Lost in Translation

KingVidiot said:
Look, I don't expect car chases. One of my favorites is My Dinner with Andre, but this movie made by anyone else would get lackluster returns. Can't we stop the "he/she is an important filmmaker since he/she is related to..." hype ?
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Are you kidding? Being related to someone, especially someone fawned over more than a bit, is deadly. You have to be better than "normal".
 
I'm with you; Sofia is the real deal.

The poor girl was burned- alive for her appearance in GF-III (Completely unwarranted I thought)
 
This has been an interesting thread - "loved it", "hated it", "tasteful", "boring".

It's a brave film maker who takes on such a small, quiet character piece and makes it play. There are so few films made today where the empahsis is placed on the moment (what is happening versus what is happening NEXT).

Lost in Translation has a tone about it that reminds me of films like Trees Lounge, The Hours, Hard Eight and Bound. They are rare (admittedly, not likely to be the money makers as compared to movies like The Matrix).

I really enjoyed Lost in Translation - alot.



dmc
 
Being from Asia, I can't help but say that this is a pretencious film that tries to make a point but completely portraits another culture EDIT with " lack of sensibility". There's definetly something Lost in Translation in this movie, and it is the lack of sensibility of the director towards a diferent culture. You can say this is what this movie is all about, but I can't help but think about the Whisky comercial shot and the way the director acts- No PERSON in the World would do such a thing. Specially in a place with such rich culture and developed educational system like Japan. And what about that night scapade? Disturbingly hilarious by its insensibility!

Sofia should have stayed with the Virgin Suicides type of movies: Unpretentious, simple but very feminine. lost in translation is definitively feminine, but the sensibility just went out of the window.
 
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I really do NOT think it is racist. anyway Sofia has been in Japan several times, so she must have absorbed the culture
 
SPZ said:
Being from Asia, I can't help but say that this is a pretencious film that tries to make a point but completely portraits another culture in a racist way. There's definetly something Lost in Translation in this movie, and it is the lack of sensibility of the director towards a diferent culture. You can say this is what this movie is all about, but I can't help but think about the Whisky comercial shot and the way the director acts- No PERSON in the World would do such a thing. Specially in a place with such rich culture and developed educational system like Japan. And what about that night scapade? Disturbingly hilarious by its insensibility!

Sofia should have stayed with the Virgin Suicides type of movies: Unpretentious, simple but very feminine. lost in translation is definitively feminine, but the sensibility just went out of the window.
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You have to elaborate a bit more than that.

How was it portrayed as racist ?
 
SPZ - actually I have been to Japan and have seen people act like that. You may be from asia, but are you from Japan? You should watch Japanese TV...it's CRAZY (but awesome). All the japanese people I know thought this was a very good representation. There's stuff like that in American movies/other countries - so how is this any different? And Racist?

I really love this film, it's one of those ones I keep wanting to hire out and watch again. Good stuff!

-Chris
 
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I totally don't understand the racist angle.

I've seen plenty of foreign films where you have the American Tourist trying to speak the local language and making a complete ass of themselves in the process.

I've never thought these scenes to be racist.

There's a scene in "Men with Guns" that represents this perfectly but i digress.

It is my humble opinion, SPZ, that you're being oversensitive to cultural misunderstandings as they are represented in a humorous light in this film.

Racism implies a harshness or even a sort of violence. None of which are inherent in the tone of the film.
 
Well, probably Racist was a bit too harsh. Maybe "lack of sensibility" is more like it. I'll edit that statement.

I believe the Whisky scene was a " limited" approach to communication problems. I know what she wanted to do, which was to show the surreal thing of two people who don't understand each other work together, but there really was a bad portrayal of japanese working professionals. I've worked in a gig in Japan before, and I assure you those guys are good professionals. They wouldn't just lay back and do what the scene suggested. If the director was unhappy with the scene, he wouldn't be satisfied with the exact same interpretation, even after his suggestions to the translator. She would be fired on the spot.

Japanese shows are a bit crazy, yes. But notice that, for example, Taiwan shows are the same (they copy the format), and even Hong-Kong tv entertainment is following this. It Is a particular humour, but it makes sense. For example, a HK show has two guys (celebrities) playing Ping-Pong against each other. The difference is that they have to find a topic (like animals, sex toys, Furniture, etc.), and every stroke they give they have to say an animal, sex toy, name (the topic is up to you). Try doing this with a friend- its hard as heck, but is d*mn fun!

Well, I found Kill Bill to be too superficial, too. A film that uses Kitch in order to create a sequence of beautiful pictures. But, yeah, I might be over sensitive towards this. It probably is because I was born and raised over here that I find this insensible.

Anyway, this doesn't mean I'm much of a Japan lover, tough. Japanese society is very closed and "proud".

But the East and the West certainly have huge cultural differences, and probably is a good thing for directors to try to explore this, even if with this they show their own particular insensibilities or prejudices...

EDIT- Nice soundtrack, tough :)
 
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If the director was unhappy with the scene, he wouldn't be satisfied with the exact same interpretation, even after his suggestions to the translator. She would be fired on the spot.
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Oh of course, I agree there - but think about how the same sort of thing applies in American movies. It won't be a translation thing, but look at how Americans or people from other countries are potrayed in movies. Not always very accurate or right at all. It's a movie, it has to be treated differently. :)

-Chris
 
ChrisHurn said:
Oh of course, I agree there - but think about how the same sort of thing applies in American movies. It won't be a translation thing, but look at how Americans or people from other countries are potrayed in movies. Not always very accurate or right at all. It's a movie, it has to be treated differently. :)

-Chris
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I agree with you. We usually see these in screwball comedies. But while Kill Bill didn't take itself seriously, Lost in Translation does- and that is why i think it is pretencious.
 
I think that director could have been any nationality. when time is money (especially in Japan) they can get nervous
 
SPZ said:
I agree with you. We usually see these in screwball comedies. But while Kill Bill didn't take itself seriously, Lost in Translation does- and that is why i think it is pretencious.
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Of course I respect your opinion on the matter I think you haven't a clue what you are talking about.

I dont mean that in anyway way but to be blunt. I think you are taking one scene from one film out of context and generalizing it.

Unfortunately it is the same thought pattern brought up in the negative reation to the film (small percentage)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_in_Translation

I find this train of thought to be tired.

I worked on a film once whereas the AD was a total prick. To say all AD's are total pricks would be generalizing. To say that Japanese Filmmakers are not like they are portrayed in this film is obvious. This was one scene, one director, one event in a movie.


To say it was racist was more than harsh but unfdounded. One could say it was stereotypical perhaps but not racist.

You know; generally speaking I can run down to Wal-Mart and come to the conclusion that everyone is an idiot. Although the perentage climbs while at Wal-Mart I know this not to be true.

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I find the film to be a wonderful story about 2 people literally lost. In their own personal lives, in the country they are visiting, in the hotel they are staying.

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But as mentioned; thank god we do not all think the same.
 
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