The TV Addict 

People think I’m strange, but whenever I watch a film on DVD, I watch it with subtitles turned on. My friends give me a lot of grief about it, mainly complaining that it’s distracting while watching, and wondering why I even need them when I have two perfectly working ears attached to my head. After all, I do just fine in theatres and watching regular television shows on TV, so what gives?

I suppose I have a couple of reasons. First - and I’m going to sound like an old fuddy-duddy - but I find that a lot of actors mutter and mumble sometimes, making their dialogue unintelligible, or other times their words get drowned out by bombastic scores and sound effects. When it comes to dialogue I just don’t like to miss anything - for whatever reason - and subtitles ensure that I actually hear everything I’m supposed to (and sometimes not supposed to). There are some times additional benefits too, as - depending on the extent of the closed captioning - you often get to read background dialogue you can’t actually make out, or get to see the lyrics to those deliberately selected songs that accompany scenes.

Second, as a writer, I have a natural interest in the written word, whatever form it takes. So not only do I get to see the words being spoken displayed across my screen, it also serves to remind me (not that I really forget) that all films start with a screenwriter. Subtitles allow me to see the extent of their work, so that I not only hear the words, but see them too as they were originally written (well, assuming the closed caption people do their job properly).

So what do you guys think? Are you in agreement with my friends and think I’m nuts? Do you find subtitles distracting, or are you secretly too someone like me who insists on them whenever watching a DVD in the comfort of your home?