Lost in Translation (film)

Lost in Translation

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Sofia Coppola
Produced by Ross Katz
Sofia Coppola
Written by Sofia Coppola
Starring Bill Murray
Scarlett Johansson
Giovanni Ribisi
Anna Faris
Fumihiro Hayashi
Music by Brian Reitzell
Kevin Shields
Roger Joseph Manning Jr.
Air
Cinematography Lance Acord
Editing by Sarah Flack
Studio American Zoetrope
Tohokushinsha Film
Distributed by Focus Features
Release date(s) October 3, 2003 (U.S.)
January 9, 2004 (U.K.)
April 17, 2004 (Japan)
Running time 102 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Japanese
Budget $4 million
Gross revenue $119,723,856

Lost in Translation is a 2003 American film starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson and directed by Sofia Coppola; it was Coppola's second feature film, after The Virgin Suicides (1999). The film blends elements of comedy as well as more serious themes common in drama films. Upon release, the film was a major critical success,[1] and went on to be nominated for four Academy Awards, including: Best Picture, Best Actor for Bill Murray, and Best Director for Sofia Coppola; Coppola won for Best Original Screenplay.

The film centers on an aging actor (Bill Murray) and a recent college-graduate (Scarlett Johansson) who develop a unique closeness after a chance meeting in a grand Tokyo hotel. The movie explores themes of loneliness, alienation, insomnia, existential ennui, and culture shock against the backdrop of a modern Japanese cityscape.

Contents

Plot

Bob Harris (Bill Murray), an aging American movie star, arrives in Tokyo to film a Suntory whisky advertisement. Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), a young recent Yale graduate, is left behind in her hotel room by her husband, John (Giovanni Ribisi), a celebrity photographer on assignment in Tokyo. Charlotte is unsure of her present and her future and about the man she has married. Bob's own 25-year marriage is tired and lacking in romance as he goes through a midlife crisis. One night, Bob finds himself unable to sleep and goes to the hotel bar where he meets Charlotte, who also cannot sleep. The two had previously seen each other throughout their days earlier at the hotel, but strike a friendship bond through their adventures in Tokyo together while experiencing the differences between Japanese and American culture, and between their own generations.

On the penultimate night of his stay, Bob attracts the attention of the resident vocalist. The next morning, Bob awakens to find this woman in his room, having apparently slept with her. Charlotte arrives at his room to go out for breakfast only to find the woman in his room, leading to conflict and tension over a subsequent lunch. Later that night, during a fire alarm at the hotel, Bob and Charlotte reconcile and express how they will miss each other as they make one more trip back to the hotel bar.

On following morning, Bob is set for his depature back to the United States. He tells Charlotte goodbye at the hotel lobby shortly before checking out and sadly watches her retreat back to an elevator. While riding in a taxi to the airport, Bob sees Charlotte on a crowded street and he gets out and goes to her. Bob embraces Charlotte and whispers something (substantially inaudible to the audience) in the tearful Charlotte's ear. The two share a kiss, say goodbye and Bob departs.

Cast

Title concept

The concept of "lost in translation" occurs throughout the film with a number of meanings.[2] Bob, a Japanese director (Yutaka Tadokoro), and an interpreter (Takeshita) are on a set, filming the Suntory whisky commercial — specifically the Hibiki 17 Year whisky. In several exchanges, the director speaks several long sentences with passion, followed by a brief, inadequate translation from the interpreter. The scene (like all the film's Japanese dialogue) is played without subtitles.

Director [in Japanese, to the interpreter]: The translation is very important, O.K.? The translation.
Interpreter [in Japanese, to the director]: Yes, of course. I understand.
Director [in Japanese, to Bob]: Mr. Bob. You are sitting quietly in your study. And then there is a bottle of Suntory whisky on top of the table. You understand, right? With wholehearted feeling, slowly, look at the camera, tenderly, and as if you are meeting old friends, say the words. As if you are Bogie in Casablanca, saying, "Here's looking at you, kid," -- Suntory time!
Interpreter [In English, to Bob]: He wants you to turn, look in camera. O.K.?
Bob: Is that all he said?[3]

The two central characters in the film — Bob and Charlotte, both Americans — find themselves 'lost' in a culture that is foreign to them, and their displaced location during their blossoming friendship enhances their connection with one another.

