Spielberg intentionally released new West Side Story with no subtitles for Spanish Dialogue.

[martybegan]

So basically either speak Spanish or not get 1/2 the movie.

Say what? The ethnic irony of Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story’

Forgoing subtitles for the Spanish dialogue was a deliberate decision. “If I subtitled the Spanish,” Mr. Spielberg told entertainment digital media platform IGN, “I’d simply be doubling down on the English and giving English the power over the Spanish … I needed to respect the language enough not to subtitle it.”

This was an artistically bold choice. But the decision also sidelines the vast majority of the film’s potential audience, since Spanish speakers represent just 13% of the American public, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

The film isn't doing very well at the box office, and this could be a major reason. Why see a movie when you can't understand a substantial portion of the dialogue?

 

[JGalt]

So basically either speak Spanish or not get 1/2 the movie.

Say what? The ethnic irony of Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story’



The film isn't doing very well at the box office, and this could be a major reason. Why see a movie when you can't understand a substantial portion of the dialogue?

You certainly can't blame the characters in the movie for speaking Spanish. If I had all that shit in my mouth, I'd spit it out too.

 

[Polishprince]

So basically either speak Spanish or not get 1/2 the movie.

Say what? The ethnic irony of Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story’



The film isn't doing very well at the box office, and this could be a major reason. Why see a movie when you can't understand a substantial portion of the dialogue?

People are just less likely to see a film that they can't understand what's being said. If Spielberg is cool with making less money, I guess that's his affair.

 

[Resnic]

So? If you live in America and can't speak and understand English then you shouldn't be living here.

If you want to live in say Switzerland you're required to speak their language, fluently. You have to conform to their society if you want to live there, they won't conform to you.

Subtitles for the movie in other countries? That's a different story.

 

[Circe]

So basically either speak Spanish or not get 1/2 the movie.

Say what? The ethnic irony of Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story’



The film isn't doing very well at the box office, and this could be a major reason. Why see a movie when you can't understand a substantial portion of the dialogue?

One of the several reasons it's a big flop. I know a number of languages and am studying more now --- I have never bothered with Spanish, which is not of interest in literature and history. Little to read. And besides, why learn the pool boys' language? Let them learn ours. Darn.

 

[Circe]

People are just less likely to see a film that they can't understand what's being said. If Spielberg is cool with making less money, I guess that's his affair.

If I went to a theater to see this, I'd walk out if it was half in Spanish!! And demand my money back. This needs to be well publicized or people are being deliberately cheated.

 

[EvilEyeFleegle]

One of the several reasons it's a big flop. I know a number of languages and am studying more now --- I have never bothered with Spanish, which is not of interest in literature and history. Little to read. And besides, why learn the pool boys' language? Let them learn ours. Darn.

Yeah..Cervantes is such a bore~
You dismiss Spain as being historically uninteresting? Too funny!

I often reflect that many here put the Pseudo in Pseudo-intellectual. You're one of them. The pool boy probably speaks more languages and has a wider world view than you or your ilk.

As for the OP..well..not like Spielberg is hurting for money..and if he wishes to make an artistic point at the expense of of the mono-lingual--so be it.

 

[Polishprince]

If I went to a theater to see this, I'd walk out if it was half in Spanish!! And demand my money back. This needs to be well publicized or people are being deliberately cheated.

When they have films about WW2, they always either provide subtitles or have the German characters speak English in a German accent.

Its what people expect

 

[iamwhatiseem]

So basically either speak Spanish or not get 1/2 the movie.

Say what? The ethnic irony of Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story’



The film isn't doing very well at the box office, and this could be a major reason. Why see a movie when you can't understand a substantial portion of the dialogue?

Well that is just stupid.
Yet another example of Go woke Go broke.
Will this wokish bullshit end anytime soon?

 

[JoeBlow]

Hey, I tried watching MacBeth last night and couldn't understand anything and it's in fucking ENGLISH!!! lol

 

[Polishprince]

One of the several reasons it's a big flop. I know a number of languages and am studying more now --- I have never bothered with Spanish, which is not of interest in literature and history. Little to read. And besides, why learn the pool boys' language? Let them learn ours. Darn.

