Lost in Translation
by Sofia Coppola
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Actor: Akiko Takeshita, Anna Faris, Bill Murray, Giovanni Ribisi, Scarlett JohanssonDirector: Sofia Coppola
Brand: Universal
Writer: Sofia Coppola
Producer: Callum Greene
Producer: Francis Ford Coppola
Producer: Fred Roos
Producer: Kiyoshi Inoue
Producer: Mitch Glazer
Producer: Ross Katz
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language); French (Original Language); German (Original Language); Japanese (Original Language); French (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 104 minutes
Published: 2004-02-01
DVD Release Date: 2004-02-03
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Universal Studios
Product features:
- Condition: New
- Format: DVD
- AC-3; Color; Dolby; DTS Surround Sound; Dubbed; DVD; Full Screen; Subtitled; NTSC
DVD Reviews of Lost in Translation
DVD Review: If you haven't seen this film yet......please find the time to, at least see what the fuss is about!!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
It's sometimes interesting to go back to a film, that was on it's initial release...hyped with praise (and criticism) for an independent film, that truly brought director Sofia Coppola, to the attention of the rest of the world. For all the awards and nominations that the film received....it's probably interesting to point out that, there was a large percentage of money-paying cinema (and DVD) viewers, for whom the film completely missed the mark. So in retrospect....having seen the film several times, since it was originally released in Cinemas back in 2003. But I've gone back very recently to watch the film...and see if it still stands up, several years later.
Most will be familiar with the story of fading movie star "Bob Harris" (Bill Murray), whose lured to Japan against his better judgement, by a very lucrative promotion for a Japanese Whiskey. With a marriage that is merely `going through the motions', and his character going through something of a small mid-life Crisis...What initially seems as a temporary escape from the question marks regarding his life, for him...morph into a lonely figure trapped in the hotel, of a foreign country....unable to fall asleep at night.
The other Character is Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), a woman who having recently finished a Yale Graduation, and still finding her feet within a 2 years marriage to her Photographer husband. Decides...after having nothing else to do, fly to Japan, with her husband....who is commissioned to be the photographer for a Japanese rock band. Charlotte having being left to her own devices, due to her husband's daytime photography commitments....grows gradually more bored and distracted, by generally being relegated to spending the majority of her time in the hotel, and she also has yet been unable to sleep in the evenings.
What happens of the course of the 94mins, is nothing more that two people...who wouldn't have meet under normal circumstances, find a uneven common ground, and embark on a gradual appreciation and developing friendship, through the loneliness of their environment. For Charlotte.....Bob represents a complicated, yet intriguing character, from which she admires and then gradually begins to not only identify, but affectionately warm to. And for Bob....Charlotte reminds him of his the earlier years in his marriage before the complications of a lack of communication and Children entered into the equation. In short, simpler happier times.
One of the main criticisms, that friends who haven't liked the film have citied, is the lack of anything truly substantial happening throughout the film. But arguably that is ultimately the point. It's a absorbing look at how two initially disparate characters, connect not only verbally, but emotionally as well, first through the loneliness of their environment, and then striking up an unlikely friendship and strong affection for each other. It's a perfectly stylised illustration how sometimes meeting certain people at the right place and right time, can and does, have to power to completely change or alter the individuals perceptions. And although the relationship between the two characters remains platonic, there remains a strong unspoken sexual undercurrent in their friendship, that ultimately, neither one is prepared to compromise their existing relationships over.
One of the most impressive things about this film, is the cinematography...of Japan, and how for a such a wildly populated and bustling city is portray...and yet, without someone with you, that know's the city well, it can be a slightly overwhelming and blindingly isolated place. The bright neon lights of Japan, represent one aspect of the city (a rapidly developing city)....yet, when Charlotte ventures out of the central town, and to the peaceful shrines, the other side of Japans beauty and heritage shows a different side (it's heritage & tradition). And in this aspect it's one of the triumphs of Sofia's direction...indicating that being in another country can truly be a lonely affair, and that some people look for anything (or someone) to identify with, or make some form of connection with. And not only that, but it's the very slight, almost incidental things that linger in the memory....like the way that curious glances are exchanged between the characters without any explanation, or how the camera will inexplicably have a shot of something completely obscure (like Bob's Slippers, or the shot of a building). Or how certain things or never fully explained (like why Bob's marriage is breaking down / How Charlotte ended up with a husband, at a relatively young age / Or what Charlotte intends to do with herself), or even the little things that the audience is never allowed to hear or be privy to (When Bob Whispers something into Charlottes ear, just before they part for the final time.....which is not audible to the audience).
