ChrisAfonso 186 Posted April 9, 2006 Share Posted April 9, 2006 Ummmm...Trent, how do you know they don't tamper with the titles of foreign films released in the USA?Like "Run Lola Run" for "Lola rennt" (Lola runs)?Or "The Educators" for "Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei" (The prosperous years are over) - Ok, that one sounds really bad in English.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin 2 Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 Ahh yes the old Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone comes to mind.I think there some fuss about that one being changed for us Yanks who apperantly have no idea what a Philosopher is.What are you talking about? It's not the U.S.'s fault that the rest of the world doesn't know what a Sorcerer is. Dang rest of the world....always has to be so f censored n' special. Justin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morlock 11 Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 Ahh yes the old Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone comes to mind.I think there some fuss about that one being changed for us Yanks who apperantly have no idea what a Philosopher is. In that case it was changed because Sorcerer is a much 'sexier' word to have in your title than philosopher is. But I was annoyed when The Madness of King George III was changed to The Madness of King George, because they deemed the American public too dumb to reallize that this is a film about King George III, and the not the third film in the King George series. Annoyed because they had such low regard for American intelligence, and annoyed because they were probably right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Docteur Qui 1,544 Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 I'm pretty sure not many kids in the rest of the world know what a Philosopher is either, so I don't see why they needed to change it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlucky Bastard 7,782 Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 I'm pretty sure not many kids in the rest of the world know what a Philosopher is either, so I don't see why they needed to change it.Because this is your average young American Harry Potter reader... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BurgaFlippinMan 7 Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 Ahh yes the old Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone comes to mind.I think there some fuss about that one being changed for us Yanks who apperantly have no idea what a Philosopher is. In that case it was changed because Sorcerer is a much 'sexier' word to have in your title than philosopher is. I dont know how true that is but Sorcerer definitely sounds less clumsy than Philosopher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incanus 5,716 Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 Philosopher stone is actually much better name than Sorcerer stone since that term has actual meaning in the book and in the film and in general. Rowling's vision of the Stone is rather concrete opposed to the actual meaning of the term: The philosopher's stone, in Latin lapis philosophorum, is a mythical substance that supposedly could turn inexpensive metals into gold and/or create an elixir that would make humans younger, thus delaying death. It was a longtime "holy grail" of Western alchemy. In the mystic view of alchemy, making the philosopher's stone would bring enlightenment upon the maker and conclude the Great Work. It is also known by several other names, such as materia prima.I know the actual meaning of Philosopher stone is not widely known subject amoung HP readers but if the film marketing people would have wanted to stay true to the book and the actual meaning of the title they could have kept it. But as a selling point Sorcerer sounds better. It evokes much more mystic associations than Philosopher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
77 3 Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 You guys have some weird titles for the films. I'm glad they don't tamper with those here in the USIt happens all the time, doesn't it? A few examples spring to mind:"Quatermass and the Pit" became "Five Million Years to Earth""The Quatermass Experiment" became "The Creeping Unknown""A Matter of Life and Death" became "Stairway to Heaven""Home at Seven" became "Murder on Monday""Mad Max 2" became "The Road Warrior""Baise Moi" became "Rape Me""The Honorary Consul" became "Beyond the Limit""Murder By Decree" became "Sherlock Holmes and Saucy Jack"and probably thousands more! The most infamous is of course the aforementioned "Philosopher's Stone" being switched to "Sorceror's Stone", completely removing the historical meaning of the phrase. It's like renaming "Raiders of the Lost Ark" as "Raiders of the Magic Box". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nightscape94 965 Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 Did you know there was a book called "Indiana Jones and the Philosopher's Stone"? Interesting...Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futuremartymcfly 0 Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 yeah, i read that book a while ago, the stone could turn lead into gold and gave the owner immortality, and was made by someone named Nicholas Flamel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
