Locked into dubbing

Abstract

In this contribution I will look at a selection of archival documents which help us gain a better understanding of the reasons behind the introduction of dubbing in Italy during the early 1930s and its establishment as the country’s mainstream AVT practice in the decades that followed. Commercial, political, cultural and linguistic issues were at stake, and they affected the way foreign-language films were translated and circulated in Italy for mass consumption. These particular historical circumstances triggered a long-standing cultural and commercial habit and had enduring consequences for the development and diversification of the AVT industry in Italy.