Miscellaneous Movie Musings

[flippyshark]

I see elsewhere that the script for the English dub is by John Lasseter. That gives it at least a little street cred. (And it looks as though there really is no other option.) Like iSm, I've been having a very Ghibli week as well. (And as part of work no less. tee hee)

[Not Afraid]

I could use a movie break about now.

[Alex]

I doubt that Lasseter wrote the English dub, though he is the executive producer for the of the effort (along with Kathleen Kennedy and her partner who I forget the name of).

Lasseter has produced the US translations and DVDs for pretty much all the Ghibli stuff over the last seven or eight years and has made sure as good a job as possible was done. To good result.

One thing, though, that I regret about not screening the original track is that Lani can't tell me what was changed for translation. That was very helpful in understanding Spirited Away.

ETA: Found my press kit. The English language translation was done by Jim Hubbert and the screenplay then massaged into usable form by Melissa Mathison (the writer of E.T., and, irrelevantly, Harrison Ford's pre-Calista wife).

[flippyshark]

D'oh - that's what I get for trusting random postings over at ebert.com

[Alex]

More on the translation from the press kit (mostly typical PR glurge):

...The filmmakers also needed an English-language version of Miyazaki's script. The job called for someone who would not only understand Miyazaki's vision, but could make it work in English and within the confines of existing animation. "It was a challenge to figure out who shold do the English script," says Kennedy. "Melissa Mathison did the screenplay for 'E.T.,' and the minute she was introduced to Miyazaki's films, she was captivated. She said, 'I absolutely want to do this.'"

"'Miyazaki' was all I needed to hear when asked if I would tackle this adaptation. He is a great artist and any association with him would be an honor," says Mathison. "It was an exciting and unusual assignment - quick, down and dirty - something I had never done before. Definitely an interesting challenge: 'adapt teh Japanese translation to English, fit the words to the mouths, and pelase do it in four days!' And, teh project being handed to me was nothing less than the latest film of an artistic genius.

"I have long been a dbbler in Japanese culture: literature, movie, art relgiions. I am an admireer of the culture," Mathison continues. "I wanted to clarify - crystallize - a Japanese story for a Western audience. I was to adapt while retaining the social touches that make the story particularly Japanese in nature. I did not want to underestimate the power of the original aspiration - a fairy tale told withinth world of a small fishing village in Japan. I wanted the emotions and the humor of the language to match that inherent in the drawings."

Traditionally, when animated films are created, the voices are recorded first, followed by the visuals, so synchronization is achieved during the animation process. When a Japanese animated film like PONYO is prepared for American release, the actors must try to match the "lip flaps" of their characters while giving a convincing reading. The differences in the cadence, word order, sound and grammar of English and Japanese only add to the difficulty of assembling a satisfactory translation.

[innerSpaceman]

I will look forward to a Japanese-language track on the DVD. But the subtitles are usually pretty poor at faithfully reproducing the Japanese dialogue.



Can I borrow Lani?

[flippyshark]

Wow - she had four days to do the translation? I hope she is either fluent or had access to an accurate transliteration (or a Japanese speaking friend).

[Alex]

She didn't do the translation, she was provided a literal translation and then had to rework that into something that would work for American audiences and match the animation.

I could be wrong, but I'm guessing that "four days" was exaggeration for dramatic effect.

[CoasterMatt]

I'm stoked - The Last Starfighter 25th Anniversary Bluray comes out on Tuesday! (preordered mine already)

[Morrigoon]

I'm excited to see Ponyo, but I'll probably catch it on DVD. I'm reserving my next moviegoing experience for Julie & Julia.