What's the first subtitled film you ever saw?

Cafe Society
41

First subtitled film was probably a Chaplin.

For foreign language movies, I think it was Seven Samurai.

42

I think that would be considered “captioned” rather than “subtitled.”

43

Babette’s Feast which was a good foreign film to start out on I think.

44

Oh, gack! I HATED that movie as a kid, and we were, for some ungodly reason, forced to watch it at least once a year while the teacher sniffled quietly in the background. I got sent to the principal’s office once for raising my hand and asking why we were watching Christian allegory in a public school. (Note: I’ve not seen anyone else claim that it’s Christian allegory, but in my book any “friend” that hovers around you when your parents and school and friends don’t like him, then they destroy him but he’s magically reborn because of the strength of his love for you…close enough for horseshoes.)

But yeah, that’d be the first officially subtitled film I watched.

Then Das Boot, with my dad, but I had no feckin’ clue what was going on.

In high school, I watched *Jean De Florette *and Manon Of The Spring, of course, but our French teacher taped a piece of paper over the English subtitles so we had to watch it in French. I thought that was pretty clever, and it really wasn’t hard to follow after a few minutes. But it still was technically watching a movie with subtitles - I just didn’t watch the subtitles.

The first movie I chose to watch and utilized the subtitles was probably City of Lost Children.

45

Actually, now I think of it Chaplin films used intertitles, so the point is moot.

46

I can’t remember for sure, but I think it may have been La Cage aux Folles.

47

Probably François Truffaut’s Day for Night (1973), although I don’t recall if I saw it subtitled or dubbed. If not that, then Fellini’s Amarcord (1973), relesed in the U.S. in 1974. I was a young cineaste, so subtitles didn’t bother me.

48

Olympia (1938), directed by Leni Riefenstahl. Despite common belief, the film was commissioned by the International Olympic Committee, not the German government.

49

Probably Yin shi nan nu, or Eat Drink Man Woman.