Germans talking in the cinema

OK, I have been for extended periods of time, or often, in many countries around the world. I have been to the cinema in some of these countries. Well actually the list would be: Ireland, England, Wales, Germany, South Africa. In Ireland, England, Wales I would say I have been to the cinema over a hundred times in my life, maybe 2 or 3 hundred, who knows. In these 1, 2 or 3 hundred times I have never ever, not even once heard a peep from anybody in the audience: nothing other than engrossment or at the minimum disinterested silence. However in our wonderful adopted land I have never ever been to a film where there wasn't some fucking kraut kuntz having a fucking chat or doing a running commentary of the film.

OK on Saturday night in Cinema at Lord of the Rings, I lost the cool. There were a couple of dudes behind me having a basically normal conversation behind me, they spoiled at least the first 30 mins for me in a 'will I or wont I' say something. Then I did, 'Can you be fucking quiet?': ignored me, I persisted until I got their attention, then a sneer and a 'Ya, ya, izzzz ok'. Then told them to fuck off to the pub if they wanted a chat, 'Yesssss, izzzz ok'. Spoiled the next hour for me. Then when I had finally cooled down a crowd on the other side of me started up, and the original assholes noticing this started up again. There goes the 3 hour. I'm with Don, I'm fast loosing the grain of respect that I had for these people. This kind of shit does not happen any where else in the world. I think they lack the basic sensitivity that most people and races have for their fellow human beings: as in 'What I am doing, or about to do, actually affects other people and maybe I should take this into account' kind of sensitivity.

The gloves are off.

seconds out.

let me know when it goes off. i'll be your cuts man.

ps. i can feel ur pain. you have my sympathy. dont rate the cinema, the awful seats disagree with my slipped discs.

I have to agree on this one, whenever I go to the cinema here German people either talk the entire length of a film, Clap when they see special effects, laugh at the most inappropriate moments of the film. (eg Someone Dying).

I think I had gotten used to this behaviour as I went to see LOTR with a mate in the UK - virtually no noise and it didnt make me think about here, but went to see it again last week at the cinema and it took about 15 minutes of the film for people to shut up!!

Pisses me off as well!!

I've never experienced this in Munich. Loads of times in England though...

I was at LOTR on sat as well, and have to say that I didn't hear too much noise, but I do have a similar problem throughout lectures here.
Where in England when the lecturer starts to talk there is quiet, here they just continue to talk as though there is no lecture taking place. They all sit there playing games on their laptops, talking at normal volume or just sleeping.

Pisses me off. It would be bad enough in my own lang. but I have trouble sometimes understanding what the lecturers are saying, let alone when some german dick is talking right next to me.

I don't understand it!

Try seeing a movie in any city in the United States. Between the talking, the cellphones, the hissing and the laser pointers, you might catch a minute or two of the dialogue.

Oh how times have changed and the tables turned. (wistfully yearning for the old days, bring back hoddy I say)

Personally, I get extremely pissed off whenever I hear a word of the fuck ugly disgusting shit that passes as a language here, in cinema, in the street, in my house, everywhere. At least if a Krout pisses you off by talking through a film then you can assume he understands English and threaten him with extreme violence (assuming of course that you were watching it in English - if anyone is going to see films in German - unless they are German films - then you are insane and I have no sympathy)

Next time you go to see a film, go tooled up the to hilt.

Yes it was Cinema Nymphenburgstr. that is why I could say 'Can you be fucking quiet?' and be sure he understood. But it's the same shit when we go to the local arthouse cinema round the corner: there we get the intellectual commentary or some guy showing off the fact the he understood some cultural reference that my old mum could understand.

Actually i was in a cinema in england watching "air force one" and there were a bunch of american students sitting behind me. At one point Harrison Ford (american president) saves the plane I think and someone says "Good job Mr President". This caused the americans to stand up and cheer.
So the next time the US flag came up I shouted "Burn the flag!". They didn't like that at all. Far more effective that telling em to shut up.

