# Is the Movie "Babel" supposed to be subtitled? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 20, 2008, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-movie-babel-supposed-to-be-subtitled/434297 "2008-01-20T22:00:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![newcrasher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b3f665/32.png) [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2008, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-movie-babel-supposed-to-be-subtitled/434297/1 "2008-01-20T22:00:43Z")
I downloaded the movie Babel online. Most of it is not in english. Is the movie supposed to be subtitled for an english audience? If not, I can accept it and approach the movie trying to pick up non-language nuances. But if it is supposed to be subtitled, I may be missing alot of the plot. ---
**Author:** ![newcrasher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b3f665/32.png) [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2008, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-movie-babel-supposed-to-be-subtitled/434297/2 "2008-01-20T22:07:07Z")
Dear Lord if subtitles make it any more depressing forget it… ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Fionn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fionn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fionn)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2008, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-movie-babel-supposed-to-be-subtitled/434297/3 "2008-01-20T22:19:24Z")
The parts that weren’t in English were subtitled on the DVD I watched. It probably would have been subtitled further, or differently, for release in non-English-speaking countries. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2008, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-movie-babel-supposed-to-be-subtitled/434297/4 "2008-01-21T03:21:12Z")
Yep, the Japan release was subtitled in all the non-Japanese parts. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2008, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-movie-babel-supposed-to-be-subtitled/434297/5 "2008-01-21T03:50:59Z")
The subtitles can be summarized thus: “Ethnic people do stupid things and ruin a couple of obnoxious rich white people’s exotic vacation.” It’s basically an American Express commercial without the happy ending. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2008, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-movie-babel-supposed-to-be-subtitled/434297/6 "2008-01-21T03:56:15Z")
I had a problem with the DVD - it is not flagged correctly. My player turned on subtitle track 1, which contains “all” subtitles, including English. I didn’t want English subtitles so turned them off. Only after the first few (unintelligible) scenes did I figure out there was another subtitle track that had everything except the English subtitled. It made the movie marginally better. After it was over I started wondering if it would have been more poignant without the subtitles. Although I didn’t hate it as much as \*\*lissener \*\* obviously did… ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2008, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-movie-babel-supposed-to-be-subtitled/434297/7 "2008-01-21T04:01:37Z")
[QUOTE=lissener] It’s basically an American Express commercial without the happy ending. [/QUOTE] But _with_ full frontal Japanese lolita hotness. If you’re into that sort of thing. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2008, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-movie-babel-supposed-to-be-subtitled/434297/8 "2008-01-21T07:40:09Z")
[QUOTE=KneadToKnow] But _with_ full frontal Japanese lolita hotness. If you’re into that sort of thing. [/QUOTE] My wife and I were commenting as we watched it “she gets an Oscar nomination just for flashing her crotch at everyone?” I guess now we know what the nomination committee is into.