A lot of the humour is focused around the differences in the language barrier, and the lead characters bewilderment of being in an alien environment, and their adjustment to it. And it's the way that Sophia skilfully brings all this incidental elements, into a hugely satisfying whole, to makes this film as her finest work to date. How such uneventful subject matter on paper, is generally made for riveting viewing, it's also one of those films that rewards multiple viewings....sure the storyline wont become clearer, as it's a very straightforward plot. But the rapport between the two lead characters, feels more noticeably poignant and developed, and how intriguing their paths intersect, and touches upon how their failings in their own relationships, brings the two of them closer to each other.
For what is consider one of the finest indie films, over the last few years, this film has certainly had its detractors....and without undoing all the work, gone into giving this film, as glowing review, it has to be said that those looking for some truly substantial, or a significant development, will struggle to find anything here for them to latch onto. And if slow-paced movies tend to irate...then you'll find nothing here, that is even worth the price of Renting the DVD. It's a film that's a little too slow and considered to truly break the mainstream audience, sure it's had various (deserved) accolades humped upon it, but if you ask Joe Public...that actually went to the cinema to watch it, you'll definitely find a handful of people, that just didn't get on with the film. But for those that regularly cast a keen eye over independent films, or indeed or just looking for something a little different from the norm, then I would argue that this is a film of tremendous resonance, and a truly remarkable film in it's own right, and one that needs to, at the very least be seen by those that have become a little jaded by American cinema over the last few years. I strongly urge you to see this film...it may not change your perspective on the decline of outstanding films being released over the years, but in the world of independent cinema and distinguished films, it might be considered a small gem...but a gem nonetheless!!!
Extremely recommended....
Description of Lost in Translation
Over 80 Four-Star Reviews!Product InformationBob Harris and Charlotte are two Americans in Tokyo. Bob is a movie star in town to shoot a whiskey commercial while Charlotte is a young woman tagging along with her workaholic photographer husband. Unable to sleep Bob and Charlotte cross paths one night in the luxury hotel bar. This chance meeting soon becomes a surprising friendship. Charlotte and Bob venture through Tokyo having often hilarious encounters with its citizens and ultimately discover a new belief in life's possibilities.Shot entirely on location in Japan Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation is a valentine to the nature of close friendships and to the city of Tokyo. Ms. Coppola's film from her original screenplay contemplates the unexpected connections we make that might not last - yet stay with us forever.Product FeaturesStarring Bill Murray and Scarlett JohanssonWritten and Directed by Sofia CoppolaSpecial Features Include: A Conversation with Bill Murray and Sofia Coppola"Lost" on Location: Behind-the-Scenes Documentary"City girl" Music Video by Kevin ShieldsExtended and Deleted Scenesand more!Rated "Two Big Thumbs Up" by Ebert & RoeperSpecificationsRating: RFormat: Full ScreenRun Time: 102 minutesIn Color: YesLike a good dream, Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation envelops you with an aura of fantastic light, moody sound, head-turning love, and a feeling of déjà vu, even though you've probably never been to this neon-fused version of Tokyo. Certainly Bob Harris has not. The 50-ish actor has signed on for big money shooting whiskey ads instead of doing something good for his career or his long-distance family. Jetlagged, helplessly lost with his Japanese-speaking director, and out of sync with the metropolis, Harris (Bill Murray, never better) befriends the married but lovelorn 25-year-old Charlotte (played with heaps of poise by 18-year-old Scarlett Johansson). Even before her photographer husband all but abandons her, she is adrift like Harris but in a total entrapment of youth. How Charlotte and Bill discover they are soul mates will be cherished for years to come. Written and directed by Coppola (The Virgin Suicides), the film is far more atmospheric than plot-driven: we whiz through Tokyo parties, karaoke bars, and odd nightlife, always ending up in the impossibly posh hotel where the two are staying. The wisps of bittersweet loneliness of Bill and Charlotte are handled smartly and romantically, but unlike modern studio films, this isn't a May-November fling film. Surely and steadily, the film ends on a much-talked-about grace note, which may burn some, yet awards film lovers who "always had Paris" with another cinematic destination of the heart. --Doug Thomas
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