Articles and Stories

October 18, 2013

Halloween is approaching, and in case you don’t normally notice its proximity, the film industry makes sure to remind you of it soon enough. Several horror and scary films are released during this time of the year, hoping to maximize profit by banking on the mood.

I have always been a fan of this genre, so I couldn’t pass on the opportunity to watch “The Shining” at the Plaza Theater in Atlanta, Georgia. Though I was familiar with the film, to the surprise of many, I had never seen it before, not even in the dubbed version in Spain, where I am from. It has been more than three decades since it was first released, so I guess a big party was in order for my attendance at the recent screening.

As we were waiting for the doors to open, drinks called “redrum” were being offered to the audience. Silly me, I thought that perhaps the name related to a kind of rum-based drink with a red color. My questions would be answered soon, as I watched one of the most critical scenes in the movie. I finally understood what “redrum” was all about.  So “redrum” is “murder” backwards… after this revelation, I then wondered: did the Spanish version have it translated, or did they leave it in English? I thought that the second option was the likely one.

The next day, I researched  this and my guess was confirmed. How could you possibly find a similar word in Spanish for “murder” that reads backwards in a way that resembles “redrum” and that serves as a play of words? And how could you match that with the fact that you see the English word spelled out in one of the scenes. There is no wining with this one and, unfortunately, this is a very common “horror” story that is hard to bypass in the translation and dubbing process.

I thought that the horror stories on dubbing “The Shining” might have stopped at the word “redrum”, until, coincidentally, that same day a friend posted a meme on Facebook about the “dreadful” dubbing job done for Wendy in the Spanish version. I have no opinions on the dubbing abilities of the Spanish actress (Verónica Forqué) chosen to dub Wendy, as I never saw the film in Spain. However, knowing Verónica Forqué’s voice, I understood the reasons for casting her. Once again, I felt tickled by my curiosity and continued my research to confirm my suspicions.

As it turns out, it was Kubrik himself who casted Verónica Forqué, to the dismay of a lot of Spaniards. Verónica Forqué is a well-known actress, but not one that most people would consider for a voice over job. Her tone of voice wouldn’t be considered among those most pleasing to an audience, but it is so peculiar and personal, most Spaniards could recognize her speech without seeing her.

My educated guess (and without being able to confirm this with Kubrik himself) is that Verónica was chosen because of the similarity of the tone of the voice to that of the original actress, Shelley Duvall. Someone like Kubrik pays much attention to the portrayal of his characters, and their speech peculiarities are an essential part of who the characters are supposed to be. I imagine Kubrik wanted to preserve that in the foreign version.

One could say that this is yet another horror tale many casting directors and film producers go through. How do you pick your voice over talent? Do you choose a pleasing voice, or do you try to emulate the tone of the original actor? Often times, the only way to decide is to cast several voice-over talents and see which one meets the director’s vision of the final product. Casting agencies are very resourceful and can guide the decision process, so if you have a film to dub, don’t hesitate to ask and find out what your best options might be.