homophobic translators in Taiwan

Rating: Null/10 (28 November 2004)

As the now-more-famous line was being uttered to the effect that Alexander had "never been conquered in his lifetime except by Hephaiston's thighs" I carefully watched the Chinese subtitles (viewing the movie here in Taiwan where I live), and "thighs" was changed to "hand" --- in other words, sex was changed to a vague image of combat. Of course the average Chinese viewer would totally miss the point, thanks to the distributer and their translators. And I'm sure that was their intention. - Further on, when Alexander and his old buddies were applauding some male-dancers (in India) and Alexander went up to give a congratulatory hug, there was a loud chorus of "Kiss him! Kiss him!" from the Macedonian peanut-gallery, but the otherwise fairly meticulous translators simply ignored these simple words: no subtitles at all appeared. Here in "free" Taiwan, controlling people's access to information is practiced with the same flair thought more typical of our big neighbor to the west.
Some writers have complained about being constantly bombarded by homoerotic overtones while watching the film ....apart from a couple of chaste little hugs shared by A. and H., I can't think what they are referring to.... well, some people have a much sharper eye for such things. The bedroom scene with A. and Roxanna, however, was much more lengthy and blatantly sexual than any "homoerotic" episode in the film.
Some viewers may have forgotten the clear distinction made between sex and love, seeing "eros" where there was only "philia", but near the beginning of the film there was a clear allusion to the idea expressed by Plato (himself a boy-lover) that a chaste, elevated love was the ideal to be strived for. To the modern mind, romantic love SHOULD be sexual...but the ancient Greeks, at least the intellectuals, had a different point of view...and it shouldn't be that taxing to be confronted with it...even in the midst of a Hollywood spectacle.