OK, well last night I watched Card Player (think that's the name). Anyway, I have see a lot of his movies and some I do really enjoy (I am a big horror fan). My problem with his movies is that it seems almost as if most, at least of those I've seen, are dubbed in a weird way. OK, personally, I prefer to see a movie in it's original language, and if I do not know that language, I will watch it subtitled. Anyway the thing I have found with Argento movies it that it seems almost as if the movie was done in English, and then dubbed back in English again later. I am really confused. I don't get it. If it's in Italian, then subtitle it and dub it for those who really need it, but it seems as if some of his movies are done in English, then flipped, then dubbed back in English. Either way, most do not match the voices with the mouths of the actors/actresses. Any thoughts? I am at a loss and full of confusion.

This is a common issue with a number of Italian movies -- dubbing in the dialog. Fellini did this, as did many other Italian directors. Also, many Italian movies will have a cast that doesn't all speak the same language. So they all pretty much speak in their native language, only to be dubbed in later on. Argento would do this a lot, having a Brit or American in the lead. So there's not really such thing as the "proper" language for these movies.

Couldn't have said it better myself. The same thing goes for most spaghetti westerns as well.

Yep, that's exactly the issue. Very common with Italian films. It's the easiest way to do it when you have an international cast.

Funny thing, I was watching Cat O-Nine Tails the other night and recognized the dubbed English voice of the main police detective in the film as none other than Hal Linden. I'm guessing he must have done that before hitting it big in TV, probably when he was still working on Broadway in the early 70's.

Are there any versions with the original languages spoken, with subtitles?

Thanks for the info.

No. Although they may have recorded sound on the set of some of the films in question (and it's not even always clear that that was done), those recordings were used only as a guide for editing and dubbing. Once the films were completed, those recordings were typically destroyed. All that usually exists are the various dubs.

DJ

It also allows the director to yell commands at the actors while they're on camera, something that Fellini in particular liked to do: "Look this way! Say something to her! Now turn your head to the right!"

Fellini was known for not always having the dialogue for his movies written while he was filming them. The actors would just speak whatever gibberish they could come up with on the spot so that their lips moved, and then dialogue would be written and dubbed in later.

When actors don't know what their line will be, or if they are just "background" actors in a scene talking, they will usually say "walla walla" over and over again. The reason for this is that for some reason the shape of your mouth when you say those words looks like you are actually talking and it's easy to do adr or dubbing later in post.

"Peas and carrots" is also popular.

Saw some footage of him doing this while filming Satyricon...Speaking of which, where's the SE? *paging Criterion*