outlander for the benefit of the audience, and the F-word was a stand-in for some Norse vulgarity. I see no more problem with that than with any other use of modern English in the movie.
You make a good point, but I maintain that even if it can be reasoned out in the way you just did, in the viewing of the movie it's still jarring. It clashes with the tone. This is my instinctive reaction, before I stop to consider why it might be justifiable. I believe that probably many other people would have a similar gut reaction.
There's no reason, after all, why Legolas wouldn't have independently invented skating down stairs on a board-like object, but that isn't my first thought.
There's no reason, after all, why Legolas wouldn't have independently invented skating down stairs on a board-like object, but that isn't my first thought.
Mel Gibson used it Apocalypto, and that movie had zero aliens or dragons.
And you know what, I read that at that time in their language they had words similar to the F word even back then, of course it wasn't the F word, but it was something similar
Oh yeah. I'm sure Vikings were dainty fellows who only spoke a proper literary language without cursing ever.
For every lie I unlearn I learn something new - Ani Difranco
Maybe the F word was used on Kainan's home planet. Besides, if you had to learn a foreign language the way he did, you'd be cursing too.
Laugh while you can, Monkey Boy!