Again, whilst I think your piece was both thoughtful and eloquently argued, I feel that you are trying to hard to find a subtext to astory about very personal flaws and romances. Or rather, when Bob shouts randomly in English to random Japanese people it's less his saying "look, I speak English! See, I have no need for your tongue" or something similarly melodramatic; this habit is more as a manisfestation of his jadedness, and somehting he would most probably still do in the west, but just under his breath... anyway, a moot point perhaps...

Don't forget that there are Caucasian charicatures in the film as well. For example, the vapid movie star played by Anna Faris, or her DJ friend. Not to mention "flat" characters such as Bob's wife and Charlotte's uncaring friend she speaks to briefly on the phone. If you're going to criticize the film on the basis of John's passing comment that rock band should stop pretending to be Keith Richards, then you should also criticize American society as being heartless based on the passing comment that Charlotte's friend is too busy taking other calls to console her during her crisis.

Hello,

The film is not racist, but it fails to be civilized. The important point: ms coppola and other hollywood people are not worried about cultural sensibilities. Otherwise this discussion wouldn't exist.

[]s
China
(actually i am a brazilian japanese, but thatś mu nickname since i was 6)

It's interesting to see how many people are talking about this subject. I am Asian myself, as well as a film student, and so this topic has already come up many times within my circle of friends who are mostly Asian and White. Asians can't escape hot debate about Asians. It's like a rule or something... =)

Is this movie racist? Paik makes some good arguments, but I'd have to disagree on the whole. I suppose it mostly depends on who your audience is. Yes, there are many people in this country (and other countries as well) who will watch this film and come away with nothing but negative ideas about Asians and Asian culture. But I think those people only have a capacity to appreciate this film at that level, and those people are simply to be pitied. It's true that most of the Asians in the movie had little depth beyond their eccentricity. However, this movie is not about Asians. Its about alienation and loneliness.

Let's be fair. Lets give non-Asians a little more credit. Don't let the shallow and ignorant represent the whole of non-Asian society. I grew up in Phoenix, and so I've struggled with race issues for most of my life as one of the few Asians in Phoenix at that time. But for every person who's looked at me with manually-induced chinky eyes, there have been many more who have already risen beyond that kind of ignorance and extended nothing but courtesy and respect. Lost in Translation had many beautiful moments. I think most people can appreciate that, Asian or not.

NO it's not racist.
come on, Coppola just trying to make a film showing japanese culture. and they are their true cultures. it's interesting to compare and observe different cultures meeting eachother. it's not racist. plus, the movie is pretty funny and entertaining, why interpret it as racism?

Dear E. Koohan Paik,

I feel as if you are looking too deep into this issue of whether or not an obscure little Hollywood movie is racist or not. Though movies have long delved into social issues and political agendas, most people would have to agree that movies are typically made for the soul-adventurer -- those who would like to travel away from reality for a tiny piece of fantasy. Through movies, we can picture ourselves in atypical scenarios, unrealistic situations, and other mystifying experiences that we circumvent through hypotheticals.

I think, therefore, that it is extremely offensive that someone who laughs AT a particular concept is deemed a racist or anything -ist. Just because I laugh AT a baby who falls and stumbles does not make me a baby hater. Just because I laugh AT old people with walkers does not mean I hate old people. And, just because I laugh AT certain characters in hollywood produced films does not mean I am a racist, sexist, ageist, or eliteist. Just because I don't laugh with them does not mean that I am against them.

Of course my point is moot if you are a person who has NEVER laughed AT a racist joke or any jokes made in a derogotory manner. Does laughing warrant a 'racist' designation on the grounds of ignorance or arrogance? Or does it simply deserve a good, mindless, disposable chuckle?

I have been looking for the perfect film for my next white supremecist meeting, and lost in translation fills the bill. Thanks for the info y'all!

Go whites! Hooray for us! Down with Asians! Boo! Hiss!

hehe.. this movie......... I jsut watched the beginning........... I am an Aisan.... but I am NOT Japanese....! Conversely... I am from the place where is going aganist Japan....! well.. I went through the commments down here.... about rasicm...make sure this is toward Japanese people.. not whole of East Asia. peopel say this is not abusing Japannese weakness becaue the shot at begining is about shinning Tokoyo night view.....!hahha.. this argument is dicky..... dont you think only Tokyo has this kind of "nice" night view?? the tourist should go around the other Asian coutries.. such as South Korea, Singapor... or PR China, Hongkong of China, Taiwan!.... people may get the shining view in Tokyo is vain....is dark....! ok... I think this movie pretty much portray the real of Japan and Japanese..... ! should be awarded......! you talk about American looks down on Asian by screening this movie....! ok.... let me put in this way.. the four Chinese actors,bruse Li, Jakie Chen, Jet Li, and jou yong-fat in US Holly wood have suceeded their fliming carrer and still doing well now...! the news that Jakie Chen will make ohter movie with Anode, blablabbka... what does this mean?? everybody can get weather American looks down on Asain or not..! I think if this movie has racism... that is ony presneted to Japanese! see the movie name" Lost in translation" this is teasing no Japanese can even speak proper English to help out foreigners in Japan even in their pride city-Tokyo....... But this cannot mean all other Asians are like this as well.. So... my point of view is............ this movie is a bit racism. But... it is going toward Japanese..... the other Asians should not be involed by this issue....! cheers

First of all, it was good argument.

Many people said that's pretty much the experience when a foreigner faces in Tokyo. I'm a Japanese living in NY for 7 years and brought lots of American (& other) friends to my parents' home in Japan. And they said they experienced those aspects of Japanese as depicted in Lost in Translation.

But wait.

Can you laugh at someone because he/she is short? Yes, that is true. People are relatively shorter in Japan when compared with American people. This is a question about morality. As a film director I think Sophia Copula should have included at least one Japanese character which is totally opposite of the stereotype Japanese. That would have avoided promoting one-sided view of the culture. For example, including a friendly Japanese man who talks perfect English and becomes a friend with Bob. Something like that.
NEUTRAL BALANCE IS THE KEY. You should be aware of it when you make a statement in public. Films are not exception.

And I believe you can make a comedy AND keep the BALANCE. You don't necessarily have to simplify things to be funny. You can still mix up things.

At last, someone mentioned "I think that the idea that this writer is surmizing that this movie is racist towards Japanese on behalf of the Japanese is rather irritating." Even you're not Japanese, you still have right to make fair argument on racism. It is THE RACIST's IDEA which limits the eligibility of speech to one group of people (=Japanese).

