Credits

plot:

Paul Haggis

screenplay:

Paul Haggis, Bobby Moresco

director:

Paul Haggis

produced by:

Bull's Eye Entertainment, Paul Haggis Productions, Stratus Film Co., Dej Productions, Apolloproscreen Gmbh & Co. Filmproduktion Kg, Blackfriars Bridge, Bob Yari Productions, Harris Company, Mambo Inc.

distributed by:

Filmauro

Italian dialogue and dubbing direction:

Filippo Ottoni

Editing society:

Sefit-CDC

Voices:

Sandra Bullock:

Laura Boccanera

Don Cheadle:

Angelo Maggi

Matt Dillon:

Pino Insegno

Jennifer Esposito:

Gabriella Borri

William Fichtner:

Sandro Acerbo

Brendan Fraser:

Massimo Lodolo

Terrence Howard:

Roberto Pedicini

Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges:

Roberto Gammino

Thandie Newton:

Claudia Catani

Ryan Phillippe:

Gianfranco Miranda

Michael Pena:

Simone Mori

Larenz Tate:

Nanni Baldini

Beverly Todd:

Paola Mannoni

Italian dialogue				4
Dubbing direction				4,5

Crash
Germany/USA 2004

Thirteen years since his masterpiece “America today”, Paul Higgis returns to entwine stories of human beings using the background of Los Angeles, a symbol of an undigested melting pot.

A frightened vexed humanity, incapable of living together in normal relationships, but innocent deep down. In fact the biblical Big One which quickens the auto-destructive push of “America today”, is substituted in “Crash” by a consoling snowstorm, which in some ways, could be instructive for those who are still able to understand it.

A beautiful, bitter film with an excellent cast which loses nothing or very little in its Italian dubbed version.

The dialogues are generally well adapted to characters and situations. The relationship between the many immigrants and the language of their host country (of which we are never explicitly reminded, is American) is well done, just as the decision to maintain a constantly used “okay” in the Italian version which from a simple phrase becomes a symbol of an attempt (painful, in truth, seeing as no-one understands anyone) to speak the same language, is well chosen. Amongst them all, particularly well adapted is the speech and the spirit of the two black guys and the car dealers who receive stolen goods: the involuntary cynicism of the dialogue around the fact that, just like Discovery Channel says, there are scientific methods capable of finding even the most invisible traces of blood and some killers are captured even as they watch the very same Discovery Channel, is perfectly rendered in Italian.

But seeing as perfection doesn’t exist, I must also point out some downfalls, due to – I imagine – in some cases to inattention and in others to a self-complacency tendency. The translation of the blacksmith’s dialogue with his daughter when he gives her a magical shawl which will protect her from danger is, without doubt, due to inattention: to the little girl who asks: «Devo levarlo quando faccio il bagno?», (do I have to take it off when I have a bath?), the father answers «No. Lo tieni su tutto il tempo» (no you keep it up all the time), literal translation of the English “all the time”. On the same line, it would have been better to make investigator Graham’s line to his colleague Ria, whose father is Portorican and whose mother is Salvadorian mother, clearer. «Chi avrà fuso insieme quelle culture così diverse per produrre gente che come parcheggio usa il giardino?». (who on earth would have fused such different cultures to produce people who use a garden to park a car?). The translation is literal without a doubt, but the sense is lost on us.

The attempt to use an elegant form of speech is out of place (that which I defined self-complacency): the use of “occorre” (necessitate) for “to need”, used three times, by very different characters (the man in the public attorney’s office, the blacksmith and his six year old daughter): it’s already a refined verb on its own, and it sounds particularly artificial coming from the mouth of a child. The same can be said about the expression “ti turba” (it disturbs/bothers you), used too many times (the wife of the television director and the police officer). Finally, the “good” policeman who gives a lift to the car robber and who ends up killing him through fear, uses a form of speech which doesn’t fit with the character he portrays or with the original version: «Dove sei diretto?» (Where are you going) (So, where you heading) «Cos’è che ti ha attratto qui stasera?» (What attracted you here tonight?) (What’s got you on the valley tonight?).

The choice and the interpretation of the dubbers is well done, particularly that of Gabriella Borri. A note on the dubbed voices of the black guys Anthony and Peter and on the policemen’s, Ryan and Hanson: not their fault at all, but the former have a respectable well-bred voice and don’t seem to be kids off the street whilst the policemen don’t manage to convey the “common” recital of Matt Dillon e Ryan Philippe.

[original review in Italian by Giovanni Rampazzo]