Couldn't get a more typical pavlovian response if you tried.

went to see the last samurai last week in 'cinema'... had a (i presume) german bloke next to me who took of his shoes and left them in the middle of the isle for everybody to trip over... once the movie started he began to massage his feet...

some other punter knocked over a glass bottle at least 5 times during the course of the show... grrrr

When I first saw "Pulp Fiction" had already been out for a while. I went with a British friend who sat on my left. On my right, I had some git who had memorised the entire dialogue and was repeating it as the characters were saying it. After about 2 minutes, it stopped.
After the film my British friend said, "I'm sure glad that git stopped talking beside you, it would have driven me around the bend if he had kept it up."
I replied, "Yeah, that's why I asked him to stop."
"WHAT? You spoke to him?"
"Of course"
"What did you say?"
"I politely asked him to be quiet as we were trying to watch the movie."
"Wow! A Brit would never have done that. I would have either suffered silently through the whole film or reached over and belted him."

Looks like you got stuck at a cross between these two options, MysteryMan.

Truer words were never spoken Don, although I have been guilty once or twice. Nymphenburger was empty for this matinee of SeaBiscuit and I was whispering about the comic book Flash Gordon when this Kraut said something about "Bitte blah blah...ein stunde!!!" but the kid in the movie died in the next 30 seconds so it was a mute point to try to argue.
But when the laddie is out trying to impress his posse so he can get into the pants of his lady friend, it is almost impossible to get him to shut the hell up. You are better off bouncing a beer bottle off his head and telling him "Your girlfriend want me anyway."

Having been in cinemas in NYC, I'm used to the talking and all other racket during the film. But I draw the line at a film that I've been waiting to see for a year like LOTR.

I gather that the Germans most inclined to talk and laugh inappropriately are those who don't understand English as well as they thought and they find themselves bored.

What bugs me even more is that other Germans aren't willing to complain. That's why their compatriots are willing to keep pushing the envelope.

Seems like it happens quite a lot. Maybe I've just been lucky that every time I've been there hasn't been anyone that did it.

The only time I've really noticed people speaking during the film is in England. Specially in Birmingham. One time I was there and 2 girls a couple of rows in front of me got out mobile phones and started making calls - at higher-than-normal voice levels because they had to make themselves heard over the background noise (i.e. the film that everybody else was trying to fucking watch). It was made even worse by the fact that they had full-on Yammer accents.

I'm far away from Munich now, but this topic is cracking me up! Nobody, in my experience, is quicker to tell another to 'shut up' than the Germans. Irish people like me (and I think English) definately suffer through an entire film rather than speak up. That's what I like about Germany: There's always some bloke in the audience willing to say what I want to say. At home I'll break out in a rash first and explode later when it's too late

I'll explode first and worry about the consequences later. I'm definitely not one to take any shit from those around me. More likely to start with a "shut the fuck up" than a "could you keep quiet please". Right or wrong, I usually get results.

Yes, well, going off the cigs can do that to you.

Yeah, I get this when I'm in meetings at work. People will just start up their own conversation while someone is giving a presentation, and the guy running the meeting will have to call them down like children. This was really surprising to me, and it seems to happen at nearly every meeting at least once. Strange.

Well Keydeck et al I don't think 'Can you be fucking quiet' or 'Verschwindet ins Cafe, wenn ihr plaudern wollt' is excessively polite. And I gave them the benefit of the first 30 mins to give them a chance to cool down after the start.

that's one of my pet hates too...people yapping in the cinema. it's so rude!

when I went to see Bridget Jones 2 at cinema before Xmas, there was a girl next to me who took off her shoes and had minging feet...and she kept repeating lines that Bridget said and then laughing her arse off. I elbowed her a few times accidently on purpose and gave her daggers but to no avail.

