SUBTITLES PLEASE

Ever since we watched our first DVD I never watched another movie without the subtitles.  Subtitles, for those living under a rock, are the dialogue of the actors written on the bottom of the screen appearing as the actors speak them.  It is an excellent feature of the DVD that I never bothered watching on VCDs (now dead) ever again.  Only recently that I discovered that many movies on VHS tapes are also available with subtitles, just find the closed captions symbol (see below).

I don’t watch movies on cable because they don’t have subtitles.  But this year the movie channel Star Movies now have subtitles on most of the movies they show.  And that’s a big advantage they have over HBO, MGM and other movie channels.  And I am pretty sure more people are now tuned in to them.  Want to know why more Filipinos prefer MYX to MTV and Channel V?  It’s the lyrics.  Not only do they enjoy the music video but they also get to understand the lyrics and sing along.  Same thing with movie subtitles.  You enjoy the movie and you also get to understand what those actors with such strong accents say.

There are those who don’t like subtitles on the screens.  Well for me they are morons.  They delight over the special effects and the sound of explosions but ask them what the movie is all about and I bet they cannot answer.  There is probably a lot of dialogue that they did not understood and never bothered to because it’s the pyros and the exploding cars that they are after.  For me watching movies like that is just a waste of time and money.

Same thing in watching movies in a foreign language, I prefer subtitles to dubbing.  Dubbing is find in Japanese cartoons but in live-action films I want to feel the actual words being spoken even if I don’t understand them.  With the exception of those classic kung fu films, of course.  The way they are dubbed always leave me in stitches.  I also am not a fan of Tagalog-dubbed Asianovelas because they all sound alike.  Give me the subtitled originals anytime.

DVDs of Filipino films do have subtitles but only in English.  They should also add Filipino subtitles as another option.  I also think there should be a law that requires taped Filipino programs (teleseryes, docus) be dubbed.  This is a great service to the hearing impaired.  And also to those who are annoyed with actors who speak like there are stones under their tongues.  Honestly, does anyone understand anything that comes out of the mouths of Mark Herras, Rosanna Roces and Coco Martin?