An interesting and well-argued piece, though it's slightly off the mark and seems to miss a few key pieces about the story and the film. The most important being the distinction between Charlotte and her interactions with Tokyo and Bob, and also a misreading of certain key moments of dialogue. You have to look into a strange mirror to find the racism of this line, "Let them be who they are! They're trying to make them Keith Richards when they're just skinny and nerdy." An alternate take on the line (which is probably the intent) would be, "let this band be what they are, which is cool, instead of trying to change them into something you want." Weezer is a skinny and nerdy band. Death Cab for Cutie is a skinny and nerdy band. Shonen Knife has some gloriously skinny nerdy girls in the lead. The line is more of a display of the culture in which John (the photographer) has allowed himself to be emersed. Meanwhile, Charlotte spends most of the movie unhappy--as does Bob. Most of the racist moments of the movie happen near or around Bob, or while Charlotte is under Bob's influence. The audience is charmed by Bob because he's played by likable fellow Bill Murray (in a highly skilled performance), but Bob's behavior is largely reprehensible. Bob doesn't understand anything about Tokyo--least of all why anyone would put his face on a billboard. And he's miserable for most of the film.

Though your commentary and opinion is obviously cast, at some point, watch the film again but pay closer attention to Charlotte and her interactions with the people there. The brightest, funnest moments of the film come when Charlotte and Bob hang out with John's friends from Tokyo--when they embrace Tokyo. Bob can't take it, but Charlotte eventually rejects Bob--and his point of view--as hollow and unfulfilling. The moments where Charlotte comes closest to real happiness are the moments where she does her best to embrace Tokyo (in the flower arranging scene, the scenes with John's friends, the scenes at the temples, etc..). In the end, we're given the hint that she'll embrace Tokyo instead of Bob. She says goodbye to him, and she stays, perhaps to be enveloped by the culture in the same fashion that John already has.

Anyway, that's the movie I saw at least. I found Bob racist--and thought that this was one of the intentions. Charlotte and John, though, seemed to be largely the opposite of the Ugly American that Bob is clearly meant to represent.

Racist? What are you talking about?

E. Koohan Paik

Excuse me, but you are making very bold claims for racism. My question is: What right do you have to make such claims? Are from Japan or what type of experience do you have with Japanese culture to make these claims on behalf the Japanese? (Mr. moderator please understand that these are not personal attacks they only are questions to show the pertainence of one's relative experience with a people group in order to scrutinize what is or is not racist to that group) Many of the things shown in the film do exist on a regular basis. In my opinion the movie simply stated outlines a few of the less extreme cultural differences that would make for a very confusing, difficult and concievably entertaining experience for foreigners. Whether or not the characters in this film acted in the most noble way towards the Japanese people could be up for debate. However, they are JUST THAT characters in a movie; only loosely based in reality. I think that the movie only sought to portray a certain circumstance that does often occur with some foreigners brought to Japan by business. (The reality of some American movie stars going to Japan to make commericial during a low point in their career or just to make lots of money has often occured) If anything the movie far more stereotyped Americans and not the Japanese (self-centered and un-willing to prepare oneself to understand/interact with another culture - which honestly many examples can be found in all cultures).
Honestly, I think that the idea that this writer is surmizing that this movie is racist towards Japanese on behalf of the Japanese is rather irritating. I would say that I am far more offended by this article than I would ever be by this film. If a person or group of people cannot look at themselve with at least a little sense of humor (especially concerning the communication problems between cultures) then that is just plain weak. Stop being so sensitive for other people (they often don't appreciate it when one's actions imply that the other person cannot speak for themselves).

Side note - also consider that fact that the mojarity of the actors in this film were Japanese and on Japanese soil. It is my understanding that some the scenes were just of everday Japanese people in everday Japanese life. (Unlike some past truly steorotypical American film where japanese people were not even played by Japanese - i.e. Breakfast at Tiffanys)
As for the French, try not to muddle things by alluding to a stereotype about another culture (it only weakens the point)

Next time please speak for yourself and not a group of people. If you feel personally affected by racism it may be best to speak about that, try not to be offened for others they can speak for themselves.

Somebody wrote below: "Just imagine a Japanese guy trying to fit in with the the goombahs in The Sopranos or a bunch of Football hooligans in the UK."

That misses my point altogether. I wasn't "imagining" the way Japanese equivalents of extreme subcultures such as mobsters or hooligans would see Westerners. My point was that it is plainly evident that ordinary Japanese (either a majority or at least a huge minority of them), in everyday life display a disinclination to see Westerners as having depth of character. There is at least as much xenophobia here as there is in the USA, and much less navel gazing about it.

The sadomasochistic *thesis* is a matter of serious debate and may or may not prove informative. Its existence is neither a truth nor simply a stereotype. I could have represented it as part theory part personal knowledge. Point well taken.

More fun to talk about impressions, anyway. A friend once pointed out that Japanese porn regularly features helpless teen girls getting (basically) raped and screaming "No no!" and that American porn features trashy women with an "oh yeah, I'm so baaaaaad" attitude.

****
".... Japanese education is controlled by the Ministry of Education or better yet the Ministry of Training, whose goal is to de-fang people so that behave like sheep. In order to achieve this the ministry cultivated the inherent Masochism of human beings."

Dr. Masao Miyamoto, psychoanalyst, formerly of the Health and Welfare Ministry.

The movie depicts Japan and Japanese faithfully.
Right wing asians see the movie and it makes them feel insecure because they have insecurities about the way they are.
Racist westerners see the movie and all they see is inferior asian people because they actually think that asian paople are inferior. They feel disguisted by their own racism and blame the movie for it.

The film is not racist.

In order to understand and appreciate the film, the audience must first be able to accept and recognize that the characters presented in this film are superficial American tourists, and therefore they would act and do what they do (may it be arrogant and clueless about Japanese culture). By the way, I never got the impression that the film was putting Japanese people down in any demeaning way. Japanese people were portrayed as powerful and respectable people. Infact, the shots of the urban city portrayed the energy, complexity, and sophistication of Tokyo.

But back to Bob, Charlotte, the photographer, and the blonde actress. Since the main characters weren't exactly made of professor/philosopher material, instead, were shallow characters that happen to be in Japan for whatever pointless reasons, it's unrealistic to have the same expectations for them as we would for highly cultured and intellectual people. They're goal is to find themselves in this enstranged place and at the end of the film they achieve that. Even though Japan plays the role of helping Bob and Charl. discover their identities, the film never sets up their initial intent to learn about Japan.

The film doesn't make fun of Japanese people anymore than they make fun of American people.
In any case, the story seems to critique the triviality and superficiality of American life. Charlotte seems constantly lost in every aspect of her life. Bob is tired of his life. The workaholic photographer avoids questioning the significance of his existence by taking photos of empty people (for ex: the blonde actress).

Moreover, the comical moments with the prostitute and Mathew are only intended for cheap laughs. And in a way expresses the culture shock experienced by first time Westerners in Japan. Whether or not Mathew's TV Show has been exaggerated in the film, his TV show does exist in real life. It's viable to say that the same fruity and wacky screen persona depicted by mathew's character equally attract and entertain the general Japanese TV audience. So why does it become a big deal when Westerners find the same criteria comical? It's OBVIOUS that Coppola is not trying to say that all Japanese men are like that. That type of conception would be a poor reading on the audience's part.