77 3 Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 Did you know there was a book called "Indiana Jones and the Philosopher's Stone"? Interesting... Yes, I did. Apparently American kids wouldn't buy it, fleeing bookshops madly, their senses and intellect reeling with confusion and panic! But seriously, that clearly demonstrates the kind of mythic quality the Philosopher's Stone has in history, and to ditch that in favour of getting something unambiguously magical into the title is a little sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Breathmask 555 Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 The legend of the Philosopher's Stone and its creator Nicholas Flamel is quite an old one. In fact, the creation of the Philosopher's Stone has been the Holy Grail of alchemy since the beginning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marian Schedenig 8,211 Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 And since you mentioned the Holy Grail, as a side note I should add that Nicholas Flamel was also mentioned briefly in The Da Vinci Code.Marian - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
77 3 Posted April 11, 2006 Share Posted April 11, 2006 Another infamous title change for the USA (although applied worldwide for convenience); "Licence Revoked" was renamed "Licence to Kill" when research indicated that most Americans didn't know what revoked meant!(And they can't spell licence either! ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan 689 Posted April 17, 2006 Share Posted April 17, 2006 As for the whole Harry Potter thing, lets not forgett that its an English book and the title over here was "Philosopher". Doesn't that at least make it the true title? Not getting into any national IQ debates, I'll just sit here and drink my tea.Oh, and Harold and Kumar was only changed because we dont actually have White Castles over here. Would have been abit lost on us poor Brits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deimos 0 Posted April 17, 2006 Share Posted April 17, 2006 But I was annoyed when The Madness of King George III was changed to The Madness of King George, because they deemed the American public too dumb to reallize that this is a film about King George III, and the not the third film in the King George series. Annoyed because they had such low regard for American intelligence, and annoyed because they were probably right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orrakul 0 Posted April 18, 2006 Share Posted April 18, 2006 There was a film I first saw ages ago, called "Star Wars" - it's now been renamed "Star Wars: Episode 4 - A New Hope". I liked the original title better... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gkgyver 1,646 Posted April 18, 2006 Share Posted April 18, 2006 What about TV shows? "Grey's Anatomy" is called "Grey's Anatomy- The Young Doctors" over here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gkgyver 1,646 Posted May 6, 2006 Share Posted May 6, 2006 Hey, I just stumbled over something that I think is worth it to revive this thread:yesterday I saw the Pirates of the Caribbean 2 trailer in the theatre, and I couldn't believe what this movie is called in Germany:"Pirates Of The Caribbean: Fluch der Karibik 2"A little explanation: the first "Pirates of the Caribbean" film was called "Fluch der Karibik" over here. This is like Lucas had released "Star Wars: Star Wars 2" instead of "The Empire Strikes Back". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marian Schedenig 8,211 Posted May 6, 2006 Share Posted May 6, 2006 Obviously. It starts with the assumption that a movie's title isn't that important and can be changed. Hence, you get "Fluch der Karibik" ("Curse of the Caribbean" instead of "Curse of the Black Pearl"). You alter the very thing the title is about, so when a sequel comes along with a different title (and we're not even talking about those instances where a sequel's title directly *refers* to the first title), your reasoning breaks down completely.In this special case, they just used to most generic title they could come up with for the first movie, and now they can simply reuse it for the sequel by adding a "2" at the end.Marian - who should add that no title, however great, could have saved the first movie anyway (and I can't imagine the second one being any better). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pixie_twinkle 48 Posted May 6, 2006 Share Posted May 6, 2006 Die Hard was known as Die Slowly in Germany.Leon was called The Professional in the States. I don't know which one was the original title though.Oh, and speaking of Harry Potter, the second book is mis-translated in most European countries as Harry Potter and the Secret Chamber. Cholmsky would love it, it includes all the same principle words but has a completely different meaning! Chamber of Secrets is a chamber that contains secrets, whereas Secret Chamber implies that it is the chamber itself that is secret. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marian Schedenig 8,211 Posted May 6, 2006 Share Posted May 6, 2006 Die Hard was known as Die Slowly in Germany.And of course, the terrorists were no longer German, but just "European".Oh, and speaking of Harry Potter, the second book is mis-translated in most European countries as Harry Potter and the Secret Chamber. Cholmsky would love it, it includes all the same principle words but has a completely different meaning! Chamber of Secrets is a chamber that contains secrets, whereas Secret Chamber implies that it is the chamber itself that is secret.At least both meanings are still correct as far as the plot is concerned. The German title is Harry Potter and the Chamber of Terror...Marian - who has to get the original Die Hard on DVD someday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitch 57 Posted May 6, 2006 Share Posted May 6, 2006 Die Hard was known as Die Slowly in Germany.And of course, the terrorists were no longer German, but just "European"How un-European like! