This has no bearing on the quality of the film, I should stipulate. But it's something you notice, and I suppose in that sense it mildly detracts from the experience.
One such example was the movie I saw on Tuesday night, made by the very good French director Francois Ozon, director of such films as Swimming Pool, In the House and Young & Beautiful.
None of those titles I just mentioned suffer badly from the literal translations, though because I have just enough of a Francophile in me, I obviously think the originals sound nicer: Dans la Maison and Jeune et Jolie for the last two. Interestingly, Wikipedia does not list an original French title for Swimming Pool, though because I took eight years of French, I know it would be La Piscine.
I'm not as sanguine about the English title of Quand Vient L'Automne, Ozon's newest film that I am reviewing for ReelGood: When Fall is Coming.
Awkward, right?
It is for sure a literal translation of the French title, but maybe in this case we needed something more. Maybe not an entirely new title -- though I've definitely seen that with French films before, as when the 2005 film Tout Pour Plair (Trick to Please) was changed to Thirtyfive Something for its release in the English-speaking world, for reasons that seem obvious when you see the literal translation -- but at least a slightly more natural version of the sentiment being expressed by that title.
When Fall Comes is not really right. Plus, I think you want to avoid using the word "comes" in the title of a movie if you can help it. "Is coming" is not quite such a reminder of sexual double entendres, to continue to use the French.
When Fall Arrives? That might be better, but it's still not quite right. Plus both of these titles lack the nuance that this is a looming arrival, not one that is quite there yet.
Autumnal Equinox? Ha, I sort of like it but it maybe makes you think of a different sort of movie.
Though I do think "fall" is an interesting choice, because "autumn" is the more commonly used term in places like the UK and Australia, and in fact, they likely only know what "fall" means because of American culture. Plus "autumn" is a more literal translation of that title.
Which actually brings me to another interesting point. It might also be a problematic choice.
When you use the word "fall," you are obviously playing on another double entendre. Of course it is being used as a synonym for "autumn," but the far more common association with the word "fall" is as used in the phrase "fall from grace," metaphorically, or "fall off your bike," literally, both of which would have thematic applications to this particular film.
The thing is, I'm not sure if there's that double meaning in the French title at all. Which means you are sort of changing the meaning of the title, and in a way, trifling with the artistic intentions, or lack thereof, of the writer and director.
In French, "to fall" is "tomber." Which as far as I'm aware, has no relationship whatsoever to the word "automne," beyond sharing the "tom" sound. (I checked with my wife, who is fluent, and she confirms it's not the same root for these two words.)
I doubt they'd produce an English title for his film without getting Ozon's approval of that title, and maybe he enjoyed the cheeky double meaning that he never originally intended.
Regardless of what you call this film, it's pretty good and I recommend seeing it, though I'll caution you that it might share something in common with other French films you've seen, in that you'll get to the end and wonder if there was some key moment in the third act that failed to land the film's themes in a satisfying manner. What can you say, the French are known for that sort of thing.
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