and when I went to see Closer the other week at Cinema there was a bloke and his woman next to me and think the woman mustve spoke shit English as she kept asking the bloke dead loud "was hat er/sie gerade gesagt'' persistently throughout the whole film...he was getting a bit cross too.

next time am gonna be rude back.

i can second the experience of the Germans who go to the English cinema because they think their English is so good and then spend the whole time asking their neighbour to translate for them because they can't understand a thing...sooooo annoying...and then of course there are the ones who laugh really loudly at the very obvious humour and totally miss the really funny bits because they have no grasp of subtle wit

I had these experiences watching Blade last week. One guy was doing a running commentary, ie. answering out loud if there was a question asked in the film. He thought he was the dogs bollocks.

Then of course the clapping every time a vampire snuffs it.

love it.

Bridget Jone II - Edge of reason (in german) a young girl at the back of the cinema took a call from her (ex)boyfriend... How do I know he's and ex? Because the call was him telling her the bad break up news... This was right at the end of the film where everything is happy on the screen... on our side of the screen everyone was sharing the young girls pain...

For some reason she thought walking up into the very top corner of the cinema would be a better place to talk...

Not the first time I've seen mobiles used in German cinemas. Odd with all the werbung telling you to turn them off. Another time women sitting next to me had to dive into her bag to silence a ringing phone, how embarressing I thought, but then... THEN... she had a conversation with the other person. A nice long one...

I think it comes down to this "Respect" or Diskretion" zone the Germans are currently trying to push. The problem at the moment is most Germans dont seem to see the need for anyone but them to have it...

If you see what I mean... Early in the morning and my thoughts are not really what one would call formulated... COFFEE!!! I need coffeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...

One of my greatest pleasures in life is watching a good film. I'll sit through most films, in any language (providing there is subtitles). I was delighted to find "Cinema" on Nymphenburg Strasse when I moved here. I can see most of the latest films in English

Then you can imagine my disgust when during every bloody film I go to see there I am disturbed by Germans speaking German during the movie. Why they hell do they go to an English film and talk over it as if they are at home.

I was there last night and went to see two films in a row. Each time I had to put up with arrogant a$$holes that wouldn't shut up.

Am I missing something ?? am I the only one thats annoyed by this ?

Topics merged by admin

did you try asking them to keep quiet?? most of the time it works...

That one of them is explaining the line or scene to the other, perhaps?

woof.

Don't know about Germany as I never lived that close to a cinema but here it's common enough and really, really annoying. I will ask people to keep quiet once and if they still don't I go out and get someone from the cinema. On occasion have even been given free tickets if it has continued and they've ended up asking the offending people (usually but not always giggly teenage girls - doesn't say a lot for the type of films I've seen recently!) to leave. I've always felt it's my German side coming out and wouldn't hesitate to do the same in Germany.

Yeah, it's mostly people asking their companions what the guy just said, or something else resulting from watching a film in a foreign language. This is the land of rules, so if you ask them to be quiet then they will, whereas in Britain they'll just stab you.

I dont think it has anything to do with them being german and the movie being english...even I like to talk during movies and I am surely not german...

Well let me first reassure you, people chatting during movies are a nuisance anywhere in the world. Since these people are ignorant and obnoxious, why not act in the same way?

But I also hope that your greatest pleasures in life are not just watching a good film. Personally I haven't even rated this kind of activity.

Hey guys, I am not German and I talk in the cinema. Why? Because I like to have fun with my friends.

Well you just do whatever you want to do.

I've never really understood going to the cinema as a social event, because sitting in a dark room watching a film isn't really my idea of socialising. I'd rather go alone, not least so I don't get people like Krieg and NewAndLost talking to me whilst I'm trying to watch the film.

Watching Seinfeld, I thought this was common in the US as well:)

Seriously, though, what bugs me is how the Germans talk during lectures. I have not dragged myself out of bed and traveled for one hour to hear the guy next to me talk about his weekend. When it comes do this, the culture is totally different down here than back home. And that´s coming from a fellow European:)

What really gets me is going is when the piano player at the front of the cinema doesn't cut the mustard and hits bum notes.

ok some people here should really cut down on pointless, snide remarks such as above for they are quite annoying.
like, who are you to say anything about someone else's interests/pleasures in life?