I know some Spanish "hey ese, wassup Holmes", but I'm really not what you'd call fluent.

But I wouldn't want to see this.

 

[Confederate Soldier]

So? If you live in America and can't speak and understand English then you shouldn't be living here.

If you want to live in say Switzerland you're required to speak their language, fluently. You have to conform to their society if you want to live there, they won't conform to you.

Subtitles for the movie in other countries? That's a different story.

My German and Czech ancestors would have something to say about that.

My great grandfather came over from Czechoslovakia a few years before WWII. He couldn't speak a word of English. He tried for years, but because of his poor education, he never quite grasped it. When WWII broke out, he helped the war effort in any way he could, because he knew that as an American, it was his responsibility.He was too old to fight, and had bad eyesight, but he bought war bonds, and loaded tanks and and weapons onto American ships bound for Europe. He even joined the Civil Defense as an Air raid warden. He died in the early 1960s, knowing English phrases and important words, commands, etc. all related to WWII, but nothing else. My great grandfather served his adopted nation proudly, even though by your standards, he should have never been here.

 

[EvilEyeFleegle]

So basically either speak Spanish or not get 1/2 the movie.

Say what? The ethnic irony of Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story’



The film isn't doing very well at the box office, and this could be a major reason. Why see a movie when you can't understand a substantial portion of the dialogue?

Your link is a bit of a lie...as far as how many speak Spanish in the US. the 13% is Latino residents..the number of people who speak Spanish is much larger that that.

Spanish language in the United States - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The United States has over 41 million people aged five or older who speak Spanish at home,[1] making Spanish the second most spoken language in the United States. Spanish is the most studied language other than English in the United States,[3] with about six million students.[4] With over 40 million native speakers, heritage language speakers, and second-language speakers, the United States has the second largest Spanish-speaking population in the world after Mexico, surpassing Spain itself.[5][6] About half of all United States Spanish speakers also assessed themselves as speaking English "very well" in the 2000 US Census.[7] That increased to 57% in the 2013–2017 American Community Survey.[8] There is an Academy of the Spanish Language located in the United States as well.[9]
In the United States there are more speakers of Spanish than speakers of French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Hawaiian, the various varieties of Chinese, the Indo-Aryan languages, and the Native American languages combined. According to the 2019 American Community Survey conducted by the US Census Bureau, Spanish is spoken at home by 41.8 million people aged five or older, more than twice as many as in 1990.[1]
Spanish has been spoken in what is now the United States since the 15th century, with the arrival of Spanish colonization in North America. Colonizers settled in areas that would later become Florida, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and California as well as in what is now the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The Spanish explorers explored areas of 42 of the future US states leaving behind a varying range of Hispanic legacy in the North America. Western regions of the Louisiana Territory were also under Spanish rule between 1763 and 1800, after the French and Indian War, which further extended Spanish influences throughout what is now the United States.

 

[martybegan]

Your link is a bit of a lie...as far as how many speak Spanish in the US. the 13% is Latino residents..the number of people who speak Spanish is much larger that that.

Spanish language in the United States - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The United States has over 41 million people aged five or older who speak Spanish at home,[1] making Spanish the second most spoken language in the United States. Spanish is the most studied language other than English in the United States,[3] with about six million students.[4] With over 40 million native speakers, heritage language speakers, and second-language speakers, the United States has the second largest Spanish-speaking population in the world after Mexico, surpassing Spain itself.[5][6] About half of all United States Spanish speakers also assessed themselves as speaking English "very well" in the 2000 US Census.[7] That increased to 57% in the 2013–2017 American Community Survey.[8] There is an Academy of the Spanish Language located in the United States as well.[9]
In the United States there are more speakers of Spanish than speakers of French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Hawaiian, the various varieties of Chinese, the Indo-Aryan languages, and the Native American languages combined. According to the 2019 American Community Survey conducted by the US Census Bureau, Spanish is spoken at home by 41.8 million people aged five or older, more than twice as many as in 1990.[1]
Spanish has been spoken in what is now the United States since the 15th century, with the arrival of Spanish colonization in North America. Colonizers settled in areas that would later become Florida, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and California as well as in what is now the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The Spanish explorers explored areas of 42 of the future US states leaving behind a varying range of Hispanic legacy in the North America. Western regions of the Louisiana Territory were also under Spanish rule between 1763 and 1800, after the French and Indian War, which further extended Spanish influences throughout what is now the United States.