Finally, "Lip my stockings" is just a comical play with words. American speaking Japanese can be equally as funny. I've taken a Japanese language class, I'm sure my fellow American classmates felt inadequate and clownish on equal amount of times.

Congratulations to Sofia Coppola for winning BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY!

I agree with most of the things you said. Otherness is a two-way street though. Just imagine a Japanese guy trying to fit in with the the goombahs in The Sopranos or a bunch of Football hooligans in the UK.

I don't agree with this line:
"sadomasochism is deeply embedded in Japanese culture"

I think that is an oft-repeated stereotype. That's like saying murder is deeply rooted in American society because there are a lot of serial killers

I wrote the preceding post. I want to add that Bob Harris' rude way of regarding Japanese is ugly and painful to watch at times. I don't enjoy seeing Japanese insulted like that. But that's the way some people are. That doesn't make the film racist.

I'm an American. For over a decade I have lived and worked among Japanese, all Japanese. Just about everyone in my town is Japanese. (There are a lot of Japanese in Japan.) I love the country and I love the people I live and work with. And, yet, every day at least once or twice somebody treats me like an "Other" with a big O. As deep and mild as I may actually be, they see only that I am a "gaijin" and expect me to be one-dimensional, or sometimes comical or even dangerous. You think this is just MY experience? Think again. Any foreigner will report similar treatment.

Do I hate people for that? No.

Do I wish to sanction them? No. That's just where they're at.

In the Japanese media, Westerners are routinely treated as louder and sillier than we actually are. Otherness, indeed.

But the film Lost In Translation doesn't present Japanese in over-the-top stereotypes or demeaning caricatures. It presents Japanese as they really seem when you first immerse yourself in the society. These things actually happen. Of course the typical Japanes-isms are presented in the film in rapid fire succession and in condensed form so as to fit enough alientation into a couple of hours.

Even the prostitute scene is wickedly on-target. Prostitution is big in Tokyo and sadomasochism is deeply embedded in Japanese culture. And I would say it's rather Japan savvy of Coppola to have scripted the details of her speech, the way she keeps screaming, "Mr. Bob Harris!" (instead of "Bob!" or "Mr. Harris!").

No, really, all these moments show occurances that Westerners actually do experience as strange when they first arrive here. And that's the directorial device at play. Coppola condenses these moments of Otherness to show how lost the main characters feel.

In fact, it's not even a film about Japan. It's about the two main characters and their lives, their meeting, and their interactions with their very Other surroundings.

If the two main characters of the film don't bother speaking any Japanese, that says something about the characters, not the director. (Sofia surely does speak at least some Japanese.) If Bob acts arrogantly toward a Japanese bartender, why shouldn't we see that as a stereotype of the arrogant American? Archie Bunker was racist, but do we therefore conclude that All In The Family was racist television? Normal Lear a racist television producer?

I can't wait for this film to be released in Japan. It opens here next month. Many Japanese will be entranced by it. So seldom do they see their country through the eyes of Westerners. They more commonly seem to feel as if Japan and the rest of the world were entirely different planets. They also expect foreigners to know NOTHING about Japan. Now they can see a film by a Western director who knows a lot about their world. And maybe some of them will begin to see foreigners more as multidimensional subjects than as one-dimensional objects.

American speakers of Japanese also have trouble with the ra-ri-ru-re-ro sounds. The Japanese "r" is closer to Spanish and Portugese, which is one reason that Japanese people do not have any problems with those languages.

NOT RACIST. If you've ever been to Japan, it is very much like that, believe it or not. LOL Japanese do not "confuse" their "L" and "R" sounds... they don't have that sound in their vocabulary and their mouths are not "used to" making the distinction. It's not mocking them - it's the reality.

Since Sofia Coppola has won an Oscar, I feel newfound in my Asian hatred. I have a stack of Coolie hats I hand out to any Asian person I meet. And I force them to do humourous antics to entertain my need.

I hear that in a few months there will be a law enacted that forces all Asians to work in Chinese food places even if they are not Chinese. And all Asians will now have to wear "I am an Asian!" button wherever they walk.

You people who hate LIT are correct. A new wave of Asian racism is upon us. One that is dipped in ginger and smothered in tasty duck sauce.

In other news, spring is here and the sun is shining. I encourage all conspiracy theorists to turn of their computers and go outside and enjoy the wonderful warmth of a spring day. It can make you feel better.

YES, LOST IN TRANSLATION IS DISTURBINGLY RASCIST IN, PERHAPS, A FORM OF RACISM THAT IS MOST DANGEROUS OF ALL: SUBTLETY. I BOUGHT THIS MOVIE ON DVD WHEN IT WAS FIRST RELEASED BASED ON ALL THE HYPE. AT FIRST VIEWING, I FOUND THIS MOVIE INTERESTING AT FACE VALUE, BUT THE SUBTLE UNDERTONES OF RACISM WERE NAGGING AT ME THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE 2 HOURS. FIRST OF ALL, THE "CHOP-SAKI" STEREOTYPICAL BROKEN ENGLISH OF OVER-THE-TOP JAPANESE CHARICATURES WAS THE ONLY SOURCE OF HUMOR IN THE MOVIE. UNFORTUNATELY, IT'S AT THE EXPENSE OF ALL ASIANS. AND WHAT I STRUGGLE WITH AS AN ASIAN-AMERICAN IS THAT THESE TYPE OF TYPICAL STEREOTYPES UNDERMINE EQUALITY AND ACTIVE PARTICIPATION IN THE AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE.

We already started campaigning against Banzai. We are preparing for the new webpage for that and meanwhile, I am posting info on such sites as Robot Lounge, Model Minority, yahoo's MANAA2 board, banbanzai board, etc.

Until our site is ready (which will be shortly), please refer to these sites for more info.

Thanks

Tom Roman
Asian Mediawatch

Dear Mr. Roman,
Are you aware that Banzai will be aired on the Comedy Channel? How can your organization let this happen with all of your insider contacts in the industry? Perhaps your organization spent too much time on Lost in Translation, and allowed this to happen. I am VERY disappointed in you. If only you worked a little bit harder, this might not have happened.

Alas, Bill Murray did not win his Best Actor award....but I think this is simply due to the fact that the movie was categolized as commedy. As Sean Penn put in his acceptance speech, there is no such thing as "Best in Acting," so I think Bill Murray should walk tall with his great achievement here. And kudos for Sophia Coppola for writing such a wonderful story.

I was reading some emotionally charged commentaries posted below. Yes, I , as a Japanese, certainly admit that our society certainly has a long way to become a bit more tolerant.... Plus we have not yet resolved some of historical issues, such as war crimes committed by Japanese army during WWII. So I could understand why some people have strong opinions about the attitude of Japanese toward outsiders.

