I’m a kid of the 70’s and the 80’s when everything was analogue and celluloid.
It was the era of the summer blockbuster, and we had films from Steven Spielberg (Indiana Jones), George Lucas (Star Wars), RobertZemeckis (Back to the Future), Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters) and Joe Dante (Gremlins).
This meant as a Deaf child I loved the fun and spectacle of those films not worrying about what the characters were saying.
During the 90’s I started to read film magazines, published scripts, film tie-in books, original novels and film biographies just so I could understand the basic stories of the English-speaking films I watched at the cinema even if it meant knowing what happened before watching them.
Case in point; the infamous ending in ‘Se7en’ I knew beforehand no thanks to the book’s film tie-in book but if I didn’t read the book I wouldn’t have known what was in the box.
By then I was very content in not quite understanding exactly what was going on, I would vaguely know or I would guess but it was just watching films that I loved.
Around the 00’s we started seeing subtitled showings at the cinema, this was where they projected subtitles on top of the film, essentially shining a light at the bottom of the screen making the rest of the screen dark, not perfect but it was progress.
However we would get more free tickets from the cinemas after failed subtitled showings than the number of subtitled screenings available.
Nowadays we have better subtitled screenings and crucially digitally which means the hard drive the films comes in have a subtitle option and you just press a button for burnt in subtitles so the quality of watching subtitled films has increased ten-fold but…
I want to watch any film I want to wherever I want to and whenever I want to.
This point I’m making is fruitless and futile despite the many incredible advances in film technology, we Deaf Cinephiles can’t enjoy films on the same level as everyone else, it’s a constant hassle.
If I wanted to watch a particular film at a particular cinema, perhaps at my local VUE down the road in Wandsworth I have to find out when the next subtitled showing is, they usually are shown only once or twice a month at any one cinema on a specific time and a specific day so I have to schedule around that specific day and specific time if I wanted to go to my local cinema.
Even worse the screening times are either during the day time during the week, implying Deaf people are unemployed and have nothing to do, or so soon after work that my wife can’t get to the cinema in time and this is just my local cinema so I have to start looking afar, perhaps VUE Fulham or Odeon Wimbledon just to find that one screening my wife and I can attend.
I’ve had to drive down to VUE Croydon, I’ve had to travel to the city to Leicester Square’s cinemas whilst my friends just pop round the corner to their local cinema.
The cinema trip doesn’t just end there, I have to double check with staff there definitely is a subtitled showing, it took 5 of VUE Wandsworth’s staff to find out if there was one for ‘Birdman’ and another time at the same cinema a staff member did not understand what subtitles was.
This doesn’t distill much confidence in staff of the major chain cinemas unlike smaller places like Clapham Picture House who always know they have subtitled showings and even take the time to write this up on their film listings chalk boards.
I also can never relax in the cinema (whilst enduring 30 minutes of non-subtitled adverts) until the film starts and the first line of subtitles comes on, I just want to be able to kick back and look forward to watching not worrying.
There’s that dreaded moment when a character in the film starts speaking and the subtitles don’t come up so my wife is forced to complain to the staff and so they stop the film, explain to a very disgruntled audience it was a subtitled showing (one time during ‘We Need To Talk About Kevin’ a woman shouted out ‘SUBTITLES?! SUBTITLES?!’ as if it was something completely alien to her before storming out) and restart the film.
I should not have to make a fuss every time there’s problems with subtitled screenings, we should have faith in our local cinemas but when it happens I can’t help but get frustrated after having missed one of very, very few opportunities to watch a film and rightly so.
This brings to mind my friend, a die-hard Trekkie, who kicked up an almighty fuss when his cinema didn’t show the Star Trek reboot with subtitles and ended up banging on the projectionist’s door until the management relented and restarted the film leading some hearing people to berate my friend for ruining their night out. Those are the lucky sods who can watch this film at any time they like whereas my friend can’t.
I have noticed more and more hearing people attending subtitled screenings, I know a majority of them are hard of hearing or foreign people learning English but perhaps the rest of the cinema-goers find those subtitled screenings less busier, perhaps they didn’t know about the subtitles or don’t give a toss.
