# Simplifying the name for the movie **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 30, 2009, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907 "2009-04-30T23:54:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/41 "2009-05-04T14:54:47Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > In _V for Vendetta_, the Leader’s name was changed from Adam Susan to Adam Sutler in the movie adaptation (presumably because the producers thought that having a girl’s name as his surname would be distractingly silly, or something). Dumbing it down for the movie-going audience. They might not have understood the subtle allusions to Hitler without the guy having a name that kind of sounded the same. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/42 "2009-05-04T15:30:27Z")
A couple more title examples: The first film version of Roald Dahl’s _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_ was called _Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory_. I guess they thought it sounded more whimsical or something. Stephen King’s short story _Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption_ was just _The Shawshank Redemption_ on screen. Nobody still knew who Rita Hayworth was is 1994, I guess? ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/43 "2009-05-04T18:27:31Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > Stephen King’s short story _Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption_ was just _The Shawshank Redemption_ on screen. Nobody still knew who Rita Hayworth was is 1994, I guess? I think it was more that putting Rita Hayworth in the name of the movie would have drawn some extra attention to the poster, which was supposed to be a major reveal at the end. Of course, I haven’t read the short story, so I don’t know how that might have figured there. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/44 "2009-05-04T18:32:51Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > Stephen King’s short story _Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption_ was just _The Shawshank Redemption_ on screen. Nobody still knew who Rita Hayworth was is 1994, I guess? Rita Hayworth was clearly identified in the film. I think they just thought that the shortened version sounded a whole lot better- which it does. _Rita Hayworth & the Shawshank Redemption_ sounds like a neighborhood jam band or something. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/45 "2009-05-04T19:28:28Z")
> [@](#): > > That one pegged my irony meter pretty high. If it had been called “philosopher’s stone” I might have been interested in reading it, but Sorceror’s stone absolutely did not speak to me at all. Oh, absolutely. The first time I read it, halfway through the book when we finally learn what the Sorcerer’s Stone is, I literally blurted out loud “Well why didn’t they call it the Philosopher’s Stone to begin with!?” It doesn’t even make sense: Sure, a lot of Americans don’t know what the Philosopher’s Stone is, but _nobody_ knows what the Sorcerer’s Stone is. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/46 "2009-05-04T19:34:27Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > It doesn’t even make sense: Sure, a lot of Americans don’t know what the Philosopher’s Stone is,out loud "Wel but _nobody_ knows what the Sorcerer’s Stone is. Sure we do, it’s that stone the boy in the Disney film pulls the sword out of… or was that Mickey with the buckets doing the work? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/47 "2009-05-04T19:59:48Z")
OK, **ShibbOleth** , I just have to know how you copied and pasted that quote to mangle it the way you did. How did the ‘out loud "Wel’ sneak in there? ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/48 "2009-05-04T22:36:51Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Oh, absolutely. The first time I read it, halfway through the book when we finally learn what the Sorcerer’s Stone is, I literally blurted out loud “Well why didn’t they call it the Philosopher’s Stone to begin with!?” It doesn’t even make sense: Sure, a lot of Americans don’t know what the Philosopher’s Stone is, but _nobody_ knows what the Sorcerer’s Stone is. I felt that way too. There must be a lot of children who wouldn’t recognize the term “Philosopher’s Stone” (although it would likely be familiar to many fantasy readers), but NO ONE would recognize the term “Sorcerer’s Stone”. If given the choice between two terms that are going to be meaningless to many children anyway, why not go with the one that they could at least look up in the dictionary or encyclopedia if they wanted to? It does amuse me to think about substituting the word “sorcerer” for “philosophy” in other contexts, though. 🙂 I fondly remember my favorite Sorcery professor in college… ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/49 "2009-05-05T01:00:54Z")
Continuing the sort-of hijack on movie titles, I liked how the book Rocket Boys was made into a movie called October Sky, an anagram of the original title. I don’t know if it was deliberate though. ---
**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:** [May 5, 2009, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/50 "2009-05-05T01:10:50Z")
Yes, the title change to **October Sky** was deliberate – they didn’t want it to sound like a science fiction movie. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/51 "2009-05-05T01:19:33Z")
