Oh, yeah, this is smart. Let’s make a documentary about a deaf musician and then refuse to release it with subtitles for the hearing impaired. Sound like a scheme that a Farrelly Brother character would conjour up, but it’s true. Shadow Distribution is currently distributing “Touch the Sound,” a film about Evelyn Glennie, a percussionist from the UK. When approached by a columnist (who happens to be deaf) asking about a subtitled version of the film, SD replied that it would have ruined the visual artistry of the director.

“Thanks so much for your interest. I’m sorry, but it will not. We made the decision not to subtitle the prints for two reasons: the visual aspect of the film is as important as the aural, and the director felt (and we agreed) that the subtitles would be hurtful; and because much of the movie deals with sounds that subtitles cannot deal with. Since the film will be available in closed caption format when it is released on DVD, we settled for that as the way to go, though we know we are disappointing some people, such as yourself, for which we truly are sorry.”

Idiots are everywhere, somehow making more money than me. The columnist mentions several easily implemented solutions to this issue, but apparently the distibutor and director figure that deaf people are only appropriate as the subjects of a movie, not as viewers.

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