Is it true that you can understand movies with the sound off?
 

I've heard that before in a filmmaking course I took, that even without dialogue, a good movie you will still understand. Do you think that's true though?

There are foreign language films I wanted to see but there was no English subtitle release available, so I wonder if it's true, do I really need subtitles then, and should just watch the movies, without needing to understand the dialogue. Unless that's not true, and dialogue is necessary?

Re: Is it true that you can understand movies with the sound off?
 

Probably... But never tried it. But movie like the Big Sleep, good luck with that.

Re: Is it true that you can understand movies with the sound off?
 

I mean, why not just try it and tell us?

Silent movies were tremendously popular & they had no audible dialogue. (Personally, I hate silent movies.)

Haha! You guys have once again fallen for his tricks!
You’ve all forgotten the most important lesson of all!
And that is....never answer a thread started by Ironpony! Mwahahaha!


*again, I’m just joking here. Don’t take it personal please 😜

Yeah but they still had a certain amount of subtitles though to bridge the gaps.

Re: Is it true that you can understand movies with the sound off?
 

⬆️ They did, but very minimal, I think. I mean 2 actors could be talking to each other for 5 minutes & nobody would have a clue what they were saying. Ugh, I hate silent movies.

:D Seriously though, if it wasn't for Ironpony, conversation would be lessened. It's hard to get a convo going unless it's a hot button topic. So I say bless Ironpony's ferrum heart:)

True...and also: silent films are constructed, directed and acted much differently than a sound film.

I swear I had a dream in which I read this thread before. I believe I responded something like, "I'm not sure one could call spaghetti, spaghetti, without the pasta." But sure. You could still eat something. It's subjective. Like. Every. Other. Question. Ever.

What are your thoughts, @ironpony? Flip a switch and is it still recognizable? Baser emotions sure. Subtly? Not so sure. Something about communication norms. Something about how people typically interact with other people. Of how others observe and adapt to such interactions. Something something about experience and insight from that experience. Like, assimilation and accommodation stuffs.

What areyour thoughts?

Eh. that's all I got.

Re: Is it true that you can understand movies with the sound off?
 

Yes and no. Silents were made with that in mind, but even they had inter titles. In recent times, however, not just dialog but also sound FX have become a huge part of the movie, as is the music. It's all meant to be part of the whole. In the sound era, actors learned to tone down their body language in comparison to their silent predecessors and focus on words. Even if you can understand main direction of what's going on, generally the "Why?" part of that is revealed in dialog and, I know something bad is about to happen because of the creepy turn in the music and I know when to startle when the big boom happens and I know that an argument is starting from the tone of voices. I imagine that movies would miss a lot for the hearing impaired since sound often conveys a lot of the emotional tone of the scene.

"it depends"

Re: Is it true that you can understand movies with the sound off?
 

If you hear something like that in a filmmaking course, I think it's meant to encourage would-be filmmakers to get creative with their visual storytelling rather than just settling for having characters talk a bunch in a way that is dull to watch.

Re: Is it true that you can understand movies with the sound off?
 

If its just conversations... I wonder what people would have thought of Travolta/Jackson talk burgers with the volume off. A lot of Tarantino's would be plain garbage then

Re: Is it true that you can understand movies with the sound off?
 

Oh okay. Well I want to see the director's cut of Cinema Paradiso, for example, but cannot find a subtitled version of that cut anywhere. Do you think that I should just watch it without, and I will understand, or do I need subtitles to fully enjoy that?

Re: Is it true that you can understand movies with the sound off?
 

Silent movies were watchable coz the people who made it knew that people wouldn't hear anything so told the story in a different way. But yes visually if you keep staring, I think you still would be able to make out what the actor is trying to portray. Unless it's Kirsten Stewart.

Re: Is it true that you can understand movies with the sound off?
 

If the movie is well done, whether with the sound off or in a foreign language, I believe you can understand what is going on.

I'm sure it would be that way with "Jagten" (2012), sound off and no subtitles, you can obviously tell what takes place and enjoy the film.

A movie is nothing without a good script. Pulp Fiction has a wonderful script. And Reservoir Dogs without its excellent script would be nothing.

I won’t watch anything without subtitles. No matter the language. I don’t want to miss a single nuance.

Yes those are good points, I wouldn't want to miss some of the dialog in those movies. But I guess Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs would still make sense with the sound turned off?

Re: Is it true that you can understand movies with the sound off?
 

The last half of Dogs, is all talk when the torture begins. So I don't think it would make any sense. Pulp Fiction, the whole movie would go over someone's head without dialogues. Tarantino's movies are told via conversations. Take Hateful Eight for example. None of it would make sense, without the words. And especially that frontier justice thing by Tim Roth. Muito Bonito!

