European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 13, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Is it in English overseas its yes no and sort of Deedee Arrington Doke staff writer Ernst Pletsch a vision of the future was an american movie. And he brought his vision to widescreen air conditioned life in an elegant american style multiplex theater that specializes in boffo Box office blockbusters from the United states. In English no less. While other Heaters overseas Are showing dubbed partially dubbed and sub titled american films the Broadway Kino Heaters in land Stuhl West Germany Are movie meccas for the roughly 70,000 americans As Well As brits canadians and other International types who live in the Kaiserslautern military Community. Its a clientele that Pletsch knows Well. When he was a child in the nearby Village of Ramstein american neighbors used to take him to the movies on base. So when Batman the Hunt for red october and steel magnolias hit English speaking movie screens in the Kaiserslautern area they played the Broadway Kinos first. Quot the blockbusters do Best Here. If i always showed the movies i like i would run out of business Quot he jokes. But Pletsch plans to shake up the status quo in May by reaching out to the Art film crowd with a Trio of carefully chosen critically acclaimed movies a with soundtracks in English of course. He s scheduled Italy s Oscar winning Cinema paradiso for Early May to be followed by another Oscar Winner my left foot starring Daniel Day Lewis and the controversial film the Cook the thief his wife and her Lover for Brief runs. Quot i want to see what the reaction is what the customers response is whether they like it or not Quot Pletsch says. What he refuses to show though Are certain cult favourites like the Rocky horror picture show that involve lots of audience participation and Messy props. He recoils at the thought. Quot i will never show that movie. After it s Over you have to renovate the  Check movie ads for the Symbol Quot to a which Means it will be shown in its original language. Watching movies in English overseas is always an experience a sometimes great sometimes not so great. Sometimes athletic. Brussels Belgium unlike Germany has plenty of Heaters showing movies in their original version so there s plenty of English speaking fare to go around. Problem is that since Belgium is officially a bilingual country they must put two sets of translations for the sub titles one in French and one in flemish the Cousin of dutch. You sometimes find yourself peering Over All that subtitle age or is it subtitles sort of lifting off your seat like you re trying to watch a baseball that looks like it might make it Over the Fence but your not Suauu urrere. Unless you speak italian you might As Well forget about going to the movies in Italy. Although american films dominate the italian Market films in English Are about As rare As a tra Bant on the Autostrada. Films in English occasionally Are screened in Rome Milan and Bologna. In Naples a City of 2 million Only one theater a Cinema Amedeo a shows films in English. The showings begun last fall Are on wednesdays Only. Virtually every film shown in Italy is dubbed sub titling is rare. Why Well a Little fat fellow named Mussolini started the practice by ordering dubbing in the Days before world War ii. Prior to ii Duce s getting into the act films were released with italian sub titles. Mussolini was worried that american films would carry anti fascist dialogue. He solved the problem by having scripts changed and voices dubbed France is a nation of avid moviegoers and the world s largest Jerry Lewis fan club. Because film is held in High esteem there As an Art form it s generally easier to find Heaters showing movies in their original languages particularly in Paris. Dubbing has its fans in the far East As Well in Thailand the dubbers Are nothing if not imaginative and Thrifty. They hang onto the original soundtrack and just dub Here and there As the thai language demands to keep up with the Dia Logue. And then there s the narrator. Clint Eastwood May begin to warn a Crook about the dangers of his .44 magnum in English Only to be interrupted by a helpful thai narrator who describes the ongoing action and then interrupts himself to read Clint s dialogue in thai. He will once again break off to read the other actor s lines As Well. Crowd scenes no doubt require dizzying vocal dexterity. Stall writers j. King Cruger in Italy and David Tarrant in Brussels contributed to this Story. Cinco sunday May 13, 1990 to plus c Page 3