# Changing a movie's title for a foreign audience? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [June 20, 2024, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122 "2024-06-20T15:07:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/1 "2024-06-20T15:07:56Z")
On a recent flight, I watched a movie that was listed as “Arab Blues”: > **[Arab Blues](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Blues)** > > Arab Blues (French: Un divan à Tunis, lit. 'A couch in Tunis') is a 2019 French-Tunisian comedy film directed by Manele Labidi Labbé in her feature debut. It was screened in the Venice Days section at the 2019 Venice Film Festival and then in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. The film is about a Tunisian psychoanalyst Selma who, after having been educated in Paris, moves back to Tunisia to open a psychoanalytic practice. > The film had its wor... When the title screen of the movie appeared, I saw that it was originally titled as “Un divan à Tunis”, which just means “A couch in Tunis”. Why would they give it a completely different English-language title, instead of just translating the original French title? Are there other movies that have received similar treatment? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/2 "2024-06-20T15:13:52Z")
I’m guessing it’s marketing reasons, as they do this all the time even between English language countries. For example “Ford vs. Ferrari” was the US title, and “Le Mans '66” was the UK title of that particular movie, and I’m betting it’s because “Le Mans '66” is more resonant in the UK, while US audiences are somewhat more ignorant of European motorsports, but would recognize “Ford vs. Ferrari” and understand what the movie’s about. Sometimes it’s due to cultural reasons; “Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle” was titled “Harold and Kumar Get The Munchies” in the UK because White Castle doesn’t do business there. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/3 "2024-06-20T15:17:00Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Why would they give it a completely different English-language title, instead of just translating the original French title? Are there other movies that have received similar treatment? They change titles for books and movies quite frequently. _Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone_ became _Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone_ because they didn’t think American kids would be interested in a book with philosopher in the title. I think the title of _Die Heard with a Vengeance_ was _Diehard: Mega Hard_ in Denmark. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/4 "2024-06-20T15:52:51Z")
I think it comes down to control. Not art, not translation, not cultural, control. Some low-level weenie decided they needed to put their mark on a movie. They can’t make movies, but they can get their “work” up on the poster. So Philosopher’s/Sorcerers stone change is some dumbass who changed it because he didn’t get it. Did anyone ask American kids? I’m betting no. And so we get a movie like _The Crying Game_ becoming _Help! My Girlfriend has a Penis!_ ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/5 "2024-06-20T15:58:22Z")
I understand the title of Airplane! in Spanish countries is: ¿Y Dónde Está El Piloto? Which translates to And Where is the Pilot? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/6 "2024-06-20T16:00:12Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > So Philosopher’s/Sorcerers stone change is some dumbass who changed it because he didn’t get it. Did anyone ask American kids? I’m betting no. Has _any_ author or publisher ever polled American kids before deciding on a book title? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/7 "2024-06-20T16:03:37Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > And so we get a movie like _The Crying Game_ becoming _Help! My Girlfriend has a Penis!_ Where did this happen? ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/8 "2024-06-20T16:09:01Z")
> [@Author\_Balk](#): > > I understand the title of Airplane! in Spanish countries is: ¿Y Dónde Está El Piloto? > Which translates to And Where is the Pilot?. Which insults the Spanish-speaking audience. The distributors don’t think foreign language speakers can get the simplicity of title, only Americans can? I mean, the pilot is RIGHT THERE! We know what happened to him. And the copilot and flight engineer, too. Did they retitle _Airport_ as _La Novia del Piloto está Embarazada_ as well? (_The Pilot’s Girlfriend is Pregnant_.). ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/9 "2024-06-20T16:10:50Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Where did this happen? Supposedly in Hong Kong. I hope this isn’t the Irish equivalent of The Onion. 🙂 > **[Neil Jordan shocked at ‘Crying Game’ renaming spoiler](https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-20442528.html)** > > It’s the ultimate spoiler. Director Neil Jordan has revealed his shock at discovering his film The Crying Game was renamed at Asian cinemas with its twist literally laid bare. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/10 "2024-06-20T16:17:35Z")
