# 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:** 19\ **Page:** 8
**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:** [August 4, 2024, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/141 "2024-08-04T02:21:18Z")
In keeping with the Internet’s Rule 34, you might want to Google _ **Sex Trek** _ and _ **Sex Trek: The Next Penetration** _, where you can watch episodes like “Charlie XXX” and “Where No Man Has Cum Before” in the privacy of your own home. ---
**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:** [August 4, 2024, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/142 "2024-08-04T20:26:51Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > Morgan ist Gestern - Tomorrow is Yesterday - very straightforward > Tödliche Spiele auf Gothos - Deadly Games of Gothos - pretty obvious > Pokerspiele - Poker (Corbomite Maneuver) - ok > Horta rettet ihre Kinder - The Horta saves her children - kind of a giveaway! Notlandung auf Galileo 7 - Emergency Landing On Galileo 7 - Erm, no. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2024, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/143 "2024-08-04T20:40:09Z")
I think “auf” can also mean “in” which is closer. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2024, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/144 "2024-08-04T21:03:19Z")
In the audio commentary on my DVD of the 1960 Ocean’s Eleven, Angie Dickinson said that the title was changed in Italy to La Culpa Grosso. > [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > I’m going to watch some football now, but later I will chime in to talk about High Noon → Solo ante el peligro, North by Northwest → Con la muerte en los talones (ES) / Intriga internacional (Latin America), Once upon a time in the West → Spiel mir das Lied vom Tod, and similar things. They are many, some quite intriguing. > Of course titles get changed, because producers are weird and distributers are crazy. And sometimes because they simply don’t understand the original title. I just recently learned that North By Northwest was retitled (presumably in France) La Mort Aux Trousses (The Death of Kits). Do you know what this means? ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2024, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/145 "2024-08-04T21:16:52Z")
> [@F.U.Shakespeare](#): > > I just recently learned that North By Northwest was retitled (presumably in France) La Mort Aux Trousses (The Death of Kits). Do you know what this means? Google translates that to “Death by Hunting”, which makes a bit more sense. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2024, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/146 "2024-08-04T21:18:01Z")
The same as the Spanish title: (With the) Death at his Heels. I guess the translators copied from one another in the European circuit, probably the Spanish copied from the French. ETA: I see in Italian it was translated as _Intrigo internazionale_: The International Intrigue, like in South America. Although the film was set in the USA, the most famous scene being in Mount Rushmore, and I don’t remember any international bit in the plot. > [@Manduck](#): > > Google translates that to “Death by Hunting”, which makes a bit more sense. Google, as usual, is off by a mile. [DeepL](https://www.deepl.com/en/translator) is better. Not good enough, but better. ---
**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:** [August 4, 2024, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/147 "2024-08-04T22:20:44Z")
Nitpick: The article isn’t needed in the English title. _ **International Intrigue** _ will suffice. I haven’t seen the movie in years, but I seem to recall that James Mason and his crew were Soviet agents. They were planning to fly from Mt Rushmore to the USSR. (Their B-36 was presumably parked just outside their lodge.) ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2024, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/148 "2024-08-04T23:14:10Z")
Right after Thornhill is framed for killing Lester Townsend at the UN, the U.S. spymaster (Leo G. Carroll) et al are meeting. There is a shot outside the window of a partially hidden sign which reads something like “United States \*\*\*\*\*\*\* Intelligence Agency”. Later, Carroll hints to Roger Thornhill that Van Damm (Mason) was selling “government secrets” without naming a customer, but follows up with a reference to the Cold War. Later still, as Thornhill and Eve Kendall are escaping, Thornhill refers to the art object containing the microfilm as “the pumpkin”, a reference to U.S. diplomat/Soviet spy Alger Hiss’s hiding secret documents in a hollowed-out pumpkin. Come to think of it, the hints that it’s Iron Curtain spying are pretty obscure, especially to non-U.S. audiences. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2024, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/149 "2024-08-04T23:14:56Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Notlandung auf Galileo 7 - DeepL translates “Emergency Landing in the Galileo Seven” as “Notlandung auf der Galileo Seven” ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2024, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/150 "2024-08-05T19:21:12Z")
According to Wiki the film **Casablanca** was renamed to **Spy** in China which really makes no sense, were there ANY spies in the movie? Victor Laszlo is rather openly a resistance leader who’s already escaped from a concentration camp which is why the Nazi’s are openly threatening to kill him. ---
**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:** [August 6, 2024, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/151 "2024-08-06T03:07:00Z")
Maybe they think Rick is an American sleeper agent who’s activated on 7 December. ---
