FWIW, I watched When the Cat's Away recently and noted myself how a song sung
by a duo of Parisian street singers near the beginning was translated, but
Paris, sung by the denizens of a Bastille cafe, wasn't. Presumably because
the first song announced a dramatic theme, in Shakespearean fashion, that the
film would subsequently pursue, while Paris was merely atmosphere. The point
being the paramountcy of narration in subtitling protocol. Having said that,
Klapisch' film is also 'about' muncipal evolution, whilst the decision to
include subtitles for the first song testifies to the Anglo-American emphasis
on individual fortunes as a way of accessing this 'difficult' film. On the
other hand, Paris is well-known, but not in the US or the UK methinks. Does
this help?
Intelfax (www.intelfax.co.uk) is a company offering media support services
who provide subtitling. Might they know something we don't?
Richard
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