In Hong Kong it was called “哭泣游戏”, which roughly translates to “crying games”. Maybe someone over there lied to him? ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/11 "2024-06-20T16:27:50Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Maybe someone over there lied to him? I could believe that. But the story still fits the thread. Who CARES if it isn’t true! It has truthiness. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/12 "2024-06-20T16:29:55Z")
The 2014 comedy _Neighbors_ was released outside of North America as _Bad Neighbors_, because _Neighbors_ is a well-known Australian soap opera that’s viewed around much of the English-speaking world. I saw it while on holiday in Dublin and that’s what it was called there. A lot of Hong Kong movies had more generic titles slapped on them for overseas distribution. I’ve seen the title of the classic John Woo actioner _The Killer_ translated as _A Pair of Blood Splattering Heroes_. Though I just popped the Chinese translation from its wiki page into google translate and it came back with _Bloody Duo_. _A Better Tomorrow_ is the western name for _True Colours of a Hero_. And so on and so on… ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/13 "2024-06-20T16:35:53Z")
Scholastic Books changed the title when they acquired the book for the US market in 1998. The film was 2001. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/14 "2024-06-20T16:45:39Z")
When they released Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s **Micmacs à tire-larigot** for English-speaking audiences, they didn’t even bother translating the title, which literally means “shenanigans to fill your piccolo” (or more idiomatically, “non-stop shenanigans.”). Instead, they just shortened it to **Micmacs** , which means nothing whatsoever to English speakers. (I’d have gone with **Whizbangers**.) ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/15 "2024-06-20T16:47:28Z")
There is a Schwartzenegger/Stallone style character in Italian movies named [Maciste](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maciste). When his films are released in the U.S., he usually gets re-named as Hercules or Samson. Most of the sequels to _House_ have little connection to earlier films. The third in the series was released as _House III_ in Europe and Australia, but the U.S. release was re-named _The Horror Show._ _Hrafninn flýgur_ was an Icelandic/Swedish film set in the Viking era. It was released in the U.K. as _When the Raven Flies_. U.S. distributors, hoping to ride Schwartzenegger’s coattails, released it as _Revenge of the Barbarians_. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/16 "2024-06-20T16:49:12Z")
**Mean Girls** was released in France as **Lolita malgré moi** , or “Lolita in spite of myself.” 😬 ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/17 "2024-06-20T16:53:22Z")
> [@susan](#): > > Scholastic Books changed the title when they acquired the book for the US market in 1998. Imagine how successful the books might have been if they left the title alone! ---
**Author:** ![De\_La\_Rue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@De\_La\_Rue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/De_La_Rue)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/18 "2024-06-20T16:57:55Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > **Mean Girls** was released in France as **Lolita malgré moi** , or “Lolita in spite of myself.” Meanwhile, _The Hangover_ was released in France with a different English title (_Very Bad Trip_). Also, fun fact: that 1940s movie with the bicycle that gets stolen is _Ladri di biciclette_ in the original Italian, or _Bicycle Thieves_. It got an article and made singular in English (although things like Wikipedia and the Criterion Collection use the direct translation of the original title). ---
**Author:** ![mjmartin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3d9bf3/32.png) [@mjmartin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mjmartin)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/19 "2024-06-20T17:03:29Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Are there other movies that have received similar treatment? _Home Alone_ was released in Latin America as “Mi pobre angelito” (My poor little angel). > [@De\_La\_Rue](#): > > Meanwhile, _The Hangover_ was released in France with a different English title (_Very Bad Trip_). In Latin America it was released as “What Happened Yesterday” (Que’ paso’ ayer?) Which is strange because there are plenty of perfectly good words for Hangover. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2024, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/20 "2024-06-20T17:27:50Z")
> [@Author\_Balk](#): > > I understand the title of Airplane! in Spanish countries is: ¿Y Dónde Está El Piloto? > Which translates to And Where is the Pilot? Even better in Germany: “Die unglaubliche Reise in einem verrückten Flugzeug”, “The unbelievable journey in a crazy plane”. And yes, Airplane II was called “Die unglaubliche Reise in einem verrückten Raumschiff”…(Raumschiff=space ship) And that’s rather typical, foreign films often get inane German titles that have nothing to do with the original. ETA: just one example that comes to mind. The western classic “The Searchers”, whose title suggests the main plot of the movie, has the non-informative title “Der schwarze Falke”, “The Black Falcon”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122.md?page=2)