Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2325 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-06-28
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English, French, German, Japanese
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 97 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Like a good dream, Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation envelopes you with an aura of fantastic light, moody sound, head-turning love, and a feeling of déjà vu, even though you've probably never been to this neon-fused version of Tokyo. Certainly Bob Harris has not. The 50-ish actor has signed-on for big money shooting whiskey ads instead of doing something good for his career or his long-distance family. Jetlagged, helplessly lost with his Japanese-speaking director and out of sync with the metropolis, Harris (Bill Murray, never better) befriends the married but lovelorn 25-year-old Charlotte (played with heaps of poise by 18-year-old Scarlett Johansson). Even before her photographer husband all but abandons her, she is adrift like Harris but in a total entrapment of youth. How Charlotte and Bill discover their soul mates will be cherished for years to come.

Written and directed by Coppola (The Virgin Suicides), the film is far more atmospheric than plot-driven: we whiz through Tokyo parties, karaoke bars and odd nightlife, always ending up in the impossibly posh hotel where the two are staying. The wisps of bittersweet loneliness of Bill and Charlotte are handled smartly and romantically, but unlike modern studio films, this isn't a May to December fling film. Surely and steadily, the film ends on a much-talked-about grace note, which may burn some, yet awards film lovers who "always had Paris" with another cinematic destination of the heart. --Doug Thomas

DVD Description
Winner of 3 Golden Globes (including Best Film), Winner of 3 Baftas (including Best Actor for Bill Murray and Best Actress for Scarlett Johansson) and nominated for 4 Academy Awards (including Best Film), Lost In Translation is a laugh-out-loud portrayal of loneliness and human connection.

Featuring superior performances from Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson as Bob and Charlotte, two Americans in Tokyo. Bob is a movie star in town to shoot a whiskey commercial, while Charlotte is a young wife tagging along with her workaholic photographer husband. Through their respective insomnias, the two cross paths one night in the luxury hotel bar and strike up a surprisingly intimate friendship. As the unlikely pair venture through Tokyo together, having often hilarious encounters with its citizens, they ultimately discover a new belief in life’s possibilities.

Special Features
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Customer Reviews

I guess this just wasn't made for its time
I'm shocked! The reviews of this are really surprising, to say the least. The moment I started watching this movie I was drawn in and couldn't get out even after the movie was finished.

And usually, a movie with as simplistic a plot as this wouldn't interest me greatly, but this is an unusual movie in its presentation and in the character portrayal. The film itself is basically a study of a romantic relationship between two less-than-happy individuals, both of whom meet in a world vastly different from their own. We are forced to see the lonesome atmosphere in the characters as they sit alone in their respective hotel rooms and also in the desolate neon Tokyo scenery.

The film is truly an adaptation of Rick and Ilsa in Paris. The film contains moments of humour, darkness and painfully sad ending all of which allude to the main features of Casablanca. The film is even referenced by the Japanese commercial director as he describes in vast detail to Murray's character, how to present the whiskey (which is lost in translation through the interpreter).

It's sad that people today can't see more than what is blatantly and obnoxiously slapped on our screens. It's a film to demands your imagination as much as your intention. It was a similar style practiced by Shakespeare and his original on-stage productions. Obviously not aimed at the less analytically inclined amongst us, some of the below reviewers may have been looking for a James Bond film perhaps?

Murray is a Genius
It seems a lot of people just didn't enjoy the film because it lacked a decent plot. Well, I don't necessarily think that is a bad thing, because the film is plainly focused on the relationship between the two main characters, two people who would never normally have reason to talk to each other.The story is a peek into two people's lives, who are trying to survive the boredom and frustration of being in a place where you have virtually no one to communicate to. It's a shame that a lot of the reviews here have failed to see, or do not rate the great subtleties of this movie.

If you have watched this film and didn't enjoy it then it just wasn't your thing. It doesn't mean it's a bad film. I personally felt very moved, amused and thrilled after seeing it, and I rate it as one of my most favourite films of all time.

and of course, Bill Murray is a genius at this type of roll and deserves some sort of recognition of his great talents.

A rebuttle rather than a review
For those people who gave this film 1 star, I would recommend a second viewing. Once you understand the pace and realise it isn't building towards typical hollywood bravado (this film is anything but typical) you'll appreciate it much more. There is no grand finale, there is no beginning, middle and end. It is just a small polaroid of two people's lives, something which could be translated to nearly every city. A story that I'm sure reoccurs often, something that most people experience at least once.

The emotions are felt, rather than spoken. You can feel the on screen chemistry between Bob and Charlotte, it is not spoonfed to you like it's hollywood counterparts. The most striking aspect is that neither abandons the lives they are living. There is no affair, no denial of their love for their respective partners. Coppola likes to leave a lot to the imagination and this is her strength.

This is why the slightest touch or awkward glance is a profound moment. It isn't cheapened by a sex scene or a corny ending.

If you haven't seen this film, just pick it up. I could go into the specs, the excellent cinematography and soundtrack, but nothing will do it justice but a viewing. Decide for yourself, but don't let your judgement be clouded by the expectation of your average romcom. You've never seen anything like this.