Review of Lost in Translation

Introduction

Fish out of water stories can be interesting, if made well. Usually it`s a person/persons in a strange place and getting to grips with trying to fit in with the place and the people. Lost in Translation tells it refreshingly better than most with the environment and culture of Japan as the setting. Starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson as two Westerners in Japan, they find companionship in each other`s company yet still feel somewhat isolated in a country whose culture is very different to their own.

Video

Presented with a 1.85:1 widescreen enhanced video transfer, Lost in Translation looks great. There are signs of grain, but it`s minimal and this doesn`t detract in the slightest. Colours are well balanced, as is the contrast and a lot of attention has been paid to the scene lighting resulting in a very naturalistic look. With its fluid handheld camera movements too, the film almost seems like a documentary. Detail and black levels are also very good and I couldn`t spot any signs of compression or other problem. Lost in Translation is a joy to watch.

Audio

There are two soundtracks, Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1, but I`m hard pressed to tell any difference between the two. This being mainly a dialogue driven film with good use of ambient sound and music, the Dolby soundtrack does well compared to the DTS, so one wonders why the inclusion. Anyway, the sound design is good with dialogue coming out well from the front and all the speakers playing their parts subtlety.

Features

Easy to navigate menus with a small selection of extras:

• "Lost" on Location (29:43) - This is a behind the scenes supplement, but isn`t the usual PR nonsense. It`s actually pretty good at just hovering behind the scenes of the cast and crew while making the film in Japan. My only gripe is that there`s little of Scarlett in here, and it`s only 30-minutes long.

• Matthew`s Best Hit TV (4:39) - Matthew is billed as "the Johnny Carson of Japan". This segment is a clip of Bob Harris`s (Bill Murray) appearance on Matthews Best Hit TV show. It`s hilarious and all I`ll say is "eels"...

• Kevin Sheilds` "City Girl" Music Video (3:00) - This is nothing more than a montage of clips from the film put to music. There are scenes not in the film though so perhaps the one viewing is a must.

• Deleted Scenes - Five deleted scenes: More aqua aerobics, Charlotte with robots, Kelly`s press conference, Morning after karaoke and Bob in hospital waiting room. This is a good addition and adds a few extra funny moments. Well worth seeing.

• A Conversation with Bill Murray and Sofia Coppola (9:30) - This is a nice relaxed piece with Murray and Coppola speaking openly about the film and the crew while on a balcony. Again, it`s good, but too short.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:08) - This is a trailer which gives a flavour of the film, with quite a few scenes, but without spoiling it.

Lost in Translation comes complete with English subtitles.

Conclusion

When I first saw this film earlier in the year I instantly liked it and seeing it a second and third time on DVD I like it even more. The sheer simplicity of the story with its keenly observed fish-out-of-water characters and situations will resonate well with a lot of people; Lost in Translation is even more compelling through its top-notch casting. Bill Murray is wonderfully understated and perfect in his role. Scarlett too plays well opposite him and watching them with the rest of the cast makes the film engaging and totally unlike anything else out there. The way we feel about what we see plays just as big a part as the natural dialogue; it never feels contrived. With a running time of just 98-minutes, the pace feels right for the story and has encouraged me to watch it a fair few times. I like the feeling of isolation and companionship creating a bond.

Sofia Coppola has written and directed a fine film and one that`s worth seeing. Lost in Translation comes with good video, sound and a nice little selection of extras. It`s a shame there`s no commentary because there are some scenes that I`d love to hear about, notably Bob waiting in the hospital waiting room with two women giggling uncontrollably in the background. Besides that though, I think this is a very good film and one of my favourites this year.