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisAfonso 186 Posted May 7, 2006 Share Posted May 7, 2006 Die Hard was known as Die Slowly in Germany.Leon was called The Professional in the States. I don't know which one was the original title though.Oh, and speaking of Harry Potter, the second book is mis-translated in most European countries as Harry Potter and the Secret Chamber. Cholmsky would love it, it includes all the same principle words but has a completely different meaning! Chamber of Secrets is a chamber that contains secrets, whereas Secret Chamber implies that it is the chamber itself that is secret.Well, at least in Portugal the meaning is still intact: "Harry Potter e a Câmara dos Segredos". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pixie_twinkle 48 Posted May 7, 2006 Share Posted May 7, 2006 It's certainly Secret Chamber in the Spanish publication, and I think maybe the French too, though I could be wrong on that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nightscape94 965 Posted May 7, 2006 Share Posted May 7, 2006 Leon was called The Professional in the States. I don't know which one was the original title though.Not only was it a different title, but it was severely edited to remove the more "inappropriate" scenes between young Mathilda and Leon that developed an underlying sexual presence between them. It was a good 30 minutes shorter.When these scenes were reinstated for the "international" release on DVD for the United States, the movie was then called Leon: The Professional to distinguish it from the normal US version called The Professional and to make it more similiar to the correct title in Europe.Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisAfonso 186 Posted May 7, 2006 Share Posted May 7, 2006 Well, it's been called "Leon - Der Profi" since its initial release here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg1138 3 Posted May 7, 2006 Share Posted May 7, 2006 There are a few bad translations in the new Empire Miscellany.....Sliding Doors became "Two Faced Lovers" in China......The Brazilian title for Thunderball translates as "007 Against Atomic Blackmail"GI Jane's Chinese title translates as "Satan Female Soldier".....Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me ended up in Singapore as "The Spy who Treated Me Nicely"Them! The Swedish title of this translates into "Spiders!" Quite funny, for those that have ever seen the movie......And the two films with German titles that translate to The Unbelievable Trip In A Wacky Plane and The Unbelievable Trip in a Wacky Spaceship......well.......surely someone should be able to figure those out.....Another infamous title change for the USA (although applied worldwide for convenience); "Licence Revoked" was renamed "Licence to Kill" when research indicated that most Americans didn't know what revoked meant!(And they can't spell licence either! )Yes they can......the words Licence and License have seperate definitions.......and in the case of that movie it it used correctly.....as it would have been had the original title stayed......"License Revoked" is completely non-sensical....."License to Kill" changes the meaning completely......Greg - who likes using this as a Pub Quiz question...... Word.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisAfonso 186 Posted May 8, 2006 Share Posted May 8, 2006 Should I solve the "The Unbelievable Trip..." Question?......what the hell: "Airplane!" and "Airplane! II - The Sequel" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg1138 3 Posted May 8, 2006 Share Posted May 8, 2006 Give the man a beer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pixie_twinkle 48 Posted May 8, 2006 Share Posted May 8, 2006 Hahahaha! Thanks Chris, I couldn't figure out for the life of me what those films were, but I didn't want to look dumb by asking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg1138 3 Posted May 8, 2006 Share Posted May 8, 2006 Anyone figured out the joke about "Them!" ending up as "Spiders!"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nightscape94 965 Posted May 8, 2006 Share Posted May 8, 2006 Anyone figured out the joke about "Them!" ending up as "Spiders!"?Because they're ants? Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marian Schedenig 8,211 Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 They should just have called it Wilhelm!Marian - LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
77 3 Posted May 14, 2006 Share Posted May 14, 2006 Yes they can......the words Licence and License have seperate definitions.......No, you misunderstand... they can't spell licence... as in "Licence to Kill", the well-known film title... Oh, never mind... :roll:Almost forgot, one of my favourite title changes; the 1944 film "Fanny By Gaslight" was renamed "Man of Evil" for the USA. LOL (Probably funnier to Brits I expect!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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