Lost in Translation [Blu-ray]

This movie is beautiful and understated. It's held up over time for me; it seems as fresh today as when I first saw it. Great performances all around, and does a standout job of capturing both the disorientation of traveling to a foreign place and navigating the difficulties of being in a relationship.

After watching "Lost in Translation" the thought that most stuck out in my mind was that this was Sofia Coppola's film. A lot of the talk about the film before the Oscars was about Bill Murray's performance, especially after he won the Golden Globe, but I did not think it was his best work. I would still insist that it was "Groundhog Day" where he displayed the greatest range and had his most heartfelt moments (i.e., the last night with Rita). As for Scarlett Johansson, "Lost in Translation" was not even her best performance of 2003. That would be her role as Griet in "Girl with a Pearl Earring." This is not to say that the performances by Murray and Johansson in this film are not excellent, but simply that both have done better. However, I do not think you can say the same for Coppola, since "Lost in Translation" is the second major film she has written and directed, the first being 1999's "The Virgin Suicide." The key difference is that this time Coppola is doing an original story and not an adaptation. The story is about two lost souls who meet in a Tokyo hotel and spend the night together, but not in the convention meaning of the phrase. Murray is Bob Harris, a movie star who has come to Japan to make a series of commercials for Suntory whiskey for big bucks, and while this keeps him far away from his wife and kids his phone calls home suggest his marriage is as much an obligation as this gig. Johansson is Charlotte, who has been dragged by her photographer husband, John (Giovanni Ribisi) on an assignment and is left to entertain herself while he is running around taking photographs of some minor Hollywood starlet (Anna Faris), and perhaps doing more. Our expectation is that Bob and Charlotte are going to end up in bed together, but Copolla is playing with our expectations. After all, two people can cling to each other through psychological intimacy as well as the physical. These two people are also in the middle of a neon colored alien environment with the late night Tokyo of karaoke bars and pachinko parlors. The dark hotel bar becomes a sort of womb that these two characters have reentered and are going to emerge from at the end of the film changed in some way that Coppola, in a masterstroke, decides not to share with the audience. Bob and Charlotte have their own lessons learned from this experience and Coppola leaves it to the audience you draw their own conclusions. "Lost in Translation" is a meditation, and for those who have not been married or who have never been a stranger in a strange land the realities of this fictional tale may well be lost. One of the reasons it stand out so prominently compared to the other films nominated for Best Picture Oscars in 2003 is that it is an intimate film while the others were either spectacles ("The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" and "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World") or larger than life stories ("Mystic River" and "Seabiscuit"). But even an intimate mediation can be a jewel of a film.

This film is about existential crisis. If you understand what existential crisis feels like, you will understand this film. If you haven't experienced it, likely this film will seem slow and pointless. There isn't much plot to speak of, and some viewers will likely feel alienated from the film because these characters don't know what they want out of life and aren't actively pursuing a concrete goal. That can translate into a somewhat languid, aimless progression from one scene to the next, floating and tugged along by circumstance. It's this feeling of alienation from life that forms the emotional core of the film. The title is a metaphor for the difficulty of transitioning from one phase of life to another, and of the alienation that accompanies losing one's purpose, being swept along by routine and social obligations. Both Bob and Charlotte are stuck in relationships that have lost all romantic passion, in jobs (or joblessness) they hate. In this transitory setting of a hotel in the dizzying, frantic city of Tokyo, Bob and Charlotte find kindred souls in each other. This film is high on affect, and low on typical plot and character progression. It's an excellent film (which is why it won awards and frequently appears on "best of" lists) which explores the theme that rather than length or convenience, relationships are forged and strengthened by the intensity of shared experience. If you have experienced existential crisis or enjoy whimsical, shoegaze-y films such as Garden State or HER, chances are you'd find something to appreciate about this film. HER, by the way, is often thought of as an artistic response to this film - Sofia Coppola and Spike Jonze were once married, and it's been suggested that the character John in Lost in Translation represents Jonze, and Rooney Mara's character Catherine in HER represents Coppola. A beautiful, modern classic in my opinion. It has soul and depth, and is one of my favorites of all time.

You know I revisit this film once in awhile probably every 5 years and each time I always notice something different or have a different feeling about it. And it occurred to me as I've gotten older since this film has gotten released and when I first saw it I was in my thirties now I'm in my 50s the same age Bill Murray was when he filmed it. And what each of these characteristics are looking for are the same but also at the same time very different. She wants safety and to be recognized. He is recognized by many but he wants to feel free and have fun again and she gives that to him and he gives her safety and he sees her.

全て好き！映像 音楽 脚本 ！軽く観れて奥深く。又いつか見ます！絶対。

Como siempre, Bill Murray es garantía de una gran actuación y usualmente elige papeles muy interesantes. La sinergia creada por Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson y Sofia Coppola se tradujo en una interesante espontaneidad y tuvo una química interesante como pocas veces se logra en la pantalla grande. El retrato de un extranjero en Japón es retratado Ia la perfección, desde la increíble formalidad hasta lo vago que puede ser la comunicación dado el enorme hueco que hay entre ambos idiomas (Inglés y Japonés). El video no es de tan alta calidad, pero la fotografía es hermosa y logra retratar de manera muy realista lo que se vive día a día en Japón en la perspectiva fresca de un extranjero y capta la belleza del lugar. Es indudablemente una de mis películas favoritas y es ampliamente recomendada.

Que dire de plus de cette magnifique comédie dramatique écrite et réalisée par Sofia Coppola ? Dans ce film multi-récompensé tourné au Japon, au budget modeste et réalisé en un peu plus d’un mois, Bill Murray et Scarlett Johansson nous émerveillent par la justesse de leurs rôles et par leur immense talent. Film extraordinaire à voir tant il est surprenant, passionnant et plein de tendresse. Et à revoir (sans modération) pour bien comprendre la complexité de la psychologie des personnages tellement attachants évoluant dans un pays et sa culture qui leur sont totalement étrangers. Un authentique Chef d’œuvre. Sinon article conforme et expédition rapide.

Alleen Duitse ondertiteling voor doven en slechthorenden beschikbaar.

Oui, film magnifique de Sofia Coppola avec un Bill Murray toujours excellent, interprétant un grand acteur sur le déclin et obligé d’aller faire une pub à Tokyo où il se trouve en terre complètement étrangère, totalement dépassé par la vie trépidante de la plus grande ville du monde. Tout en émotion et en désenchantement déguisés, il ne trouve qu’un peu de réconfort au bar de son luxueux hôtel et auprès d’une jeune femme (Scarlett Johansson, tout aussi remarquable) aussi paumée que lui dans un univers quasiment extraterrestre. Je recommande !!