Lost in Translation: odd classic film titles in Portuguese - screwball comedy edition

 

Here we are again, at yet another edition of the beloved - at least by me - series “Lost in Translation”. This time we talk about one of the most cherished film genres, that produced movies that made people laugh and forget their troubles. Many screwball masterpieces were also a box-office failure when they were first exhibited, but they stood the test of time and are now considered some of the best movies ever made by critics, filmmakers and cinephiles.

One curious tidbit is that there is no direct translation of “screwball comedy” in Portuguese. We either refer to the original term or try an approximation - I usually say “zany” or “wacky” comedies whe talking about screwball. Now let’s see some fun titles in Brazilian Portuguese:    

“Bombshell” (1933) received the title “Mademoiselle Dynamite” (“Mademoiselle Dinamite”)

“The Thin Man” (1934) is here “The Accused’s Supper” (“A Ceia dos Acusados”)

“Mr Deeds Goes to Town” (1936) got the title “The Dashing Mr Deeds” (“O Galante Mr Deeds”)

“My Man Godfrey” (1936) became “Irene, the Stubborn” (“Irene, a Teimosa”)

“Libeled Lady” (1936) is here “Married to my Fiancée” (“Casado com Minha Noiva”)

“Easy Living” (1937) received the title “Lucky Girl” (“Garota de Sorte”)

“The Awful Truth” (1937) is known as “Cupid is a Stubborn Brat” (“Cupido é Moleque Teimoso”)

“Bringing Up Baby” (1938) received the title “Mischievous” (“Levada da Breca” is a hard-to-translate slang)

“You Can’t Take It with You” (1938) was translated as “From the World You Take Nothing” (“Do Mundo Nada se Leva”)

“The Philadelphia Story” (1940) got the title “Wedding of Scandal” (“Núpcias de Escândalo”)

“His Girl Friday” (1940) is known as “Fasting of Love” (“Jejum de Amor”)

“The Lady Eve” (1941) became “The Three Nights of Eve” (“As Três Noites de Eva”)

“Sullivan’s Travels” (1941) received the title “Human Contrasts” (“Contrastes Humanos”)

“The Palm Beach Story” (1942) is known as “A Real Woman” (“Mulher de Verdade”)  

“The Man who Came to Dinner” (1942) received the title “Satan Dines with Us” (“Satã Janta Conosco”)

“The More the Merrier” (1943) is here “Original Sin” (“Original Pecado”)

“Arsenic and Old Lace” (1944) became “This World is a Loony House” (“Este Mundo é um Hospício”)

“Christmas in Connecticut” (1945) got the title “Indiscretion” (“Indiscrição”)

Édipo Rei: A Tragédia de um Rei (1968) / Oedipus the King (1968)

 

A literatura grega clássica prova ser, continuamente, uma excelente fonte de histórias para o cinema. O exemplo em questão: “Édipo Rei” de Sófocles foi adaptada muitas vezes para as telonas, começando em 1910. Em 1967 uma versão foi feita pelo famoso diretor Pier Paolo Pasolini, mas hoje falaremos de uma versão que estreou no ano seguinte, com um elenco fantástico que incluiu Orson Welles e Christopher Plummer.

Classical Greek literature is proven to be, again and again, an excellent source for stories for movies. The example here: “Oedipus Rex” by Sophocles has been adapted many times for the big screen, starting as early as 1910. In 1967 a version was made by the famous filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini, but today we’ll talk about a version released the following year, with a fantastic cast that included Orson Welles and Christopher Plummer.

A história é conhecida, mas vamos recapitular: com metade de seu peito nu, Édipo (Plummer) é um rei belo e benevolente. Há uma praga em curso e um assassino solto. O deus Apolo diz que a praga não desaparecerá enquanto o assassino não for pego. Édipo ofende um vidente (Welles) que faz terríveis previsões sobre a vida de Édipo. E elas se tornam realidade: Édipo descobre que a mulher com quem ele é casado, Jocasta (Lili Palmer), é na verdade sua mãe, e que foi responsável pela morte de seu pai.

