# Why do films sometimes have different names in different parts of the English speaking world? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 11, 2011, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-films-sometimes-have-different-names-in-different-parts-of-the-english-speaking-world/595962 "2011-09-11T18:44:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-films-sometimes-have-different-names-in-different-parts-of-the-english-speaking-world/595962/21 "2011-09-12T13:16:50Z")
Airplane was renamed Flying High for Australia, presumably because we use the word Aeroplane, but the same is true of the UK and it wasn’t renamed there. 13 Going On 30 was renamed Suddenly 30 because “distributors thought audiences would misunderstand the original title”, or so says IMDB. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-films-sometimes-have-different-names-in-different-parts-of-the-english-speaking-world/595962/22 "2011-09-12T14:03:50Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > I hadn’t thought about it but the answer to my question, when it’s not a clear case that there’s a cultural reason might be as simple that some executive presumes that the original title is too cryptic for the non-local audience, without actually knowing whether it is. > > I was interested to hear that a recent Irish film, The Guard, _didn’t_ have its name changed on release abroad. Here the title clearly means “The Cop/Policeman” which many in Britain probably would know but I’m not too sure if too many Americans would get it? To my ears, “The Guard” - could be someone like a palace/ceremonial guard, or a security guard, but not a police officer. No USAer would ever call a professional police officer a “Guard” – actually it could be a bit of an insult (as in “mall security guard” "guard can refer to someone with less training than a proper police officer, who, in popular opinion, might be prone to ineptitude or idiocy). My Irish friends told me the horrible Bredan Fraser comedy “Encino Man” was called “California Man” in Ireland. Americans would know that Encino was a place in Southern California, my Irish friends did not. So that’s an example that makes sense to me. “Encino” communicates something clearly to Americans but not to Irish people. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-films-sometimes-have-different-names-in-different-parts-of-the-english-speaking-world/595962/23 "2011-09-12T14:28:57Z")
There was THE MADNESS OF GEORGE III which got changed to THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE in the US, because (1) Americans only know about one King George (not including Steinbrenner) and (2) that being the case, marketers were worried that people would think it was a sequel (I’m not sure if #2 is true; it’s something I’ve heard but it kind of smells like an urban legend). ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-films-sometimes-have-different-names-in-different-parts-of-the-english-speaking-world/595962/24 "2011-09-12T15:22:55Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > I suspect that the name _The Guard_ didn’t get changed just because the American distributor couldn’t think of any better name. I suspect that the reason it wasn’t changed is that _The Guard_ is being marketed in the U.S. as an art film and being shown in theaters where the patrons are used to seeing foreign films and are either (1) more likely to catch on to the meaning of “guard” intended (especially after seeing the preview) or (2) not as likely to be put off by a usage that they don’t immediately understand. The relevant consumer market is different from movies marketed to broader audiences. ---
**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:** [September 12, 2011, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-films-sometimes-have-different-names-in-different-parts-of-the-english-speaking-world/595962/25 "2011-09-12T15:54:11Z")
> [@Mogle](#): > > They did the same thing with movies directed by Mel Brooks, many of them got the titles changed to ‘Det våras för…’(Springtime for…), I have no idea why or how it how it got started. Probably in reference to the song in **The Producers** , “Springtime for Hitler.” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-films-sometimes-have-different-names-in-different-parts-of-the-english-speaking-world/595962/26 "2011-09-12T17:43:30Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > Captain America - The First Avenger In a number of countries, it was simply released as “The First Avenger”. ---
**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:** [September 12, 2011, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-films-sometimes-have-different-names-in-different-parts-of-the-english-speaking-world/595962/27 "2011-09-12T18:29:14Z")
In the 1970’s, the BBC changed the name of the show Top Cat to Boss Cat. This was because there was a brand of cat food on sale at the time called Top Cat, and the BBC wanted to avoid anything that could be mistaken for product placement. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-films-sometimes-have-different-names-in-different-parts-of-the-english-speaking-world/595962/28 "2011-09-12T19:24:01Z")