Production

In an interview with AFI,[4] director Sofia Coppola recalled how elusive Bill Murray was and the difficulties she faced trying to track him down:

“ I got his voicemail number and I called him every day, and he called me back once like a month later but then my phone didn't work. [...] It was just this ongoing...I was supposed to meet him and then he had to cancel it. One of the low, low points was [...] I called Al Pacino 'cause I heard he lived in the same town as Bill Murray lived in. [...] The worst thing I said was: I wonder if you know Bill Murray?...Because I'm doing this script... ”

Murray arrived on the set on the first day of filming. The movie was filmed in 27 days in October 2002.[5]

Various locations in Tokyo are showcased throughout the film; in particular, the bar featured predominately in the film is the New York Bar, situated on the 52nd floor of the Shinjuku Park Tower (新宿パークタワー) and part of the Park Hyatt Tokyo hotel in Shinjuku, Tokyo.[6] Other locations include the Heian Jingu shrine in Kyoto and the steps of the giant San-mon gate at Nanzen-ji, as well as the fashionable club Air in the Daikanyama district of Tokyo. All locations mentioned in the film are the names of actual places, bars, or businesses that existed in Tokyo at the time of filming. A map of Tokyo with the locations used in Lost In Translation highlighted is available in the Japanese DVD edition of the film.

Release

Box office

Lost in Translation was screened at the 2003 Telluride Film Festival.[7] It was given a limited release on September 12, 2003 in 23 theaters where it grossed $925,087 on its opening weekend. [8] [9] It was given a wider release on October 3, 2003 in 864 theaters where it grossed $4.1 million on its opening weekend. The film went on to make $44.5 million in North America and $75.1 million in the rest of the world for a worldwide total of $119.7 million.[10]

Critical response

Lost in Translation was boosted by critical acclaim – notably a 95% approval from review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes and an 89 metascore from Metacritic – and audience word-of-mouth. It was praised not only for Sofia Coppola's script and distinctive directing, but also for the work of Bill Murray. Film critic Roger Ebert gave the film four out of four stars and rated it the second best film of the year, describing it as "sweet and sad at the same time as it is sardonic and funny", while also praising Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson.[11] In his review for the New York Times, Elvis Mitchell wrote, "At 18, the actress gets away with playing a 25-year-old woman by using her husky voice to test the level of acidity in the air ... Ms. Johansson is not nearly as accomplished a performer as Mr. Murray, but Ms. Coppola gets around this by using Charlotte's simplicity and curiosity as keys to her character".[12] Entertainment Weekly gave the film an "A" rating and Lisa Schwarzbaum wrote, "working opposite the embracing, restful serenity of Johansson, Murray reveals something more commanding in his repose than we have ever seen before. Trimmed to a newly muscular, rangy handsomeness and in complete rapport with his character's hard-earned acceptance of life's limitations, Murray turns in a great performance".[13] In his review for The New York Observer, Andrew Sarris wrote, "The result is that rarity of rarities, a grown-up romance based on the deliberate repression of sexual gratification ... It's worth noting that at a time when independent films are exploding with erotic images edging ever closer to outright pornography, Ms. Coppola and her colleagues have replaced sexual facility with emotional longing, without being too coy or self-congratulatory in the process".[14] USA Today gave the film three-and-a-half out of four stars and wrote, "Coppola's second feature offers quiet humor in lieu of the bludgeoning direct assaults most comedies these days inflict".[15]

Time magazine's Richard Corliss praised Murray's performance: "You won't find a subtler, funnier or more poignant performance this year than this quietly astonishing turn".[16] In his review for The Observer, Philip French wrote, "But while Lost in Translation is deeply sad and has a strongly Antonioniesque flavour, it's also a wispy romantic comedy with little plot and some well-observed comic moments".[17] Rolling Stone magazine's Peter Travers gave the film four out of four stars and wrote, "Before saying goodbye, they whisper something to each other that the audience can't hear. Coppola keeps her film as hushed and intimate as that whisper. Lost in Translation is found gold. Funny how a wisp of a movie from a wisp of a girl can wipe you out".[18] In his review for The Guardian, Joe Queenan praised Coppola's film for being "one of the few Hollywood films I have seen this year that has a brain; but more than that, it has a soul".[19] J. Hoberman, in his review for the Village Voice, wrote, "Lost in Translation is as bittersweet a brief encounter as any in American movies since Richard Linklater's equally romantic Before Sunrise. But Lost in Translation is the more poignant reverie. Coppola evokes the emotional intensity of a one-night stand far from home—but what she really gets is the magic of movies".[20] Entertainment Weekly put it on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying, "Six years later, we still have no clue what Bill Murray whispered into Scarlett Johansson's ear. And we don't want to. Why spoil a perfect film?"[21]

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association and National Society of Film Critics voted Bill Murray best actor of the year.[22][23] The New York Film Critics Circle also voted Murray best actor and Sofia Coppola best director.[24] In addition, Coppola received an award for special filmmaking achievement from the National Board of Review.[25] Lost in Translation also appeared on several critics' top ten lists for 2003.[26]

Roger Ebert also added it to his "great movies" list on his website. [27]

Awards and nominations

Lost in Translation won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay in 2003. [28] [29] It was also nominated for Best Director and Best Picture, but lost both to The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Bill Murray was also nominated for Best Actor, but lost to Sean Penn for Mystic River.