But as I said in my last message, I personally didn't think that the movie was insulting. I did not have any issues with L-R thing or a few other scenes - because that is not simply the main point of the movie.... These things just happen alongside of the main story, which is about a brief connection of the two Americans in a different cultural setting.

Having said that, I have a hard time to understand why Asian-Americans are using this movie to push their own political agenda. Though their point is well taken - there is not a lot of positive Asian images projected in mainstream media in the U.S. - but what does it have to do with this movie?? This movie is neither about the life of Asian-Americans nor Japanese. If you want to see a better example of pure xenophobia, rent "The Rising Sun."

Sophia Coppola could have made this movie technically in any setting, but she chose Japan as the background and I still appreciate the way she showed our country and culture with careful attention to details.

"We would like to thank any Academy voters who listened and agreed with our complaints and also the volunteers in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco."

I think all of the Academy voters who read this forum (ie: Zero/0/None) are grateful.

About three weeks ago we launched a small campaign called "Lost-In-Racism" to encourage Academy voters not to vote for Focus Features' "Lost in Translation." However with limited resources and time, we were unable
to reach more than a small percentage of the Academy. Lost In Translation is going home with Best Original Screenplay. At least it is not going home with Best Picture or Director, where we think it is the most inappropriate. However, because this film will now be a part of Oscar history, it is more important than ever that we
let the entertainment community know we feel it makes a mockery of an entire nation and race. We would like to thank any Academy voters who listened and agreed with our complaints and also the volunteers in New York, Los Angeles and San
Francisco.

This campaign gave voters (who mostly are working professional in the industry) an opportunity to open their eyes to the issues Asian Americans/Asians face in American entertainment. There are some progresses for the past few years especially in TV shows but this really should be an ongoing effort. Maybe next time when those people make movies or TV shows, they may remember this campaign and make more
effort for better and balanced portrayals of Asian Americans/Asians. If that's the case, I think we are indeed successful. This is not a one shot deal for us. Oscar is over. Tomorrow, we plan resuming more positive activities such as supporting our APA artists and facilitating media-related discussions that are important to the APA (Asian and Pacific Americans) community while we continue speaking up against stereotypical portrays of Asian/Asian American in American entertainment.

We look forward to films that we, as Asian Americans can feel truly proud of in future Oscar Race.

Tom Roman
Asian Mediawatch

Despite the extraordinary politeness to outsiders, no developed country is fundamentally more xenophobic than Japan, and none less deserving of sympathy on grounds of stereotyping.

More than the USA, Australia, UK, England, China or Korea?

To those appalled by anti-Japanese stereotyping in LIT: aw shucks. Here in Japan, Caucasians are routinely presented in entertainment contexts as rapacious clods, with huge noses and ginger wigs if it’s comedy (there was one on a prime-time show yesterday, except it was fake ginger sideburns). TV stars with Korean ancestry dare not even admit to it for fear of discrimination. The news media portray ethnic minorities as thankless nuisances, if they bother covering minority issues at all. Newspapers trumpet the rise in foreigner crime here without mentioning the parallel rise in native crime. Crime headlines begin by highlighting perpetrator nationality (“Chinese/Korean/Iranian steals/fakes/kills ..”) And senior political figures like Tokyo governor Ishihara Shintaro regularly demonize foreigners: Ishihara recently warned the SDF to be on their guard against potential ethnic minority rebellions in the event of a major disaster—this in a city where thousands of innocent Koreans were massacred after the 1923 earthquake, an incident that has never even been officially investigated. The result of all this? According to a recent poll, a third of Japanese do not want more foreigners here even as tourists.
I could go on and on but in fact you can learn as much as you need to know about basic Japanese views of foreigners in the train from Narita to Tokyo. For a number of years a loan company had an amusing little ad in which the point was that even aliens are eligible for its finance. Guess how they portrayed the aliens? Right. Caucasians, with plastic stalks coming out of their heads. This on a train used by tourists.

But stereotyping is the tip of the iceberg. Japanese companies operate an almost blanket ban on hiring non-Japanese by blood, except at overseas subsidiaries, where they have to. Over half of Japanese private apartment rental agents will not deal with non-Japanese (50% according to a Nikkei Weekly survey of the late 1990s, more like 80% according to an ethnic Korean acquaintance here.). Bars and bathhouses throughout the land put out signs that say “No foreigners” (or even specify race: a place in Shinjuku has “No Chinese” on the door). Perhaps some the nissei among readers here have had the character-forming experience of being told during a visit that you are not “real” Japanese?
Asian-Americans, thank your lucky stars your forefathers emigrated to the U.S. and not to Japan. The discrimination that happens here every day would not be allowed in any western country, and the fact that there is no influential watchdog body in Japan is testimony to the indifference of the Japanese people to this issue. Despite the extraordinary politeness to outsiders, no developed country is fundamentally more xenophobic than Japan, and none less deserving of sympathy on grounds of stereotyping.

LOST IN POLITICAL CORRECTNESS

[Section deleted - personal attack. - Ed.]

He/She/it/they have the politically correctness motivated, "I am offended at anything" virus. Nevermind that on the same webpage as a similar review on japantoday.com, a Japanese guy is posed the question: "how would you feel if a FOREIGNER moved next door to you?" And the answer isn't totally positive either!!

Racist? If someone from Japan wants to talk about racism, I
would be happy to oblige them. I would love to talk about
the time I was not allowed into a Tokyo bar because I was a gaijin.
I would also like to invite a Chinese friend of mine who, as a foreigner in Japan, receives insults almost daily because of his 'race.' Sexism? I could spend hours, no days, interviwing OL's (office ladies) who have been sexually harrassed at work and whose only presence there in the first place is to find a successful man, married or not. Not to mention how Africans are treated there! You see, THAT
is racism in my eyes. Making a few jokes about Ls and Rs or how the foreigner honestly sees the Japanese for the first time is nowhere on the scale.

As a gaikokujin (gaijin being the short derogatory form used most Japanese)wholived two years in Japan, I saw the film as spot on. I love Japan and its people. Of course, there were little cultural things that annoyed me and small racist situations I had to endure, but I still felt a guest in their country and respected their rules. Guys and girls laughed out loud when I'd playfully mock their use of the English language and likewise when the humour was reciprocal.

Japanese do mix their Rs and Ls. That wasn't concoted for the benefit of the film. I can't tell you how many giggles I've had at some of the words they created, but was always humbled by their knowledge of english and my lack of Japanese. The Japanese are difficult to get to know and sometimes, you never know what meaning they are trying to convey. Most people in the arts are arrogant and Tokyo is no exception. My job there involved the arts.

You see, the point of the movie is to find two people in a critical time of their lives and put them in a strange place to see if they can achieve perspective. I think Sofia succeeded there as no place on earth is like Tokyo.

[Section deleted - personal attack. - Ed.]

Racism is a serious accusation and not to be bandied about by people just waiting, searching, to have their feelings hurt.