I am from the US, and I didn’t even know what White Castle was until after the movie. Before seeing it, I probably thought it was some amusement park or something. I think for some time after seeing it, I still thought it was a fictional place. See also, _Because of Winn-Dixie_, although I’ve been to one of those once. I don’t have any examples handy, but don’t they sometime change a name when localizing because there already exists a movie with the same name? I feel there was a recent one like that… ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-films-sometimes-have-different-names-in-different-parts-of-the-english-speaking-world/595962/29 "2011-09-12T20:04:30Z")
I used to laugh at the ridiculous name changes from English to German for film titles. Often, when I was living in Berlin, a film I wanted to see would come and go in German movie theaters because I had no idea that stupid German title was the film I wanted to see. I found a link with some [film titles changes from English to German](http://www.moviefans.de/specials/filmtitel/) - those of you who speak a smattering of German might find some of these changes amusing. I believe “Airplane!” was called “Flying High” in Australia. Perhaps the word “airplane” is too difficult for Aussies to understand? Maybe “Aeroplane!” would have worked? ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-films-sometimes-have-different-names-in-different-parts-of-the-english-speaking-world/595962/30 "2011-09-12T21:00:46Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > There was THE MADNESS OF GEORGE III which got changed to THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE in the US, because (1) Americans only know about one King George (not including Steinbrenner) and (2) that being the case, marketers were worried that people would think it was a sequel (I’m not sure if #2 is true; it’s something I’ve heard but it kind of smells like an urban legend). This is not even an urban myth. It’s a joke that some people didn’t get. * * * Movies get retitled a lot, without crossing borders. _Ace in the Hole_ got retitled as _The Big Carnival_ and then reverted to its original title. I wish I could remember the film name, but I watched something on cable a couple weeks ago. I went to IMDb to look it up and it wasn’t there! Odd. So I searched based on the actors and found it under another title. They didn’t even list the alternate title. I’ve seen old movies (usually el cheapo ones) that have 3 or more titles listed. Why make a new movie for the drive in crowd when you can release one of your old ones with a new title? And whatever happened to that _Star Wars_ film anyway? I don’t see it at Blockbuster. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-films-sometimes-have-different-names-in-different-parts-of-the-english-speaking-world/595962/31 "2011-09-12T21:45:18Z")
Despite it not having been mentioned yet, I suspect that the largest number of name changes when going from English to English is due to local trademarks. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-films-sometimes-have-different-names-in-different-parts-of-the-english-speaking-world/595962/32 "2011-09-12T22:23:59Z")
> [@Mogle](#): > > Planet of the Apes is an old franchise, so consistency was probable a contributing factor in that particular case. But, weirdly, the 2001 Planet of the Apes film did get a translated title, Apornas planet. In fact, the recent box set of five original Planet of the Apes films not only has a translated title for the box set but for each of the individual films: > **[Köp TV-apparater, hörlurar och Hi-Fi-utrustning från oss | Webhallen](https://www.webhallen.com/se/section/5-TV-Ljud-Bild)** ---
**Author:** ![eclectic\_wench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ac91a4/32.png) [@eclectic\_wench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eclectic_wench)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2011, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-films-sometimes-have-different-names-in-different-parts-of-the-english-speaking-world/595962/33 "2011-09-12T22:59:32Z")
In Italy they translate most film titles, but they’re usually not exact translations (‘Dead Poets Society’ was ‘L’Attimo Fuggente’, which translates back as ‘The Fleeting Moment’). The one I still can’t get over is ‘Down By Law’. Clearly the translators could not figure out what this phrase meant, couldn’t come up with an alternative, and finally they all wanted to go home and they just went Fuck it. The called the thing ‘Daunbiló’, which is a transliteration of ‘Down By Law’ and means absolutely _nothing_. Twenty-odd years later, this still makes my whole brain go ‘WTF?!!’ ---
**Author:** ![Mogle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mogle/32/12021_2.png) [@Mogle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mogle)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2011, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-films-sometimes-have-different-names-in-different-parts-of-the-english-speaking-world/595962/34 "2011-09-13T08:16:51Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > But, weirdly, the 2001 Planet of the Apes film did get a translated title, Apornas planet. > > In fact, the recent box set of five original Planet of the Apes films not only has a translated title for the box set but for each of the individual films: > > [http://www.webhallen.com/film/blu-ray/116963-apornas\_planet-box\_5\_st\_filmer](http://www.webhallen.com/film/blu-ray/116963-apornas_planet-box_5_st_filmer) Now you’re confusing me, isn’t that what I said? The titles of the old movies got translated, so the new one was translated too. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2011, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-films-sometimes-have-different-names-in-different-parts-of-the-english-speaking-world/595962/35 "2011-09-13T08:23:26Z")
> [@Mogle](#): > > Now you’re confusing me, isn’t that what I said? The titles of the old movies got translated, so the new one was translated too. 😕 Yeah, you did. I confused myself. In my defence, it was a bit late and I’d had a particularly strenuous Lindy Hop lesson. ---
