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A multiple-language version film (often abbreviated to MLV) or foreign language version, is a film, especially from the early talkie era, produced in several different languages for international markets.[1] To offset the marketing restrictions of making sound films in only one language, it became common practice for American and European studios to produce foreign-language versions of their films using the same sets, crew, costumes, etc but often with different actors fluent in each language. The plot was sometimes adjusted with new or removed scenes and script alterations [2] The first foreign-language versions appeared in 1929 and largely replaced the International Sound Version method for many major releases. The most common languages used for these productions were English, Spanish, French and German.
The idea of whether these were different / recut versions of the same film or separate films in their own right is open to debate and interpretation by the viewer. Filming in different years could be used as the basis for this as clearly two versions of a film 10 years apart are considered separate films. However The Tunnel was filmed three times (1933 Germany, 1933 France, 1935 England) with two in the same year and another 2 years apart making the determination difficult for these cases.
Musicals in particular proliferated during the early talkie era, partially because between-song, plot-driven narration could often be easily replaced with intertitles or, as in the case with MLVs, be reshot using local actors. Numerous internationally renowned artists worked on MLVs, some repeatedly. Many are still widely known to modern audiences, including Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, Alfred Hitchcock, Buster Keaton, Fritz Lang and John Wayne. Hal Roach was a great proponent of MLVs and an early adopter of the practice. Within a two-year period between 1929 and 1931 he oversaw the production of many of them for his top acts, including Laurel and Hardy, Charley Chase, Harry Langdon and Our Gang.
Although a vast number of MLVs were made, many of the early export versions are thought lost and relatively few are available today. Some notable exceptions are Anna Christie (1930); The Blue Angel (1930); Dracula's Spanish-language incarnation, Drácula (1931); M (1931); The Threepenny Opera (1931) and various Laurel and Hardy films.
Within a few years the practice had peaked, largely because of the additional production complications and expenses incurred, along with improvements in dubbing and subtitling techniques. Many multiple-language version films were US-European co-productions and the Nazis' rise to power in the early 1930s effectively sealed their fate. European co-productions continued on a reduced scale through until the end of the 1950s before dying out almost completely. In India however, multiple-language versions are still produced on a semi-regular basis, particularly in the case of big budget epics.
List of multiple-language versions
| Original film | Year | Production studio | Foreign versions | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlantic | 1929 | British International Pictures (BIP) | Atlantik 1929 (German) Atlantis 1930 (French) |
|