 The story is well-known, but let’s recapitulate: with half of his chest bare, Oedipus (Plummer) is a handsome and benevolent king. There is a plague going on and a killer on the loose. The god Apollo says that the plague won’t go away until the killer is caught. Oedipus offends a seer (Welles) who makes terrible predictions about Oedipus’ life. And they do come true: Oedipus finds out that the woman he’s married to, Jocasta (Lilli Palmer), is actually his mother, and that he was responsible for his father’s death.

Muitos deuses gregos são mencionados, mas Apolo é o mais importante na narrativa. Apolo é o deus da profecia e dos oráculos, da música e da poesia, do arco e flecha, da cura, das pragas e doenças e também protetor da juventude – um deus realmente muito poderoso. É muito propício que ele seja o deus de destaque em “Édipo Rei”, pois se trata da história de um jovem rei lidando com uma profecia tremendamente sombria.

There are several Greek gods mentioned, but Apollo is the main one in the narrative. Apollo is the god of prophecy and oracles, music and poetry, archery, healing, plague and disease and also the protector of the youth – a pretty powerful god, for sure. It’s very fitting that he’s the outstanding god in “Oedipus the King”, as it is the story of a young king dealing with a tremendously dark prophecy.

Christopher Plummer domina cada cena em que aparece em “Édipo Rei”. Nós normalmente não pensamos que o Capitão Von Trapp de “A Noviça Rebelde” (1965) é um grande ator, mas Plummer certamente era excelente. Plummer teve por quase uma década o recorde de mais velho ganhador do Oscar por atuação, pois aos 82 ele ganhou o prêmio de Melhor Ator Coadjuvante por “Toda Forma de Amor” (2010) – ele apenas perdeu o recorde em 2021 quando Anthony Hopkins ganhou o Oscar por “Meu Pai”.

Christopher Plummer dominates every single scene he’s in in “Oedipus the King”. We don’t usually think about Captain Von Trapp from “The Sound of Music” (1965) as a great actor, but Plummer certainly was excellent. Plummer held for nearly a decade the record for oldest acting Oscar winner, as he was 82 when he won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for “Beginners” (2010) – he only lost that record in 2021 when Anthony Hopkins won for “The Father”.

Nesta versão, a adaptação de uma peça de centenas de anos foi um esforço conjunto do director Philip Saville e do produtor Michael Luke. A linguagem nos diálogos é pomposa e pode ser a causa de uma demora para entrarmos no clima do filme. É um filme teatral no seu âmago, pois foi o primeiro filme feito pelo director Saville, que era um ator dramático.

 In this version, the adaptation of the centuries-old play to a screenplay was a joint effort by director Philip Saville and producer Michael Luke. The language in the dialogs is pompous and it may be the cause of us taking a while to enter the mood of the film. It’s a theatrical film in its core, as it was also the first film made by director Saville, who was a trained dramatic actor.

A maior parte do filme acontece em um anfiteatro e foi filmado em locação na Grécia. O local escolhido para as filmagens foi depois transformado em sítio arqueológico. Boa parte da equipe foi de profissionais gregos, como o diretor de arte Yannis Migadis e os departamentos inteiros de arte, câmera e som.

Most of the film happens in an amphitheater and was shot on location in Greece. The place chosen for the shooting was later transformed into an archaeological site. A good part of the cast were local Greek professionals, such as art director Yannis Migadis and the whole art, camera and sound departments.

Não há nada muito especial em “Édipo Rei”. O filme se beneficiaria de mais Orson Welles – embora não haja necessidade narrativa para mais cenas com o personagem. Pode ser um filme raro – não estreou nos cinemas nos EUA e na Europa, e apenas se tornou disponível quando foi exibido na TV – mas é uma adaptação fiel da peça. Sófocles ficaria orgulhoso.

 There’s nothing very special in “Oedipus the King”. The film could have benefitted from more Orson Welles – even though there is no narrative need for more scenes with his character. It might be a rare film – it was not theatrically released in the US and Europe, and only became available when it was shown on TV – but it is a faithful adaptation of the play. Sophocles would be proud.

This is my contribution to the Charismatic Christopher Plummer blogathon, hosted by RealWeegieMidgetReviews and Pale Writer.