שלום! Sorry, but I no longer have time to read or write for this site. I wo...
שלום! Sorry, but I no longer have time to read or write for this site. I won't cancel my account but I won't be active anymore.
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My husband has been stationed in Beijing recently, and in sympathy for his lonely condition being there (without me, of course), I decided I should take a look at the movie Lost in Translation. Yes, I know that this movie takes place in Tokyo, Japan and not Beijing, China, but there are certainly some similarities.
The Story & The Script: The story of the movie is simple, but realistic. Sent to do a job in a country half way around the world, Bob Harris - a washed out actor - can't sleep and ends up haunting the hotel bar, only to find another sleepless guest - Charlotte - the young wife of a photographer who is also on an assignment in Japan. Their finding each other becomes the only thing that keeps them both sane during their visit, and for a week, they join forces to fight their mutual loneliness.
But there really is more to this story than that. I don't know about you, but I've made one short-lived friendship with someone of the opposite sex which, had situations been different, perhaps our relationship would also have taken on a different facet. And yet, I also know that had both of us been available, the freedom to be ourselves and let that other person into our lives like that would have been completely hindered. Those feelings of connection that two people can have when they are unfettered by the mating game, are very different than those we can ever allow ourselves to express outwardly when we're "on the prowl". And the script in this film really brings this across in a very honest, believable and non-Hollywood way. It is no wonder that the Academy decided to award Sofia Coppola with an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay (and yes, thank goodness Lord of the Rings wasn't eligible to be nominated in that category. Unfortunately, LotR did qualify for the Best Direction category and that's why Sofia went home with only one golden statue that night).
Moreover, I felt that this script dealt with its subject matter with a very gentle hand. What I mean by that is that there was no superfluous dialogue which stated the obvious, no feeling like you knew what they were going to say next. Instead, when the words were in your head, the script called for the characters to show what they were thinking with their faces and bodies instead. Classic understatement, if you ask me. Much more true-to-life than what we're used to, that's for certain. There are those, however, who may consider some of this movie to have some slightly slow parts to it because of the absence of pages of dialogue. In my opinion, those who would think that
are just being lazy and not willing to find the deeper meanings that this less than verbose script is hinting at. And they aren't all that terribly hidden, either. Still, there were a few places where the action was a bit slower than I would have liked - but hey, nothing is perfect, right?
Finally, I must mention that along with the honesty I found in this script, we are also afforded just enough comedy to keep this movie from becoming moody and dark. Bill Murray is, of course, perfectly suited to this and the script cleverly used Johansson as his "straight man", even when she was saying amusing things. All in all, a stellar job here by this young writer/director.
The Direction: And speaking of the direction, the script might have fallen down had the direction not been able to get the type of performances from this cast which allowed the silences to be so rich with human emotion. Sure, its easy to tell and actor how to say a line, but the true worth of a director comes when he or she can bring out in the actors the words, thoughts and feelings when they are unspoken. In this movie, Sofia Coppola showed us her true mettle and if this is the sign of things to come from this basically unattractive looking woman (admit it, the woman is no looker), she's got one totally drop-dead gorgeous future ahead of her. If you ask me, in this - only her third time out as director - she has already surpassed her famous father, who only achieved this level of fame with his 9th movie - The Godfather. Mind you, we might have known there was greatness there when we saw her previous direction work in The Virgin Suicides. This less than huge success still had some bright direction gems included which hinted at the diamond in the rough of this directors real talent.
The Actors & Acting: One of the nicer surprises from this movie is the leading role of Bob Harris played by ex-Saturday Night Live comic, Bill Murray. Murray hasn't had a string of successes of late, and getting him to play a washed-out actor might have struck quite a sensitive chord in him personally. Perhaps this is why he was able to bring that suppressed disappointment forward just enough so that it wasn't laying on his sleeve but yet was close enough to the surface to make the audience aware of it. Mind you, it wasn't an acting job in which you say "oh, my God! I didn't recognize him" like you will with Charlize Theron in Monster, but you may find yourself forgetting his past performances as you watch him in this movie. For an American actor, that's saying a whole lot these days.
His co-star playing the part of Charlotte is Scarlett Johansson. She's not a very familiar face to me, and so I had basically no expectations from her performance. What she gave us was a performance that was sympathetic and believable - true to her age and situation as written in the script, with only a split second or two where I thought she played it too young and innocent.
Understanding that this movie is basically a showcase for these two actors has a couple of ramifications. Firstly, the supporting cast is so forgettable that there is basically no need to even mention anyone else who performed here. This could have been a problem with this movie, but I believe that while we may never recall who played whom in the other parts, those that did appear were just prominent enough to help the flow of the story. This also means that the main actors had quite a bit of responsibility in making this piece work, and luckily for us all, they didn't let us down.
The Soundtrack: Its not often that I find it important to talk solely about the soundtrack of a movie that isn't a musical. However, I have to make an exception in this case because I feel that there was something very special here. If you go to the web page I've put down in the "Technical Stuff" you'll find that you can hear some clips from the soundtrack of this movie. One of the things I found most enchanting about this film was the way they used the music - especially the pieces that were only instrumental ones which came mostly when the character of Charlotte was on her own. In scenes where there is no dialogue it is important that there is something besides the singular action of the character, and music is what is usually used. While this can sometimes become distracting, in this movie I found that it actually enhanced these scenes, setting a particular mood, like when Charlotte was sitting at the window and just looking out on the city, for instance.
In general, the choice of pieces throughout the film was eclectic, to say the least. But I also found them to be fascinating - including one in Japanese that sounded like it could have been a 1990s Eurovision Song Contest winner, that you can hear also during the closing credits. What fun!
