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Stars: Bill Murray, Scarlett
Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi, Anna Faris, and Fumhiro Hayashi
Writer: Sofia Coppola
Director: Sofia Coppola
Feature length: 1 hour and 42
minutes
Extras: A Conversation With Bill
Murray And Sofia Coppola, “Lost On Location” Documentary, Music Video,
Trailer
Languages: English DTS Digital 5.1
Theatrical Surround Sound and English and French Language Dolby Digital 5.1
Surround Sound
Subtitles: English Captions and
French and Spanish Language Subtitles
Packaging: Keep Case
Chapter Stops: 24
Sound: DTS Digital 5.1 Theatrical
Surround Sound and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Year of Theatrical Release: 2003/DVD
Release: 2004
Theatrical Distributor: Focus
Features
Home Video Distributor: Universal
Studios Home Video
MPAA Rating: R
Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera
It is true that many western
feature film and television stars have made commercials in Japan that never air
in America. They are not intended to. Most movie and TV stars may only allow
their voices to be used in car commercials and whatnot here in the States and
sometimes it takes a trained ear to discern the actor’s voice. Bill Murray
garnered a Best Actor nomination at this year’s Academy Awards® as well as a
Golden Globe for his portrayal of Bob Harris, an American movie star getting
paid a couple of million dollars to do a whiskey commercial in Japan while
dealing with a career in decline and a midlife crisis of sorts. Scarlett
Johansson plays a young lonely woman who feels equally alienated in Japan while
her photographer husband (Giovanni Ribisi) seems to be constantly distracted
with work. Both Johansson’s and Murray’s characters form a bond of
friendship in the land of the rising sun. Japan is an interesting place because
in many ways it appears as if the Japanese have assimilated so much of western
culture to a point that seems almost surreal and yet they have retained some
distinct Eastern elements that they have adapted into their way modern of life
that has preserved their nationality and heritage to some degree. Therefore I
suppose visiting and staying in a place like Japan could create a certain amount
of culture shock and depression for anyone not familiar with the culture and
language lest we forget jetlag. Heck when I went to Hollywood on business a few
years ago, I felt a certain amount of culture shock considering I live in a city
where you do not have to rely on a car to get from end to the next. So I think
I’d feel lost in Japan too if I were alone, but I have to admit, I’d still
love to visit that country some day.
“Lost In Translation” has a
bittersweet quality to it that I think helps to add some comedic elements to the
fish out of water scenario while still maintaining a firm dramatic grip so that
the film does not fall into the typical comedic paradigms. Personally I found
the film to be much more dramatic than comedic and I think Murray and Johansson
both did great work in their respective roles. Sofia Coppola seems to have the
same artistic sensibility as her renowned father, who served as one of the
film’s executive producers. It should be interesting to see where her career
takes her next.
Universal Studios Home Video’s
DVD edition of “Lost In Translation” presents the film in a fine anamorphic
widescreen (1.85:1) aspect ratio that preserves the manner in which the film was
exhibited theatrically as close as possible for home video users. The picture is
very solid with no visible anomalies of any kind. Both the English DTS Digital
5.1 Theatrical Surround Soundtrack and the English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
Soundtrack are equal in quality. Both tend to focus more on the left, right, and
center channels than the surround channels, which given the nature of this film
is okay. A French Language Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack and English
Captions for the hearing impaired as well as French and Spanish Language
Subtitles are also encoded onto the DVD as options.
Extra features include a reel of
five deleted scenes that can be viewed individually or in succession (10:25),
Kevin Shields music video for “City Girl” (3:03), the “Matthew’s Best
Hits” video segment from the film with Bill Murray (4:38), a video diary of
the production entitled “Lost On Location” (29:55), and a videotaped
conversation with Sofia Coppola and Bill Murray (9:46). The theatrical trailer
(2:15) and a reel of trailers for other Focus Features releases wrap up the
extra features on this DVD. The menus are well rendered and easy to navigate.
“Lost In Translation” is available on DVD video now from Universal Studios
Home Video.
© Copyright 2004 By Mark A.
Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
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