Reading movies is not fundemental
Call me a rube, hayseed, bumpkin, doofus, and/or ignoramus, but I just do not like watching movies with subtitles. There. I said it.
Call me names if you must, but the whole idea of “watching” a movie is actually “watching” the movie. The WHOLE movie. And by “whole” I mean everything on the screen that the director, cinematographer, actors, etc. want me to see to appreciate the story they are telling. These professionals put in countless days/weeks/months honing their vision and perfecting their storytelling, so I am slightly perplexed as to why any of them would ever want subtitles to interfere with my viewing of their art.
Take for example, “Parasite.” It's a really good movie. Was I able to see what creator Bong Joon Ho wanted me to see? Nope. I was too busy reading. Did I notice the nuanced performances by the lead actors? Nope. Busy reading. Could I scour the scene for clues or make an attempt at analyzing metaphors? Nope and nope. My eyes had to stay on the type across the bottom of the screen or I would be lost as to just what the hell was being said.
I did enjoy the story I read. I have no idea what facial expression was used by the actor saying the words so I had to guess the emphasis of said words as they’re being fed to me by a sans serif font and not the highly skilled performers tasked with delivering the script with emotion, range, and human connection. Cold white letters popping up and disappearing as quickly as they arrived cannot hold the gravity and weight of the spoken word in a cinematic universe.
It’s not a matter of not wanting to read movies, but the fact that I cannot fully appreciate the cinematography and acting the way the director and crew intended it to be appreciated. I am not intimidated by the “little white letters” as Bong Joon Ho put it during his Golden Globes acceptance speech. I just don’t want to read my movies and I would hope a talented director such as he would want, né insist, that I fully dedicate my vision to see his vision as he intended.
Call me names if you must, but the whole idea of “watching” a movie is actually “watching” the movie. The WHOLE movie. And by “whole” I mean everything on the screen that the director, cinematographer, actors, etc. want me to see to appreciate the story they are telling. These professionals put in countless days/weeks/months honing their vision and perfecting their storytelling, so I am slightly perplexed as to why any of them would ever want subtitles to interfere with my viewing of their art.
Take for example, “Parasite.” It's a really good movie. Was I able to see what creator Bong Joon Ho wanted me to see? Nope. I was too busy reading. Did I notice the nuanced performances by the lead actors? Nope. Busy reading. Could I scour the scene for clues or make an attempt at analyzing metaphors? Nope and nope. My eyes had to stay on the type across the bottom of the screen or I would be lost as to just what the hell was being said.
I did enjoy the story I read. I have no idea what facial expression was used by the actor saying the words so I had to guess the emphasis of said words as they’re being fed to me by a sans serif font and not the highly skilled performers tasked with delivering the script with emotion, range, and human connection. Cold white letters popping up and disappearing as quickly as they arrived cannot hold the gravity and weight of the spoken word in a cinematic universe.
It’s not a matter of not wanting to read movies, but the fact that I cannot fully appreciate the cinematography and acting the way the director and crew intended it to be appreciated. I am not intimidated by the “little white letters” as Bong Joon Ho put it during his Golden Globes acceptance speech. I just don’t want to read my movies and I would hope a talented director such as he would want, né insist, that I fully dedicate my vision to see his vision as he intended.
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