| Berth Marks and The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case | 1929 and 1930 | Hal Roach Studios | Feu mon oncle 1930 (French) Spuk um Mitternacht 1931 (German) Noche de duendes 1930 (Spanish) |
All star Laurel and Hardy/ Plots and footage from the English shorts were combined into much longer foreign ones. |
| Blaze o' Glory | 1929 | Sono Art | Sombras de gloria 1930 (Spanish) | |
| Half Way to Heaven | 1929 | Paramount | Sombras del circo 1931 (Spanish) À mi-chemin du ciel 1931 (French) Der Sprung ins Nichts 1932 (German) Halvvägs till himlen 1932 (Swedish) |
|
| His Glorious Night | 1929 | MGM | Olimpia 1930 (Spanish) Si l'empereur savait ça 1930 (French) Olympia 1930 (German) |
|
| The Hollywood Revue of 1929 | 1929 | MGM | Wir schalten um auf Hollywood: Eine Reportage Revue 1931 (German) | Buster Keaton appears in both versions Laurel and Hardy appear in the English version. |
| Innocents of Paris | 1929 | Paramount | La chanson de Paris 1930 (French) | |
| The Letter | 1929 | Paramount | La carta 1931 (Spanish) La lettre 1930 (French) Weib im Dschungel 1931 (German) La donna bianca 1931 (Italian) |
Jeanne Eagels, the star of the English-language original, died in 1929. |
| The Love Parade | 1929 | Paramount | Parade d'amour 1930 (French) | |
| Madame X | 1929 | MGM | La mujer X 1931 (Spanish) | |
| Melody of the Heart (German: Melodie des Herzens) | 1929 | UFA | Melody of the Heart 1929 (English) Mélodie du cœur 1929 (French) Vasárnap délután 1929 (Hungarian) |
|
| The Night Belongs to Us (German: Die Nacht gehört uns) | 1929 | UFA | La nuit est à nous 1930 (French) | |
| Nothing but the Truth | 1929 | Paramount | La pura verdad 1931 (Spanish) Rien que la vérité 1930 (French) Die nackte Wahrheit 1932 (German) |
|
| Pointed Heels | 1929 | Paramount | Gente alegre 1931 (Spanish) | |
| The Sacred Flame | 1929 | Warner Bros. | La llama sagrada 1931 (Spanish) Die heilige Flamme 1931 (German) |
|
| The Trial of Mary Dugan | 1929 | MGM | El proceso de Mary Dugan 1931 (Spanish) Le procès de Mary Dugan 1930 (French) Mordprozeß Mary Dugan 1931 (German) |
|
| The Unholy Night | 1929 | MGM | Le spectre vert 1930 (French) | |
| All Teed Up | 1930 | Hal Roach Studios | Le Joueur de Golf 1930 (French) El Jugador de Golf 1930 (Spanish) |
|
| Almost a Honeymoon | 1930 | BIP/Albatros | Le Monsieur de minuit 1931 (French) | |
| Anna Christie | 1930 | MGM | Anna Christie 1931 (German) | Both star Greta Garbo. |
| At the Villa Rose | 1930 | Julius Hagen/Jacques Haïk | Le mystère de la villa rose 1930 (French) | |
| The Bad Man | 1930 | First National | El hombre malo 1930 (Spanish) Lopez, le bandit 1930 (French) |
|
| Bear Shooters | 1930 | Hal Roach Studios | 1930 (French) 1930 (German) Los Cazadores De Osos 1930 (Spanish) |
Our Gang shorts. |
| Behind the Make-Up | 1930 | Paramount | Maquillage 1932 (French) | |
| Below Zero | 1930 | Hal Roach Studios | Tiembla y Titubea 1930 (Spanish) | Both star Laurel and Hardy. |
| The Benson Murder Case | 1930 | Paramount | El cuerpo del delito 1930 (Spanish) | |
| The Big Fight | 1930 | James Cruze Productions | La fuerza del querer 1930 (Spanish) | |
| The Big House | 1930 | MGM | El presidio 1930 (Spanish) Révolte dans la prison 1931 (French) Menschen hinter Gittern 1931 (German) |
|
| The Big Kick | 1930 | Hal Roach Studios | La estación de gasolina 1930 (Spanish) | |
| The Big Pond | 1930 | Paramount | La grande mare 1930 (French) | |
