and i am a bit more inclined to subtitle it (in not too distant future).
The version I watched now was with "Czech subs" and all the German & French words or sentences were left untranslated.
As far as I remember, originally I watched this film after its release (prior to 1989) in cinema, and German & French parts were left unsubtitled too (there were no subs at all).
So, to translate into English only all that is spoken in Czech and the rest to leave intact would be okay, i guess.
French & Geman parts are usually simple claims and many times they are echoed by the repetitive claims in Czech, so fluency in German & French is not necessary to grasp the story.
I feel, translating into English everything would alter the viewing experience of the film (which is characteristic by permanently switching from one language to the other) more than having not a complete clue about few words here and there.
This is my main dilemma related to making subs to this film.
Alongside the film come the extras — the separate comments by Věra (director), Bolek (jester), and Chantal (queen).
There it is said the following (among other things).
After casting Bolek in CALAMITY, Věra wanted to collaborate with him again.
She attended his "Jester and the Queen" play, liked it, and decided to transpose it to the film screen.
An important part of the play is the interaction with the audience (the audience is being asked questions during the play, etc., etc.) so it was necessary to re-invent the play so it would suit the (unresponsive) screen.
And the basic concept (in this regard) was allegedly borrowed from Kurt Vonnegut and his "Billy Pilgrim" capable of commuting back and forth in time.
So, in the film, the main ("Billy Pilgrim" like) character is an imaginative castle warden who is daydreaming about being a jester in the service of a medieval German king and his French wife (ideas triggered by his study of archives).
When a guy from West Germany comes (together with his French wife) to the castle for a hunting trip (source of income for Easterners), the castle warden's conviction they are identical with his medieval "imaginary friends" grows stronger and stronger (and he starts permanently switching in his mind between 1980s reality and his medieval "flashbacks").
