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In pursuit of the cinematic experience

Film translation in the late silent era

ORCiD logo with link | Roma Tre University
Published online: 28 October 2025
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/ts.25003.zan
Abstract
Silent film translation was a dynamic and multifaceted phenomenon. Films were not only inherently translatable and widely adapted, but the film text itself was ultimately shaped by the specific context in which it was exhibited (Vasey, Ruth. 1997. The World According to Hollywood, 1918–1939. University of Wisconsin Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar). Adapting a foreign film demanded a high level of expertise, encompassing complex operations such as translation, film editing and dialogue writing. This study focuses on the “adaptive strategies” (Adamson, Patrick. 2019. “American History at the Foreign Office: Exporting the Silent Epic Western.” Film History, 31 (2): 32–59. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar, 32) used by film translators to tailor silent films for international audiences, enabling them to transcend their original cultural boundaries. Its aim is to contribute new insights into the localisation of film media during the silent era by examining the translation and reception of Charlie Chaplin’s cinema in Italy. Drawing on archival sources and contemporary periodicals, the study explores how Hollywood films were reworked and reframed to align with local audience expectations, while also interrogating the notion of translation in the silent film world.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Film translation practices in the silent era
  • 3.Chaplin in Italy: The First National montages (1927)
  • 4.Voices in the press: The controversy around Vissi d’arte
  • 5.Traces in the archive: Shoulder Arms and A Dog’s Life
    • 5.1Title lists in the SASP archive
    • 5.2Shoulder Arms
    • 5.3A Dog’s Life
  • Conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
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Filmography
Chaplin, Charles, director. A Day’s Pleasure, First National Pictures. 1919.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
, director. A Dog’s Life, First National Pictures. 1918.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
, director. Dough and Dynamite, Keystone Picture Studio, 1914.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
, director. Pay Day, First National Pictures. 1922.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
, director. Sunny Side, First National Pictures. 1919.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
, director. The Chaplin Revue, Roy Export Company, 1959.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
, director. The Gold Rush, First National Pictures. 1925.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
, director. The Idle Class, First National Pictures. 1921.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
, director. The Kid, First National Pictures. 1921.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
, director. The Pilgrim, First National Pictures. 1923.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
, director. Shoulder Arms, First National Pictures 1918.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Dwan, Allan, director. Robin Hood, Douglas Fairbanks Pictures, 1922.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Reed, Langford. The Essanay-Chaplin Revue of 1916, Essanay Film Manufacturing Company, 1916.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. Chase Me Charlie, Essanay Film Manufacturing Company, 1918.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
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