| The Big Trail | 1930 | Fox | La gran jornada 1930 (Spanish) La Piste des géants 1931 (French) Die große Fahrt 1931 (German) Il grande sentiero 1931 (Italian) |
John Wayne's first starring role. |
| Blotto | 1930 | Hal Roach Studios | Une Nuit Extravagante 1930 (French) La Vida Nocturna 1930 (Spanish) |
All star Laurel and Hardy. |
| The Blue Angel (German: Der blaue Engel) | 1930 | UFA | The Blue Angel 1930 (English) | Both star Marlene Dietrich. |
| The Boudoir Diplomat | 1930 | Universal | Don Juan diplomático 1931 (Spanish) Boudoir diplomatique 1931 (French) Liebe auf Befehl 1931 (German) |
|
| Brats | 1930 | Hal Roach Studios | Les bons petits diables 1930 (French) Glückliche Kindheit 1931 (German) |
All star Laurel and Hardy. |
| Burglars (German: Einbrecher) | 1930 | UFA | Flagrant délit 1931 (French) | |
| Call of the Flesh | 1930 | MGM | Sevilla de mis amores 1930 (Spanish) Le chanteur de Séville 1931 (French) |
|
| The Cat Creeps | 1930 | Universal | La Voluntad del muerto 1930 (Spanish) | |
| Chacun sa chance (French) | 1930 | Marcel Hellmann/Pathé-Natan | Kopfüber ins Glück 1931 (German) | |
| Children of Chance | 1930 | BIP | Kinder des Glücks 1931 (German) | |
| Common Clay | 1930 | Fox | Del mismo barro 1930 (Spanish) | |
| Dangerous Paradise | 1930 | Paramount | Dans une île perdue 1931 (French) Niebezpieczny raj 1931 (Polish) Tropennächte 1931 (German) La riva dei bruti 1931 (Italian) Farornas paradis 1931 (Swedish) |
|
| The Devil's Holiday | 1930 | Paramount | La fiesta del diablo 1931 (Spanish) Les vacances du diable 1931 (French) Sonntag des Lebens 1931 (German) La vacanza del diavolo 1931 (Italian) En kvinnas morgondag 1931 (Swedish) |
|
| Dollar Dizzy | 1930 | Hal Roach Studios | Chercheuses d'or 1930 (French) El príncipe del dólar 1931 (Spanish) |
|
| Doughboys | 1930 | MGM | De frente, marchen 1930 (Spanish) | Both star Buster Keaton. |
| Dreyfus | 1930 | Richard Oswald Produktion/BIP | Dreyfus 1931 (English remake) | |
| East Is West | 1930 | Universal | Oriente es Occidente 1930 (Spanish) | |
| Eskimo (Norwegian) | 1930 | Nordisk Film/Skandinavisk Talefilm | The White God 1932 (German: Der weiße Gott) | |
| L'étrange fiancée (French) | 1930 | Frantisek Horký | Operené stíny 1931 (Czech) | |
| Fast Work | 1930 | Hal Roach Studios | Locuras de amor 1931 (Spanish) | |
| Father and Son (German: Väter und Söhne) | 1930 | Minerva/Terra | Markurells i Wadköping 1931 (Swedish) | |
| Fire in the Opera House (German: Brand in der Oper) | 1930 | Carl Froelich-Film | La barcarolle d'amour 1930 (French) | |
| The First Seven Years | 1930 | Hal Roach Studios | 1930 (French) 1930 (German) Los Pequeños Papas 1930 (Spanish) |
Our Gang shorts. |
| The Flame of Love | 1930 | BIP | Hai-Tang. Der Weg zur Schande 1930 (German) Hai-Tang 1930 (French) |
|
| For Her Sake (Swedish: För hennes skull) | 1930 | Minerva | Mach' mir die Welt zum Paradies 1930 (German) | |
| Free and Easy | 1930 | MGM | Estrellados 1930 (Spanish) | Both star Buster Keaton. |
| Girl Shock | 1930 | Hal Roach Studios | Timide Malgré Lui 1930 (French) ¡Huye, Faldas! 1930 (Spanish) |
|
| Going Wild | 1930 | First National | L'aviateur 1931 (French) | |
| Grumpy | 1930 | Paramount | Cascarrabias 1930 (Spanish) | |
| Hans in Every Street (German: Hans in allen Gassen) | 1930 | Carl Froelich-Film/Films P.J. de Venloo | La folle aventure 1931 (French) | |
