May 16, 2005

Foreignography

You've got to watch your enunciation carefully when you do interviews, otherwise stuff like this can happen:

In a profile of movie director Don Roos last Sunday, David Carr of The New York Times wrote:

"The conventions of Hollywood filmmaking come in for playful treatment in Mr. Roos's films. 'Happy Endings' has a lot of on-screen chapter titles, reminiscent of a silent movie. 'I love porno films, which have a lot of signage in them,' he said." Carr went on to note Roos' ability to "elide porn films."

There was just one problem, as the paper notes in a correction appearing in yesterday's Sunday Arts & Leisure section: "Because of a transcription error" the article about Roos "rendered a word incorrectly in his comment about the use of onscreen titles. ... He said, 'I love foreign films, which have a lot of signage in them' -- not 'porno films.'


Or maybe it was just a case of wishful transcription.

I've never cared much for foreign films myself...

(via Bookslut.)

Posted by Dr. Frank at May 16, 2005 06:03 PM | TrackBack
Comments

A freudian slip no doubt. Truely though, who doesn't love porno films?

Posted by: Zaphod at May 16, 2005 06:37 PM

hahah where do you find this stuff?

Posted by: ryan at May 16, 2005 09:39 PM

There was a movie (foreign?) I vaguely remember seeing that was about translating/dubbing porno movies. I just remember the main characters conversing just like at any other business, then they go into a booth, put on their headphones, and translate anything that was more than "ooohhh." Does that ring a bell with anyone else? I'd love to see it again...

Posted by: Chrees at May 16, 2005 10:18 PM

Not sure, but I think that's "Tie Me Up Tie Me Down."

Posted by: Ethan at May 16, 2005 11:46 PM

Sopornos will always be near and dear to my heart.

Posted by: lucky409 at May 17, 2005 04:49 AM

Kolya is one of my favorite films. I also like Run Lola Run. I don't seek out foreign films, but I also don't avoid them.

Posted by: Manda Magpie at May 17, 2005 04:53 AM

No... remember Tie me Up... Wish I could be more specific and remembered more.

My description was like going into a record store and saying "You know the song about the guy liking the girl?'''''''"

Posted by: Chrees at May 17, 2005 05:31 AM

There's one foreign film that I really love. It may have been Swedish. I don't know the title, but it's the one where the pizza guy (or plumber, I don't recall) shows up, and the lady of the house doesn't have any clothing. Then there's a tender love scene which ends with the man coming all over the nice lady's face.
I think she has sex with another girl later on.
Yeah, that was a good one.

Posted by: Stig at May 17, 2005 05:17 PM

I think the movie you're talking about is called "Le Pornographer" but I could be wrong.

Posted by: greg at May 18, 2005 07:09 AM

I heard a story on NPR a while back about language translation software. An early version was tested by translating from English to French then back to English the phrase, "Out of sight, out of mind." In the end, the computer translated as, "blind and crazy."

Posted by: sam at May 23, 2005 05:07 PM