LOST IN TRANSLATION and mood

The reading by Ott and Keeling emphasizes that Lost in Translation is a film that wants audiences to sense or feel more than read, that is, interpret or decode, narrative and dialogue? What kinds of affective or emotional states did you experience during the film? What were the visual elements, the aspects of m-e-s, that contributed to those moods for you?

 

Comments

[Nicole]

Some things I noticed were the point of view shots that showed the characters alone in a closed space such as their hotel rooms. These shots were effective in making me feel how alone and the characters felt, how disconnected they both were in their environments. Bob when filming his commercial was out of touch with it, he was doing it for the money and not really making connections with his welcoming comity or the director. When Charlotte first gets to Japan she doesn't wear much for pants she stays in her hotel room and only gets contact with the outside world when her husband is going to and from work.

[Kate W.]

During the movie i had some feelings of being alone like nicole but there were some moments that made me feel a bit annoyed like in the shot where bob's wife called him when he was in the tub and she wanted him home to be with the family and she got angry that he wanted some time away to get a breath from family life. The shots mainly have cool or neutral color values and and fairly closed frames when charlotte and bob are in the hotel rooms like they don't have a reason to connect with anyone else and going through the motions of the day.

[Mike Hoth]

Cool colors created a feeling of depression and loneliness during the parts of film where we see Charlotte or Bob by themselves at the beginning of the film. Even when Charlotte visits Kyoto the sky is cloudy and she is almost completely alone at the Heian Jingu Shrine. I can only think of one sunny scene, and it is the last scene where Bob whispers something to Charlotte, then kisses her. Even when inside, the bar is dark, the rooms are dark but the restaurants and karaoke place are lit up. Lighting is Coppola's method of conveying emotion that I saw used the most.

[Steven Springer]

The character's behaviors in social settings were the main thing that I used to assess their thoughts and feelings. Body language and facial expressions were very noticeable, as well as extended shots of the two main characters alone in their rooms. Many people are noting the color scheme but I would only add that majority of the movie seemed to take place in the evening. I did empathize with feelings of seclusion, but I don't always think that seclusion is a bad feeling.