But for some folks, making pointless, snide remarks is their main interest/pleasure in life. Poor sods

On a related note, there are a series of short stories being published by a Toronto newspaper. Coincidentally, today's story is called "Hacking Cough"

The story begins with a letter to the Editor:

Well I guess none of you went to see a movie in a US army/military base. Usually the Afro-American and Hispanic soldiers and their "girlfriends" don't talk during a movie BUT literally scream their lungs out commenting on stuff. You won't get half of the movie cause most probably some Afro-American lady will be sitting next to you and cursing out in ebonics. If you look at them, they will say something like "What's that cracker looking at?". Or something retarted about why white people are racist blah blah. It's like you can't win. If you say something about how loud they are then you are a "racist white cracker".
If you get into an argument, they will either throw popcorn on you or hit you with the popcorn bag.

Movie watching is a different experience in different cultures. In some African movie theaters, the experience is more of a dialogue between audience and movie, not a monologue from the screen. Local movies are also made with this in mind. Unfortunately, this aspect is getting lost with the globalization (Hollywoodization) of the world movie market.

I don´t like noise that has nothing to do with the movie, but I have been known to whisper to my neighbor asking about something (even if the film is in English, I tend not to always follow the plot well when it comes to thrillers where there are seven different bad guys all in cahoots with someone but not really cos they´re double agents). I also tend to laugh out loud at funny parts...

Seriously, if it bothers you, say something politely, and if it doesn´t get better, tell the usher to kick them out! I alos love going to the movies and would hate to have the entire movie ruined.

it totally reminds me of when i was little and my dad took me to see superman III with richard pryor. i mean richard didn't come with us, but he was in the movie. the theatre was kind of in a black neighborhood, and i remember the audience was loud. that's the loudest theatre audience i ever remember. but for me there's a huge difference between people actually really getting into the movie and shouting at the screen, and people talking about entirely unrelated issues during the film. i have experienced a bit of that over here, and it is truly annoying. i remember a little later on, a friend of mine had this eddie murphy tape where he was making fun of black people at the movies, and i was like yeah that's so true!

I don't like people chatting, but I quite like the audience participation. I saw "Sense and Sensibility" in a German cinema, and when Willoughby (Greg Wise) galloped over the hill to rescue Kate Winslett, the whole cinema started cheering!

I havent experienced this in Berlin...at original version kinos or "regular"...

Man, I nearly cried with laughter at that...

I blame the sub titles.

Because they can read the sub-titles, and probably don't understand the spoken english so well, they've no real desire to hear and understand the sound track.

I have experienced it several times in Potsdammer Platz at the original version, but each time it was expat teenagers that were doing the talking.

In the general standard dubbed kinos, in my opinion Germans are generally quiet.

Except for the popcorn crunching and haribo packet crackling...but that's not only in Germany but everywhere I've ever been to a cinema.

I completely agree! In many other European countries, the original language is always left in place and subtitles are added - not just for films, but all TV. This is like free English education, which is why people from the Netherlands, Belgium and other countries where this is done have such better English than most Germans.

However, Germans dub everything into German and you can really see the difference in their attention spans when something is dubbed vs. subtitled...

Some words of advice from Hank, and it even has subtitles.

I really try not to go to the cinema in Germany. Every time I have been the people next to me have chatted the whole way through, eaten stinky food or just been plain... ignorant.

The most annoying thing was when we went to see Die Welle... the old couple next to me were so fecking annoying. The old guy kept doing those like inner mouth burps and clearing his throat, the old woman commented on everything "do you think he's going to jump" "oh my, he killed himself". I did tell them to be quiet 3 times, to no avail.

Rudeness.