As always, the bad points within any culture are more likely
to be the exception than the rule. None of my white or Japanese friends there were racist sexist homophobes and the culturally prejudicial incidents that I did endure were few, but they DID happen.

I would be perfectly entitled to make a film that portrayed
racist Japanese landlords, obnoxiously drunk salarymen,
sexually obscene manga readers, yakuza bosozoku boys and old men with school girl fetishes and it would be totally accurate. Would it be a poor portrayal of the rest of
Japanese society? Absolutely.

So you see, there are many dark secrets within the Japanese
culture itself and I think Sofia Coppola did a very good
job at making light of the lesser ones. If anything, the
Japanese should be grateful she didn't make an
exposé exposing the joke of Japan's limited free-press instead of her movie. Film reviewers should be much more troubled about a recent Tokyo film about mass suicide involving teenage girls. And reviewers should harp less about the details and enjoy the overall picture; it certainly wasn't that flattering to Bill Murray, who played the worst of all villains: a straight, aging, bald, white guy. Regarding racism in Japanese culture as a whole, people who live in
glass houses, shouldn't throw stones.

Sorry, I have to get another dig in here...
as the writer of this article notes:

"Questions more complex than whether the film is patently racist need to be asked. For example, what is the political and historical context of the film? What, and who, is not shown in the film? What implicit social conventions go unchallenged?"

After all that is answered, when will you find time for the story?

"We heard the rumor (industry source) that part of the reason Bill Murray was no show at SAG Award was he was pissed at the campaign. Initially he was going to come but as soon as he found out about this campaign, he used work (filming in Italy) as an excuse for not coming."

This is such a statement of arrogance and self-importance it borderlines on parody. Filming in Italy is an excuse?!??!?! Good lord are you people full of yourselves! Could it be that he was simply on another side of the PLANET, heard that the chances of him winning were slim and decided to stay on the film he was working on?

I hear a rumor that Tom Roman is actually Tom Cruise (industry source).

Note to Mr. Watchdog :

Before you push your Asian-American racial politics and lead misguided (and ridiculous) attack on this wonderful movie, could you please check these links and listen to what the people have to say about the movie?

http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1471269

http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1692826

And I'm still inclined to think you either haven't seen the film yet or you are just lack of sense of humor.

Oscar ballots were due today. Which means our campaign is pretty much over and all we can do is wait.

Majority of people at various voter screenings were either Academy voters or Screen Actors Guild Award Voters. SAG's voting block is obviously actors and that has the majority in Oscar voting block as well. And that's where we campaigned heavily. It didn't get Best Actor for SAG Award and hopefully the movie will go empty handed on Oscar night. However, we are bracing for Best Original Screenplay win since there is not much of a competition in that category. But we'll live with one Oscar. As long as it doesn't get Best Picture, Director or Actor.

We heard the rumor (industry source) that part of the reason Bill Murray was no show at SAG Award was he was pissed at the campaign. Initially he was going to come but as soon as he found out about this campaign, he used work (filming in Italy) as an excuse for not coming.

But most importantly, this campaign gave voters (who mostly are working professional in the industry) an opportuniry to open their
eyes to the issues Asian Americans/Asians face in American entertainment. There are some progress for the past few years especially in TV shows but this really should be an ongoing effort. Maybe next time when those people make movies or TV shows, they may remember this campaign and make more effort for better and balanced portrayals of Asian Americans/Asians. If that's the case, I think we are indeed sucessful. This is not a one shot deal for us. Oscar ballot closed today and all we can do is wait. Afterwards, we plan resume more positive activities such as supporting
our APA artists and facilitating media-related discussions that are important to the APA (Asian and Pacific Americans) community.

Tom Roman
Asian Mediawatch

Well, I would like to speak from my personal viewpoint.... Though I am a Japanese national, my opinion by no means represents the whole Japanese population!, so keep that in your mind.

My initial reaction to the movie was that I was very pleased with the way Sophia Coppola captured the sense of displacement and loneliness you feel in a different cultural setting. I was very much relating my own experience, especially during the the time of my transition from Japan to Boston 6 years ago. Yes, Bill Murray's character at times patronized and made fun of "Natives," in this case the Japanese. But who can be perfectly respectful and understanding when you face a different culture? If you can be a saint like that, the world would be much easier place to live. Ask any returned Peace Corps volunteers or anyone who studied abroad - you would have at least a few moment to make you wonder, "What's the hell is wrong with these locals?" when you live overseas.

I thought the movie was taking jab at the typical American attitude as well (Murray's character didn't bother to study Japanese) - I was laughing so hard when Bill Murray's character was left clueless during photo shoots! Sophia did not put any subtitle to these Japanese dialogue and I thought that was brilliant idea.

There have been reviews popping out on some Japanese sites and yes, some of my fellow compatriots took offence with stereotypical depiction of the Japanese. But most reviews were rather positive - many people seemed to have understood that this movie is NOT about Japan or the Japanese, though it takes place in Tokyo. This is is a story of the two individuals who were suddenly thrown into another world and desparately longing for some human connection .... Sophia Coppola gracefully told the tale of this momental bonding with subtlety, not with sappy sentimentalism.

Coppola’s choice of Tokyo is wholly appropriate. Tokyo’s “noise”—its glaring neon lights, load music, video games, etc. creates a sensory overload that is cinematically brilliant. This sensory overload acts as a clear contrast to the silent, thought-intensive philosophical conversations of the main characters.

In order to find yourself or to discover some kind of truth, you must separate yourself from your immediate surroundings. Tokyo acts as the “other” place: a place that is so different that it reveals all the things that are hidden in our everyday lives.

And just because Tokyo is deemed the “other” doesn’t mean Coppola is a racist, an orientalist, a colonialist, or in another other way narrow-minded and evil. Tokyo could very well represent some kind of future—a hyperAmerica that is moving ten times faster. The “other” could be the future.

The “other” could be anything that disturbs our sense of reality and forces us to confront beliefs and ideas that we have long taken for granted.

[Section deleted due to incendiary language. - Ed.]

The film “Lost in Translation” is not racist. It’s funny how people read two books on ethnicity and then start hating every white person that gets near Asian culture.

It’s absolutely ridiculous to think that director Sophia Coppola had any racist intentions and to think that racism is in anyway being promoted by the movie.

As a South Asian American, I completely agree with your analysis of the Japanese characters in "Lost In Translation." But the one saving grace is that Sofia Coppolla also portrays the negativity of some of the Americans - the airhead, blonde Hollywood bimbo and the redheaded lounge / bar singer with the cheesy vocal stylings, with whom Bob has a one-night stand. I would say that Bob himself is a caricature - washed up, aging actor doing whiskey commercials in Japan. Don't know that's my own take. But you do have a point...

