Deaf Crocodile

[swo17]

Hmmm...I only spot checked this disc to see that the image was a vast improvement. I also noticed a glaring error in one of the first subtitles for Ashkan but that's the least of that disc's problems. (The only available transfer drops every 25th frame, which they were at least up front about at the start of the presentation.) Still glad to have supported this release though

[criterionsnob]

I wasn't sure if it was a choice of the filmmaker, or a literal translation that comes across strangely in English. It didn't bother me as much as it did my partner.

[therewillbeblus]

Hmmm...I only spot checked this disc to see that the image was a vast improvement. I also noticed a glaring error in one of the first subtitles for Ashkan but that's the least of that disc's problems.

Is it at least a decipherable misprint of an accurate translation, or is the translation wrong? I’d like to support the release too, but if it’s going to be a consistently poorer/diluted translation, I’d rather just watch them with corrected subs on other channels

[swo17]

I don't speak Persian so...

[gcgiles1dollarbin]

Hmmm...I only spot checked this disc to see that the image was a vast improvement. I also noticed a glaring error in one of the first subtitles for Ashkan but that's the least of that disc's problems.

Is it at least a decipherable misprint of an accurate translation, or is the translation wrong? I’d like to support the release too, but if it’s going to be a consistently poorer/diluted translation, I’d rather just watch them with corrected subs on other channels

From what I could tell on Kanopy, it looked like the second lines of the subtitles were literally cut off, even though the characters are not being interrupted in the film. You have to intuit how they might complete those sentences. Sometimes it's clear through context; other times you just have to shrug and move on. It happens a bunch of times, although not consistently throughout the film. For the bulk of it, it's problem-free, only bordering on deeply frustrating in certain conversations, and the translations themselves are literate English--they just get weirdly broken off now and then. It seems to be a technical error rather than a problem with the translation itself, if I had to guess.

[therewillbeblus]

Thanks for detailing it, that’s helpful

[brundlefly]

From what I could tell on Kanopy, it looked like the second lines of the subtitles were literally cut off, even though the characters are not being interrupted in the film. You have to intuit how they might complete those sentences. Sometimes it's clear through context; other times you just have to shrug and move on. It happens a bunch of times, although not consistently throughout the film. For the bulk of it, it's problem-free, only bordering on deeply frustrating in certain conversations, and the translations themselves are literate English--they just get weirdly broken off now and then. It seems to be a technical error rather than a problem with the translation itself, if I had to guess.

Is Deaf Crocodile too small to handle a disc replacement program for a QC error, then?

[gcgiles1dollarbin]

I can't speak to that, but there is the remote possibility, as suggested above, that I'm just wrong, and the dialogue is actually being spoken that way. Like swo17, I don't speak Farsi. It is a pretty unconventional film, after all (and even though I struggled at times with the subtitles, I was pretty crazy about the film overall, an amazing achievement, just to underscore other peoples' enthusiasm to support releases like this one). I doubt it's intentional, but I also doubt it will keep me from buying this.

[therewillbeblus]

Personally I find poor translations(i.e. simplified speech that doesn’t sound like the way people actually talk) to be more egregious than lazily misprinted dialog (i.e. “I tookmy dog to park”) so this news may just keep me from buying this..

[Glowingwabbit]

Personally I find poor translations(i.e. simplified speech that doesn’t sound like the way people actually talk) to be more egregious than lazily misprinted dialog (i.e. “I tookmy dog to park”) so this news may just keep me from buying this..

Interesting. I'm quite the opposite. I honestly don't remember the subtitles in Fish & Cat being a problem or at least they didn't take anything from my enjoyment or understanding of it. I was quite blown away by the film so maybe I was distracted. There is also a enigmatic quality to the film where I could see how it fits with the movie too or isnt something I'd notice on a first viewing (not that it's intentional).

[knives]

Yeah, I must say that for me simplified and partial subs aren’t a bother. I really liked Godard’s idea for example.

[therewillbeblus]

I really liked Godard’s idea for example.

Which one? The man had quite a few

[MichaelB]

Yeah, I must say that for me simplified and partial subs aren’t a bother. I really liked Godard’s idea for example.

