2003.Directed and scripted by Sofia Coppola. Produced by Ross Katz and Sofia Coppola. Editing by Sarah Flack. Music by Brian Reinstall,Kevin Shields and Roger Joseph Manning Jr.Air. This film was 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.[1]
Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation bases on two people with different life's experience to cause a discussion of 'lost". Under the premise people have never worried about bread-and-butter issue, it seems people is easier to lost goal and make our self lost. Lost in Translation is a romantic and classical narrative film. The narrative structure is sequential narration, it makes the film smooth. At the beginning, the Bob and Charlotte both are having a trip and living in their own life, and then they meet and understand each other well. At the end of the film, they finish their trip and go back their own life again, but from a individual angle, the ending of film doesn't tell audience whether Bob and Charlotte can solve the problem 'lost' and find their own position in the life or keep living the same life like before. What Bob whispers in Charlotte ear before he goes to the airport? Why they have a bright smile after their whisper? Do they keep the relationship? Lost in Translation doesn't answer these questions.
Lost in Translation is the film without much dialogue, but it reveals and captures characters' mental state by meeting in Tokyo. It also reveals the social problem about language, culture and family, after release it causes a huge social discussion. Like its title, Lost in Translation emphasis on one word ‘lost’. The two characters with different experience and background lost in language, relationships, culture and future. And the feeling further intensifies by meeting in Tokyo one of the most traditional and modern in the world. Director Sofia Coppola wants to show a deeper with this title, it is the situation when they are both going through a crisis and facing the collision between the reality that they don't want to accept and dream. Lost in Translation adopts two individual lines as the opening, and with the story goes on, gradually it forms a line.
At first viewing, when Bob Harris just gets Tokyo from airport. There is a clear contrast between quiet Bob and this vivid city. The color,landscapes, lights, and music all of them show a contemporary Japanese culture. As time goes on, more and more the different culture of west and east appear. When Bob gets the hotel, there are a few people bring some gifts to welcome Bob politely. And almost every hotel staff who meet Bob gives a polite greetings to him. Sofia Coppola emphasis on Japanese politeness very much in Lost in Translation. If politeness is a kind of respect most time, in this film politeness stands for the distance between people at the beginning part. On the other hand, this film also indicates the cultural difference in details. When Bob is standing in a lift around all Japanese. There is a obvious visual contrast. The obvious difference of height hints the distance between people again. From the point of view that the Japanese interpreter do the translation for the whiskey advertisement. we can also find some questions of culture stock or language shock. When the director speaks several long sentences with passion, followed by a brief, inadequate translation from the interpreter. It is hard to understand why the interpreter cannot translate it. Is it because her English limitation? If the interpreter who speak same language with Bob can not communicate, you can imagine how hard for Bod to get use to Japanese culture.
1. Bob just gets the Tokyo and is looking at the street.
Bob just gets Tokyo. Why he take this trip? In real life, there are two kinds of people like to travel. One is the people who really enjoy travelling, other is the person who don't want to face the problem from the real life. Only when they are being in travelling, they could forget all problem they meet. Probably as he say to Charlotte, Bob is the second person, he want to escape his wife and his midlife crisis. But actually, it is impossible for Bob to escape his wife or the role of husband and father totally. His wife faxes the pictures and posts the carpet samples to him for getting his suggestion. As Bob's career is going to the decline, either home or career make he lost his goals.
2.In the midnight, Charlotte can not sleep in Tokyo
Charlotte has married for two years, but married life isn't what she thought it would be. For Charlotte learned philosophy, the feeling coming from environment or married life seems more sensitive. At the beginning part, No matter where Charlotte is and no matter what she do, She seems to be a bystander who has been watching and listening other. All of these make her look different and special. It looks Charlotte is living her own world lonely. Charlotte cannot communicate her frustration and sadness with anyone or her husband always leave her alone, as we see in a phone call to her busy friends, and Charlotte's husband seems do not care her feeling, always busies in his work. When Charlotte ask her husband for the length of a scarf, she doesn't know how long she want it to be, and her husband can not give her any suggestions either. This hints Charlotte cannot sure her current life, and there is no body can understand and help her.
3. Charlotte is walking on a street in Tokyo alone
This screenshot is medium shot. It emphasises on Charlotte's facial expressions. There is a strong contrast between Charlotte and people who are being busy in the Tokyo's street. The background music uses the real sound of street and a little bit intense rhythm. It expresses the situation of Tokyo as the one of the most exotic and modern in the world.
4.The first meeting of Bob and Charlotte in elevator.
Bob and Charlotte both of them seem don't like talking with other people. As we see in the bar two English try to talk with Bob, but he walks away. Charlotte also lives her own world. There is no much communication with outside. First meeting of Bob and Charlotte takes place in the elevator, there is no clear details why Charlotte can attract Bob, but it leads to other more meetings in the bar late at night.
5.Charlotte is walking into a temple in Kyoto.
5.Charlotte is walking into a temple in Kyoto.
6. Charlotte is looking at the wedding.
Sofia Coppola prefers developing these character as individuals in this film. Al thought Bob and Charlotte have known and understood each other, Charlotte still keeps doing something by herself and goes to Kyoto. It seems Charlotte finds out a hope or answers that she has been looking for. Both screenshot are the long shot. The whole frame feels quiet with a little bit sad and the vision is comfortable. Because Lost in Translation adopted cine film to shoot, it makes the picture subdued very much. In this view, the background color emanates a light and soft green. As well as the music in this part is lively. Both of them hind the emotion's changing of Charlotte subtly and her accepting for Japanese culture. When Charlotte is watching the wedding group coming to her direction. It seems Charlotte go back before and remind Charlotte of her whole marriage. Sofia Coppola is adept at using long shot to reveal a character's inner world and render emotions frequently in long shot.
The relationship between these two characters have been beyond common friend. The common confusion coming from marriage, language and so on make them go together. From Lost in Translation you can get conclusion about marriage, it is possible to meet a married problem no matter what you have experienced 25 years or 2 years marriage. what are we suppose to do? When problems arise in our marriage, whether we should choose escape as same as Bob or just keep quiet like Charlotte. Actually, in Lost in Translation we cannot find either Charlotte or Bob try to communicate with her husband or his wife. Does it seem you can do nothing except escape and silence? All the questions in this film need to discussion.
The confusion for marriage and they can not get used to the new environment make them understand each other. And these characters have an obvious change in the mental state. They gradually integrate into the community, no longer to repel new culture. When Sofia Coppola deals with character's relation. She controls the scale very good. It doesn't like other movies that have a sexual relations in. Base on the education and culture, Sofia Coppola further highlights the communication on the mental and soul's layers. As mentioned above, although there is no clear ending in Lost in Translation, the beautiful memory and subtle pure love will be treasure for Bob and Charlotte, and they will remember it in heart forever.
List of References
[1] Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_in_Translation_(film)
[2]BookRags
http://www.bookrags.com/films/lostintranslation2003/summaryandanalysis.html
[3] Mark Reviews Movies
http://mark-reviews-movies.tripod.com/reviews/L/lostintranslation.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment