Finding movie theaters that show films in English isn’t easy in Rome, but with a few pointers you can discover exactly where to watch the latest releases
For historical reasons, reputedly to do with a low rate of literacy immediately after the Second World War, almost all non-Italian films shown in movie theaters in Italy tend to be dubbed into Italian rather than subtitled.
This is so common that certain Italian voice-over actors become famous for voicing particular international stars: there are actors who have become famous for being the voice of George Clooney, Emma Stone, etc. (and leading to the strange situation where the actor who voices Russell Crow also interprets Samuel L. Jackson). Once such an actor has been established as the voice of another, it becomes unthinkable for someone else to dub their voice.
This has led to the phenomenon of Doppiaggese, in which the Italian spoken by the actors as they interpret the original dialog is slightly unnatural, shaped to fit the mouth movement and length of phrasing of the original language.
While an interesting cultural and linguistic phenomenon, for the visitor to Italy this means it’s never easy to see movies in their original language (whether English, French, or Japanese).
The good news is that in larger cities like Rome, there is a small but persistent demand for ‘versione originale‘ movies, shown in in their source language, usually with Italian subtitles. These showings tend to be limited to certain cinemas in the city center only, and usually only on specific days of the week, often evening showings. It’s unlikely that a suburban shopping mall multiplex will show them, but your inner city arthouse cinema will – eventually.
Finding which version of the latest Hollywood superhero blockbuster or gritty British gangster movie is available in the original language can be achieved by scouring regular Italian movie listings for the terms ‘VO’ or ‘lingua originale’.
Alternatively it is much more convenient to access the peerless Rome Review website, a phenomenon that has become an institution among English-speakers in Rome, which summarises and synthesises all the listings. Unfortunately though this appears to be done manually, which means it’s not always up to date. If you can’t find the dates you are looking for, below is a list of cinemas that regular show VO movies (sometimes marked “lingua originale”):
- Cinema Barberini (next to Barberini Metro station)
- Multisala Lux (in the Trieste area, nearest metro S Agnese – Annibaliano)
- Cinema Intrastevere (near Piazza Trilussa in Trastevere)
