Translating for (and From) the Italian Screen

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Literary Nonfiction. Film. Italian American Studies. For those who believe that the choices involved in subtitling or dubbing foreign films are merely physical in nature–fitting the written words within the borders of the photogram, synchronizing the sounds of translated dialogue with the lip movements of actors–TRANSLATING FOR (AND FROM) THE ITALIAN SCREEN offers dramatic proof to the contrary. What emerges from this volume is a sophisticated and profound understanding of the cultural stakes of such operations. As evidenced by these ingenious case studies of the transformations undergone by Anglophone films when shown on Italian screens (or vice-versa), the cultural implications can be terribly tone-deaf (e.g. Monty Python and the Holy Grail), deeply harmonious (e.g. The Nanny), or ideologically distorted (e.g. La ricotta). In compiling this rich and provocative collection of essays, Balma and Spani have rendered it impossible for readers to maintain a naive view of the role played by subtitling and dubbing in the all-important transmission of cross-cultural understanding.–Millicent Marcus