# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/41 "2024-06-21T13:17:00Z")
cf. the Eddie Izzard bit about Speed / La vitesse. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/42 "2024-06-21T13:41:20Z")
In France, “Look Who’s Talking” was called “Allô maman, ici bébé” I guess the pun doesn’t translate very well. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/43 "2024-06-21T14:07:48Z")
It’s total speculation, but I’m guessing that “A Couch in Tunis” would introduce more confusion among many potential American viewers than “Arab Blues” would. I’ll bet the goal of the movie marketing people is to title movies with titles that are both catchy and that convey something of the movie in a minimum number of words. And they want to try and avoid negative connotations as much as they can- I feel like “A Couch in Tunis” _screams_ pretentious artsy-fartsy French **cinema** , not just a drama set elsewhere, and that sort of thing only appeals to a very small segment of the US movie-going population. By comparison, “Arab Blues” gets across that it’s set in the Arab world, or at least has Arab characters, and has something to do with the blues or something like that. It gets across the salient things without telegraphing that it’s potentially a French art-house movie (and if it’s not, then that just proves my point even more; I’ve assumed it is from the Wikipedia blurb and the title). ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/44 "2024-06-21T14:13:57Z")
Right. The book name change came first- apparently there was some worry about the title in the US, and “Sorcerer’s Stone” was JK Rowling’s suggested title for the US… if they had to change it at all. The movie just followed the literary example in both countries- it wouldn’t have made a lot of sense IMO, to have left the movie as “Philosopher’s Stone” in the US, when the book was already titled “Sorcerer’s Stone”. ---
**Author:** ![Plutonium\_Chef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/plutonium_chef/32/11211_2.png) [@Plutonium\_Chef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plutonium_Chef)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/45 "2024-06-21T14:45:03Z")
Sometimes, the foreign title just cuts to the chase. For instance, _Coming to America_ was released as, I kid you not, _Eddy Murphy, Prinz von Zamunda_ (Eddy Murphy, Prince of Zamunda). ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/46 "2024-06-21T14:50:38Z")
Here are some foreign movie titles, along with the titles American distributors slapped on Italian horror films: [https://www.reddit.com/r/horror/comments/8cf256/horror\_movie\_titles\_mangled\_in\_translation\_into/](https://www.reddit.com/r/horror/comments/8cf256/horror_movie_titles_mangled_in_translation_into/) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/47 "2024-06-21T14:52:47Z")
Here are some non-horror films. I’m not sure these are all for real > **[30 Weird Foreign Titles for American Movies](https://screencrush.com/strange-foreign-titles-for-american-movies/)** > > Who wouldn’t want to watch ‘Sexy Dance 5: All in Vegas’? And more: > **[21 Movies That Have Hilarious Titles in Other Countries](https://www.rd.com/list/movies-hilarious-titles-in-other-countries/)** > > When American movies travel abroad, their titles can get a little lost in translation. Check out what your favorite films are called overseas! ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/48 "2024-06-21T15:08:24Z")
> [@De\_La\_Rue](#): > > Also, fun fact: that 1940s movie with the bicycle that gets stolen is _Ladri di biciclette_ in the original Italian, or _Bicycle Thieves_. On the other hand, when writer/director Maurizo Nichetti’s comedy _Ladri di saponette_ was released in the US as _The Icicle Thief_, [the Wiki article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Icicle_Thief) – at least the English Wiki – uses the latter. > The film’s Italian title _Ladri di saponette_, a play on the Italian title of De Sica’s film, means “Soap Thieves”; it is justified by dialogue where a boy is told not to use up all the soap when washing his hands, and his mother wonders if he is eating it. For English-speaking audiences, the title was changed to _The Icicle Thief_, playing on the English title of De Sica’s film. This title was justified by changing the wording of the English subtitles when the characters talk about some chandeliers and one is stolen. In the original Italian dialogue they are said to sparkle like pearls (_pèrle_) and drops of water (_gocce_), but in the English subtitles, they look “like icicles” (which in Italian would be _ghiaccioli_). ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/49 "2024-06-21T16:00:22Z")
Lots of Agatha Christie’s books had their titles changed when they were released in America. _Lord Edgware Dies_ became _Thirteen at Dinner_. _4:50 from Paddington_ became _What Mrs. MacGillicuddy Saw!_. _Death in the Clouds_ became _Death in the Air_. Even _Murder on the Orient Express_ was originally published in the U.S. as _Murder in the Calais Coach_, although that title change has been largely forgotten. Not surprisingly, wikipedia has a [list](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_works_with_different_titles_in_the_United_Kingdom_and_United_States) of works with different U.K. and U.S. tiles, including movies, TV shows, games, and books. There’s a lot of them. That’s why I can’t get too upset about Harry Potter’s title being changed. Far from being some kind of horrible affront, it’s something that happens all the time. ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/50 "2024-06-21T16:32:35Z")