I watched a subtitled showing of ‘Black Swan’ in an absolutely rammed large cinema room, I expected at least half the audience to walk out but no, every single person stayed through the whole film, it probably was because of the film’s huge success that people just wanted to watch it.
Back to my earlier paragraph about being a kid who grew up on 80’s films, there’s been a trend of screening classic films in 35mm on the big screen as an antidote to the digital revolution at places such as The Prince Charles Cinema in Leicester Square who have had marathons such as an Arnie-All-Nighter but these events never are subtitled.
Just the idea of watching scratchy 35mm prints of my favourite films of the 80’s on the big screen with subtitles would be wonderful but it’s too much of a hassle for the cinemas to sort out and even if they did the majority of the hearing audience would complain and the cinema would need to see a large amount of Deaf people attending to justify the hassle and costs.
That’s another thing the cinemas baulk over subtitled screenings; the loss of profits, those subtitled screenings don’t really generate much money and not many hearing people like subtitles so they are put in silly time / day slots but that in turn means they lose more money especially when they are shown whilst everyone is at work.
What people fail to understand is the simple fact that by subtitling films this means more people get to watch them and generate more money.
It’d be a whole lot easier if I was unemployed, not married to my wonderful wife and fellow film-buff Mary and living on benefits just so I could watch as many subtitled screenings as I liked – exactly what the Tories and the chain cinemas want.
It seems by bringing in subtitled screenings just so there’s more ease and access for Deaf people has in turn created less access and more hassle.
Quite often I wish we didn’t have those blasted subtitled screenings just so I could enjoy non-subtitled films contently and just simply watch them all over again on Blu-ray but with subtitles and enjoy them more a second time around like I used to but the tide has passed, I can’t watch a film without subtitles knowing I can watch those films with subtitles somewhere, somehow, eventually.
I should mention some positive things in this otherwise negative-sounding article; we have the Your Local Cinema website showing all the subtitled screenings in the UK highlighting a real need from Deaf people to watch films as well as Soho’s Curzon hosting subtitled screenings of English-speaking arthouse films, low budget and contemporary cult films every now and then.
And, despite the silly screening times and lack of choice of cinema venues, we are seeing a real wide range of films being shown with subtitles whereas it used to be just the major films that were subtitled.
Some people reading this article probably will think if I’m a Cinephile then I should make the effort to watch a film, I should be determined to watch a film no matter where it it but that’s not the point. Films are there for everyone to relax, watch and enjoy without the hassle, raising a fuss and having a lack of confidence in cinemas.
And don’t say I should be grateful for cinema subtitled showings, you hearing lot can watch whatever film you like, whenever you like and wherever you like, full stop.
(Sidenote: there are special glasses developed by Sony Pictures people in the US can wear that displays the subtitles of a film they watch at the cinema, this means we can go into any screen to watch a film but this hasn’t yet hit our shores, it was last reported in 2011 and there hasn’t been any progress since to the best of my knowledge)
Samuel Dore is a London-based freelance film maker who directed Chasing Cotton Clouds (2009) and Supersonic (2014) amongst many short films and working in all areas of the media as well as being a graphic designer and a self-confessed geek with a love for film, comics, toys and trainers. His work can be seen here – www.bursteardrum.net
The Limping Chicken is the UK’s deaf blogs and news website, and is the world’s most popular deaf blog.
Make sure you never miss a post by finding out how to follow us, and don’t forget to check out what our supporters provide:
- Phonak: innovative technology and products in hearing acoustics
- Ai-Live: Live captions and transcripts
- Bellman: hearing loss solutions
- Deaf Umbrella: sign language interpreting and communications support
- SignVideo: Instant BSL video interpreting online
- 121 Captions: captioning and speech-to-text services
- Doncaster School for the Deaf: education for Deaf children
- Signworld: online BSL learning and teaching materials
- Exeter Deaf Academy: education for Deaf children
- SignHealth: healthcare charity for Deaf people
- Lipspeaker UK: specialist lipspeaking support
- CJ Interpreting: communication support in BSL
- SDHH: Deaf television programmes online
- Sign Solutions:, language and learning
- Sign Lingual: BSL interpreting and communication services
- Action Deafness Communications: sign language and Red Dot online video interpreting
- Hamilton Lodge School in Brighton: education for Deaf children
- RAD: financial advice for Deaf people
- cSeeker: Online booking for communication support
- Krazy Kat: visual theatre with BSL
- Enable Support Services: Supporting Deaf children and adults in Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk
- Sign Language Days: Sign language learning in schools
Enjoying our eggs? Support The Limping Chicken:
The Limping Chicken is the world's most popular Deaf blog, and is edited by Deaf journalist, screenwriter and director Charlie Swinbourne.