The film won Golden Globes for Best Musical or Comedy Motion Picture, Best Screenplay, and Best Musical or Comedy Actor. It was also nominated for Best Director, and Best Musical or Comedy Actress.[30]

At the BAFTA film awards, Lost in Translation won the Best Editing, Best Actor and Best Actress awards. It was also nominated for best film, director, original screenplay, music and cinematography. It won four IFP Independent Spirit Awards, for Best Feature, Director, Male Lead, and Screenplay.[31] The film was honored with the original screenplay award from the Writers Guild of America.[32]

Home media

Lost in Translation was released on DVD on February 3, 2004. [33] [34] Entertainment Weekly gave it an "A" rating and criticized "the disc's slim bonus features", but praised the film for standing "on its own as a valentine to the mysteries of attraction".[35]

Lost in Translation is currently only available on DVD and VHS format. The film was also released in high definition on the now defunct HD DVD format. The Blu-ray format release was announced on August 28, 2010 for release on December 7, 2010.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Lost in Translation". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lost_in_translation/. Retrieved 2010-03-19. 
  2. ↑ Rich, Motoko (2003-09-21). "What Else Was Lost in Translation". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A03E6DD103AF932A1575AC0A9659C8B63. Retrieved 2007-11-04. "It doesn't take much to figure out that "Lost in Translation," the title of Sofia Coppola's elegiac new film about two lonely American souls in Tokyo, means more than one thing. There is the cultural dislocation felt by Bob Harris (Bill Murray), a washed-up movie actor, and Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), a young wife trying to find herself. They are also lost in their marriages, lost in their lives. Then, of course, there is the simple matter of language." 
  3. ↑ Rich, Motoko (2003-09-21). "What Else Was Lost in Translation". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A03E6DD103AF932A1575AC0A9659C8B63. Retrieved 2007-11-04. 
  4. ↑ Video at YouTube
  5. ↑ Lost in Translation. [DVD]. Focus Features/Universal Studios. 2004. 
  6. ↑ "Tokyo Bars: New York Bar, Peak Bar, Hotel Park Hyatt Tokyo, Japan". http://tokyo.park.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/entertainment/lounges/index.jsp. Retrieved 2009-12-29. 
  7. ↑ Mitchell, Elvis (September 1, 2003). "Telluride Marks Its 30th Year With a Passing of Torches". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/01/movies/critic-s-notebook-telluride-marks-its-30th-year-with-a-passing-of-torches.html?scp=67&sq=%22Sofia+Coppola%22&st=nyt. Retrieved 2009-03-25. 
  8. ↑ http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2003/LSTNT.php - Lost in Translation - Box Office Data, Movie News, Cast Information - The Numbers
  9. ↑ http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=lostintranslation.htm - Lost in Translation (2003) - Box Office Mojo
  10. ↑ "Lost in Translation". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=lostintranslation.htm. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 
  11. ↑ Ebert, Roger (September 12, 2003). "Lost in Translation". Chicago Sun-Times. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030912/REVIEWS/309120302/1023. Retrieved 2009-03-16. 
  12. ↑ Mitchell, Elvis (September 12, 2003). "An American in Japan, Making a Connection". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9803E1D8133BF931A2575AC0A9659C8B63. Retrieved 2009-03-16. 
  13. ↑ Schwarzbaum, Lisa (September 10, 2003). "Lost in Translation". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,479937,00.html. Retrieved 2009-03-16. 
  14. ↑ Sarris, Andrew (September 28, 2003). "Lonely Souls in a Strange Land: Lost in Translation Maps the Way". New York Observer. http://www.observer.com/node/48113. Retrieved 2009-03-16. 
  15. ↑ Clark, Mike (September 12, 2003). "Comedy doesn't get lost in Translation". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/reviews/2003-09-11-translation_x.htm. Retrieved 2009-03-16. 
  16. ↑ Corliss, Richard (September 15, 2003). "A Victory for Lonely Hearts". Time. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1005675,00.html?iid=chix-sphere. Retrieved 2009-03-16. 
  17. ↑ French, Philip (January 11, 2004). "The odd Coppola". The Observer (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2004/jan/11/philipfrench. Retrieved 2009-03-16. 
  18. ↑ Travers, Peter (September 8, 2003). "Lost in Translation". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/5949485/review/5949486/lost_in_translation. Retrieved 2009-03-16. 
