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One of the most hilarious scenes in Lost in Translation (Gothamist's favorite movie this year, thus far) is when Bill Murray's character, Bob Harris, gets direction from a Japanese hipster director. The director rattles off instructions in Japanese for a while, only for it to be translated back to Bob as "With more intensity." The Times ends speculation from all non-Japanese-comprehending folks by giving transcription of the exchange; Gothamist loved that the director was saying, "As if you are Bogie in 'Casablanca,' saying, 'Cheers to you guys,' Suntory time!" We would have killed to see Bill Murray Bogie it up.
Also yesterday, Roger Ebert tackled a reader's question about whether or not Lost in Translation is racist in its depiction of the Japanese.
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It's true, some of the "jokes" just aren't as funny if you speak Japanese. How was the translator supposed to interpret the Director's words? "With more intensity" pretty much sums it up. But, at the same time, some of the jokes are more funny if you know Japanese. For example, when the old lady in the hospital asks him how many years he's been in Japan, and then tries to use hand gestures to describe the earth going around the sun. If you've been in a foreign country for a while where you don't speak the language, you can empathize with the frustration of both parties perfectly.
The film really nails what living in Japan is like for non-Japanese speakers. It's really like that, and I think that charges the film might be racist are very sadly mistaken.
Though one aspect of the whole American-in-Tokyo syndrome that she doesn't address is the inability to get good american-style barbeque over there.
Ebert says about the same - that's really what Japan is like - and while he does not mention it, I'm sure our boy Roger would agree that the lack of BBQ is appalling. However, I did get hungry for Shabu Shabu while watching it.
Having been to japan, I too agree that the film pretty much depicts the reality of a non-japanese speaking foreigner in tokyo. That said, I kind of think the whole making jokes out of differences in foreign language/culture is pretty tired and unimaginative. Tokyo is a place rich with paradox, irony, and depth, and a better screenwriter (especially one who claims to have spent significant time in japan) could have come up with jokes that didn't rely purely on sight gags having to do with bad Engrish jokes and "I don't get this wacky japanese culture" bits. Though, after seeing Virgin Suicides (rather thin) I'm not surprised.
The screenplay had a lot of problems. The pacing was awful: too many scenes of one character or another sitting around looking lonely. It made for a lot of really boring parts, in between the funny ones.
Jen i agree with you that this is a wonderful film. I loved it! I have travelled in the past to asia for work and felt like I was on another planet. I liked the way charlotte would overlook the city at her hotel window. I would like to think at the end he whispered something like "we were meant to meet each other and spend this time together , soulmates but only for a few days. and theat he would see her again someday (not in this life) remember she was a philosophy major so maybe he could have said that...who knows. anyway, everyone should go see it!
I thought that the pacing was wonderfully delicate, myself.
Has anyone thought about the fact that those two characters prob both live in L.A.? So O.K., nice that they met and had the experience in Japan, but what's keeping them apart in the future? Nada much.
Except for their respective spouses and family-related responsibilities.
The awesome part of the television show host in the movie is that Matthew's Best Hit TV is a real show. I was disappointed that didn't go further.
I'm with RIO. Japanese struggling with Ls and Rs is like every American you meet being a fattie... That's not digging too deep, nor is it as interested in reflecting the human condition than highlighting shallow cultural differences.
And furthermore, to eli's point about pacing, those karaoke scenes are the height of self-indulgence. They occur in painfully self-conscious real-time... no directorial discipline (sniff).
Did anyone see Sofia on Charlie Rose last week?
Someone described her as a car that wouldn't start; Charlie kept putting the key in the ignition and the engine never turned over.
Hmm. I saw this when it came out and, while the pacing was much slower than I expected, the whole mess grew on me as it continued (and continued...). I think the "r and l" types of things are ridiculous - those are only (maybe) a big deal if you just got off the plane or had NEVER encountered a japanese person. I think a lot of the other things were very accurate, though - including the disjointed nature of some of the scenes. This is part of being in Tokyo, *especially* for the first few days... it's a confusing place, but for reasons you'd never expect and can't understand perfectly until you visit. Of note: the people in our theater were apparently hopped up, as EVERY single detail had them guffawing full force - weird. In any case, I liked it (the film, not the guffawing).
I have not seen it yet, but I study Japanese.
I think they should watch out for jokes that involve "r" and "l", becuase a number of East Asian languages don't have that sound, but an in between one. So it just sounds like "l" is being taken for "r" and "r" for "l", but really the in-between sound (like a "dd" sound when high-class Brits say "veddy good") is being used.
A Japanese instructor I had said that it is really difficult for her, even years on, to pick up the distinction between "r" and "l". Actually, it is very hard to make that double-dd sound without it sounding like "r" or "l".
So I think to the uninitiated or the basic low-brow who always makes fun of anybody's eccentricity, the accent gags are funny. But to Asian people or anyone who knows anything about why the accent is like that, maybe it isn't so funny.
Ebert said that the modern American movie is produced for the typical 13-year-old boy, (since teenager sales are a big part of ticket revenue for a lot of flicks.) I can't help but think some of the gags in the movie are geared toward that type of adolescent humor.