Several of Wim Wenders’ films were retitled for overseas distribution. _Wings of Desire_’s original German title, _Der Himmel über Berlin,_ means “The Heaven/Sky over Berlin.” _Kings of the Road_ was originally _Im Lauf der Zeit_ (“In The Course of Time”). Some were closer to a literal meaning: _The Wrong Move_ was originally _Falsche Bewegung_ (“False Movement” so no real difference). ---
**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 21, 2024, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/51 "2024-06-21T16:35:10Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > Even _Murder on the Orient Express_ was originally published in the U.S. as _Murder in the Calais Coach_, although that title change has been largely forgotten. Whereas Graham Greene’s _Stomboul Train_ was published in the U.S. as _Orient Express_. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/52 "2024-06-21T17:06:07Z")
I remember years ago seeing a DVD of “The Hangover” in France. Instead of a French title, though, it had the English-language title, “A Very Bad Trip.” ---
**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 21, 2024, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/53 "2024-06-21T17:12:26Z")
**The Man Who Wasn’t There** was likewise released in France as **The Barber**. (Not “Le barbier,” but “The Barber.”) ---
**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 21, 2024, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/54 "2024-06-21T17:13:53Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Here are some non-horror films. I’m not sure these are all for real At least the German examples are valid. And two films mentioned in those articles also had rather strange German titles: Annie Hall - Der Stadtneurotiker (The city neurotic) Once Upon A Time In The West - Spiel mir das Lied vom Tod (Play the song of death to me) “Jaws” was just “Der weiße Hai” (the white shark). “Kiefer” wouldn’t have worked, because it’s ambiguous and means both “jaws” and “pine tree”, so people could have been thinking it was a film about a forest. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/55 "2024-06-21T17:21:21Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Consider the 2008 movie called _Made of Honor_ (or _Made of Honour_ in some English-speaking countries). This is a pun in English between the words maid and made that can’t be literally translated into any other language Or an idiom: _Dog Day Afternoon_ was rendered in some Spanish language markets as “Tarde de Perros” (as in an afternoon fit for dogs) since in many of our lands we have no “Dog Days” idiom. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/56 "2024-06-21T18:53:26Z")
A manga/anime example is _Dungeon Meshi_. The Japanese title (which uses the English word “dungeon”) means something like “dungeon meals” and is about a party of cash-strapped adventurers who save money by eating the monsters they kill instead of bringing along supplies. The English title is _Delicious in Dungeon_, which is a very clumsy way of making it “D&D”. The Spanish title, though, is _Tragones y Mazmorras_, which means something like “gluttons and dungeons” and is only one letter off from the Spanish name for D&D, _Dragones y Mazmorras_. That one’s brilliant. ---
**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 21, 2024, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/57 "2024-06-21T21:01:30Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > The English title is _Delicious in Dungeon_, which is a very clumsy way of making it “D&D”. Surely it could have been called _Dining in Dungeon_. Or _Dungeons and Dining_ (unless that would be too close for Wizards of the Coast/Hasbro). ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/58 "2024-06-21T21:34:45Z")
Back in the 50s, the musical _Damn Yankees_ was changed when it was released in the UK to _What Lola Wants_, since the US title was too rude and jingoistic. Leslie Halliwell’s _The Filmgoers Companion_ has many of these. For instance (US to UK) _The Fortune Cookie_ → _Meet Whiplash Willie_ _The Whole Town’s Talking_ → _Passport to Fame_ _Teenage Caveman_ → _Out of the Darkness_ (UK to US) _Young and Innocent_ → _The Girl was Young_ _Sabotage_ → _A Woman Alone_ _The Quatermass Experiment_ → _The Creeping Unknown_ (Same for the other Quatermass films). _Tomorrow We Live_ → _At Dawn We Die_ _Whiskey Galore_ → _Tight Little Island_ _Cry the Beloved Country_ → _African Fury_ Many of these had their original titles restored. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2024, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/59 "2024-06-22T00:59:13Z")
From what I understand, in Brazil “Teen Wolf” was renamed “The Boy From The Future” in order to capitalize on the INSANE popularity of Back To The Future in Brazil, and to “justify” it they renamed the main character to “Marty” and inserted a line implying this was the same Marty as BTTF. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2024, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/60 "2024-06-22T01:13:02Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > _Whiskey Galore_ → _Tight Little Island_ Well, you gotta admit, the people on that island were pretty tight. 😉 > [@RealityChuck](#): > > Back in the 50s, the musical _Damn Yankees_ was changed when it was released in the UK to _What Lola Wants_, since the US title was too rude and jingoistic. Jingoistic? They didn’t realize “Yankees” refers to the baseball team? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122.md?page=4)