The following is the statement addressed to SAG Award Voters last night after the ceremony. Obviously SAG's voting block is actors and actors have the largest percentage in Oscar voting block as well. For that reason, SAG Award is considered reasonably good indicator for Oscars.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear SAG Award voters,

About 2 weeks ago, we wrote you and asked you to vote against "Lost In Translation" for any category in Screen Actors Guild Award. In this
particular case, Best Leading Actor in Motion Picture, Bill Murray, (note: He was the only nominee for SAG Award from LIT)

We are very pleased to see Johnny Depp winning the award instead of Bill Murray. Congratulations Mr. Depp and thank you very much for anyone who voted against Mr. Murray,
regardless who you ended up voting for.

If you also vote for Oscar, we sincerely hope you voted against "Lost In Translation" in any category it was nominated for - Best Picture,
Best Actor, Best Screenplay and Best Director. If you have not sent in the ballot, please do so now. Deadline is 2/24.

According to the recent poll from "Variety"
magazine, the most this movie will get Oscar for will be the Best Screenplay and that's it.
Even that is in danger now since it has become the three way race between LIT, "In America" and "Finding Nemo". For Best Director and
Best Picture, pretty much hands down to Lord Of The Rings and Peter Jackson and for Best Actor, Sean Penn is expanding his healthy lead
for the past week, also Johnny Depp is taking some votes away from Bill Murray.

So it started to look more likely that this movie will go home empty handed or just with one Oscar. Which pretty much the way we wanted.

However, our group's goal is much more than these awards -- to promote fair and balanced portrayals of Asians/Asian Americans in American
entertainment. If you have never thought about this issue before, I hope this provided you with something to think about as you embark
upon your career in this business. If you also write, direct or produce in the future, it would be nice if you add Asian Americans
(esp. male) in something meaty roles.

And please don't forget about Robot Stories
(http://www.robotstories.net/) If you haven't seen it, please check the site and go see it. You'll see many Asian Americans who act like
any one of us, not like anyone you saw on "Lost In Translation" or "Raising Sun."

Whether you intended to help us or not, tonight's vote means a lot for us. Again, thank you very much, especially for those who helped spreading the words.

Best Regards,

Tom Roman
Asian Mediawatch

you obviously have never lived in japan

Sorry for all the racism in movies! I support anyone against racism in movies! I am not racism! DOWN WITH RACIST MOVIES! SHAME ON YOU HOLLYWOOD!

Please come and visit my website! I plan on singing "Burn, Hollywood Burn!" by Public Enemy in honor of your good campaign about racism!

SHE BANG! DOWN WITH RACISM! I AM NOT RACIST!

Ken,

(1) That notice was pulled immediately after receiving numerous complaints from Asian Americans. Cheryl was fired. (She was only an independent contracter for this project) I believe even some of our volunteers protested.

(2) Had this film been set in Africa or Mexico, for example, I do not think Coppola would have given such a shallow and racist portrayal of a people. Even if she wanted to, studio bigwig would never have let her.

(3) Our campaign is not about the Japanese audience in Japan. When Japanese turn on the television and go to the movies, they have many opportunities to see both positive and negative images of themselves. We are instead concerned with the perspective of the United States audience. As an Asian American in the United States, when I turn on the television or go to the theatre, I seldom see people such as myself portrayed well. I also hear and see racist humor about Asian Americans on radio,television, and film. In a film such as "Lost In
Translation," the Japanese characters are
strange and weird. This is not the worst film
to portray Asians, however neither does it
deserve the prestige of an Academy Award. If
there were more positive portrayals of Asian
Americans in the media to balance the negative portrayals, then the film "Lost In Translation" would not strike such a contrast.

(4)We feel that the film, with its flaws, does not deserve the prestige and recognition of an Academy Award. We understand that people such as yourself enjoy the film for different reasons. However, there are Asian Americans who also find the film offensive. You and I do not need to agree on the film. It is the dialogue on race relations that is important especially within the United States. I understand your perspective and you understand mine. That is a positive outcome and one that I hope to achieve in our campaign.

Tom

Yes… sorry about the first post, please delete it.

---"Casting beautiful Asian women for Warner Bros.' The Last Samurai Premiere After-party to be held in Westwood on Dec 1st.. Women will be dressed as village women and geisha from the film's wardrobe department" ~ Cheryl Rave Entertainment Producer Warner Bros. Special Events

Opps... also remove this post on four very good grounds. First, it is asking ONLY for Asian women (very racist to any other cultures/race). secondly, it's asking for only women (extremely sexist). Thirdly, they only want "good looking", which is blatantly stigmatising against people that do not match up to the directors taste. And very obviously you could not possible be disabled… no way!!!

I could not imagine a post staying too long on your site, asking only for white males. OR is your case actually (like so many others that cry Racism) that you condone this behaviour as long as it runs in your favour??????

Like I told you already….. Racism can be found in any shape or form in almost any place you look. Only some places it’s easier to find, granted. But are you also possible suggesting that the Asians in this film were made to play their parts against there will??? Was a gun put to their heads???? Did their family get taken hostage??? (I’m sure you get the idea). If it did not upset Japanese nationals to act in this manner….. then what HONESTLY does it have to do with you??? And why do you feel the need to act on their behalf when the are not bothered??? Seems like a waste of time to me….. sorry but it does.

Don't forget to remove the other post please... thanks.

Ken,

We don't "search" for racism. It's there. And this is nothing personal about this fight. This affects all Asian Americans. See our campaign site, especially the flyer (PDF format) and you'll know what we're talking about.

The reason why many of pro LIT people's posts got deleted was most of them resorted to personal attack, rather than the issue itself. That's it. Even your post could be gone since it looks like a personal attack to me. Be careful.

Tom

Deleted due to personal attacks. - Ed.

Hi Everyone,
Just wanted to point out that this site also has a pro-Lost In Translation message board located over here:

http://asianamericanfilm.com/boards/dcforum/DCForumID15/53.html#1

[Section deleted - response to personal attack. - Ed.]

In any case, it doesn't really make much difference to me since the campaign is almost over and we are seeing some results anyway.

2/24 is the deadline for Oscars.

Post deleted due to personal attack. - Ed.

Thank you very much for finally stepping up to the plate and start monitoring this forum. I am getting really tired and sick of personal attacks, profanities and so forth. I am also guilty of some of them and those came as a response to those.

Well, in any case, this campaign is almost over. But I am glad that we will be able to finish this in more peaceful note.

Again, thank you very much.

Tom

Dear friends,

My apologies for not monitoring this thread. I've received several complaints and will soon go through the posts and delete anything with a personal attack, regardless of who started it.

UPDATE: I'm going to be aggressive and delete anything which I subjectively deem to be off topic or incendiary. My apologies in advance if I delete something you believe should have been left. But it's critical right now we get this board back to a reasonable tone.

I am certain people on both sides of this conversation will be angry about certain deletions. Please feel free to post again if you believe important comments have been lost. But anything with a personal attack, off topic discussions, or incendiary language will be deleted.

Keep it clean, amigos!

