Why do films lack the original soundtrack?

Annoying for some film fans: There are numerous series and films on streaming services – but sometimes without the original language and suitable subtitles. Why is that and what do you do after a bad purchase (download)? GIGA investigated the matter.

The world of streaming could be so simple: Hollywood productions are usually filmed in English, animes are mostly Japanese, French is spoken in the highly acclaimed art house film. So the streaming provider has to just add the appropriate audio track and that was it. Well, unfortunately it isn’t – and there are reasons for that.

Why no original soundtrack? A German filmmaker explains

On Reddit is entitled “Rent movies online in Germany 2021 – AMA‘ to find an interesting thread addressing the missing original language. the user mighty_manonin is, according to his own statement, a “German filmmaker with a lot of experience in the streaming sector”. He explains why the availability of OV audio tracks and subtitles is so bad: “The demand after OV series may have increased in recent years, but it’s still so low compared to dubbed stuff that it’s the expense by a technician who works an hour for it insert subtitlesnot worthwhile.” In short: Adding subtitles later, that’s easy in some cases too expensive.

The audio track must match the edited version

Why there is a certain amount of effort at all has to do with the numerous cut versions to do that exist from movies. Film buffs are aware of this, but perhaps not the layman: a blockbuster filmed in the USA can be a hit in Germany other film distributors (e.g. Constantin Film or Tobis Film) than in the domestic market. This “distributor of cinema films” can usually be seen at the beginning, because that’s where the logo is shown. But this small detail alone leads to different terms the cut versions. In addition, with older films, it is difficult to put the pieces together for the original version fan to enjoy.

“As soon as you (…) take titles that are a few years old, often no one knows where the data is. You can count yourself lucky if the OV soundtrack is available and fits on top of the German cut version. As soon as the distributor has changed from US to DE (very often [sic] the case) there are different logos at the beginning and therefore a different audio track (length)”, explains mighty_manonin.

Again, it is a question of effort: does the streaming provider want to follow up with the contractual partner? Or isn’t that worth it, because experience has shown that most viewers in Germany prefer the German soundtrack?

Germany prefers dubbed versions

A special feature of the German audience: In this country, dubbed films and series are the standard, the version “original with subtitles” (OmU) that is widespread in other countries is downright spurned. Germany is according to the Goethe Institute the “most important dubbing nation next to Italy and Spain”. An explanation for this can be found in post-war history: “After years of German-national indoctrination and isolation from international culture, they behaved recalcitrantly towards the “foreigner”, which was presented to them primarily via the soundtrack.”

The result: films (regardless of where they came from) were better received in German, subsequent editing with dubbing actors became normal in the 1950s … and has remained so to this day. For fans of the original soundtrack, this is an endless tragedy, because many titles with the original language also come with it cinematic means of expression lost (e.g. unique voice, intonation, foreign dialects, difficult-to-translate vocabulary, etc.). Well, that’s just the way it is: the force of habit and the majority of the viewers have decided.

Films without the original language: That’s what Amazon Prime Video says about it

Films only in German, although there should be an original version – that concerns all major streaming providers such as Netflix, Sky Ticket or RTL+.

the Streaming market leader in Germany (see Statista) is actual Amazon Prime Video. Here you can find a lot of films and series for every taste – but also some examples where the original version is missing and you only have the German soundtrack to choose from. This applies in addition also the area of ​​loan and purchase titles. The topic has already been discussed within the GIGA editorial team and examples have been found where different film versions can be rented or bought with or without an English soundtrack. You have to be very careful when buying so as not to make a mistake. Like at The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Rise of Electro:

So I asked Amazon and they did it right away Answers from a Prime Video spokesperson receive (Status: January 2022).

Answer from Amazon Prime Video regarding language versions:

In the case of Amazon Original titles such as Das Rad der Zeit, Prime Video, as the rights holder, is responsible for the production and provision of dubbed and subtitle versions of the titles. All Amazon Originals are with numerous subtitles and language versions available to stream for Prime members at Prime Video. license title for buying and renting as well as for streaming as part of a Prime membership are delivered by third-party contractual partners. The available language and subtitle versions differ depending on the version of the title available from the licensor.

Response from Amazon Prime Video on cancellation (bad buy because of wrong language version):

Prime Video is continuously working on improving the customer experience, replenishing available language versions for titles and making the available language and subtitle versions more clearly visible to our customers. Should still be a title mistakenly Having been bought in the expectation of a language version, which is then not included, customers can usually make the purchase cancel and get the full purchase price back – provided that no more than a few minutes of the title have been watched.

Long live the original version: Two useful tips

If you are already an original sound fan or would like to become one, I have two simple tips:

• The first tip is obvious and also results from the above statement from Amazon Prime Video: Look before renting or buying exactly what audio tracks and subtitles are included. The information is not usually included in the title of the film or series, but is presented on a detail page displayed. Depending on the provider, you also have to look elsewhere. It is important that you think about it at all – and not order the wrong thing in a hurry.
• The second tip has to do with sound. Although my understanding of the language is good, I sometimes find it difficult to follow every word of an English audio track – especially when the sound quality is not optimal. A good one can help here sound bar, which offers a special dialogue mode. The next level are headphone (without activated surround effects), here you are directly on the sound. This makes it much easier for me to keep up with mumbled (Texas) English.

The GIGA purchase advice shows the best soundbars:

So always the original version and everything else is out of the question? Well, some actors like Tom Hardy as Bane are difficult to understand in some films in English. Constantly reading along with the subtitles is also annoying – and disrupts the movie experience. So there are definitely arguments for choosing the German dubbed version. Sometimes the dubbing itself is a masterpiece (Eddie Murphy movies from the 1980s, Bud Spencer movies, etc.) that gives a film a special charm. What is your favorite way to watch series and films? Write us your opinion in the comments.