Although Daniele Huillet’s deliberately ultra-minimalist subtitles for Class Relations gave my German the most strenuous workout it’s had since I left the O-level exam room in 1983, and I actually had some German to work out!

[knives]

I haven’t seen Class Relations yet, but from my understanding it just didn’t subtitle a ton of the film rather than providing a simple gist which is where I was expressing my favor toward.

I will say that the subtitling project I’m working on now has given me an additional appreciation for the work of the professionals. There’s so many subtitles that simply aren’t translatable and cultural touchstones that practically require footnotes that wouldn’t be practical for a subtitler. For example in this job there’s a pun on the word for life with the number 18 that I don’t think could ever be translated in the amount of time a subtitle has on screen.

I really liked Godard’s idea for example.

Which one? The man had quite a few

The navajo subtitles.

[MichaelB]

I’ve always been very fond of Alex Zucker’s subtitles for Closely Observed Trains for effectively footnoting a joke that would be meaningless to non-Czechs otherwise.

The line actually goes “My name is Miloš Hrma. People used to laugh at me”, whereas Zucker’s translation found enough time to add “because it means ‘mound of Venus’”, which is not uttered out loud, but of course for a Czech speaker it doesn’t need to be. Stuff like this isn’t practical most of the time for simple timing reasons, but I think that’s an exemplary example of a subtitler thinking of the target audience.

[Finch]

Deaf Crocodile have teased this yesterday on Twitter:

There is much, much more to come this year -- including...the amazing animated follow-up to DELTA SPACE MISSION; a trio of fabulous and rare Czech movies; an incredible Finnish gem; jawdropping Croatian sci-fi; a Malcolm McDowell rarity; more Ptushko (!); surreal Japanese Noir; fantastic Hungarian animation...

Yay to more Ptushko and the Japanese noir. The Romanian animation is The Son of the Stars.

I am hoping the Hungarian animation is the wild-looking Cat City (1986)!

[What A Disgrace]

The Croation science fiction film could be Visitors from the Arkana Galaxy, a co-production with Czechoslovakia with Jan Svankmajer's participation. And I really hope the Hungarian animation is Tragedy of Man!

[L.A.]

”An incredible Finnish gem” is most likely the science fiction classic A Time of Roses (Risto Jarva, 1969) :

An American indie film distributor and classic film restoration company Deaf Crocodile Films has acquired the North American distribution rights to the film in June 2022.

[JPJ]

^I don't know, it's ok but hardly "incredible".Somebody should restore Year of the Hare (1977).

[Calvin]

I'd bet on the Hungarian animation being the recent restoration of György Kovásznai's Bubble Bath.

Looking forward to whatever the Czech movies are. I wonder if they've collected together Vlacil's The Legend of the Silver Fir, Sirius, and The Little Shepherd Boy from the Valley as a Vlacil children's films' set, which would be incredible.

^I don't know, it's ok but hardly "incredible".Somebody should restore Year of the Hare (1977).

Or release Nyrki Tapiovaara's Stolen Death, which has already been restored in 4K in its original director's cut.

[criterionsnob]

Deaf Crocodile has released a new trailer. Looks to be forthcoming Blu-ray release.

SpoilerShow

Karen Shakhnazarov's Assassin of the Tsar (1991)

[colinr0380]

Deaf Crocodile has released a new trailer. Looks to be forthcoming Blu-ray release.

SpoilerShow

Karen Shakhnazarov's Assassin of the Tsar (1991)

Ah, the Russian film starring Malcolm McDowell! As well as a director Karen Shaknazarov is also the Director General of Mosfilm, so that suggests that the studio's relationship is continuing with that label after Deaf Crocodile's release of the two Aleksandr Ptushko films Sampo and Ilya Muromets. Deaf Crocodile also put out an edition of his film Zerograd.

[criterionsnob]

Deaf Crocodile just posted a new trailer for Time of Roses

[furbicide]

Looks great! I'm not familiar with this distributor at all (or the film), but looks like one to keep an eye on.

[ZHansen]

Deaf Crocodile has just launched a Kickstarter for Jiří Barta’s THE PIED PIPER, with an exclusive slipcover designed by Dave McKean.