Is it still basically denying 1/2 the dialogue to over half the country?

So what is it actually 20%

THATS what you choose to comment on?

 

[Circe]

Yeah..Cervantes is such a bore~
You dismiss Spain as being historically uninteresting? Too funny!

Yep, you've heard of Cervantes! Good for you. I would bet against HEAVY odds that you've never read Don Quixote. Try the new Edith Grossman translation; it's dark but interesting. That's it? That's all you've got? It's all anyone has. There's that playwright Lope de Vega, contemporary of Shakespeare, but no one reads or performs his plays anymore, if they ever did.

Spain is quite interesting historically, but it's history other nationalities write. They don't figure in the historical literature, or any other literature, themselves. Spanish is not a useful language to learn, IMO, unless one wants to make life easier for the illegals piling in here.

 

[Otis Mayfield]

Steven Spielberg Made ‘West Side Story’ Without Subtitles, Says Translating Spanish Would Be ‘Disrespectful’

The director of the updated classic musical said he decided not to use English subtitles during dialogue in Spanish because it would be “very disrespectful” to a Spanish-speaking audience.

www.wsj.com

She only speaks in Spanish when she gets excited. You know, like real people do.

Like she gets mad at her white boyfriend and says

“¡Y tú no eres mi jefe!”

You know what that means. Even if you don't, you have a good idea.

It's a good movie. But so was the original in 1961. I'm not sure why we need another WSS when the first was so good.

 

[August West]

So? If you live in America and can't speak and understand English then you shouldn't be living here.

If you want to live in say Switzerland you're required to speak their language, fluently. You have to conform to their society if you want to live there, they won't conform to you.

Subtitles for the movie in other countries? That's a different story.

My grandparents came to this country speaking nothing but Slovak. After a few decades they were able to communicate well enough to get by. Their children were bilingual and their children (my generation) did not learn Slovak. That`s the way it`s worked for all immigrants in all countries for centuries.
Switzerland doesn`t take in very many immigrants. I hear it`s a tiny country but I`ll have to look at a map to be sure. It`s a mutilingual country and kids are taught English at an early age. Our kids are kicking balls and having active shooter drills while their kids are being educated.

 

[DigitalDrifter]

I'm not going to bother watching a movie if much of it is non-English and there are no subtitles.

 

[EvilEyeFleegle]

Yep, you've heard of Cervantes! Good for you. I would bet against HEAVY odds that you've never read Don Quixote. Try the new Edith Grossman translation; it's dark but interesting. That's it? That's all you've got? It's all anyone has. There's that playwright Lope de Vega, contemporary of Shakespeare, but no one reads or performs his plays anymore, if they ever did.

Spain is quite interesting historically, but it's history other nationalities write. They don't figure in the historical literature, or any other literature, themselves. Spanish is not a useful language to learn, IMO, unless one wants to make life easier for the illegals piling in here.

You would lose your bet~

Yeah..and in the original Spanish, at that. I do prefer El Cid, but chasing after windmills was never my thing anyway.

I'll not bother educating you as to Spanish contributions to the world of letters--your bigotry would blind you to them, in any event.

Illegals eh? You do know that there have been Spanish speakers in the US..for almost as long as there's BEEN a US? California, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona have 4th generation American citizens that still speak Spanish in their homes.

 

[martybegan]

Steven Spielberg Made ‘West Side Story’ Without Subtitles, Says Translating Spanish Would Be ‘Disrespectful’

The director of the updated classic musical said he decided not to use English subtitles during dialogue in Spanish because it would be “very disrespectful” to a Spanish-speaking audience.

www.wsj.com

She only speaks in Spanish when she gets excited. You know, like real people do.

Like she gets mad at her white boyfriend and says

“¡Y tú no eres mi jefe!”

You know what that means. Even if you don't, you have a good idea.

It's a good movie. But so was the original in 1961. I'm not sure why we need another WSS when the first was so good.

I'm just wondering why they find subtitles "offensive."