thevoid99's Classic Films # 2 Pt. 2: Lost in Translation
Jul 27 '04 (Updated Jul 30 '04)
The Bottom Line A Look Into The Inspiriation Behind the Film & Insight on 3 of the Film's Important Contributors, Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, & Kevin Shields.
thevoid99’s Classics Films # 2: Lost in Translation
Everybody Wants to Be Found Pt. 2: Putting the Pieces Together
When Sofia Coppola began work on what would become “Lost in Translation”, she wasn’t just inspired by her experiences of being in Tokyo when she went on visits by herself in her mid-20s or with her father Francis Ford Coppola. She also was inspired by what she saw in Tokyo. Aside from its hi-tech images, video arcades, bars, and the Park Hyatt Hilton Hotel she stayed in but also its culture. From its traditional, ancient culture of traditional Japanese rituals and chanting monks but also the modern culture that Japan was thriving on from its shows and notably, TV commercials that featured several famous Hollywood actors pitching products.
It’s a known fact that actors from Hollywood wouldn’t go out and pitch products in the U.S. because they don’t want to be seen as a sellout. The reason they go to Japan to do ads is basically because of the money and the fact that the commercials don’t get played in the U.S. (unless they would appear in tabloid TV and stuff). For Coppola, she used that notoriety plus all of her experiences to be put into her very first original screenplay written entirely by herself as in 2002, she was ready to go to work on her sophomore effort.
Of course with many filmmakers, sophomore efforts are even harder to do. Especially if their respective debut films were so amazing. While Sofia’s husband Spike did succeed with his sophomore film, 2002’s “Adaptation”, it is still a rare feat for a sophomore film to do better than the debut. Especially in this era of the film industry as the time to develop into becoming a better filmmaker or actor is very short only to capitalize on their previous success. For Sofia, she knew the risks seeing her father and everyone she knew struggle with the industry as she began to assemble her team that would embark on a masterpiece.
With her father serving as executive producer with longtime partner Fred Roos along with Richard Beggs as sound designer, Sofia assembled her own team of people she knew like Brian Reitzell as music supervisor, Nancy Steiner on costume design, her brother Roman as part of the Japanese film unit, her “Lick the Stars” co-writer Stephanie Hayman as a Japanese casting director, and Lance Acord as the cinematographer. With help from editor Sarah Flack and Ross Katz, who served as a producer with Sofia at the producer’s chair herself, they began to scout locations and assemble a film crew (that would be entirely Japanese with the exception of Coppola and Acord) along with actors from Japan and the U.S. For her U.S. cast, Sofia didn’t have to look far as she chose Giovanni Ribisi, who was the narrator in “The Virgin Suicides”, in the role of John. Inspired by her husband Spike and other men, Ribisi was chosen for his mannerisms and complex blend of comedic and dramatic performances. For the role of ditzy Hollywood star Kelly, Coppola and Katz chose comedic actress Anna Faris whose previous work had been the star of the “Scary Movie” parodies, the Rob Schneider comedy “The Hot Chick”, and Lucky McKee’s 2002 cult film “May”. With the supporting cast filled, it was time to get the two main characters in the film and Sofia already knew whom she would pick.
For the role of the young, intellectual newlywed Charlotte, inspired by Sofia and her friend Stephanie Hayman, Coppola chose then-17 year old actress Scarlett Johansson. The New York City native appeared in her first film at 8 years old in Rob Reiner’s 1994 family film “North” before appearing in 1995’s “Just Cause” with Sean Connery, Laurence Fishburne, and Ed Harris, and two films by Eric Schaffer, 1996’s “If Lucy Fell” with Ben Stiller and Sarah Jessica Parker, and 1997’s “Fall”. At age 11, Johansson broke through with her portrayal of an intelligent 11-year old runaway on the run with her older sister in the 1996 road-drama “Manny & Lo” in which Johansson received a Best Actress nomination at the 1997 Independent Spirit Awards. It was that film that caught the eye of not just Coppola herself but Oscar-winning filmmaker Robert Redford who casted Johansson in his 1998 film “The Horse Whisperer”.
Though “The Horse Whisperer” wasn’t up to par with Redford’s masterpieces like 1980’s “Ordinary People”, 1992’s “A River Runs Through It”, and 1994’s “Quiz Show”, Johansson gained worldwide recognition for her portrayal of a young girl traumatized by an accident involving her horse as the 13-year old was becoming one of the most promising actresses of her generation as she was joined by the like of newcomers like Kirsten Dunst, Natalie Portman, Jena Malone, Julia Stiles, and Thora Birch. After doing a small role in 1997’s “Home Alone 3" and the 1999 straight-to-video family film “My Brother, the Pig”, Johansson reemerged in 2001 with three critically-acclaimed film roles.