**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:** [September 13, 2011, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-films-sometimes-have-different-names-in-different-parts-of-the-english-speaking-world/595962/36 "2011-09-13T08:45:23Z")
Acsenray writes: \> I suspect that the reason it wasn’t changed is that The Guard is being \> marketed in the U.S. as an art film and being shown in theaters where the \> patrons are used to seeing foreign films and are either (1) more likely to catch \> on to the meaning of “guard” intended (especially after seeing the preview) or \> (2) not as likely to be put off by a usage that they don’t immediately \> understand. The relevant consumer market is different from movies marketed to \> broader audiences. That’s true, but it’s consistent with my explanation, which was that the distributors couldn’t think of a better name. What else could it be called? It might be called _The Policeman_ or _The Police_, since that’s the equivalent in the U.S. of _The Guard_, but either one of those would be a rather boring name. What else? _The Corrupt Irish Cop Who Wasn’t As Bad As the Other Corrupt Irish Cops_? _The Big Shootout in Western Ireland_? _Drug Running in Ireland_? Any other name I can come up with is boring or bizarre or stupid. The distributors may have thought about all those names and finally said, “We might as well stick with the original name, since we can’t think of any better name.” ---
**Author:** ![maggenpye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@maggenpye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maggenpye)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2011, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-films-sometimes-have-different-names-in-different-parts-of-the-english-speaking-world/595962/37 "2011-09-13T08:53:42Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > I wish I could remember the film name, but I watched something on cable a couple weeks ago. I went to IMDb to look it up and it wasn’t there! Odd. So I searched based on the actors and found it under another title. They didn’t even list the alternate title. This happened to me over the weekend. If Richard Thomas (John Boy’s still acting! Aww, nice) hadn’t been in it, I’d never have found that it was called _Time After Time_ or _Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow_ depending on which site I looked at. Silly movie BTW. Might have got better after I stopped watching, but I doubt it. ---
**Author:** ![6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e19adc/32.png) [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2011, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-films-sometimes-have-different-names-in-different-parts-of-the-english-speaking-world/595962/38 "2011-09-13T09:07:35Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > I believe “Airplane!” was called “Flying High” in Australia. Perhaps the word “airplane” is too difficult for Aussies to understand? :rolleyes: More likely, “Airplane!” sounds like a disaster movie (like “Airport '75” and “Airport 77”);“Flying High” is a better title for a comedy. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2011, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-films-sometimes-have-different-names-in-different-parts-of-the-english-speaking-world/595962/39 "2011-09-13T09:14:51Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > I used to laugh at the ridiculous name changes from English to German for film titles. Often, when I was living in Berlin, a film I wanted to see would come and go in German movie theaters because I had no idea that stupid German title was the film I wanted to see. > > I found a link with some [film titles changes from English to German](http://www.moviefans.de/specials/filmtitel/) - those of you who speak a smattering of German might find some of these changes amusing. My favorite, most nonsensical example from that list has always been “Zwei glorreiche Halunken” for “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”. It means “ **Two** glorious scoundrels”, which misses the point on so many levels, the most obvious being the fact that the whole movie revolves around the back and forth between \*\*three \*\*protagonists, none of which is portrayed as having any lick of glory. Whoever chose that title had obviously never watched the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2011, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-films-sometimes-have-different-names-in-different-parts-of-the-english-speaking-world/595962/40 "2011-09-13T10:31:03Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > That’s true, but it’s consistent with my explanation, which was that the distributors couldn’t think of a better name. What else could it be called? My point was that I doubt they ever even considered changing the title. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-films-sometimes-have-different-names-in-different-parts-of-the-english-speaking-world/595962.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-films-sometimes-have-different-names-in-different-parts-of-the-english-speaking-world/595962.md?page=3)