Think of the opening scenes in Dogs when they’re having breakfast at the diner. Then Buscemi doesn’t want to tip. The others (all armed robbers) are horrified & outraged & insist he tips. This shows us they have some humanity vis à vis female minimum wage earners.

Then the scene with Eddie & Joe when Madsen comes to visit after his release from prison. This tells us he went to prison for 4 years for the family without ratting them out. We then see what the family plans to do for Madsen to show their appreciation.

I can go on & on, but a silent movie it’s not.

Re: Is it true that you can understand movies with the sound off?
 

Yeah, I was thinking of that scene too :)

Well in screenplay writing, they also teach us, not to have dialogue unless you have to because movies are a visual medium. But I think Tarantino breaks that rule.

Re: Is it true that you can understand movies with the sound off?
 

Try Two Popes with the sound off. It would more or less be two old farts staring at each other.

Re: Is it true that you can understand movies with the sound off?
 

I can't figure out WHY I would want to watch a movie with the sound turned off. If I'm watching at home and everybody is asleep, I'd use head phones. Sound is the reason why movies are not called Silent anymore. Given the sudden transition back then, I assume that almost everybody who actually bought tickets welcomed sound.

The point is proven, then. :)

Re: Is it true that you can understand movies with the sound off?
 

Yeah thanks, I guess I should hold off on watching some movies, I want to see before I can find English subtitles for them.

If it's a non-English language movie without subtitles, it would be better in its original form with sound because, at least you'd have both sound FX and vocal inflection and expression. It's better with understandable words, but I've seen a few movies in other languages with no subtitles and got at least some of the idea of what's going on. It's not perfect, but the percentage of what you can grasp goes up.

Re: Is it true that you can understand movies with the sound off?
 

I tried this with porn.. Worked like a charm.


But, I would test this if i could, but I haven't been in the right frame of mind to watch any movie, despite all my free time.

To me, this makes zero sense. But that’s just me.

Really.

Just now thinking of On the Waterfront without dialogue. One wouldn’t have a clue what’s happening.

Re: Is it true that you can understand movies with the sound off?
 

Oh okay thanks. Well one movie I keep wanting to try to find an English subtitled version of is The Night Overtake Me (1986), but cannot find one.

You didn't look very hard. I'll send you a link with English subs.

Re: Is it true that you can understand movies with the sound off?
 

Oh I got the link. Thank you very much! I looked around once in a while and just tried to keep my eyes open, but I missed that one. Thank you very much!

Re: Is it true that you can understand movies with the sound off?
 

I`ve neber tried watching films with the sound off, but I think it is possible to understand it

There are more than a few eastern bloc films, masterpieces, with no available subtitles the last time I checked.

I am a native (european) portuguese speaker, that learned american english in a foreign country with 4 years of age, I am fluent in Castillian and Galician (2 languages of Spain, Castilian is called "spanish" in South America), I took 3 years of French in middle school and I understand spoken Italian.

But I don't know "jack ****" of Ukrainian, Romanian or Russian, and still I await for the subtitles, even though I made trailers/clips for such epic films, without watching and trully understanding them.

Case in point:

I) Romanian film with the director himself (a boxing man) fighting box against a former SS guard from Auschwitz, that abused him in WW2:

https://vimeo.com/155132053

II) Soviet version of a Mark Twain's book, the soviet film beeing called "New Adventures of a Yankee in King Arthur's Court":

https://youtu.be/gnA-_5xx_a4

III) 1983 Ukrainian film about a cosmonaut facing death in orbit, done with the help from the Soviet Space Agency and with soviet scientists and cosmonauts helping the ukrainian film crew:

This video is from a friend that digitized the portuguese VHS tape, from a small rogue portuguese film distributor that dared defy the National ban on soviet/communist Cinema, because in the 1980's the portuguese government was under the influence of the american CIA, I can discuss and explain it later, but in essence this communist film had to go to the USA first, and only then it could be imported to Portugal, because of sad anti-communist measures, forced on my country by Nixon and Reagan..

https://youtu.be/DsjNQUsSSwg

This is an american-dubbed version with portuguese subtitles, from a cold war VHS tape, but I allready had access before to the original russian spoken restored version, with no subtitles, as offered by the ukrainian studio on You Tube.

I don't wish to listen to an american dubbed version of such a mastery of work, even though such version has portuguese subtitles.

I will wait for proper english subtitles, to acompany the soviet version, with original russian or ukrainian dialogues:

https://youtu.be/_EkSvWbC0qI

The above clip was made by me, a few years ago, I haven't checked recently if subtitles are currently available. At the least, at the time, the film was free on You Tube, on the channel of the oficial studio.