Spring Break
Audio impressive part of 'Translation
You can enjoy this charming film on DVD
ANDREW MacDONALD
Issue date: 3/15/04 Section: Entertainment
- Page 1 of 1
|
Coppola, the writer and director of this charming, Oscar-winning film, said that after visiting Japan when she was in her 20s, she wanted to film there.
"I just love the way it visually looks," Coppola said. "It's just so foreign. I've never been any place where you just feel like you're on another planet."
The film explores themes of alienation and friendship, and manages to maintain a platonic relationship between the two main characters.
Bob Harris, a washed-up American movie star (Bill Murray), films a series of whiskey advertisements in Tokyo. He can't sleep, and during the course of his nightly strolls around the hotel, he befriends Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), the wife of a photographer doing a shoot in Japan.
The DVD version of "Lost in Translation" was released on Feb. 3. The audio is one of the most impressive things about this release - a one-disc set with a DTS track, Dolby 5.1 tracks in English and French, and subtitles in English, French and Spanish.
Although the audio mix in the film leaves something to be desired-most of the audio comes out of the center channel, and some parts are too quiet-other parts of the film, such as the music in the various bars, and the drone of big crowds, are beautifully edited.
The video presentation is in 1.85 anamorphic widescreen. Although there is no visible grain in any of the brightly lit scenes, it can be found in many of the scenes with less lighting. Considering the small $4 million budget the filmmakers were given to work with, the video is solid.
The film has no commentary tracks (traded in return for the DTS soundtrack), though it does have a 30-minute feature with lots of behind-the-scenes footage, including several great moments with Murray.
There are extensions of five entertaining scenes, a music video for the song "City Girl" and a 10-minute feature with Murray and Coppola in Rome.