Misleading Movie Trailers

[archeryguy1701]

I knew someone who liked foreign films that were dubbed but couldn't stand them if he had to read subtitles. Not trying to be an intellectual snob here, but damn, if that isn't telling I don't know what is.

To be fair, though, I can see where they are coming from. I know for me personally, I hate subtitled movies because I have a had time reading and watching the movie. If I'm reading the subtitles, then I'm missing a lot of the movie, and if I'm paying really good attention to the movie, I'll end up missing or not entirely processing the subtitles.

Pan's Labyrinth also gave no indication in the trailer that it was in Spanish.

Really? You're right, I never suspected that it was in Spanish at all.

 

[Rincewiend]

Hm, here in Holland pretty much everything foreign gets subtitled...
Even Flemish stuff..
Though a lot of stuff for kids up to 12 get dubbed...
Though if it's in English or German i don't really need to read the subtitles...

 

[Warp Coil]

Star Trek: Nemesis. The trailer was actually very well-done. The movie? Not so much.

 

[Emher]

^On that note I submit Pearl Harbor. The trailer was totally awesome but the film...not quite as awesome.

 

[Darth_Pazuzu]

About the whole notion of movie trailers being "misleading":

I don't think that it's the intention of the studios or their marketing departments to "mislead" audiences - at least in terms of deliberately producing a trailer which makes the film appear to be something that it's not. They're just simply - albeit often misguidedly - attempting to get as many people interested in the film as possible, so they can get as many "bums in seats" in the opening weekend. The problem is, they often stoop to some lowest-common-denominator notion of just what it is that'll appeal to the most people.

The main problem is that we're at a point in our culture when popular art/entertainment seems to be split between: on one hand, really "artsy/intellectual" films (or music, or whatever) which appeals to smart people; and on the other, "schlocky" material which takes no chances and attempts to appeal to as many people as possible in the name of "populism" (and often pleasing no one in the process). Whether this particular split has been induced by "divide-and-conquer" media tactics, or is something which has more to do with a widening intellectual "have/have-not" gap within our own society is an issue I can't really answer either way.

In short, if this intellectual split didn't exist within our culture and society, I think that studio marketing heads would probably be inclined to be a bit more honest about what it is they're promoting and not hedge their bets as much.

(And I would truly appreciate if at some point someone actually RESPONDED to what I've just posted above, instead of talking past me. It really and truly takes a lot out of me to put as much time, effort and consideration into a post as I just have, and I'd hate to think it would fall on proverbial deaf ears!)

 

[Miss Chicken]

I am one of those people who has a foot in both camps - I will watch the artsy/intellectual movies and also the also the popular movies. The list of movies I have seen at the cinema this year will probably show that this is so

I am Legend
No Country for Old Men
Cloverfield
Sweeney Todd
The Kite Runner
There Will Be Blood
August Rush
Le Scaphandre et le Papillon
The Black Balloon
10,000 BC
Horton Hears a Who
Death Defying Acts
Closing the Ring
The Other Boleyn Girl
Brick Lane
The Spiderwick Chronicles
Nim's Island
The Painted Veil
Iron Man
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Prince Caspian
The Happening

Movie trailers do not influence me as I have usually decided to see a movie before I see its trailer. I think comments I read on this board probably influence me more than a trailer would.

I sort of wonder if a trailer really encourages that many people to see a movie or whether reviews or word of mouth is more important simply because so many people know that movie trailers are often misleading.

 

[Brikar99]

(And I would truly appreciate if at some point someone actually RESPONDED to what I've just posted above, instead of talking past me. It really and truly takes a lot out of me to put as much time, effort and consideration into a post as I just have, and I'd hate to think it would fall on proverbial deaf ears!)

I'm trying to fit it into my posting schedule, but, honestly, it's not looking good for this week...

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

(And I would truly appreciate if at some point someone actually RESPONDED to what I've just posted above, instead of talking past me. It really and truly takes a lot out of me to put as much time, effort and consideration into a post as I just have, and I'd hate to think it would fall on proverbial deaf ears!)

You know, this is the 2nd time I've seen you say this kind of thing in one of your posts. Just because people don't respond to what you've said doesn't mean that what you said is bad. It just means that there isn't a point in there that deserves to be refuted or added to. Often, a post will simply not be responded to because it is simply so true & thorough that nothing further needs to be said.

