Buzz Lightyear

I know some of you get tired of those bilingual questions. Sorry for that. But seeing the tread title you could have easy skipped this one.

I have a pretty good way of avoiding those bilingual covers and still buy the cheaper normal covers from Canadian retailers like DVDSoon and CDWOW.
Fox has always been such a safe Canadian company without bilingual covers. I wanted to preorder 'sideways' from DVDSoon and they have it listed as bilingual. Is this a mistake or does someone know they changed policy at Fox Canada? Thanks if anybody can help me. I's an easy 10 bucks earned if I can buy it from DVDSoon instead of amazon.

CptBlackadder

Unfortunately, Fox has turned to the dark side. The listing is correct. Merde...

mcharro3

Yes, turning off a great number of your customers is an excellent way to save money on printing costs*, Fox!

*No-one actually thinks bilingual covers are done for any other reason, right? The studios have to supply french covers in accordance with some (B.S.) Canadian law, so slapping English and French on the same cover saves them money on printing costs.

Of course, since I and most people I know detest these covers and don't buy them, I wonder how much money they're actually saving...

Kris81

Maybe because French is one of our Official Languages?


not to turn this into a political forum but we should be proud to have 2 official languages, as upposed to always bitching about things being written in both

Coral

It has nothing to do with being proud of having 2 official languages... it's about the asthetics of the DVD artwork.

ChristianB

Unfortunately, in the eyes of Fox Home Video Canada, it's not about the asthetics of the DVD artwork, it's ALL ABOUT SALES. The bottom line is all that matters (CHA CHING!), and there are plenty of Canadians that'll just buy and rent the DVD.

Now, if only Sideways didn't have a French language track then we'd be safe, like I [Heart] Huckabees...

Christian

Grandmaster C

Agreed. I don't buy titles with bilingual covers anymore myself. The upside is I do save a bit of money so it's a bit of a blessing in diguise.


Anyways, just to be sure for myself, I just checked the listing for it at C&L and its listed as having a French audio track so that means it'll have a bilingual cover.

SIDEWAYS (WS)
Catalog Number: 2227581DVD
Release date Apr 5,2005.
Dolby Digital 5.1, Widescreen, English Audio, French Audio, Spanish Audio, English Subtitles, French Subtitles, Spanish Subtitles, Anamorphic

Buzz Lightyear

Thanks for the help guys. I'm going for the US version with this one.

buckee1

I'm definately not trying to threadcrap however, I don't quite understand the problem with bi-lingual covers? I have the Canadian vsn of Star Trek Generations SE and it's a bi-lingual cover. Sure, there's a lot more info on the cover but it doesn't detract from the cover art in the least. Again, I've seen this kind of topic posted before and never fully understood the ire it raises.

mcharro3

Personal preference, I guess, but I find the covers look far too cluttered and ugly to put up with or pay for. Admittedly though, I'm a bit of a hardass when it comes to cover art and design because it's what I do for a living. Also, my eye sight has never been that great so microscopic text (shrunk to accomodate the two languages) and I don't get along.

That's just me, though!

WillieTheShakes

Well, you and a few others...

Not me, though. I tend to prize the content over the packaging -- a good film in crappy packaging, or bilingual packaging, is still a good film, and I tend to spend more time watching said film than I do looking at the package. I'm weird that way, though...

animatedude

umm sorry guys but can someone show me what's Bilingual cover? thanx in advance

pro-bassoonist

I have to agree with you. Not only am I not against the bilingual covers but I would be extremely happy if foreign films were presented with their original title (in their native language). Of course this will never happen....(an option of having the original poster art with the native title and a reverse side with the English title for the sensitive ones).

Pro-B

Wannabe

What is with this obsession about hating bilingual covers? How freaking long do people stare at the covers? If you''re saving a few bucks by buying a Canadian release, suck it up. Or better yet, learn a little French.

I think a more legitimate reason to bitch would be the inclusion of a french language track at the expense of a DTS track. JMHO.

gjamesm

You are entitled to your opinion. I refuse to buy bilingual covers and am slowly replacing the ones I bought in the past. I find that I never watch my dvds with bilingual covers because I cannot stand to look at the case long enough to get the dvd out and play it, so they just sit away out of sight unwatched. I am buying US versions of older titles when I can and chucking the bilingual ones in the trash.

I am just glad I have a US PO box or it would be a more expensive venture getting these US discs.

Wannabe

I can't argue with that.

rossbrew

I can't stand those bilingual covers either- not much of a cunning linguist I guess. I live in Canada and ordered the american Collateral and Raging Bull from amazon.com just to make sure I didn't get those horrible French translations on the box art.

pro-bassoonist

Agreed

Pro-B

Squirrel God

How come the people that don't like Canadian covers are usually the same people that love to import those swanky Japanese Region 2 and Asian Region 3 releases?

Le Français est bien avec moi.

pro-bassoonist

exactly...
Pro-B

Buzz Lightyear

This wasn't a discussion about why I hate bilingual covers. It was just about getting some help avoiding them. I don't like them and some people don't care. I respect that as well. I often import dvd's from Japan and Korea. Mostly the movies that are originaly from that country. They are generaly much better than the European and US versions. A lot of times they keep the cover artwork of American movies intact as well. What I do hate if they translate American title into French ones or they screw up the cover with some sort of button. Even the spine gets two different titles. It almost seems like a sort of dubbing of the cover. If it was only the description on the back it would be a lot less ugly. In Holland (where I am from) they have Dutch description on the back but they don't translate the movie title. What for me seems ridicoulus if they did. But again that's my opinion. In Germany they watch movies where Brat Pitt suddenly speaks German. They don't seem to mind.

But of course everybody has his own opinion. I have this one, I avoid those things like the plague. And I am thankful someone was helping me.

Dazed

Well, I hate them. I used to live in Montreal and had quebecor friends who hated them too. All they need to do is have reversible covers, its easy really.

many do have reversible covers but have english/french on one side and french/english on the other. utter lunacy!!!!

I seldom buy dvds here in canada anymore for this very reason. I'll buy from Amazon.com or cdwow.

Buzz Lightyear

I thought cdwow had Canadian dvd's. Do they sell American region 1? If that's true, that's great news for me.

pro-bassoonist

Yes....for quite some time....

Pro-B

CptBlackadder

CD-WOW! sells US-American AND Canadian DVDs. If you want to make sure to get an English cover, the only reliable solution is to order from US retailers.