Lost in Translation
April 2004 Reviewed by: Doug Schneider Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

Sofia Coppola has big boots to fill as a filmmaker -- her father is Francis Ford Coppola, the famous director who made The Godfather trilogy, Apocalypse Now, and numerous other films dating back to the early ‘60s. And she’s succeeding. Her first film was the wonderful The Virgin Suicides -- the ‘70s-based story of a group of mysterious sisters, their dominating parents, and the neighborhood boys who fantasized about them. That film was largely overlooked by North American audiences, but with enough word-of-mouth praise it did make a small run in the art-house-type theaters, giving notice that Sofia Coppola was a filmmaker to watch. Now, with the success of Lost in Translation, an Oscar for Best Screenplay, and an Academy Award nomination for Best Director, Sofia Coppola has stepped out of her father’s shadow with a unique style of filmmaking that has pushed her to the forefront of Hollywood’s elite.

Still, despite all the praise Lost in Translation has received, it will be a difficult film for some to wrap their heads around. In fact, I am quite sure that many people who see it will wonder what all the fuss is about, since it does not follow a Hollywood formula. Basically, an over-the-hill actor, Bob (Bill Murray), and a young newlywed, Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), find themselves holed up in a luxurious Tokyo hotel with every amenity possible, but instead of finding pleasure and peace, they find themselves bored, lonely, confused, and desperate for something else. As a result, they find each other.

While that summary of the film may make you think that Lost in Translation is a story about infidelity and some older man’s mid-life crisis, that’s far from what happens here. In fact, Lost in Translation doesn’t even have a story that goes from A to B; instead, the film captures the mood and feeling of these lonely people as they try to find some way out of their lost lives. It’s the kind of film that touches people who have experienced something similar, and that’s precisely why it may leave others flat-out cold. You’ll either get it, or you won’t. I loved it.

I also liked the look of this film, both when I saw it in the theater and again on DVD -- there’s a soft and warm appearance that gives Translation a dreamy quality, more or less like Bob’s trance-like state as he absorbs the Tokyo lifestyle. The sound won’t knock your socks off like, say, Gladiator or some other Hollywood epic -- Lost in Translation just isn’t that kind of movie -- but it is distinctive, and there’s an interesting selection of music. Technically, I have no quibbles with this DVD.

The DVD extras are rather plentiful, but I agree with our software editor, Rad Bennett, who feels they’re rather pitiful too. There’s a fairly lengthy feature called "Lost on Location" -- a behind-the-scenes look at the filmmakers, sets, city, etc. While it could have been interesting, the feature plays out like someone’s poorly edited, overly long vacation video. I lost interest by the five-minute mark. There’s a music video for a song called "City Girl," but it’s not a song I really liked nor is it a video that’s all that interesting. Five deleted scenes are included, and it’s pretty easy to see why they were left out the film’s final cut -- they don’t add a thing to the story, or to this DVD release. Finally, there’s "A Conversation with Bill Murray and Sofia Coppola," which was shot on a rooftop in Rome. For the most part Murray and Coppola stand back to back and trade compliments for the camera. Insight? Not really. The rating I gave the extras portion of the disc reflects the quantity more than the quality.

Although I’m not that enthusiastic about the extras that are contained on this DVD, I am just as fond of the film as when I saw it at the theater. There is something natural, unforced, and thoroughly enjoyable about Lost in Translation. Repeated viewing is easy. Lost in Translation is a unique film experience that will not necessarily play well to all audiences, but should be experienced by everyone at least once. Keep an open mind and give it a chance to work its quiet magic.

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