| Her Wedding Night | 1930 | Paramount | Su noche de bodas 1931 (Spanish) Marions-nous 1931 (French) Ich heirate meinen Mann 1931 (German) A Minha Noite de Núpcias 1931 (Portuguese)[3] |
|
| Hog Wild | 1930 | Hal Roach Studios | Pêle-mêle 1930 (French) Radiomanía 1930 (Spanish) |
All star Laurel and Hardy. |
| Hokuspokus (German) | 1930 | UFA | The Temporary Widow 1930 (English) | |
| A Hole in the Wall (French: Un trou dans le mur) | 1930 | Paramount | Un hombre de suerte 1930 (Spanish) När rosorna slå ut 1930 (Swedish) |
|
| Honey | 1930 | Paramount | Salga de la cocina 1930 (Spanish) Chérie 1931 (French) Jede Frau hat etwas 1931 (German) Kärlek måste vi ha 1931 (Swedish) |
|
| The House of the Arrow | 1930 | Julius Hagen/Jacques Haïk | La Maison de la Fléche 1930 (French) | |
| Imperial and Royal Field Marshal (Czech: C. a k. polní maršálek) | 1930 | Elektafilm/Ondra-Lamac/Prociné Standard | K. und K. Feldmarschall 1930 (German) Monsieur le maréchal 1931 (French) |
|
| Když struny lkají (Czech) | 1930 | Elektafilm/Feher | Ihr Junge 1931 (German) | |
| The King | 1930 | Hal Roach Studios | Der König 1930 (German) | |
| The King of Paris (German: Der König von Paris) | 1930 | Greenbaum Film | Le roi de Paris 1930 (French) | |
| Kismet | 1930 | First National | Kismet 1931 (German) | |
| A Lady's Morals | 1930 | MGM | Jenny Lind 1931 (French) | |
| The Last Company (German: Die letzte Kompagnie) | 1930 | UFA | The Last Company 1930 (English) | |
| Laughter | 1930 | Paramount | Lo mejor es reir 1931 (Spanish) Rive gauche 1931 (French) Die Männer um Lucie 1931 (German) A Dama Que Ri 1931 (Portuguese) |
|
| Let Us Be Gay | 1930 | MGM | Soyons gais 1930 (French) | |
| Lieutenant, Were You Once a Hussar? (German: Leutnant warst Du einst bei deinen Husaren) | 1930 | Aafa | Mon coeur incognito 1931 (French) | |
| Looser Than Loose | 1930 | Hal Roach Studios | Gare las Bomb! 1930 (French) Una Cana al Aire 1930 (Spanish) |
|
| Manslaughter | 1930 | Paramount | La incorregible 1930 (Spanish) Le réquisitoire 1931 (French) Leichtsinnige Jugend 1931 (German) Lika inför lagen 1931 (Swedish) |
|
| Men of the North | 1930 | MGM | Monsieur Le Fox 1931 (French) Monsieur Le Fox 1931 (German) Monsieur Le Fox 1931 (Spanish) Luigi La Volpe 1931 (Italian) |
Co-directed by Hal Roach. |
| Min and Bill | 1930 | MGM | La fruta amarga 1930 (Spanish) | |
| Moby Dick | 1930 | Warner Bros. | Moby Dick 1931 (French) Dämon des Meeres 1931 (German) |
|
| Murder! | 1930 | BIP | Mary 1931 (German) | Both are directed by Alfred Hitchcock. |
| Night Birds | 1930 | BIP/Richard Eichberg-Film GmbH | Der Greifer 1930 (German) | |
| Night Owls | 1930 | MGM | Ladrones 1930 (Spanish) | Both star Laurel and Hardy. |
| On Your Back | 1930 | Fox | Esclavas de la moda 1930 (Spanish) | |
| One Mad Kiss | 1930 | Fox | El precio de un beso 1930 (Spanish) | |
| The Other (German: Der Andere) | 1930 | Terra Film | Le procureur Hallers 1930 (French) | |
| Paramount on Parade | 1930 | Paramount | Galas de la Paramount 1930 (Spanish) Paramount en parade 1930 (French) Paramount auf Parade 1930 (German) Paramount sulla parata 1930 (Italian) Paramount on Parade 1931 (Swedish) Paramount op parade 1930 (Dutch) Parada Paramount 1930 (Romanian) Paramount on Parade 1930 (Japanese) Paramount on Parade 1930 (Czech) Paramount on Parade 1930 (Hungarian) Paramount on Parade 1930 (Serbian) Parada Paramountu 1930 (Polish) |