First was a supporting role in Terry Zwigoff’s “Ghost World” about two cynical teenage girls whose encounter with a loner, played by Steve Buscemi, disintegrates their relationship as the 15-year old Johansson’s portrayal of Thora Birch’s frustrated best friend drew rave reviews from critics. In Eva Gardos’ immigrant family drama “An American Rhapsody” with Nastassjia Kinski and Tony Goldwyn, Johansson showed her intense dramatic range as a young girl from Communist-torn Hungary as the teenage girl confused by her roots while being at odds with her mother. In the Coen Brothers’ dark, film-noir drama “The Man Who Wasn’t There”, Johansson stole the show from its cast of Coen Bros. veterans like Jon Polito, Michael Badalucco, Tony Shalhoub, and Oscar-winner Frances McDormand along with James Gandolfini and Billy Bob Thornton as a Lolita-like character who represented an ambiguous purity to Thornton’s Ed Crane by playing Beethoven piano sonatas.
The three acclaimed roles impressed not just critics but those in Hollywood as they saw her as an ingénue embarking on the mainstream. Though her 2002 appearance in the B-movie, sci-fi film “Eight Legged Freaks” didn’t show the range she had in her earlier work. Johansson was still being praised by the industry for her acting range as she already beat the likes of Kirsten Dunst and Julia Stiles for a film adaptation of Tracy Chevalier’s best-selling novel “Girl with a Pearl Earring” for the role as Johannes Vermeer’s muse behind the famed painting. For Sofia Coppola, she chose Johansson not because of her natural beauty, luscious lips, and wandering eyes but also for her minimalist acting range and intellectual personality as she filled the role of Charlotte.
Nabbing Johansson for Charlotte was easy in comparison to finding an actor to play the role of the middle-aged B-movie actor Bob Harris. For Coppola, she only one man who would be great for that job, Bill Murray. Coppola has often stated that if she didn’t have Bill Murray for the role, then she wouldn’t have done the film at all and she was nervous when it came to approaching the gifted but elusive comic-actor. Since starting out in “Saturday Night Live” in the late 1970s, the Chicago-native Murray has always had a gift for a being sarcastic and loveable goofball that included a hilarious sketch as a lounge singer singing “Star Wars”. Even as he stood out among fellow famous cast members like Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Gilda Radner, and frequent guest member Steve Martin, Murray was clearly destined for comedic stardom when he appeared in his first leading role as a crazed camp counselor in the 1979 film “Meatballs”.
In 1980, Murray stole the show as gardener Carl Spackler in the 1980s golf masterpiece “Caddyshack” where the film’s subplot of him waging war on a gopher was a scene-stealing moment among the film’s cast of comedians that included Rodney Dangerfield and former SNL alum and rival Chevy Chase. In the early 80s, Murray was a top comedic actor appearing in such comedic classics as the army film “Stripes”, Sydney Pollack’s 1982 men-in-drag masterpiece “Tootsie”, and 1984’s supernatural flick “Ghostbusters”. Murray however, didn’t want to be a comedic actor for very long as he chose to do “Ghostbusters” only if he can show his range as a dramatic actor in 1984’s “The Razor’s Edge” which disappeared quickly in the box office as Murray retreated to Europe before appearing in a cameo in the 1986 B-movie remake of “Little Shop of Horrors”.
He reemerged in 1988 in the Christmas comedy “Scrooged” along with 1989’s sequel to “Ghostbusters” and 1990’s “Quick Change” as Murray continued to avoid the celebrity spotlight in favor of a tranquil life with his family. After scoring a hit with 1991’s “What About Bob?” that put Murray back on the hit parade, Murray went on a transitional phase as he decided to combine his comedic and dramatic talents in Harold Ramis’ 1993 masterpiece “Groundhog Day”. Murray’s portrayal of a cynical weatherman reliving the same day for a long period of time showed Murray in a relaxed, charming performance where he showed similar chops as a hoodlum in “Mad Dog & Glory” with Robert De Niro and Uma Thurman that same year. Murray would display more of the relaxed elements on “Groundhog Day” in Tim Burton’s 1994 biopic on cult filmmaker “Ed Wood” as a wannabe-transsexual before returning to comedy in 1996 with the Farrelly Brothers’ “Kingpin” as a bowler with a comb over hairstyle that displayed classic, lowbrow Murray while making a cameo in the 1996 Looney Tunes/Michael Jordan family film “Space Jam” showing his talents at basketball.
After 1997’s underrated “The Man Who Knew Too Little”, Murray returned to the acting territory of “Groundhog Day” for Wes Anderson’s 1998 sophomore release “Rushmore” as an adult friend to a gifted student that turns on him by pursuing a teacher the student has a crush on. Murray’s subtle performance in “Rushmore” garnered him great reviews while gaining more acclaim as a shady lawyer in the sexy thriller “Wild Things”. After “Rushmore”, Murray would do more films though by the late 90s and early 21st Century, they were inconsistent as comedies like “Osmosis Jones” and “Charlie’s Angels” showed Murray in top form though the films weren’t great while “Charlie’s Angels” were filled on-set tension as he ended up not promoting the film or appear in the 2003 sequel. At the same time, Murray would work with Tim Robbins in 1999’s “Cradle Will Rock” and with Wes Anderson again for “The Royal Tenenbaums” as Gwyneth Paltrow’s estranged psychiatrist husband as well as a role in a modern adaptation of “Hamlet” with Ethan Hawke.