Many thanks and all the best,

Your Editor

Also, I took Last Samurai's suggestion and I went to Robot Lounge. Just to let you know.

We aren't afraid of discussion.

Tom

[Section deleted - response to deleted posts. - Ed.]

According to the recent poll from "Variety" magazine (must read for Hollywood insiders) the most this movie will get Oscar for will be the Best Screenplay. Even that is in danger now that this campaign is in final dead heat and it has become the three way race between LIT, "In America" and "Finding Nemo". Best Director and Best Picture, pretty much hands down to Lord Of The Rings and Peter Jackson and for Best Actor, Sean Penn is expanding his healthy lead for the past week, also Johnny Depp is taking some votes away from Bill Murray.

So it started to look more likely that this movie will go home empty handed. Which exactly the way we wanted.

Tom

Bob was playing a movie star. A lot of movie stars are spoiled and act that way. Look at Jennifer Lopez, Leonardo DiCaprio, Paris Hilton etc. They surround themselves with an entourage and can walk into any restaurant without a reservation. They have all sorts of silly demands. They hang out in the VIP rooms of clubs.

The movie never says that Bob's actions are correct, nor does it ask us to agree with his actions. Bob is a fictional character, a fading movie star who does not want to be in Japan. He is grumpy and grouchy at times. He slept with the longue singer and Charlotte was jealous. They were in a bad mood when they went to the restaurant. They were frustrated and took it out on the staff. I've seen plenty of movies where a character was rude to a waitress. As Good as it Gets with Jack Nicholson, for example.
Nobody is going to watch the movie and try to copy Bob, a fictional character.

Post deleted - off topic. - Ed.

Post deleted - off topic. - Ed.

*** SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS ***

The main characters in "Lost In Translation" express negative attitudes towards Japanese culture and people. Such negative attitudes and prejudices directed towards an ethnic group, the Japanese, constitutes racism. The word racism is polarizing in mainstream America but we still need to recognize that racism does not only manifest itself in the form of discrimination and violence.

Look at "Lost In Translation" carefully and you will find anti-Japanese themes. The film relies heavily on Japanese stereotypes for humor throughout the entire film that I find simply disgusting. Let's start at the beginning of the film when important themes are introduced to the audience. What is one of those important themes? Japanese people and things are short and small!

In the beginning of the film, after Bob is greeted in the hotel lobby, and just before he walks away, he says "Great. Short and sweet. Very Japanese. I like that." This comment is a subtle hint to the audience that the Japanese are "short." This comment cannot be dismissed as an innocent remark or as a compliment because the theme of the short and small Japanese is soon repeated in the next scenes. Bob is clearly tired and being sarcastic. Instead, the "short" remark is a hint to the audience of what to expect next. Bob enters an elevator purposely filled with uniformly short businessmen. Also soon after, Bob takes a shower under a short shower head (how odd that a five-star hotel does not know how to cater to Westerners). So important is this theme of short and small Japanese, that it is introduced and reinforced early in the film. The idea is then later repeated throughout the film for more cheap laughs: the small shaver, the small slippers, comments made by Bob and Charlotte, etc. The heavy reliance on this theme constitutes an offensive pattern and reliance on ethnic humor.

Let's take another scene from the film where Bob and Charlotte are in a restaurant, and Bob comments on Charlotte's injured toe. First, Bob recounts his bad experience with one element of Japanese culture: a shiatsu massage; he then expresses disdain for another element of Japanese culture: they eat weird food, he is disrespectful to the native chef, and mocks the Japanese accent -- He directs his statement to the native Japanese chef, who Bob knows does not understand English, and says "See? They love black toes over in this country. This country. Someone's got to prefer black toe. Oh ... 'brack' toe. You probably hang around until someone orders it. Hey what's with the straight face?"

I ask you, when you travel to a foreign country, do you show such disregard as to insult a native by speaking in a mock accent, mocking his mannerisms, and insulting his culture's weird eating habits? Would you actually go into a Tokyo restaurant and insult the chef that way?

I submit to you that "Lost In Translation" did not have to be set in Japan and that the theme of traveling in a foreign land is not essential to the film. The film simply exploits Japanese people and culture for racial humor and commentary. Bob and Charlotte are isolated and lonely as a result of their own individual personal situations. Bob feels alone and far from his wife and family. This has nothing to do with traveling in a foreign country such as Japan. He could just as easily feel isolated on a business trip in any foreign or U.S. city. Charlotte is alone because her husband is either away at work, he does not address her emotional needs, or he engages in meaningless small talk with the ditsy Kelly and the hip-hop artist. These situations give Charlotte the sense of exclusion and isolation. As a result she gets up and walks over to Bob and later spends much time with Bob in the film.

There are just too many examples in the film where characters express negative attitudes towards the Japanese culture such as the theme of the Japanese difficulty or inability in speaking English:
"lock and lo" They're "ridiculous" "skinny and nerdy"
"LIP MY STUCKING! LIP THEM!"
A weird incompetent prostitute
strippers
Bob recalls his night out partying and singing karoake by saying "It's not fun. Just very very different."
You may say that Bob liked "that really really great music" but he was referring to American not Japanese music plus he was being sarcastic. He was exchanging forced pleasantries with his wife, and he ends with "that was a stupid idea"
You may say that Bob wants to "start eating like Japanese food." But he is referring to his desire to eat healthy and not his enjoyment of the food. Later, Charlotte recalls lunch with Bob "That was the worst lunch" and Bob's reply is "So bad. What kind of restaurant makes you cook your own food?"
The "brack toe" scene expressing disdain for shiatsu massage and weird food
"Lets not come here again cuz it will never be as much fun."

And so on ...

I ask you, does any one remember any compliments made by Bob or Charlotte about Japanese culture? As the examples above point out, what may appears to be compliment turns out to be sarcasm.

"Lost In Translation" does indeed express negative attitudes towards Japanese culture and people. And those attitudes are expressed by non-Japanese characters. The theme of traveling in a foreign land was not essential to the film. So, we must ask ourselves "why set the film in Japan," "how is Japanese culture portrayed," and "what are the main characterss attitudes towards Japanese culture." The film exploits Japanese culture for the purpose of racial humor and commentary, and the main characters express disdain for Japanese culture. Inserting brief scenes of the Japanese urban landscape, countryside, temples, video arcades, etc. throughout the film does not absolve the film of its anti-Japanese themes.

Sincerely,

Kai
--
http://www.lost-in-racism.org

*** SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS ***

This is for the Last Samurai supporters out there.
How do you feel now?

