On my screen, there's an all-out shootout, guns blazing as hundreds of bullets fly overhead. AI Pacino's Tony Montana has just discovered his sister dead on the ground and there are gunmen waiting on the other side of the door; he picks up a grenade launcher and aims it in their direction. Also on my screen? The words “Say hello to my little friend”. Some might say my predilection for watching everything with subtitles is getting in the way of my viewing experience of Scarface. But I’d argue that it’s actually improving it.
Oh, subtitles... I love them. Knowing for certain what is being said in any given film or TV show is worth the world to me. It’s certainly worth giving up the meagre inch of screen space the text takes up at the bottom of my telly – a view I’ve often been told is sacrilege to the “art” of filmmaking. In living rooms across the world, the Great Subtitles War rages on, quietly and passive-aggressively.
According to Netflix, in 2023, 40 per cent of its global users have subtitles on all the time, while 80 per cent use them at least once a month – stats that far exceed the number of viewers who need captioning because of hearing impairment. I myself fall into this category – someone who doesn’t need subtitles but wants them all the same (and all the time).
As is true of many habits, this particular one was born out of necessity. My mum’s first language is not English and so growing up, my family was a subtitles household. (Indonesian was not typically an option, so we opted for English.) You might say I grew dependent on them, and you’d be right – but I also grew accustomed to them, and savvy as to how to use them “properly” as someone who is not hearing impaired, because while, yes, subtitles are useful for when you are in a loud space or trying not to wake a sleeping baby – they also, I’d argue, make for a superior viewing experience, and deserve reverence rather than sneering.
Denne historien er fra August 19, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra August 19, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Tories have left the NHS in 'critical condition' says peer
Starmer says patients right to be angry’ over damning report
England's white-ball reset presents difficult challenge
The Bazball 2.0 white-ball venture has been confirmed for the start of 2025, but before that England take on Australia in a white-ball series packed into September.
Golden boots shine bright for Kane on winning night
He wore golden boots. And he has won them too of course. Three as the Premier League's top scorer, one for outscoring everyone else in a World Cup. It was a fitting way to mark Harry Kane's century of caps, though. Not the most fitting: that came after the presentations. England 2-0 Finland was Kane 2-0 Finland, a golden night for the golden boots.
Kane scores twice as he celebrates his 100th cap
As much as this match rightfully became about Harry Kane, there was something else it resembled as Lee Carsley’s England fluidly worked the ball to the centurion for his 67th and 68th international goals. It was like one of the top Premier League teams patiently moving a Championship side around until the gaps presented themselves.
Government in final stages of £500m Tata rescue deal
The government is working to finalise a rescue deal worth £500m for Tata Steel's Port Talbot plant this week, following the closure of its blast furnaces, according to reports. The package of support had been drawn up by the previous Conservative government.
Neil steps down as chair of Spectator after £100m sale
Political journalist Andrew Neil has resigned as chair of The Spectator after 20 years at the helm. Neil spoke of his great sadness” at stepping down after the immense privilege” of chairing the world’s oldest current affairs magazine. Financier and GB News investor Sir Paul Marshall becomes the 196-year-old magazine’s 14th proprietor.
Asos has revealed that fast fashion needs to slow down
The online retailer's new charge for serial returners has been met with uproar. But perhaps it should be a wake-up call if your cheap-clothing habit is that severe, writes Helen Coffey
Faulty connections make direct flights a good idea
\"The next SkyLine Shuttle will depart in zero seconds.\" That was one of many fibs I was told during a long, winding and annoying journey yesterday afternoon and evening from Tirana in Albania to London Heathrow.
TOE-TO-TOE COMBAT
It's hard to believe, but a small Derbyshire town has hosted one of the strangest competitive sports in the world for 50 years. Elizabeth McCafferty watches from the sidelines
Parents need to realise they play a role in kids' behaviour
We appear to be living in dark days for British children. Last month, a report by The Children's Society suggested that kids in the UK faced a \"happiness recession\".