As to misleading movie trailers, I think the worst kind is comedies that the studio starts promoting as serious movies late in the game. Hancock & Hollywood Homicide are 2 examples of this.

 

[Kegek]

Anyone think of any other examples?

I have a good one. 2046.

I love this movie, but this trailer commits two felonies already mentioned here: It gives no indication that it is subtitled and, like The Fountain, it's very misleading as to what the film is actually about.

(The film is about a Chinese man having numerous relationships with women in the 1960s. He also writes pulp fiction and some scenes of the film are those from his sci-fi novels... so, yeah, not what the trailer is on about).

I think I was under the impression that when the first version of Persepolis came out it would be dubbed but I wasn't at all bothered by the fact that it was subtitled.

Well, the film was dubbed. I've seen both versions in the theatres, the second was the more general release here. I thought the English dub was quite good.

 

[JoeZhang]

Brokenback mountain - it makes you think it's about Cowboys - those guys were sheep herders. I left after the first ten minutes, I was so disappointed.

 

[John Clark]

Anyone think of any other examples?

I have a good one. 2046.

I love this movie, but this trailer commits two felonies already mentioned here: It gives no indication that it is subtitled and, like The Fountain, it's very misleading as to what the film is actually about.

(The film is about a Chinese man having numerous relationships with women in the 1960s. He also writes pulp fiction and some scenes of the film are those from his sci-fi novels... so, yeah, not what the trailer is on about).

.

Thanks for that - I had planned on getting it from the trailer I'd seen (Seemed to be a sci-fi action flick from that and it sounds a little different)

I don't have any problems with subtitles on films as a rule though

 

[archeryguy1701]

I'm starting to get the impression that any trailer that doesn't have characters speak is of a subtitled film.

 

[Kegek]

I'm starting to get the impression that any trailer that doesn't have characters speak is of a subtitled film.

It could be a silent film. I've only ever seen these voiceover-only trailers online, though, here in Ireland trailers for subtitled movies... well, tend to have subtitles and everything.

Sweeney Todd almost qualifies as something similar, with its use of narration and near-total avoidance of singing - were it not for a brief snippet ('I will have vengeance'), one would have no idea it's a musical.

 

[Harvey]

The reviews I've heard/read about Wanted at NPR and Slate both indicate that the James McAvoy/Angeline Jolie romance implied by the trailers isn't a romance at all in the actual movie. Not that I'm about to rush out and see Wanted, regardless.

 

[Kegek]

^
I thought the trailers for Wanted looked pretty bad, to be honest. As I recall, at first there's a rather silly line by Jolie about how McAvoy's father was the greatest spy/assassin/whatever who ever lived... except for the guy behind you! Bang! And then there was a rather incoherent 'good guy must make a stand to be an interesting person rather than those poor joes who live boring normal lives' speech. Not even Morgan Freeman's voice could save that one. The reviews at RottenTomatoes are rather positive, though, so maybe the trailer undersold the picture?

 

[Aragorn]

For those of you who listed Star Trek: Nemesis and Pearl Harbor, you completely missed the point of this thread. "OMG! That movie looks rad! ... WTF? That movie totally sucked ass" is not misleading. Movie trailers are supposed to hook you and show the best parts. Of course a lot of movies turn out to suck. But this thread is about bait and switch.

 

[Paxil]

I don't want to read a movie any more than I want to watch a book. Intellectual snobbery aside, there is nothing culturally superior about a movie with subtitles.

 

[Brikar99]

I don't want to read a movie any more than I want to watch a book. Intellectual snobbery aside, there is nothing culturally superior about a movie with subtitles.

You're right, hearing the original performances of the actors really isn't all that important...

 

[Miss Chicken]

Another misleading trailer I can think of was for the movie "Bridge to Terebithia". From the trailer it did seem that it was a fantasy movie about a Narnia-like world rather than the coming of age story it was.

 

[MyCylon]

I wouldn't say Fox had misleading trailers of Solaris, per se, but it was obvious they had no idea how the hell to market the movie.

I had to think of Solaris when I saw the thread title. I remember the trailer(s) hinting at a movie similar to Event Horizon (though maybe not quite as gory) which really isn't the case at all. It's been a while, however, and I don't really remember any details.