**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:** [August 6, 2024, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/152 "2024-08-06T08:51:33Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > The same as the Spanish title: (With the) Death at his Heels. Yeah, I would translate _La Mort aux Trousses_ as “Death on your tail/at your heels” I suspect the “kit” mentioned above refers to this other meaning of trousse : [![](https://www.hema.com/dw/image/v2/BBRK_PRD/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-HEMA-master-catalog/default/dwc77e4286/product/14440073_01_001.jpg?sw=1600&sfrm=png&bgcolor=FFFFFF) ](https://www.hema.com/dw/image/v2/BBRK_PRD/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-HEMA-master-catalog/default/dwc77e4286/product/14440073_01_001.jpg?sw=1600&sfrm=png&bgcolor=FFFFFF) That would be a _very_ different film… ---
**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:** [August 6, 2024, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/153 "2024-08-06T10:03:26Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > > [@terentii](#): > > > > The Germans retitled _ **Star Trek** _ and _ **Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea** _ as _ **Raumschiff Enterprise** _ > > The German episode titles were sometimes a straightforward translation and sometimes, not My “Twilight Zone complete collection” box set is a German edition, and this same premise holds true. Sometimes it’s the same, or close enough. For example, “Time Enough at Last” (the famous episode with Burgess Meredith as the compulsive reader who survives a nuclear holocaust in a bank vault) is titled “Alle Zeit der Welt” (literally “all the time in the world,” which is also a quote in the episode). “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” becomes “Die Monster der Maple Street,” literally “the monsters of Maple Street,” which is simplified and less poetic but essentially equivalent. “A Game of Pool,” the one with Jack Klugman wishing for the chance to prove himself against a deceased champion, is called “Eine Runde Billard” — “a round of billiards.” But sometimes the original poetic name is changed to a different but still interestingly ambiguous title. “The After Hours,” the episode about the woman lost in the department store who discovers something creepy about the mannequins, becomes “Goldfingerhut,” literally “gold thimble,” which means something only after you know the story. Or “Eye of the Beholder,” the one about the woman having undergone surgery to become beautiful, with the famous twist ending, is retitled “der Fluch der Schönheit,” i.e. “the curse of beauty.” Occasionally the new title is just bluntly literal, often because the nuance in the original doesn’t translate. “To Serve Man” (it’s a cookbook!) is retitled “Das Buch der Kanamiter,” i.e. “the book of the Kanamits,” the aliens in the story. “The Obsolete Man,” the one with Burgess Meredith (again) as a librarian making his case for relevance against totalitarian oppression, is called “Einer gegen den Staat,” i.e. “one against the state.” The one with Shatner looking out his airplane window, “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,” is renamed “Porträt eines ängstlichen Mannes,” i.e. “portrait of a terrified man.” And speaking of Shatner, the one where he and his wife drop coins into a fortune-telling machine in a diner, “Nick of Time,” is retitled “Ein Penny für die Zukunft,” i.e. “a penny for the future.” Often, though, the alternative name strays toward giving away the twist. “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up,” the one with the people stuck in the diner trying to guess which of them might be an alien, is named “Einer zuveil,” which means “one too many.” There’s “Five Characters in Search of an Exit,” about the motley collection of strangers trapped in a round cell, which becomes “Ein Zylinder für fünf,” i.e. “a cylinder for five.” Or “Third from the Sun,” about the scientists plotting to save themselves from nuclear destruction by escaping the planet, is called “Und der Name sei Erde,” i.e. “and the name will be Earth.” The episode “Probe 7, Over and Out” starts with a crash-landed astronaut, but I don’t even need to translate the German title “Adam und Eva” for you to predict the twist. Every now and then, the alternative title is actually really cool, and has a resonance of its own beyond the original. “It’s a Good Life,” the famous episode about the all-powerful child who terrorizes his isolated town, is given the name “Die lächelnde Stadt” — “the smiling city.” That one, I actually really like. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2024, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/154 "2024-08-06T10:32:59Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > The one with Shatner looking out his airplane window, “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,” is renamed “Porträt eines ängstlichen Mannes,” i.e. “portrait of a terrified man.” I think “Portrait of a terrified man” are the first words spoken by Serling in that episode > [@Cervaise](#): > > Every now and then, the alternative title is actually really cool, and has a resonance of its own beyond the original. “It’s a Good Life,” the famous episode about the all-powerful child who terrorizes his isolated town, is given the name “Die lächelnde Stadt” — “the smiling city.” That one, I actually really like. That is good! ---
**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:** [August 6, 2024, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/155 "2024-08-06T10:45:39Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > I think “Portrait of a terrified man” are the first words spoken by Serling in that episode Just checked, and wow, you’re right! It’s “frightened,” not “terrified,” but close enough. Good memory. ---
**Author:** ![icon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c6cbf5/32.png) [@icon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/icon)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2024, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/156 "2024-08-06T12:45:55Z")
I’m surprised no one has mentioned the Studio Ghibli film **Castle in the Sky** which in Japanese is actually sky castle laputa. For reasons that are obvious to Spanish speakers, they changed the name for the US Market. In Japan the animated movie **Big Hero 6** is referred to as **Baymax** which is appropriate given the prominence of that character in the movie. **Wreck-it Ralph** is named as **Sugar Rush** , and **The Wolverine** is **Wolverine: Samurai**. A lot of the changes are so they can be more easily pronounced though that last one was definitely to appeal to the Japanese market. `//i\\` ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2024, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/157 "2024-08-06T16:17:32Z")
Saw it over Memorial Day weekend ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2024, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/158 "2024-08-06T16:29:26Z")
How exactly does the TO SERVE MAN pun work at the end of the episode then in German if it wasn’t worth changing the title for? ---
**Author:** ![Iori\_Yagami](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iori_yagami/32/17461_2.png) [@Iori\_Yagami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iori_Yagami)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122/159 "2024-08-21T15:25:56Z")
Oh yeah the whole thing is insanely common in post-soviet states. Like, I really hate you can’t sometimes find the original name if the movie was dubbed in Russian. ‘Die hard’ was translateed as ‘Tough Nut’. No, really. 😆 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-a-movies-title-for-a-foreign-audience/1003122.md?page=7)