Our posts represent the opinions of blog authors, they do not represent the site's views or those of the site's editor. Posting a blog does not imply agreement with a blog's content. Read our disclaimer here and read our privacy policy here.
Find out how to write for us by clicking here, and how to follow us by clicking here.
The site exists thanks to our supporters. Check them out below:
- BSL Zone: TV programmes in BSL for the Deaf community
- Deaf Umbrella: what support is available for deaf students?
- Bellman & Symfon: home alerting solutions, including the mobile phone transceiver!
- SignVideo: Instant BSL video interpreting online
- SignHealth: check out the BSL health library
- 999 BSL: call 999 in an emergency, in BSL
- Appa: Looking for RSLIs, TSLIs and CSWs, apply here!
- Signly: Adding BSL to websites
- Signworld: Learn BSL online!
- DCAL: world-class research into deafness, cognition and language
- Action Deafness: “A Deaf-Led Charity” – interpreting & community support services
- Sign Solutions: Instant access to Interpreters, training and BSL translation nationwide
- InterpretersLive: On demand BSL video interpretation
- Lipspeaker UK: specialist lipspeaking support
- BID: Deaf services, including advice and support, interpreting, employment and letters
- Performance Interpreting: BSL interpreting at concerts
- National Deaf Children's Society: The leading charity for deaf children
Andy not him, me.
February 4, 2015
What is so depressing about the whole cinema subtitling issue is the negative attitude of all concerned. They don’t want to bother with subtitles.
When forced to do so by law they do it reluctantly, with poor service and many mistakes. The whole thing is made to be as much hassle as possible. A more obvious case of reluctance couldn’t be found.
A possible answer to this might be to put more money in their pockets. The cinema industry exists to make money and so if they don’t make money then they don’t want to bother. This attitude is endemic in the industry and yet they fail to appreciate the social benefits.
I have suggested in the past that deaf people form local cinema groups and attend subtitled screenings as deaf social events. If a big crowd turns up at a subtitled screening then it is a win situation all round. So a possible way forward might be the formation of these cinema-goers groups who arrange attendances at particular screenings. There is already an embryo group in London and I think every large town should have one.
Unikornus
February 4, 2015
Hey, you are completely spot on! The experience of going to movies has became so stressful I don’t bother going anymore. Will they remember to turn on captions? Will it be readable? There are times where operators would dim captions so much its nearly impossible to be able to sit and relax. Its a chore to try follow subtitles. To me every detail is important so I want to soak in as much as possible hence I’m not happy. Normally I would leave, complain, receive a vouncher for a free show which I get to restart the whole process. It’s even worse when I’m with someone because apparently a lot of people are fine with missing few minutes while they toggle on captionings. This means I have a choice of being a jerk by leaving or grinning and bear it. By the way they rarely restart a movie, it just keeps on playing. How annoying! In fact it has never happened to me. To sum it up, its not enjoyable to go out to the movies. By the way it really aggravate me how theater companies in US try to find “solutions” to provide captionings but at a reduced inconvenience for the hearing audience without getting the community’s input. “Thanks, master, you know what’s best for me, I am so grateful for few crumbs you left for me.” Also the glasses are not the miracle some people seem to think those are. First of all I shudder at the whole sanitary aspect. In the past whenever I cave in and go to a movie using a rear view captioning devices, I always had to wipe off fingerprints beforehand. If they can’t wipe them down on a regular basis I ain’t trusting them to do a proper job of disinfecting glasses. Their frames seem to reduce your viewing space and if you already wear glasses, let me tell you, it’s very annoying to wear both. Captions itself took some using to and my eyes were bothered. Since the captions are delievered via a wifi intranet, sometimes a line will get dropped – several times throughout the entire film. Lines also get delayed so it’s not in synchronization with the pictures. There is a upside to this although – if everything’s working properly you.can continue to watch dialogues as you bend over to pick up a drink or whatever. A bit off the track here, I am sure you already know all about The Interview and how it was viewable online, etc… I hope the Hollywood will consider this new model of getting their releases to the audience. I’d be thrilled to be able to watch a new movie on the day it come out in my living room.
