Spain has gained the reputation of being quite clumsy when it comes to naming foreign films with the most surreal translations or, directly, inventing names that have nothing to do with the original title’s purpose. Changing Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind to Forget About Me!, instead of something more poetic like Eternal Radiance of a Mind Without Memories, which was the name in Hispanic America, is probably the best example of it.
Now there is a legion of Mexicans pointing fingers at us, but I remember that calling Home Alone “Poor Angelito” leaves us tied. In any case, the point is that, to show that we are not alone in this, I have looked for how foreign films named Spanish films to demonstrate that, after all, we are not that bad.
How the most famous Spanish films were named abroad
The key to translations or adaptations of original titles is that they are intended to make films more appealing to the local audience. And it is clear that, although a film called The Witches of Zugarramurdi makes perfect sense around here, trying to explain to someone from Arkansas what Zugarramurdi is can be quite complicated.
In a display of originality, Álex de la Iglesia’s film was called Witching and Bitching in the United States, something like Witching and Bitching. Although the French chose to maintain the original structure because the Basque population is relatively close, in Italy they opted for something much simpler like The Witches are Back.
In other cases, the idea of adapting a film title has become a matter of state. The case of Eight Basque Surnames, which ended up traveling abroad with the title Spanish Affair, raised not a few criticisms among the Basque public for obvious reasons. Although the potential of the film was clear after its success in Spain, being traditional with the exportation of its name would have done more harm than good.
Other examples, very Spanish-like, make even less sense, with changes like in Germany with The Girl of Your Dreams, which ended up being The Girl of Your Dreams; or the case of Jamón, Jamón that became Ät mej! (Eat me) in the same territory. But those who have a master’s degree in slipping when it comes to titling certain Spanish films are our French neighbors, who among other brilliant ideas, added an unnecessary subtitle to The Sea Inside. There, Bardem’s film became The Sea Inside: Mourir pour vivre (to die to live).
But the most surreal case of all among the French was the one that, in a twist of fate caused by changes in vocabulary, turned Torrente, the Dumb Arm of the Law into Torrente, the Left Arm of the Law. For those who skipped French class, the twist is that the literal translation would be Torrente, the left arm of the law. And of course, Torrente and left may not be two concepts that match too well. In this case, the issue is that gauche can also be an epithet for clumsy.
Especially striking is the case of A Monster Calls, a film by Juan Antonio Bayona that was a production halfway between Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States which, for its original title, opted for A Monster Calls. We are not exactly close to the original idea, but even less in France where they called it Quelques minutes après minuit, a few minutes after midnight. In Italy, they chose to be even more specific with Sette minuti dopo la mezzanotte, seven minutes after midnight.
As a bonus track, it is worth looking at what was done, not with a movie, but with one of Spain’s most successful TV series, Aquí no hay quien viva. In its multiple adaptations and translations to other countries, the title of ANHQV turned into Neighbors for Mexico, The Building in its Greek version, or a Faites comme chez vous! in France that used irony with what we would translate as Make Yourself at Home! Certainly, despite the titles, there’s no place like home.
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