Lost In Translation DVD Review

Lost in Translation's DVD
transfer has been the subject of a fair
amount of comment on the Internet. Both
this release and the earlier American disc
feature an anamorphic 1.85:1 image that
is apparently noticeably darker than the
original theatrical print, and a look at the
trailer included on the disc does show a
lighter and more vibrantly coloured film
(although, personally speaking, I found the
colours in the trailer to be rather overcooked).
Whatever the case, Momentum
states that the transfer was approved by
Sofia Coppola and director of
photography Lance Acord, so we must
accept that this is how the film is now
meant to be seen.
Although Lost in Translation is a pretty
low-budget film, the transfer is solid. As
mentioned above, colours are rather cold
and muted (but this seems in keeping
with the tone of the film) and things aren't
improved by obvious grain in a number
of the darker sequences. However, there
are far more things that the transfer
does right; there is no sign of edge
enhancement or artefacting, and the
overall look of the film is sharp.

Lost in Translation's soundtrack
was never particularly overblown, but
that hasn't stopped Momentum from
offering up both Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS
audio mixes. As you might expect, there
is practically no difference between the
tracks, with both being front-heavy and
lacking in bass effects. There's nothing
wrong with either track; they certainly do
everything the film asks of them, and the
modern musical score sounds suitably
ethereal. But you're better off sticking
with your Bad Boys 2 DVD if you want
something to show off your speaker
system to the neighbours.

The first of the extra features on
offer is 'Lost on' Location, a fascinating
30-minute documentary about the making
of the film shot by Sofia Coppola's then
husband Spike Jonze. It is far more
impressive and revealing than the usual
PR fluff you find included on most DVDs,
and provides a genuine snapshot into the
creation of the film and some great
footage of Bill Murray goofing around.
Next up is Matthew's Best Hit TV, a
full-length version of Bob's appearance on
the 'wacky' show of the same name
(imagine a Japanese Graham Norton and
you are pretty much there) that is briefly
glimpsed in the movie. Following on from
this is a music video for Kevin Shields'
City Girl presented non-anamorphically
at approximately 1.78:1.
After that piece of filler comes some
more genuinely worthwhile extra material
in the form of five deleted scenes - More
Aqua Aerobics, Charlotte with Robots,
Kelly's Press Conference, Morning After
Karaoke and Bob in Hospital Waiting
Room. While none of the scenes add
much to the story, they are interesting
little character pieces that merit inclusion
on the disc. The press conference
sequence is particularly funny, and should
leave viewers in no doubt as to which
Hollywood actress Sofia was having a
dig at. All five scenes are presented nonanamorphically
in workprint form with
timecodes, and are available to view
individually or through a 'play all' option.
Lastly, after the original theatrical
trailer, is A Conversation with Bill Murray
and Sofia Coppola. This final featurette,
filmed last October in Rome, runs for just
shy of ten minutes and gives Bill and
Sofia a chance to talk about working
together, the development of the story,
the making of the film and Bill's Japanese
pick-up lines.
While the disc isn't exactly overflowing
with extras, it's pretty hard to think what
else could be added to the DVD with the
exception of a commentary track. Couple
this with the strength of the 'Lost' on
Location and A Conversation with Bill
Murray and Sofia Coppola extras and you
have a package that really compliments
the movie.An exceptional film that deserves the mountain
of praise heaped on it in the last six months on
a disc which does the movie proud.