Alternative title
Encyclopedia
An alternative title is a film distribution
device. Films are commonly released under a different title when they are screened or sold in a different country. This can vary from small alteration to the title, such as the addition of The, to wholesale changes. Film titles are also often changed when they are released on DVD
or VHS
.
or cultural differences. Some titles may not be easily understood in other parts of the world, and may even be considered offensive. Most title changes are commercial
. An example is Italian
Director's Sergio Leone
's 1971 film initially released as Duck, You Sucker!, as he was convinced this was a well-known English saying. When the film sold poorly, it was subsequently rebranded as A Fistful of Dynamite
, similar in name to his 1964 film A Fistful of Dollars
, part of the successful Dollars Trilogy
.
Film distribution
The distribution of a film is the process through which a movie is made available to watch for an audience by a film distributor...
device. Films are commonly released under a different title when they are screened or sold in a different country. This can vary from small alteration to the title, such as the addition of The, to wholesale changes. Film titles are also often changed when they are released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
or VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
.
Reasons
The reasons for this are varied, but usually point towards marketable, linguisticNatural language
In the philosophy of language, a natural language is any language which arises in an unpremeditated fashion as the result of the innate facility for language possessed by the human intellect. A natural language is typically used for communication, and may be spoken, signed, or written...
or cultural differences. Some titles may not be easily understood in other parts of the world, and may even be considered offensive. Most title changes are commercial
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
. An example is Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Director's Sergio Leone
Sergio Leone
Sergio Leone was an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter most associated with the "Spaghetti Western" genre.Leone's film-making style includes juxtaposing extreme close-up shots with lengthy long shots...
's 1971 film initially released as Duck, You Sucker!, as he was convinced this was a well-known English saying. When the film sold poorly, it was subsequently rebranded as A Fistful of Dynamite
A Fistful of Dynamite
Duck, You Sucker! , also known as A Fistful of Dynamite and Once Upon a Time… the Revolution, is a 1971 Zapata Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Rod Steiger and James Coburn....
, similar in name to his 1964 film A Fistful of Dollars
A Fistful of Dollars
A Fistful of Dollars is a 1964 Italian Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood alongside Gian Maria Volonté, Marianne Koch, Wolfgang Lukschy, Sieghardt Rupp, José Calvo, Antonio Prieto, and Joseph Egger. Released in Italy in 1964 then in the United States in...
, part of the successful Dollars Trilogy
Dollars Trilogy
The "Dollars Trilogy" , also known as the "Man with No Name Trilogy", refers to the three Spaghetti Westerns starring Clint Eastwood and directed by Sergio Leone: A Fistful of Dollars , For a Few Dollars More , and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly .A Fistful of Dollars is an unofficial remake of...
.