Good article, thanks and it’s nice to know there’s someone else who can relate to my experiences.
Lana
February 4, 2015
In non speaking English countries they have English spoken movie films in subtitles.
Returned Expat With Culture Shock
February 4, 2015
Far be it from me to espouse the benefits of living in the US, having just returned to the UK after 14 years there with a litany of complaints. However, and especially relating to problems with Google glasses, one thing I do miss: I could see almost everything subtitled (closed captioned) at a normal cinema (movie theater) along with normal (ish) people in Phoenix, Arizona at normal times. I can’t do that in the capital city of Wales.
My local AMC and some other movie theaters in Phoenix had closed captions options on the majority of their showings, via a pager-type device with a base that fit in the (US size gigantic) cupholder, attached one of those twisty arms things that you can bend any way you want so you could position the pager right in front of you and the screen and the subtitles ran across the pager screen, so you didn’t disturb anyone else. I’m losing my hearing and currently a severely deaf hearing aid user, so this was a major development for me.The last movie I tried to hear without additional help was the first Twilight (sorry, bad taste, I know) and I came out almost crying because I caught maybe 50 per cent of the dialogue (silly whispering vampires).
Before I left, I went to my local AMC 24 in Phoenix to watch The Lego Movie with my kids. I’d got so used to just turning up and asking for the closed captioning device, I was taken by surprise that it wasn’t captioned, because it was in one of the two theaters (out of 24…) that hadn’t been upgraded to be caption enabled. They do show that on the movie times with a CC logo, so it was entirely my fault for not checking, but the staff were beyond apologetic. After we left the screening, a member of staff was waiting at the door with 4 free tickets for us to come back at any time….
I kind of miss US customer service too….
Alex Vann
February 4, 2015
Exactly the same experience with so called “subtitled” cinema screenings here in Wolverhampton @ Cineworld. We have given up on going to the cinema for all the points raised in your blog. I sent the letter below to their head office last year…and their response to my letter?….just how wonderful their staff are and that the problem doesn’t exist…mmm.
Dear Sir / Madam,
I am writing to complain about the subtitling service at your Wolverhampton, Bentley Bridge cinema.
I have a partner who is profoundly Deaf and relies on subtitles when watching TV, DVDs and cinema.
Subtitled screenings are few and far between so when he sees an advert for a film as having subtitles, and it’s on a date and at time that he can make then it is of great interest to him.
Unfortunately our experience at Bentley Bridge has been terrible. On at least six recent occasions we have arrived at the cinema anticipating a wonderful experience – subtitles giving access to otherwise inaccessible movies – and have been let down.
Because of the continual disappointment, we always ask the staff at the time of ticket purchase to check whether the film DEFINITELY has subtitles. Invariably, the staff member will tap on their PC and confirm ‘Yes, it does’. We then go into the cinema with a terrible sense of dread as we sit through the long minutes of advertising and trailers as I try and reassure my partner that everything will be fine with the subtitles because the staff told me so.
As the first few seconds of film starts to roll, it becomes apparent to me (I am hearing) that the subtitles are NOT in fact working. I then have to go through the pantomime of standing up, leaving my seat and exiting the auditorium – to the bemusement of others – and find a member of staff again. Then we go through a familiar routine which always goes like this: “I’ll just check with the technician…. I’m afraid there’s a fault with the subtitles on this film…we have more subtitled screenings coming up…please accept these complimentary tickets by way of an apology and come back again.”