"Did anyone see Sofia on Charlie Rose last week?"
I actually saw this (charlie rose addict), and I agree, she was sitting there looking at charlie like he was a dork on his own show. hello, you've been invited to a really good show to discuss your work, perk up and talk to the guy about your work. if Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, and Annie Lennox could go on there and open up, sheesh, anyone can.
okay, the truth is, I believe she's an exceedingly average privileged kid who just really didn't have much to say (like her films). people think she's a 'charlie rose interview' and that her films are edgy, but that interview pulled the clothes off the empress. damn, I'm bringing venom today. sorry all, guess it's monday backwash or something. ;^)
michelin man Sep 22, 2003 8:04 PM
Did anyone see Sofia on Charlie Rose last week?
Someone described her as a car that wouldn't start; Charlie kept putting the key in the ignition and the engine never turned over.
Paging R Kelly.
Coppolla was trying to depict the bewilderment and confusion of two people who were experiencing Japan as newcomers. If you're coming at this as a sophisticate you're missing the point.
I've never been to Japan but I've visited other non-English-speaking countries for brief work junkets, and my experience of confusion and bewilderment was similar.
I'd say the jokes are better if you speak Japanese. I interpretted the whole direction scene in hushed tones for my girlfriend as it was going down and she seemed to laugh harder knowing what the director was saying. That said, I understand and endorse the reasons why Coppolla didn't subtitle it. What was especially funny to me was the formal language the interpretter used in deference to the director who was obviously a big deal hot-shot versus the lame-o instructions given to Bob.
Having lived in Tokyo for many years, I'd say the movie was right on in most respects. My one beef would have to be the call girl scene. Couple of things detracted from its realism:
1) she wasn't nearly hot enough
2) the lip/rip thing was BS
3) the no don't do me (yes, please do me) thing was BS
A real call girl in Tokyo at a hotel like that for a star like him would have been top shelf and probably spoken passable English. Those are the kind of details any half decent movie star handler would have taken care of in Japan. So...it wasn't realistic...which wouldn't bug me if it served some purpose in the flick but all it really did was play into some stereotypes.
That said, the criticism of the movie as racist I've heard is pretty much out to lunch. Most of it is like, "I talked to one Japanese person and they said x". Well...uh...there's a bunch of people over there...
I agree wholeheartedly with RIO and Simon. As an Asian-American woman I find the cliches, though perhaps "warmly intended" - feeding into the same old stereotypes that say it's ok to make a mockery of that which is different. Coppola doesn't go quite that far - but in my opinion when you stoop to making ha-ha gags based on how people pronounce "l/r" then she's skipping happily along on the same denigrating path.
I am also less forgiving towards Coppola portrayal of the "shocking" nature of being immersed in difference, as her protagonists are supposed to be from LA - one of the most bizarre, "alien" -- and also culturally diverse cities in the world. Come on.
In the end, it doesn't matter so much that such shallow and racist films are being made. Everything is transient, and the uncertainties that seem so concrete to us today will tomorrow become obsolete. Let audiences have their laugh, and revel in anti-Asian films for today, because in fifty years, the tide will have turned and we'll see the likes of Coppola protesting the negative stereotypes of Americans by successful young Asian filmmakers...I only dismay that people will never find respect for their differences, and that one culture continually has to beat down on another until the tables turn.
While I liked the movie, there's little doubt that it rattled out the oldest cliches in the book about japanese culture...but i thought that was the point. Their experience of Japan was utterly insulated by a lack of curiosity about anything beyond what you'd find in a guide book.
Neither character seemed interested in Japan at all - charlotte preferring to look out of her window to her "cultural" excursions. I felt that the "Japaneseness" of the movie was largely window dressing for telling a colonial love story. I enjoyed that love story - but found the counterpoint of "kookiness" - kawaii - the setting was used to provide heavy handed.
Still, go and have a look at Nic Cage's Pachinko ads - they make the Suntory commercial look very classy! Many such gems on the japander site too.
http://www.tokyodv.com/feature/popmenuNICK.html
The problem is that Charlotte's character *is* Sophia. She spent a little time in Tokyo (some visits) when dabbling in fashion design. Her photographer husband she has said is modeled after her ex-director husband (who does have real talent and not at the expense of bashing an entire race and country). The real truth is she didn't write the better parts of this film - Murray ad-libbed it. She didn't write his whisper which Bill has said was that they would meet up again in the states. She didn't have much to say on Rose because she is a sham. But daddy was there to help with directing, Murray with the improv which runs through the film and the music carried the rest. This is not the best "screenplay" of the year and it will come out in time.
Lost In Translation is one of the worst movies I've ever seen. And not because it about depression. It was boring. Boring!
If someone finds this movie boring or slow, it's because you don't have "feeling" in your life, or haven't been lonely, or simply felt lost at times.
I was moved by it. (and have been for about 5 times. I can't stop seeing it) It's a simple story, yes. But it's about life.
Bill Murray is amazing in it. The music is great, and those moments where you just see the girl looking out the window, YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO FEEL THAT MOMENT TOO. The moment and music are supposed to take you there.
It made me want more out of life and love.
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