|
| Playboy of Paris | 1930 | Paramount | Le petit café 1931 (French) | |
| Rendezvous (German: Komm' zu mir zum Rendezvous) | 1930 | Cinaes/Harmonie/Braunberger-Richebé/Renacimiento | El amor solfeando 1930 (Spanish) L'amour chante 1930 (French) |
|
| Sarah and Son | 1930 | Paramount | Toda una vida 1930 (Spanish) Toute sa vie 1930 (French) Il richiamo del cuore 1930 (Italian) Hjärtats röst 1931 (Swedish) A Canção do Berço 1930 (Portuguese) Glos serca 1930 (Polish) |
|
| Scotland Yard | 1930 | Fox | El impostor 1930 (Spanish) | |
| The Sea God | 1930 | MGM | El Dios del mar 1930 (Spanish) | |
| Show Girl in Hollywood | 1930 | First National | Le masque d'Hollywood 1930 (French) | |
| The Shrimp | 1930 | Hal Roach Studios | ¡Pobre infeliz! (Spanish) | |
| The Singing City (German: Die singende Stadt) | 1930 | Allianz Tonfilm | City of Song 1931 (English) | |
| Slightly Scarlet | 1930 | Paramount | Amor audaz 1930 (Spanish) L'énigmatique Monsieur Parkes 1930 (French) |
|
| The Song Is Ended (German: Das Lied ist aus) | 1930 | Super | Petit officier… Adieu! 1930 (French) | |
| The Song of Love (Italian: La canzone dell'amore) | 1930 | Cines | Liebeslied 1931 (German) La dernière berceuse 1931 (French) |
|
| The Son of the White Mountain (German: Der Sohn der weißen Berge) | 1930 | Itala/Gaumont | Les chevaliers de la montagne 1930 (French) | |
| La straniera (Italian) | 1930 | Jean de la Cour/Hegewald | L'étrangère 1931 (French) Die Fremde 1931 (German) |
|
| La tendresse (French) | 1930 | André Hugon/Pathé-Natan | Zärtlichkeit 1930 (German) | |
| Those Who Dance | 1930 | Warner Bros. | Los que danzan 1930 (Spanish) Contre-enquête 1931 (French) Der Tanz geht weiter 1931 (German) |
|
| The Three from the Filling Station (German: Die Drei von der Tankstelle) | 1930 | UFA | Le chemin du paradis 1930 (French) | |
| A Tough Winter | 1930 | Hal Roach Studios | Temps d'Hiver 1930 (French) Winter Wetter 1930 (German) 1930 (Spanish) |
Our Gang shorts. |
| The Virtuous Sin | 1930 | Paramount | Generalen 1931 (Swedish) Le Rebelle 1931 (French) Die Nacht der Entscheidung 1931 (German) |
|
| Two Worlds | 1930 | BIP | Zwei Welten 1930 (German) Les deux mondes 1930 (French) |
|
| Waltz of Love (German: Liebeswalzer) | 1930 | UFA | The Love Waltz 1930 (English) | |
| Way for a Sailor | 1930 | MGM | En cada puerto un amor 1931 (Spanish) | |
| The Way of All Men | 1930 | First National | Die Maske fällt 1931 (German) | |
| What a Man | 1930 | Sono Art | Así es la vida 1930 (Spanish) | |
| When the Wind Blows | 1930 | Hal Roach Studios | 1930 (French) 1930 (German) Las Fantasmas 1930 (Spanish) |
Our Gang shorts. |
| 77 Park Lane | 1931 | Famous Players Guild | 77 Rue Chalgrin 1931 (French) Entre noche y día 1932 (Spanish) |
|
| Aféra plukovníka Redla (Czech) | 1931 | Elektafilm/Sonor | Der Fall des Generalstabs-Oberst Redl 1931 (German) | |
| The Lovers of Midnight (French: Les amours de minuit) | 1931 | Carl Froelich/Braunberger-Richebé | Mitternachtsliebe 1931 (German) | |
| Arabian Nights | 1931 | Universal | El Tenorio del harem 1931 (Spanish) | |
| Ariane (German) | 1931 | UFA | The Loves of Ariane 1931 (English) Ariane, jeune fille russe 1932 (French) |
|
| The Bachelor Father | 1931 | MGM | Le père célibataire 1931 (French) | |