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Lost in Translation [2004]


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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

Like a good dream, Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation envelopes 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 their 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 to December 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


I guess this just wasn't made for its time
Review date: 2008-10-10 Rating: 10 out of 10

I'm shocked! The reviews of this are really surprising, to say the least. The moment I started watching this movie I was drawn in and couldn't get out even after the movie was finished.

And usually, a movie with as simplistic a plot as this wouldn't interest me greatly, but this is an unusual movie in its presentation and in the character portrayal. The film itself is basically a study of a romantic relationship between two less-than-happy individuals, both of whom meet in a world vastly different from their own. We are forced to see the lonesome atmosphere in the characters as they sit alone in their respective hotel rooms and also in the desolate neon Tokyo scenery.

The film is truly an adaptation of Rick and Ilsa in Paris. The film contains moments of humour, darkness and painfully sad ending all of which allude to the main features of Casablanca. The film is even referenced by the Japanese commercial director as he describes in vast detail to Murray's character, how to present the whiskey (which is lost in translation through the interpreter).

It's sad that people today can't see more than what is blatantly and obnoxiously slapped on our screens. It's a film to demands your imagination as much as your intention. It was a similar style practiced by Shakespeare and his original on-stage productions. Obviously not aimed at the less analytically inclined amongst us, some of the below reviewers may have been looking for a James Bond film perhaps?

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Reviews


uuurgh
Review date: 2008-09-13 Rating: 4 out of 10

I cannot urge anyone more strongly NOT to bother with this movie. Use the time more constructively ... clean the M1 with a toothbrush ... anything ... This is a real shame of a film ... It is a great idea strangulated by a heavy hand and a closed American mind. Everyone great in character, but just such limited and stereotypical characters.

I used to teach English to foreign students and they all (regardless of nationality) found it slow (to the point of falling asleep) dull (to the point of printing out reviews from amazon for homework) and distastefully racist in a passive agressive kind of way. Yet it was always prescribed viewing for them ... Uh?

Nice idea ... no chemistry ... very little to chew over. Dig hair out of plughole in bath instead ...


Brilliant
Review date: 2008-07-15 Rating: 10 out of 10

This is my favourite film of all time its worth getting just for the soundtrack alone

Hated it
Review date: 2008-05-19 Rating: 2 out of 10

It's very rare for me not to watch a film till the end but i'm afriad thats what happened with this one!. I found it so dull and 'arty' that it didnt hold my interest. Again its another film that's hyped up so much that you feel compelled to watch it and then come away thinking 'What a load of rubbish'!.

A Beautiful Friendship
Review date: 2008-04-10 Rating: 10 out of 10

Easily the best movie i've ever seen. Laid back and atmospheric, you can get wonderfully lost in this movie as you witness a lovely friendship develop between two people who really do need each other as loneliness kicks in and they realise they are strangers in a strange land. The end scene is so touching and you can decide for yourself as to what Bill Murray whispers in Scarlett Johansson's ear (many discussions have been made about this). The only down side is that it's not long enough

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Akiko Takeshita
Giovanni Ribisi
Bill Murray
Anna Faris
Scarlett Johansson

Creators:
Bill Murray (Primary Contributor)
Scarlett Johansson (Primary Contributor)
Sofia Coppola (Writer)
Callum Greene (Producer)
Francis Ford Coppola (Producer)
Fred Roos (Producer)
Kiyoshi Inoue (Producer)
Mitch Glazer (Producer)
Ross Katz (Producer)

Director(s):

EAN: 3388334509077
Binding: DVD
Format: Anamorphic, Full Screen, PAL,
Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
Region code: 2
Running time: 102 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2003-10-03
Language: French (Original Language)
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: English (Subtitled)

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