Makeup, Costumes, Special Effects, Scenery & Cinematography: Very little can be said about these areas. What we have is a 21st century story, taking place in Tokyo with no blood or gore or strange creatures. While I'm sure that those who worked on the makeup, costumes and special effects would not appreciate my saying this, I'm afraid there was nothing extraordinary here - except for the fact that these blended perfectly, and never distracted the action. There was only one niggle here, and that is that it was obvious (at least to me) in several scenes that Ms. Johansson looked pregnant - ranging from 4 to 6 months at varying scenes during the film. Now, that didn't come out as a part of the story, and so I'm wondering if this was an organic condition for Scarlett. If so, then perhaps they could have disguised it slightly better - though I did notice that they seemed to have tried. Sorry, but that's what I believe I saw - but I don't mean to spread any rumors, and am willing to be corrected on this.
The scenery, of course, was Tokyo in all its crowded and neon splendor. That, plus the hotel they stayed at as well as the studios where the commercial shoots were taking place. Again, I didn't find much here that was exceptional or particularly noteworthy. But I do have to hand it to the cinematographers in that they used some very interesting camera angles and gave us some nice eye-candy with many of their shots. For instance, at the very start of the movie, a very tired and jet-lagged Bob is being driven to his hotel in the artificially flashing night. During this scene, we are given a glimpse of what he sees by putting the camera behind his eyes to see the view, and we even get some blurring and effort to focus due to the lack of sleep. This behind-the-eyes trick is used several times in the film, but not so much as to make you overly aware or uncomfortable. I also enjoyed the little scene where Bob decides to go golfing and he does so with the backdrop of Mount Fuji which is so surreally beautiful that I was expecting the golf ball to smash into a painted canvas - thanks, cameramen, I really loved that bit!
The Bottom Line: I hope I've given you a good idea of this film and I think you all can figure out that I really liked it. It was charming, real and fun. I guess some might call it a feel-good movie, but to tell the truth, I'm not sure that would be totally fair. Its not really a "chick flick" either. I guess its just plain good movie making and story telling. In this day and age of hyper-hype, epic proportions and super-mega-technical effects, I'd call this movie a real breath of fresh air. I'll give it only four stars for the few niggles and sometimes too slow pace, but I'd unreservedly recommend it to one and all.
Thanks for reading!
~~~~~ Technical Stuff: This is a review of the film only, as per the criteria below.
This movie is rated in the US as R meaning that under 17 require parental guidance. This is all because of one tiny scene where we see some tits, as I can't think of anything else that would be the reason for it. In Europe, its rated 15 - which is more reasonable, if you ask me.
This movie is already available on DVD (both wide-screen and full-screen versions) from http://homevideo.universalstudios.com/title.php?titleId=2434 for $19.98 or on VHS (from the same site) for only $7.98. Or, on the British Amazon site for £13.48 for the DVD and £10.39 for the video. Also on Amazon you can get the soundtrack for £10.99 on CD, and they also have it on vinyl (why, I'm not sure) for £12.99.
Official web site for this movie can be found at http://www.lost-in-translation.com where you can see a clip, look at pictures and hear a selection of the songs from the soundtrack, including that Japanese song that sounds like a Eurovision winner from the 80s. Very nice! ~~~~~
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
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Like a good dream, Sofia Coppola'sLost in Translationenvelopes you with an aura of ... more
fantastic light, moody sound, head-turning love, and a feeling ofdéjà vu, even though you've probably never been to this neon-fused version of Tokyo. Certainly Bob Harri...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Like a good dream, Sofia Coppola'sLost in Translationenvelopes you with an aura of ... more
fantastic light, moody sound, head-turning love, and a feeling ofdéjà vu, even though you've probably never been to this neon-fused version of Tokyo. Certainly Bob Harri...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Sofia Coppola's second feature-length film focuses on two guests at a Tokyo hotel--Bob ... more
(Bill Murray) a middle-aged actor in town to film whiskey commercials and Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) the young wife of a trendy photographer (Giovanni Ribisi)...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
From the director of The Virgin Suicides, Sofia Coppola, and shot entirely on location in ... more
Japan, Lost In Translation is a laugh-out-loud portrayal of loneliness and human connection. Featuring superior performances from Bill Murray and Scarlett Johanss...
Advantages: Murray and Johansson tingle with onscreen chemistry and Coppola directs with credible confidence Disadvantages: Technically the film can appear unfinished, low on action and plot if you need them.
Advantages: Beautifully shot, brilliant performances from both Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson, great direction and script from Sofia Coppola. Disadvantages: None for me personally, but people who don’t like these types of films might find it slow and boring, some people have also complained there’s no story but I personally don’t think that’s a big deal.
Advantages: Compelling character perfomances, Tokyo is captivating and the story is very poignant. Disadvantages: The very impatient and cynical may view as slow and possibly pretentious.
Advantages: Beautifully shot, brilliant performances from both Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson, great direction and script from Sofia Coppola. Disadvantages: None for me personally, but people who don’t like these types of films might find it slow and boring, some people have also complained there’s no story but I personally don’t think that’s a big deal.
Advantages: It fills in a couple of hours Disadvantages: It will be a couple of hours of complete boredom.
fallen_flame 20.04.2007 (05.08.2009)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
Review of Lost In Translation (DVD)
Advantages: Amazing fight scenes and stunts, no wires so everything you see is for real. Disadvantages: The plots aren't amazing but still watchable, not for people who don't like foreign films.
![Lost In Translation [DVD] [2004]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78520070.jpg "Lost In Translation [DVD] [2004]")
exceptional by (25%):
very helpful by (72%):
helpful by (3%):