  19. ↑ Queenan, Joe (January 10, 2004). "A yen for romance". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2004/jan/10/features.joequeenan. Retrieved 2009-03-16. 
  20. ↑ Hoberman, J (September 9, 2003). "After Sunset". Village Voice. http://www.villagevoice.com/2003-09-09/film/after-sunset/1. Retrieved 2009-03-16. 
  21. ↑ Geier, Thom; Jensen, Jeff; Jordan, Tina; Lyons, Margaret; Markovitz, Adam; Nashawaty, Chris; Pastorek, Whitney; Rice, Lynette; Rottenberg, Josh; Schwartz, Missy; Slezak, Michael; Snierson, Dan; Stack, Tim; Stroup, Kate; Tucker, Ken; Vary, Adam B.; Vozick-Levinson, Simon; Ward, Kate (December 11, 2009), "THE 100 Greatest MOVIES, TV SHOWS, ALBUMS, BOOKS, CHARACTERS, SCENES, EPISODES, SONGS, DRESSES, MUSIC VIDEOS, AND TRENDS THAT ENTERTAINED US OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS". Entertainment Weekly. (1079/1080):74-84
  22. ↑ Mitchell, Wendy (January 9, 2004). "LA Critics Choose Splendor, Friedmans Follow-Up, Texas Picks, and More". indieWIRE. http://www.indiewire.com/article/la_critics_choose_splendor_friedmans_follow-up_texas_picks_and_more/. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 
  23. ↑ Hernandez, Eugene (January 5, 2004). "National Film Critics Group Names American Splendor Top Film of ‘03". indieWIRE. http://www.indiewire.com/article/national_film_critics_group_names_american_splendor_top_film_of_03/. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 
  24. ↑ Hernandez, Eugene (December 16, 2003). "NY Critics Crown King Top Film of ‘03; SF & Boston Critics Also Weigh In". indieWIRE. http://www.indiewire.com/article/ny_critics_crown_king_top_film_of_03_sf_boston_critics_also_weigh_in/. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 
  25. ↑ Mitchell, Wendy (December 4, 2003). "National Board of Review Says Mystic River is Tops For 2003". indieWIRE. http://www.indiewire.com/article/national_board_of_review_says_mystic_river_is_tops_for_2003/. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 
  26. ↑ "Metacritic: 2003 Film Critic Top Ten Lists". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/film/awards/2003/toptens.shtml. Retrieved 2009-03-25. 
  27. ↑ "Lost in Translation (2003)". Chicago Sun-Times. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100804/REVIEWS08/100809996. 
  28. ↑ http://www.filmsite.org/bestscreenplays4.html - Academy Awards Best Screenplays and Writers
  29. ↑ http://www.boxofficeprophets.com/awards/display.cfm?awardsaxID=16&awardsyear=2003 - Box Office Prophets Film Awards Database: Best Adapted Screenplay 2003
  30. ↑ Hernandez, Eugene (January 26, 2004). "Lord of the Rings and Lost in Translation Big Winners at Golden Globes". indieWIRE. http://www.indiewire.com/article/lord_of_the_rings_and_lost_in_translation_big_winners_at_golden_globes/. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 
  31. ↑ Hernandez, Eugene (February 28, 2004). "Lost In Translation Tops Independent Spirit Awards, Station Agent Another Big Winner". indieWIRE. http://www.indiewire.com/article/lost_in_translation_tops_independent_spirit_awards_station_agent_another_bi/. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 
  32. ↑ Hernandez, Eugene (February 23, 2004). "WGA Opts for Translation and Splendor, While SAG Goes for Rings". indieWIRE. http://www.indiewire.com/article/wga_opts_for_translation_and_splendor_while_sag_goes_for_rings/. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 
  33. ↑ http://dvd.ign.com/articles/489/489848p1.html - Lost in Translation - DVD Review at IGN
  34. ↑ http://www.metacritic.com/video/titles/lostintranslation - Lost in Translation reviews at Metacritic.com
  35. ↑ Fonseca, Nicholas (February 13, 2004). "Lost in Translation". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,588239,00.html. Retrieved 2009-03-16. 

External links

Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

Moulin Rouge! (2001) · Chicago (2002) · Lost in Translation (2003) · Sideways (2004) · Walk the Line (2005) · Dreamgirls (2006) · Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) · Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) • The Hangover (2009)

 · (1951–1960) · (1961–1980) · (1981–2000) · (2001–present)
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Chicago		 Golden Globe for Best Picture - Musical or Comedy
2004		 Succeeded by
Sideways
Films directed by Sofia Coppola
Feature films
The Virgin Suicides (1999) • Lost in Translation (2003) • Marie Antoinette (2006) • Somewhere (2010)
Short
Lick the Star (1998)