Where to watch Lost in Translation (2003)
Lost in Translation is available to stream in AU on Netflix. It can also be rented or bought from AppleTV and Amazon.
In Tokyo, a lonely young wife and a fading movie star find unexpected comfort in each other while feeling disconnected from their lives back home. Over a brief encounter, their companionship offers humor, honesty, and a temporary freedom from isolation.
Cast: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi, Anna Faris, Akiko Takeshita, Kazuyoshi Minamimagoe, Kazuko Shibata, Take, Ryuichiro Baba, Catherine Lambert, François du Bois, Tim Leffman
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Trivia & production notes
- Sofia Coppola wrote the initial screenplay for Lost in Translation not in traditional script format, but as short paragraphs based on her personal impressions and experiences living in Tokyo, which she later adapted into a full script.
- The completed screenplay was only 75 pages long, significantly shorter than a typical feature film script, and Coppola worried it was too indulgent before deciding to move forward with production.
- Sofia Coppola pursued Bill Murray for months through phone messages and letters, ultimately enlisting screenwriter Mitch Glazer, a longtime friend of Murray's, to help convince him to read the script.
- Bill Murray never signed a formal contract for Lost in Translation and only gave his verbal commitment, leaving Sofia Coppola anxious about whether he would actually show up to film in Tokyo.
- Scarlett Johansson was offered the role of Charlotte without an audition after Coppola saw her performance in Manny Lo and decided the 17-year-old could convincingly play a character in her twenties.
- To maintain creative control and avoid studio interference, Sofia Coppola funded the $4 million production by selling distribution rights separately to companies in Japan, France, Italy, and through Focus Features internationally, rather than working with a single North American studio.
- The idea for Bill Murray's character to film a Suntory whiskey advertisement came from Sofia Coppola's recollection of an advertisement directed by Akira Kurosawa for the same company in the 1970s.
- Principal photography lasted only 27 days, shot six days per week without permits using a small crew and minimal equipment, with Coppola willing to abandon planned shots to film interesting details she noticed on location.
- Sofia Coppola allowed extensive improvisation during filming, particularly from Bill Murray, and often worked out screenplay details during shooting rather than relying on the sparse 75-page script.
- Coppola spent $1 million of the production budget before Bill Murray arrived in Tokyo, knowing the entire project would be lost if he failed to show up.
Adapted from the Wikipedia article Lost in Translation (film), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Rewritten for StreamShack; errors are ours — tell us about them.
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