macaca wrote:Why is it that most films with not-so-good ADR are always directed by Italians? (Battle of Algiers, Bicycle Thieves, 8 1/2, The Good the Bad & the Ugly, etc). I'm sure theres a technical reason, but I'm not sure what it is.
In the very early days of sound, Mussolini insisted that all films be shown in Italian, lest subversive messages get through in foreign tongues. And while that edict was ultimately scrapped, Italian filmmakers had already got into the habit of shooting films silent (often with multilingual casts) and dubbing them afterwards - not just into Italian but every other language that would be required for international distribution.
And because this was standard practice in commercial Italian cinema, it became equally common in so-called "art" cinema, compounded by people like Fellini habitually casting people for their appearance rather than their acting ability (Pontecorvo did the same in
Battle of Algiers), so you'd get that situation regardless of the film's nationality.
But Italy is by no means the only offender - you should try watching 1970s and 80s Hong Kong films!