No, I meant I wondered whether they were consciously making an anagram or it was a coincidence. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/52 "2009-05-05T03:38:11Z")
Continuing with the book-to-movie title change, _Fried Green Tomatoes At The Whistle Stop Cafe_ became simply, _Fried Green Tomatoes_. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/53 "2009-05-05T06:18:40Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > I don’t know this for a fact, but I strongly suspect this resulted from romanizing the Japanese pronunciation of “Michael”. Doesn’t seem particularly likely, since the ‘mi’ and ‘mar’ would be rendered as ‘mai’ and ‘maa’/‘maru’ respectively. Only one character difference, but none of the characters are likely to be confused for each other, in the process of transliteration. (i イ a ア ru　ル) Michael could only become Markl through deliberate change or a consistent transcription error (unless he was only named once in the entire thing, in which case a single transcription error could do it) - the latter seems far less likely than the former. Looking it up, Markl is also younger than Michael, so it’s entirely possible they’re not meant as the same character at all, but simply play the same role. ---
**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:** [May 5, 2009, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/54 "2009-05-05T14:09:51Z")
> [@](#): > > No, I meant I wondered whether they were consciously making an anagram or it was a coincidence. It would be an unbelievable coincidence if it just happened to work out to be a perfect anagram. Besides, a friend of mine interviewed Hickham, and he acknowledged that they made it an anagram on purpose. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/55 "2009-05-05T14:43:29Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Yes, the title change to **October Sky** was deliberate – they didn’t want it to sound like a science fiction movie. Which is ironic because when I see that title I immediately think of _Vanilla Sky_, (which, in another layer of irony, sounds more like a science fiction title than the original “Open Your Eyes.”) ---
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/56 "2009-05-05T17:44:09Z")
In the book versions of Dune, Paul Atreides had three names. Paul Atreides, Muad’dib, and Usul. I beleive Usul was somehow his “true” spiritual name, or something like that, and Muad’dib was simlpy a title. In the Sci-Fi channel version, they skip Usul altogether. My brain starts to short-circuit every time I think about the Lynch version, so I can’t remember if they included it there or not. ---
**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:** [May 5, 2009, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/57 "2009-05-05T17:47:29Z")
> [@](#): > > so I can’t remember if they included it there or not. Very definitely. They have multiple runnings of Sean Young as Chani saying the line **Tell me of your Home World, Usual** , which is signidficant in the book. ---
**Author:** ![johnspartan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a183cd/32.png) [@johnspartan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnspartan)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/58 "2009-05-05T18:07:30Z")
Q: “What do they call the original Star Trek in China?” A: “Mr. Sulu, Master Navigator” ---
**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:** [May 5, 2009, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/59 "2009-05-05T18:07:51Z")
> [@crazyjoe](#): > > In the book versions of Dune, Paul Atreides had three names. Paul Atreides, Muad’dib, and Usul. I beleive Usul was somehow his “true” spiritual name, or something like that, and Muad’dib was simlpy a title FWIW, > [@Wikipedia](#): > > In _Dune_, when Paul Atreides is accepted into the Fremen he is given the secret “sietch name” (known only to his tribe) Usul, the Fremen word meaning “the base of the pillar.” Paul takes “Muad’Dib” as his chosen name of manhood, to be used openly… > > Paul is reluctant to throw away his full past and get rid of the full name his father gave him, which is why he first wishes to be called Paul-Muad’Dib. Also, he hopes that by keeping the name his father gave him, he can prevent the mass slaughter that will occur later in his name. Unfortunately, this name is soon forgotten by the Fremen and becomes simply “Muad’Dib”. [cite](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muad%27dib) ---
**Author:** ![Umbriel2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/4af34b/32.png) [@Umbriel2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Umbriel2)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2009, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907/60 "2009-05-05T18:19:23Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > The first film version of Roald Dahl’s _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_ was called _Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory_. I guess they thought it sounded more whimsical or something. I’d heard that this was kind of “product placement” driven. [The Willie Wonka name had been licensed to a candy company](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Willy_Wonka_Candy_Company) as a symbiotic tie-in to the first film, and the title change was intended to enhance the value of that name by making it more prominant. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simplifying-the-name-for-the-movie/494907.md?page=4)