Third Man now on Netflix...with subtitles

[cartergold]

So I noticed that The Third Man was recently added to Netflix. I've been meaning to watch it again lately, but I wanted to do a comparison with the version currently up on Netflix and the Criterion edition I have (which is the 2007 2 disc re-release), just to see if Netflix had a higher quality version uploaded. I figured a great scene to compare would be Harry's first appearance on the screen.

Taking a look at the Netflix version after the DVD, I can't say that I see a difference in image quality (it isn't listed as being in HD), but that might be because I've just seen that the version of The Third Man that is on Netflix has subtitles for all the foreign dialogue! What more, there is no option to turn off the new translation of the non-English dialogue. Maybe to be more specific, the translation can be turned off, but only when the actual English captions are turned on.

It even seems like this is a fresh translation compared to the translated portions that are on the second Criterion disc. For example, when Holly is asking Karl about why failed to mention details of the accident to the police, in the Criterion extra, the line reads, "This Yank is driving me crazy!" The Netflix subtitle is a much, much milder, "This poor man makes me go crazy." Granted, I'm not even close to being an expert on the subtleties of translation, but this "new" translation seems weak.

For the scene I discovered all this in, the lady yelling at Holly and Harry is subtitled, and I think it would be distracting if I watched the Netflix version. No matter how many times I've seen The Third Man, I still feel a little shock when I see Harry for the first time. I tune out the lady's yelling, but the Netflix version makes her yelling front and center.

What more, I don't even think I want to know the non-English dialogue in the film (or at least outside of the Criterion extra). The intro screen to the Criterion extra points out that the lack of subtitles are, "...to emphasize the American Holly Martins's confusion in the strange surroundings of post-war Vienna. That is something I've always liked with The Third Man (and in another respect, Carol Reed's Fallen Idol, but that's tangential for now): I actually enjoy feeling as lost as Holly, but the Netflix version ostensibly takes that away. I like having access to the translation of the dialogue, but I have never needed it while watching The Third Man.

I'm not sure if this is on more recent versions of The Third Man, post-2007 Criterion DVD, and I admit I may be making a mountain out of a mole hill. But honestly, I'm going to stick with the DVD so I can stay as lost as Holly.

[I=Eye]

...the version of The Third Man that is on Netflix has subtitles for all the foreign dialogue! What more, there is no option to turn off the new translation of the non-English dialogue. Maybe to be more specific, the translation can be turned off, but only when the actual English captions are turned on.

No, you're not making a mountain out of a molehill. That's pretty crazy.

[jbrooks]

I agree. I watched the Harry Lime reveal on Netflix and the subtitled dialogue is very distracting. I wonder what entity thought that these additional subtitles were necessary (or even a good idea). My guess is that it would be the distributor who licensed the film to Netflix -- rather than Netflix itself -- that bears responsibility.