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Hi,

Ok, now even though I'm a newbie here, and I've already seen several threads about the pro's and con's of using IMDB for cast/crew data, and the accuracy thereof, but I am left wondering:

"When is a name right, if it's wrong"?

I can name several occasions when a film (that is, the name appearing on screen on the actual movie itself, rather than the case, articles, or online/print materials) where a name is clearly a misprint/error, yet if we follow the rules set out by DVD Profiler, Ken Cole, et al, then there rules would dictate that the wrong name, would be right - which clearly goes against all that is appropriate and correct, in trying to create a DVD database that is as accurate as can possibly be.

For example:

In the Pilot Movie/Feature-length Pilot Episode for the TV series CRIME STORY, as created by Michael Mann and directed by Abel Ferrara, there is a character in it called Johnny O'Donnell, played by ex-"NYPD Blue" actor David Caruso.

Now, in the episode, the end-credits incorrectly spell the character's name as "Johnny O'Donnel" (note the missing "L" at the end of the surname). In the episode itself, the son works for his parents at a Mom-&-Pop store called "O'Donnell's".

IMDB lists the character as "O'Donnel" (with one "L"), but even director Michael Mann, and the cast admit that this spelling is incorrect in the episode's credits, and that it should read "O'Donnell" (with two "L's").

So, which one is right?
- The incorrectly listed "O'Donnel", as shown in the credits, but which Mann admits himself is wrong, or
- The correct "O'Donnell", which is what it should be, and was clearly meant to be?

Now, I know that this is going to cause a huge fuss, but surely we should have a simple rule, that goes something along the lines of:

1) If a cast or crew name, real or fictional, is knowingly incorrect, then it's changed to the one it should be, rather than the one it may be being listed as .

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For any film with standard credits, take the actor information from the end credits only, with names and roles listed exactly as they are in the credits and in exactly the same order credited.

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2) If a cast or crew name contains accents, missing or accidentally included, then we ignore or remove them in full, as most modern computers in the world simply can't deal with them in an easy fashion. Ignoring them, also means you don't have to worry if Gerard Depardieu includes or excludes the accent over the "e" in his first name.

3) For all foreign-names, real or fictional, where the surname is shown/listed in front of the forename, then the full name is reverted to the format that the cast member's own country uses. Hence Japanese animator may be known to Western audiences as Hayao Miyazaki, as Miyazaki is the surname, and Japanese people place the surname/family name before the firstname, then he should always be listed as Miyazaki Hayao.

4) And, any name of a real person, should always revert to:
- primarily, their birth name, unless
- secondarily, their most-popular or most well-known and frequently used combination actor name should be used, (e.g. Charlton Heston, which is not his birth name, nor real name), OR UNLESS
- thirdly, their most well-known and frequently used name they wish to be known by is their more commonly known and accepted use! Thus, someone like Chow Yun-Fat would be known by his most comonly known name of "Chow Yun-Fat", even though that is not his real birth name, nor the name he may be known by in some Eastern countries.

What do you all think? Surely common sense rules should be applied, rather than any other form of ruling decisions, no matter how well-meaning or "accurate" they may be?


Pooch

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This rule leads to some strange results sometimes.

In Jess Franco's "Eugenie...The Story Of Her Journey Into Perversion", Marie Liljedahl plays Eugenie, but in the credits the role is misspelled "Eugene". So according to Profiler she's playing a man... 

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Quoting GSyren:

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This rule leads to some strange results sometimes.

In Jess Franco's "Eugenie...The Story Of Her Journey Into Perversion", Marie Liljedahl plays Eugenie, but in the credits the role is misspelled "Eugene". So according to Profiler she's playing a man... 

Not according to Profiler, according to the credits which is what we track. I don't really see anything strange about that, it's just the way we do things.

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Well, personally I would rather track the actual role rather than tracking the credits. But that's just me, I guess. 

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The difference is, of course, that the credits are part of the actual film. But why would we prefer to track the (incorrect) credits instead of tracking the actual role name? That doesn't make any sense to me.

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Quoting GSyren:

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The difference is, of course, that the credits are part of the actual film. But why would we prefer to track the (incorrect) credits instead of tracking the actual role name? That doesn't make any sense to me.

Because, as you say, it's a part of the film. An incorrect runtime on the other hand is just from the cover, and our primary source is the disc itself. If we start changing roles, what's stopping us from correcting actor's names, they can also be documented? I prefer not to invent data, it's just asking for more problems.