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                      O Chateau Blog | Stuff Parisians Like. A blog by Olivier Magny

V.O.

September 16th, 2008 by Olivier Magny

Version OriginalIn Paris, foreign movies are to be watched in V.O. (V.O. is for version originale - understand in their language of origin, with French subtitles).

If you watch a foreign film in V.F. (version française), you are a beauf.

Straight up.

 

Watching a movie in V.O. allows the Parisian to display his superiority in many ways. First off, if the Parisian does so, it is because he is a fantastic English speaker (a huge majority of foreign films played in France being American or British). Whether or not the Parisian actually speaks English is irrelevant. He watches films “en V.O” so he is.

Besides being talented and obviously well-travelled, the Parisian is also quite the culture person. Therefore, he shall not tolerate for a work of art to be butchered by poorly executed voice-overs. V.O. is just better. This is not a valid point for Asian movies though.

It is ok to butcher Asian movies with poorly executed voice-overs.

Stuff Parisians Like - Version OriginaleIf you want to make your Parisian friend feel good about himself, just offer him the opportunity to go and watch a movie in V.F. He will refuse with much seriousness, arguing that he never watches movies in V.F. Ever. “Je ne supporte pas” (“I can’t stand it”) is usually the line you will get in return. The Parisian just drowned you in the deep seas of ignorance and disdain. Very satisfying feeling. Well done on your side: you just strengthened your friendship with the Parisian.

The Parisian’s love for V.O. now goes beyond movie theatres. In Paris, it is no longer acceptable to like American TV shows in V.F. A few precursors started the trend a decade ago with the show Friends (“je supporte pas la voix de Ross en français”). Most Parisians just cannot cope any more with the dubbed versions that TV plays these days. They need to buy the DVDs. It is an obligation. Intellectual excellence has its price.

Parisians are willing to pay that price.

Useful tip: To look more Parisian, just be passed requesting V.O. It is an evidence.
Sound like a Parisian: « VF? Pas moyen!».

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12 responses so far ↓

  • 1 bonnie-ann black Sep 16, 2008 at 7:07 pm

    i am new to your site, but i am really enjoying your view on all things parisian. i visited for the first time in march/april and one of the things that my friend (who is a movie and tv critic) and i enjoyed was looking at movie posters and advertisements — and watching Law & Order in VF! we loved that the voices were, in tone and attitude, exactly like the VO actors — the dubbing was so excellent it was almost indetectible. neither of us is a fluent french speaker and yet we could follow the dialogue and plot (admittedly, never very complicated) without any problem.

    i shall continue reading your wonderful insights and keep them in mind for my next trip to Paris!

  • 2 Fressine Sep 16, 2008 at 8:22 pm

    Non mais c’est tout à fait normal voyons !
    C’est tellement ignoble la VF !!

    Non mais sérieusement certaines séries américaines perdent totalement de leur saveur originelle en VF, faut bien l’avouer non ? ;-)

  • 3 Leesa Sep 16, 2008 at 9:53 pm

    As an French resident (American) I MUCH prefer to watch an American film in VO because I LOVE to hear the original voices of the actors… I have watched American films in VF and it’s just not the same!! However, when I lived in California- I LOVED watching foreign films in VF (I don’t even know if they dub foreign film in America… but there is just something about it that is better than a dubbed film ….. Same goes with the series on tv, too!!

  • 4 PA Sep 17, 2008 at 4:30 am

    VF sucks. Period. Nothing Parisian about it. Anyone with half a brain, even outside of Paris will agree.

  • 5 Mu Foo Sep 17, 2008 at 8:42 am

    So true! We anglophones are of course happy to benefit from this Parisian preference :)

  • 6 Fawaaz Sep 17, 2008 at 10:10 am

    So true, so true…
    Je suis abonné aux cinemas VO, celle des Champs Elysées, Montparnasse et Opéra entre autre. Pas mal de salle présentent aujourd’hui des films en VO. Un cinéma à Place d’Italie dans le 13ème ne passait que des films en VO, mais malheureusement a vu ses portes fermés il y a 2 ans pour laisser place à de nouvelles boutiques du centre commercial.
    Avec l’arrivée de la VOD (Video On Demand) beaucoup de gens découvrent ou redécouvrent des films classiques ou récents en VO. Aussi avec les nouveaux formats HD à haute capacité, l’intégration de plusieurs langues dont la VO nous fait voir le film d’une autre façon.
    Pour les séries, c’est tout à fait naturel de les regarder en VO. C’est horrible de regarder How I met you mother, ainsi que beacoup d’autres séries, en VF. L’humour, les expressions, les “joke” qui font partis de la “culture” américaine sont mal transposés et incomprises des spectateurs ou carrément transformés… Ce qui gâche le charme de la série. Essayez de regarder IT Crowd en français… C’est HORRIBLE.
    Pour ma part, je suis un inconditionnel des films en VO.
    As you said, never ask a Parisian watching a V.F movie.

  • 7 Olivier Magny Sep 17, 2008 at 10:30 am

    Bonnie-Ann… thx foryour kind words. I guess exoticism does the trick for you!
    Fressine… très parisiennement, j’avoue!!
    Leesa… I LOVE how you go capital letters!
    PA… come on, don’t be so Parisian, people are watching you!
    Mu Foo… our pleasure ;-)
    Fawaaz… j’adore comme tu mets des guillemets à “culture” américaine! So French!!

  • 8 Magalie Sep 18, 2008 at 9:26 am

    Je viens de découvrir ce blog, que je trouve vraiment irrésistible, et (la plupart du temps ;-) , très très vrai!
    Etant à la base provinciale, c’est vrai que cet attrait pour la VO est très parisien : il y a 7 ans, en discutant avec une nouvelle amie originaire de Paris, j’avais été très surprise de son engouement pour la VO, avec exactement les arguments donnés ici! Engouement que je partage depuis : franchement, Match Point en VF m’aurait privé de la voix si rauque de Scarlett Johansson! Et aurais-je entendu autant de “Fuck” à tout bout de champ dans la VF de Just a Kiss?
    Même pour la littérature : Bridget Jones en français m’avait ennuyé, et j’ai a-do-ré la version originale : c’était beaucoup moins artificiel.

    Bonne continuation en tout cas!

  • 9 Paris Parfait Sep 18, 2008 at 1:17 pm

    And all this time, I thought my Parisian friends were just taking pity on me for my weak French; I had no idea that by insisting on VO I was doing them a favour! :)

  • 10 J Sep 18, 2008 at 3:53 pm

    Not an exclusive Paris bias, in NY, Boston, SF or LA, and most anywhere else in the US screening “foreign” films, they are almost always presented in the original language with subtitles, except perhaps Asian martial arts and porno.

  • 11 La Belette Rouge Sep 18, 2008 at 6:37 pm

    It is the French version of the American reaction to colourizing of film. I will not watch a film that was colourized. I don’t think they are doing that anymore. But, it was a horrible trend that catered to those who would not watch black and white films. It is best not to cater to that demographic, me thinks.

  • 12 Olivier Magny Sep 19, 2008 at 10:31 am

    Magalie… Ah… la voix de Scarlett Johansson…
    Tara… Parisians? Pity?? Come on?!!
    J… porno should not be dubbed!The difference with theUS I’d say is that here, a majority of movies played are foreign!
    Belette… You’re harsh. I like that!