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Mia - 4030 - Lost in Translation

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Lost in Translation, loneliness, analysis

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Emma’s analysis of lost in translation


This movie was written and directed by Sofia Coppola. This movie described two foreigners living in Tokyo, the prosperity of the city people alone under the desert dotted heart naked revealed, probably this common problem with modern bar.


Lost in translation focuses on two particular characters. The first one is Bob Harris; he had come to Tokyo to shoot a commercial for Suntory Whiskey, he and his wife married 20 years, the feeling is too flat between them, they rely on children to contact. One day Bob had a good mood, when he told to his wife “I LOVE YOU”, came the phone was the busy tone. The second character is Charlotte, she’s the young wife of a celebrity photographer husband, who’s on assignment to shoot a Japanese rock band.


The first scene of this movie is a woman only wearing underpants laying back on the bed, up to 30 seconds, no dialogue, no music, only a woman breathing quiet. This purpose is to describe she always in the room and no one to look after her.


No language, no scenes, just a quiet shot to given the audience a sense of infinite reverie.


The important Mise-en-scene of this movie is the contrast between Charlotte and Bob greatly sweetens the movie’s story of a slow-burn friendship, they are confused in Japan. There are huge thematic plays on getting lost. The characters experience loneliness and alienation but also experience companionship in getting lost together.


At the hotel piano bar, at Japanese house parties and in streets of Tokyo, Charlotte and Bob start to lean on one another for support. In this country where no one seems to speaking their language.


I still remember a scene which is Charlotte and Bob stay in the hotel piano bar, they talk to each other. Bob:”Can you keep a secret? I’m trying to organize a prison break. I’m looking for…like, an accomplice, we’d have to, first, get out of this bar, then the hotel, then the city, and then the country, Are you in, or are you out?” Charlotte:” I’m in. Good, I’ll go pack my stuff.” Director use close-up to show the lonely two characters. So they went to sing and dance, deliberate to make trouble.

Another Mise-en-scene of this movie is the beautiful city-Tokyo. It’s alluring, hilarious. The director shows many different places. In my opinion, there are some reasons. Firstly, it can be increase the movie’s values. The audience always curiosity about distant and mysterious place. The director will seize the opportunity to use the camera to shuttle between the city and streets. Let us to see the layout of streets in Japan. Such as the east temples, Japan’s TV entertainment, Japanese “strange” behavior. Secondly, to produce a comic effect. In the movie, the effect of this comedy by differences cultural. Bob standing in the elevator as a camelThey making ads, Bob with Japanese’s director has many barriers for communication, and so on. Thirdly, it’s an unfamiliar setting to both characters, and they do not exactly understand the

language. So not only do they feel disconnected from their respective spouses, but they are also in a country they both hardly understand at all. They are both lost in several ways.


The movie name is lost in translation; I think this “lost” have two sides to see, that “lost” and “lose”. The “lost” means the psychic remains subject to possible disorientation at the new location. In the movie, Bob and Charlotte are also confused. Bob is a middle-aged man, who has been married for a long time, but has a disconnect with his wife. Facing the family, he chose to escape. However, the escape dose not means that everything is all right; he came to Tokyo, and even fails into greater confusion. In his eyes, there are gorgeous streets, but hard to learn oriental words, do not understand Japanese. When Bob stood on the elevator, and found that they had a “commanding heights”-he feel out of place. Charlotte, a recent Yale graduate, is accompanying her husband on a business trip. However, she spends most of the time alone. The “lose” means loss of gloss. “Lost” and “lose” are complementary. It is because of this similarity that the characters become friends.


The two characters in the movie from many internal or external reasons, the value of self-survival produced uncertainty. Bob and Charlotte is first few encounters are casual-on an elevator, in a bar. However, they begin to seek out one another and a bond develops. Bob and Charlotte eventually spend nearly, they walking together, holding deep conversations and finding ways to avoid the eventual parting that both know must occur. There is romantic tension, but through it all it’s mostly about companionship. There are no sweet moments. This is particularly what some may not exactly enjoy about lost in translation.


Lost in translation is perceptive about how people interact on a personal level. It portrays the disorientation of the two characters flawlessly.


The movie’s colormotif is blue tone, so that casts a layer of gloom and elegant, this atmosphere has been throughout of the whole movie, and foils the two characters emotional. Processing of music is also particularity, when the camera into the hustle and bustle of the city, the music is fast-paced; and to the romantic sense of hero and heroine be together, the music becomes gentle ease up.


In this movie, there are not many dialogues between Bob and Charlotte. They are just so special and alike, that when placed among people, they recognize each other at the first glance, in this unknown city lost both of themselves. Isolated in language, however, their souls just became more familiar to each other. This time, love needs no translation. They never confessed their love to the other, it was not necessary. Mid-night encounters, hand-in-hand rush through crowds, and tender echo to the other’s song, were far more than any words could convey. It’s an implicit affection as well as a platonic love. It’s just so beautiful to have it in bud in an eastern city, where any unsaid implications of romance used to be so much appreciated but now are almost lost in the ruins of modernization.

I still remember on the departing day, when the aluminum door of the elevator

slowly closed, the reflection on it was so clear that it relentlessly divided their world into two. However, her three word:”I’ll miss you” were simply able to penetrate walls of any kind. In the crowded street of Tokyo, surrounded by many strange faces, they embraced each other for the last time and kissed goodbye.


This is straight drama, it’s because the movie is very slow paced. Sometimes I feel a little lengthy. The pace is actually quite understandable at least, but it is definitely not going to suit everyone.

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