While television these days provides programmes in Spanish or Catalan as well as the original language thanks to Dual, residents of the Costa Brava wanting to see films on the big screen have little choice.
Whereas in Barcelona there are a good number of cinemas showing films in original language with subtitles, the same is not true of Girona or anywhere on the Costa Brava. With a variety of people from different countries setting up home there it is perhaps a little surprising, and there don’t seem to be cine clubs showing films in English (or whatever original language).
While the general population may find it better to have films dubbed into Spanish (less frequently Catalan due to the economics), there are still plenty of people in Barcelona who prefer watching films in their original language, whatever that is; when living in Barcelona I watched plenty of English language films, but also French and Italian films with Spanish subtitles.
It is curious though that the same doesn’t exist in the city of Girona though.
However, there are a couple of options to see films in original language if you don’t want to travel down to Barcelona. I have done that and while it is possible, it is a little too much of a round trip unless you’ve got something else to do while there. Maybe that suits you, I get fed up with travelling though.
How to tell whether a film is dubbed or subtitled
When looking at cinema listing you’ll be able to tell if any are being shown in their original language, indicated by the following:
VO: versió original
VOSE: versió original subtitulada en espanyol
VOSC: versió original subtitulada en català
Which cinemas?
There are two cinemas in Girona and one in Plataja d’Aro that show English language (and other original language films). In Girona Cinema Truffaut shows a variety of classic films daily. You can check out their website for details here.
The other is OCine, which shows a film in English every Thursday. You can find what film is being shown on the OCine website here, while OCine in Platja d’Aro shows original language films on the second and fourth Thursday of the month – click here for details. The OCine at Blanes also shows original language films.
Alternatives to the cinema
If even that sounds too much then there is always the option of downloading movies to watch in the comfort of your own home. In these days of big screens and surround sound the home experience can be similar in many ways to seeing a film at the cinema, although you don’t get the communal sense of sharing a film.
There are a number of options, although the one I use is iTunes. If you own an iPhone or iPad then you then you can download to your device, which can be connected to your TV. Better us Apple TV, but you can also download to a PC, which should be able to be connected to the TV with the right cable.
If you do go for this option you’ll need an iTunes account in the UK (or another English speaking territory), as a Spanish iTunes account will get you films in Spanish – at least I haven’t found a way of switching to the original language audio – and for that you’ll need a credit card from the UK (or wherever).
Films only cost a few pounds and you have up to 30 days to watch a rental, although you can also buy films outright. In fact this is a much cheaper option than visiting the cinema anyway so if you need to cut back this is a good option for you.
All you need to do is cook up some popcorn, dim the lights and you can watch any movie you like in the comfort of your own private cinema.