For a longtime, Coppola tried to get Murray to do the film and finally, he was convinced to do it as in late 2002, production for “Lost in Translation” finally began. Shot entirely in Tokyo, Coppola, her crew and cast for the next twenty-seven days with a budget of a few million dollars would create one of the most unexpected masterpieces of 2003. Even when filming was about to begin, Sofia’s father Francis suggested that Sofia should use today’s use of digital filmmaking since it was new but Sofia opted to go for traditional film cameras to capture a romantic tone to the film that wasn’t needed for extra lighting. With locations in Tokyo’s arcade, huge buildings and neon lights along with many shots at the Park Hyatt Hilton and outside of Tokyo that included the wood-based palaces and monasteries in other places including Kyoto.
When filming ended and post-production began for editing, there was one more elusive person Sofia Coppola needed to bring for her film. This time, for the film’s score and soundtrack with supervisor Brian Reitzell, as they already brought tracks from the Jesus & Mary Chain, Squarepusher, Sebastian Tellier, Happy End, Death in Vegas, Phoenix, and a track from Air, who previously contributed score work for “The Virgin Suicides”. With Reitzell, Coppola did what many say was the impossible as far as underground music was concerned, and that was to bring back Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine fame back to the limelight.
Kevin Shields and My Bloody Valentine from the late 80s/early 90s changed the face of popular music with their blend of white-noise, feedback-drenched rock and dreamy, melodic textures that remains groundbreaking to this day. Though the band only released two albums with several EPs in between, 1988’s “Isn’t Anything and 1991’s “Loveless” were revolutionary for making guitar noises enchanting. In many cases, Kevin Shields is probably the most innovative and original guitarist since Jimi Hendrix back in the late 60s. Both guitarists used distortion pedals to bring chaotic waves of noise and textures that still remains cutting edge to this day. The major differences between the two is that Hendrix came from the blues but took it from a stratospheric realm that flirted with chaos and sexuality as his vocal styles were more soulful and very understandable in what he was aiming for and what he was trying to say. Plus in the Vietnam-era of the late 60s/early 70s, Hendrix’s music was often considered revolutionary in its message as he later died at age 27 in 1970.
Kevin Shields though is a completely different guitarist than Hendrix in many cases. Whereas many guitar aficionados consider Hendrix to be the ultimate guitar hero, Shields is clearly the anti-guitar hero. Whereas Hendrix reveled in showmanship and playing guitar with his teeth, in his back, or with fire, Shields just decided to play as he would nothing but stand, look at his shoes while playing to the point that’s not even moving except in his hands that would coin the term for the late 80s/early 90s sub genre of “shoegazing” that included bands like Ride, Slowdive, Lush, the Boo Radleys, and Catherine Wheel. Plus, if you look at both of them, image-wise, it’s likely you’ll notice the dark, African-American skin of Hendrix with this Afro, bandana, and bellbottoms as opposed to the small, frizzed, long curly hair white Irishman wearing a t-shirt, jeans and a coat jacket.
Plus as far as what Shields did in the terms of technicality in rock, he stripped away the elements of the blues in favor of distorted white-noise of noise-pop bands like the Jesus & Mary Chain and 1960s proto-punk legends the Velvet Underground. Shields also added elements of dreamy, melodic pop textures of the Cocteau Twins to his repertoire as he combined the two for a more original sound. In many respects where at the time of mainstream rock where guitar playing was reveled in sexuality, Shields’ blissful, dreamy landscape of white noise brought it back to romanticism. When “Loveless” was released in late 1991, no one expected Kevin Shields and company to raise the bar extremely high in guitar playing and pop songwriting as to this day, many are still wondering what Shields and vocalist Bilinda Butcher have been trying to say in their drowsy yet mesmerizing vocals.
While “Loveless” remains a cult album among underground rock fans, critics though still rank it above many albums of that decade even above Nirvana’s “Nevermind” which was released that same year. Unfortunately, the brilliance of “Loveless” was so high, the idea of making a follow-up proved to be impossible as Shields went into hiding despite signing a new contract for MBV in 1993 for Island Records where he used the advance to build a studio. MBV only released two covers for compilation releases in the 1990s before disappearing for good as Shields only went on to contribute remixes and guitar work for other bands before reappearing briefly as a touring guitarist for Primal Scream in 2000.
While Shields remained in hiding, the legend of MBV never escaped many fans including Sofia Coppola who cited MBV’s music as very romantic and moody since she felt their music capture the tone she wanted. She and Reitzell asked Shields if he would check out the film and as a result, the hermit came out contributing three instrumentals and a new song with Reitzell contributing on drums along with a classic cut from “Loveless”, “Sometimes”. Finally by the summer of 2003, everything was set as Sofia Coppola was ready to take her first step into greatness as she showed the world the beginning of the new age of cinema.
End of Part 2.
© thevoid99/Ikebana/Okrad/Charlotte Holloway Publishings, 2004.
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