I’m sure you will agree that, after several times of the same thing happening, this level of service just isn’t acceptable. Once or twice is tolerable but beyond that, where we are now, goes beyond frustrating and disappointing into anger and a real sense of oppression. There were some other people at the most recent screening who wanted subtitles but said that they would stay and “try and muddle through” – but I don’t really think that’s fair or acceptable. We left (with our ‘We’re Sorry’ tickets) and hired a DVD instead.
The staff are pleasant enough and seem genuinely apologetic but it seems to me that there is a real issue here which needs to be addressed and with some urgency. On one occasion I heard the manager mention a ‘subtitle reel’ that hadn’t been delivered with the film. Another time I was told that since the film had already started they weren’t inclined to stop the film, organise subtitles and restart it because of other customers. We were given the obligatory free tickets and turned away.
I’m not an expert but I would assume there is more technology involved and more effort for the projectionist in arranging a film with subtitles than one without. So, either there is a technological issue that keeps recurring or there is a training issue for the technical staff.
Either way, I’m afraid you’ve lost 2 customers who used to get great enjoyment from the cinema but who now can’t face the sense of dread and foreboding that accompanies our every visit. Each visit has a cost attached in wasted petrol as well as in wasted time, not to mention the personal and emotional drain.
I had to write and let you know about this because I think it’s very important that people who have disabilities should be able to access cinema. Moreover, what is promised in your literature and on your website just isn’t being delivered and I feel that is very wrong. After a time, ‘We’re Sorry’ just isn’t good enough.
M
February 4, 2015
I do feel it need to go through the legal route and have them challenged.
The are making the Equality Act and ass of a system. I don’t go to cinemas any more because of the mental and emotional stress they impose on my well being.
I have recently been on long distance flight and I was appalled how lacking subtitles was on their entertainment system, but they do have them for Chinese, Hebrew, etc but no ENGLISH subtitles, and to make matters worse The Jersey Boy film was showing subtitles,so watching this and finding when they sang – no subtitles ..now that beyond a joke, but there we are.
We are still socially disadvantage, and having deaf organisation too afraid to take this up as our representative, and it is them, we now need to start asking questions, what do they actually do – yes, leaflet educating awareness.
It been going on for too long now, and it is time to take the matter to court – even going down to the EU and United Nation on the ground our experience “social abuse” and the impact our human rights. We need to bed it once and for all.
d/Deaf people need to start shouting not at the film companies but with all deaf organisations – they need to get kicking and screaming via the court system.
Again, we have to find a way to overcome deaf apathy caused by deaf organisation their complacency.
I rest my case and just stay at home and watch DVD and even that I do not buy simply fearing it won’t work with subtitles.
Someone has failed us here.
.
Nathan
February 4, 2015
They should make a law – any time a film is advertised as subtitled and ends up not showing subtitles – the cinema should pay £30 per person to those in the audience. It will fix the problem as cinemas will ensure they will show the correct film to avoid paying out so much money!
Having said that , it won’t solve the problem of poor access times
Sarah
February 4, 2015
Your feelings are exactly how I felt about my local cinema Odeon in Guildford. They are awful to me. (I’m profoundly deaf) My hearing boyfriend of 12 years was so furious with them. We never went back again. We had to drive up to an hour for whenever we want to see a subtitled films in staines, Croydon and Basingstoke. You were right about everything! I’m glad to know I’m not the only one!
Hearno Evil
February 4, 2015
Don’t even get me started on Amazon Prime / NetFlix and lack of subtitles – For no reason, as they already exist…. IT IS NOT FAIR!
LR
February 6, 2015
Could they not just show all films with subtitles and tell hearing audiences that it is an advance in technology and this is how things are now? This would allow access to Deaf customers anytime and doesn’t cost any more for them does it? Once hearing people get used to seeing subtitles they can get used to ignoring them if they don’t rely on them. I am hearing, and it frustrates me that my Deaf husband and I cannot watch movies at the cinema together as the only time we can go there are never any subtitled shows.
LY
February 16, 2015
I might be in a minority here but as a hearing person I’d prefer subtitles on all films. I find it easier to follow the dialogue that way and I think it’s a big part of the reason why I watch more foreign language films and (subbed) animation. For me it’s preference but for you guys it’s essential and it’s ridiculous how difficult it is to find subtitled showings.