Star Wars in Swedish causes fan outrage
Star Wars, The Phantom Menace, is about to hit Sweden's cinemas in 3D, dubbed into Swedish, a move which has infuriated die-hard fans and prompting them to lobby for a boycott of the film.
“It fills me with disgust,” wrote daily newspaper Aftonbladet’s Magnus Edlund.
“There are some things you know you should instinctively avoid, like jumping off a cliff, or hitting your temple with a hammer,” he wrote.
And so it is, he claimed, with Star Wars in Swedish.
Edlund’s article has called for all fans of the series to boycott the film in an effort to prevent the other films in the Star Wars franchise from losing the appeal that comes with the original English dialogue.
And the readers have responded in full force. A poll on the newspaper showed that 80 percent of voters were ‘disgusted’ with the dubbing.
A slew of Swedish celebrities and entertainers have been called upon to lend their voices, including Anastasios Soulis as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Nick Atkinson as C3P0 and Rakel Wärmländer as Queen Amidala.
Swedish entertainer Andreas Nilsson will be Yoda, and Kim Sulocki, who stars in upcoming Swedish sitcom “The Office,” ("Kontoret") will provide the new voice of Jar Jar Binks.
As the majority of films released in Sweden are subtitled, Edlund has questioned if director George Lucas is just trying to earn more money from the mega franchise, and writes that people have to watch in English to appreciate the film – even if it means reading at the same time.
“I don’t want to see the 'Star Wars' of my childhood humiliated and abused by stilted Swedish illiterates,” he wrote.
The film opens on February 10th in 130 cinemas around the country.
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“It fills me with disgust,” wrote daily newspaper Aftonbladet’s Magnus Edlund.
“There are some things you know you should instinctively avoid, like jumping off a cliff, or hitting your temple with a hammer,” he wrote.
And so it is, he claimed, with Star Wars in Swedish.
Edlund’s article has called for all fans of the series to boycott the film in an effort to prevent the other films in the Star Wars franchise from losing the appeal that comes with the original English dialogue.
And the readers have responded in full force. A poll on the newspaper showed that 80 percent of voters were ‘disgusted’ with the dubbing.
A slew of Swedish celebrities and entertainers have been called upon to lend their voices, including Anastasios Soulis as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Nick Atkinson as C3P0 and Rakel Wärmländer as Queen Amidala.
Swedish entertainer Andreas Nilsson will be Yoda, and Kim Sulocki, who stars in upcoming Swedish sitcom “The Office,” ("Kontoret") will provide the new voice of Jar Jar Binks.
As the majority of films released in Sweden are subtitled, Edlund has questioned if director George Lucas is just trying to earn more money from the mega franchise, and writes that people have to watch in English to appreciate the film – even if it means reading at the same time.
“I don’t want to see the 'Star Wars' of my childhood humiliated and abused by stilted Swedish illiterates,” he wrote.
The film opens on February 10th in 130 cinemas around the country.
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