Three weeks ago, I went to the Cinema Azerbaijan in Baku. I couldn't decide between "Hancock" and "Wanted," but the start time for the Will Smith action movie was sooner.
I did not realize that "Hancock" which had a Russian poster (just like the one pictured here) would also be dubbed in Russian!
In Turkey, the films are usually in English with Turkish subtitles though there are some exceptions for children's films, like "Nim's Island."
In Azerbaijan, there are also ushers to show you to your seats and I ended up sitting next to a hot blonde girl in her twenties who (of course!) had an effin boyfriend.
Well, this afternoon, here in Roanoke, I decided to see what "Hancock" was like en Anglais.
Amazingly enough, it is a much funnier, entertaining film when it is in Russian!
Even though I was a bit lost, there was nothing more hysterical than seeing CNN's Nancy Grace (the live-action version of McGruff the Crime Dog), who appears in "Hancock," speak in Russian!
The bad guy who threatens to blow up a bank is also made much more menacing when he sounds like Boris Badinov than he does in the English version.
And, lastly, one is completely unaware of the banal subplots which are happening in the screenplay when it is dubbed in a foreign language. I had no idea that there was 'a history' between Will Smith and Charlize Theron (if you saw the film, you'll know what I mean), and perhaps it would've been just as well if I hadn't known that.
When I saw the film in Baku, it was a full house. The film had just opened simultaneously around the world that week.
Today in Roanoke, I was among three people in attendance for the afternoon matinee. And, a mother and her ten-year-old boy left during the scene where Hancock tosses a beached whale, which was about a half-hour into the movie. So, there I was alone!
I guess the lesson I learned from all this.....if I didn't know it already...it is that the most mundane thing in your native land can be quite intriguing in a foreign country.
A few days later, I had a haircut in Baku. I think I inadvertently told the barber to cut off my head. (I speak Turkish which is quite similar to Azerbaijani, but....).
I'm glad he didn't feel the need to comply.
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