# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2024, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/61 "2024-06-22T02:35:58Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > “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. In French, it was **Les Dents de la Mer** (“The Teeth of the Sea”), which has a certain elegance to it. (Hey, **EinsteinsHund** , thanks for digging this up; I had a major case of the lazies today and just couldn’t get around to it.) 👍 ---
**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 22, 2024, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/62 "2024-06-22T23:33:54Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > > [@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? People in the UK didn’t follow US baseball at the time (1955). I doubt it was mentioned in the press very often. ---
**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, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/63 "2024-06-22T23:57:21Z")
So, what did they think the movie was about? I wouldn’t be surprised if it was not terribly successful. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2024, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/64 "2024-06-23T01:10:27Z")
_Damn Yankees_ was originally a musical on the stage. It was popular in both the U.S. and the U.K. As far as I can tell, the movie was also popular in the U.K. too. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2024, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/65 "2024-06-23T02:02:35Z")
The English translation of Proust’s “A la recherche de temps perdu” was originally called “Remembrance of Things Past”. My wife, who loves the book thinks that is a much better title than the original, although it is now titled “In Search of Lost Time”. ---
**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 23, 2024, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/66 "2024-06-23T02:22:36Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > The English translation of Proust’s “A la recherche de temps perdu” was originally called “Remembrance of Things Past”. My wife, who loves the book thinks that is a much better title than the original I’ve heard [the guy who coined that phrase](https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45091/sonnet-30-when-to-the-sessions-of-sweet-silent-thought) wasn’t half bad at writing. ---
**Author:** ![Xocomil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xocomil/32/14927_2.png) [@Xocomil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xocomil)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2024, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/67 "2024-06-23T05:14:29Z")
The Latin American title is _I Want to Steal the Bride_. In Spain it’s called _My Bride’s Wedding_. The Brazilian title is _The Bride’s Best_ (male) _Friend_. ---
**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 23, 2024, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/68 "2024-06-23T17:12:25Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > So, what did they think the movie was about? I wouldn’t be surprised if it was not terribly successful. The title refers to one of the songs, which was a hit at the time. The original play is a Broadway classic. But it’s not uncommon for the title of the film not make sense until you see it. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2024, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/69 "2024-06-23T17:41:34Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > I wouldn’t be surprised if it was not terribly successful. So you think that nobody there would have known what baseball was? You think that they would have said, “What kind of sport is that? Is it something like cricket or rugby or badminton or tennis? Or that weird sort of football they play there? Or is it a variation of that other B-Ball game they play there? What’s it called - bagball or something?”. The fact that baseball wasn’t played much in the U.K. didn’t mean that they wouldn’t have recognized it from news stories and movies from the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![Moonrise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonrise/32/14764_2.png) [@Moonrise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonrise)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2024, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/70 "2024-06-23T17:47:40Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > In French, it was **Les Dents de la Mer** (“The Teeth of the Sea”), which has a certain elegance to it. The downside is that it sounds identical to _Les Dents de la Mère_ (“The Teeth of the Mother”), which make it seem like a wacky comedy. On the other hand, the literal _Les Mâchoires_ is just silly. ---
**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 23, 2024, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/71 "2024-06-23T19:58:34Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > So you think that nobody there would have known what baseball was? No, I’d have thought lots of people would have understood it, but I thought @RealityChuck was saying that lots wouldn’t. I didn’t live there then (was barely alived when the movie came out), so I don’t know. Maybe I misinterpretted him. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2024, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/72 "2024-06-23T21:40:33Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > The fact that baseball wasn’t played much in the U.K. didn’t mean that they wouldn’t have recognized it from news stories and movies from the U.S. Not to mention the fact that they had a couple million Americans as guests during the Great War and Great War 2: Atomic Boogaloo. Doubtful the GIs got up games of cricket during their downtimes. ---
**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 24, 2024, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/73 "2024-06-24T14:18:02Z")
True, but few in the UK followed the sport or the teams. Most in the UK wouldn’t get the reference. In the other direction, A movie called _The Ashes at Lord’s_ would be incomprehensible to an America audience. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2024, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/74 "2024-06-24T16:29:42Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > So you think that nobody there would have known what baseball was? You think that they would have said, “What kind of sport is that? Is it something like cricket or rugby or badminton or tennis? Of course not. We would look at it, and immediately say, " oh, it’s [Rounders](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rounders). " ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2024, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/75 "2024-06-24T23:52:59Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Most in the UK wouldn’t get the reference. Yes, they would. > [@RealityChuck](#): > > A movie called _The Ashes at Lord’s_ would be incomprehensible to an America audience. No, it wouldn’t. ---
**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 24, 2024, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/76 "2024-06-24T23:57:56Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > > [@RealityChuck](#): > > > > Most in the UK wouldn’t get the reference. > > Yes, they would. > > > [@RealityChuck](#): > > > > A movie called _The Ashes at Lord’s_ would be incomprehensible to an America audience. > > No, it wouldn’t. Maybe for some people on the Dope, but not 90% of Americans. How many Americans follow that sport? Do the results ever appear in the local sports reports? Without looking it up, who won the last time? As for the UK knowing it, maybe today, when MLB games have been played there, but how many would have 60 years ago? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2024, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/77 "2024-06-25T00:09:25Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > > [@RealityChuck](#): > > > > A movie called _The Ashes at Lord’s_ would be incomprehensible to an America audience. > > No, it wouldn’t. _I_ don’t comprehend it. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2024, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/78 "2024-06-25T20:31:52Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Maybe for some people on the Dope, but not 90% of Americans. How many Americans follow that sport? Is Lord’s the place that Ford and Arthur appeared at with a Chesterfield sofa? If so, that’s the only reason that I would know about it. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2024, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/79 "2024-06-30T04:10:33Z")
The James Bond movie _ **License Revoked** _ was retitled _ **License to Kill** _, allegedly because American audiences wouldn’t know what “revoked” means. The Germans retitled _ **Star Trek** _ and _ **Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea** _ as _ **Raumschiff Enterprise** _ and _ **Mission Seaview** _, I guess because that pretty much covers everything on the shows. The awful Russian version of _ **Married … with Children** _ was _ **Happy Together** _, _ **Open All Hours** _ was _ **The 24/7 Pharmacy** _, and _ **Star Trek** _ was _ **The Starry Journey** _. (Oddly enough, it was listed in the Russian TV schedule for New York as _ **The Starry Sector** _ or some such, but this was long before it was shown on TV in Russia.) However, _ **'Allo, 'Allo** _ remained _ **'Allo, 'Allo** _. John Wayne’s _ **Stagecoach** _ became _ **The Journey Will Be Dangerous** _ in Russian. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2024, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/80 "2024-06-30T04:38:55Z")
License to Kill is such a better title though, since it’s an actual line in the Bond films and thus if you saw License To Kill on a theater front you’d instantly know it was a Bond film or at least a spy action film. License Revoked sounds like a teen car comedy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122.md?page=5)