> > CASTING CALL
> >
> > Casting beautiful Asian women for Warner Bros.' The Last Samurai
> > Premiere After-party to be held in Westwood on Dec 1st.. Women will
be
> > dressed as village women and geisha from the film's wardrobe
department
> > and mingle 'in character' through the party, helping to create the
ambience of
> > ancient Japan, circa 1870's. There is no pay, but a chance to be
part
> > of this year's biggest Hollywood premiere with a guest list
including
> > Tom Cruise and the rest of The Last Samurai's fantastic cast!!
> >
> > If interested please forward a picture and information ASAP to:
> >
> > Cheryl Rave
> > Entertainment Producer
> > Warner Bros. Special Events
> > (818)954-3549 phone
> > (818)954-3011 fax
> > Cheryl.Rave@Warnerbros.com

I will be posting comments at from now on against the Lost in Racism campaign at the Giant Robot site. www.giantrobot.com
I'm not posting here anymore. I'm claiming victory and leaving. If you have guts then post at the Giant Robot site. See you there.

Post deleted. Response to deleted posts. - Ed.

Post deleted due to profanity, personal attacks. - Ed.

Post deleted due to incendiary language, personal attacks. - Ed.

Post deleted due to incendiary language, personal attacks. - Ed.

Another good review of LIT in Japanese here:
http://www.nichigo.com.au/column/movie/0401.htm

Actually, it didn't say, "American beat Michelle!" It said, "American beat Kwan!" as if to emphasize her being Chinese ancestry.

"I don't think this is the case any more. People know that Ichiro Suzuki is Japanese and that Kristy Yamaguchi is Japanese-American."

Yeah, and when Michelle Kwan lost to Sara Hughes (from Long Island) on Olypics, wanna know the headline of some newspapers nationwide?

"American beat Michelle!" "Kwan lost to American!" "No Kwan Do!"

And.... Isn't Michelle American? I believe she was born and raised in CA.

That's the point. This movie will only help taking us backwards.

G

The white stereotyped characters are essential to the story and for establishing the relationship between Bob and Charlotte. However, the Japanese stereotypes are not essential and exist for the purposes of racial humor and commentary.
3. Charlotte's husband - He often is away at work and leaves Charlotte, neglects her emotional needs, or engages in meaningless small talk with the ditsy Kelly and hip-hop artist to the exclusion of Charlotte. These situations are necessary in order to give Charlotte a sense of exclusion and isolation. This draws her to Bob ... she leave her dinner companions to speak to Bob and spend the rest of the film with him.
4. The lounge singer - Even this character is needed because she sleeps with Bob which causes stress in Bob and Charlotte's relationship.
5. The white rapper guy at the bar - See #3
6. The two white guy businessmen at the hotel bar - This establishes Bob's desire to be alone. In fact they support the idea that this film could have taken place in any city / country. See http://www.lost-in-racism.org/letter2.html which explains why the theme of traveling in a foreign country is not essential to the film.
7. The two fat Germans in the sauna - The serve again to show Bob's isolation.
8. The ditzy blonde actress-Kelly - See #3
9. Bob's wife - Bob's separation from his wife and family and marital difficulties are the main source of his feelings of isolation.
10. The blonde businesswoman who schmoozes with Bob at the end - She serves to show that Bob has a special relationship with Charlotte.

Finally, 1. Bob and 2. Charlotte are the main characters in the film. They are well-developed characters and not caricatures. Audiences enjoy their relationship and empathize with them. White Americans in the United States have the freedom to turn on the television and switch channels or look up movie listings until they find a program with positive white characters to enjoy. Asian Americans on the other see few positive portrayals and instead are more likely to be the targets of racial insults in radio, television, and film. Asian Americans are more likely to find an offensive portrayal of Asian Americans or not portrayal at all.

Take away all the Japanese stereotypes in the film, and place the film in any other country or even any U.S. city and you are left with the same story: Bob and Charlote are isolated by their individual personal situations and are drawn together. This could have happened any city. Rather, you should ask yourself why the film is set Japan and how are the Japanese people and culture portrayed? The answer inevitably is "to exploit Japanese culture for the purposes of ethnic humor and commentary."

Bob and Charlotte DO NOT enjoy Japan and they DO make fun of the Japanese. The use of Japanese stereotypes and expressions of disdain for things Japanese, cannot be dismissed simply because you like other elements in the film, nor can you dismiss the use of Japanese stereotype simply because there are white stereotypes. They just don't cancel each other out.

For a detailed treatment of the main themes in the film that address many of point made by supporters of the film, see the "Letters to Readers" #2 and #3 on our website:
http://www.lost-in-racism.org/letter2.html
http://www.lost-in-racism.org/letter3.html

I discuss the main themes in the film such as the disdain for Japanese culture and people; and why the theme of traveling in a foreign country is not an essential to the film.

Kai
--
Visit our website at:
http://www.lost-in-racism.org

I don't think this is the case any more. People know that Ichiro Suzuki is Japanese and that Kristy Yamaguchi is Japanese-American. They are aware that Jackie Chan is Chinese and Lucy Liu is Chinese-American. People don't go to Takeshi Kitano movies and say, "His movies are so violent...Japanese-Americans also must be violent." They don't go to Hong Kong movies and think that Chinese-Americans are going to shoot each other like in The Killer.
Asian Americans started Yahoo! and eBay. I'm not going to make a dumb comment about "model minority" but just look at the student body at the top colleges in the USA. You should have more pride and not let these little things bother you. I think that most people in the USA have a lot of respect for Asian Americans. True, there are jerks out there who don't like anyone who is different. Do you really think that people are going to see LIT and believe that Asian-Americans also cannot pronounce their L and Rs? Do you really believe that the Asian call-girl scene in LIT changes the fact that 99% of Asian escort services are owned by Asian Americans or Asians with greencards. All I'm saying is don't just go after people from another race like Sofia Coppola and Shaq but also focus on your own community. The Sopranos was picketed by Italians, Barbershop was picketed by African-Americans. I don't agree with their opinions, but at least they had the guts to criticize their own people instead of just blaming "The Man"

Deleted due to profanity. - Ed.

Also Japanese society is not as racist as people think. Plenty of Japanese women date African American and African guys. And nobody in Japan stares at them or gives them any trouble. But try being a black/white couple in the USA and see what happens. Or a Black/Asian couple in Chinatown or Koreatown.

Deleted due to profanity. - Ed.

Deleted due to profanity, personal attacks. - Ed.

Deleted due to personal attack. - Ed.

Deleted due to personal attack, tone. - Ed.

Mr. Ted,
You wrote:

The starkest example of racism was the Murray/Funny-Looking-Old-Japanese Hospital Scene where the old man/woman was set up to look like some sort of rodent or something. Interestingly, the scene cuts to a shot where the rodent-person is gone, but is replaced by a softtoy ... of some sort of rodent ...

Now who is the real racist here? You are the one calling this man "funny looking" I'm sorry that he's not as handsome as Ken Watanabe or Takeshi Kaneshiro, but he is a human being. He is a friend of the assistant director. There was nothing wrong with the scene. He was asking Bill Murray how many years he has been in Japan and Bill thought he was asking him his name. This is because nen is the word for year. This scene has been praised by Japanese film critics as an excellent example of a Hollywood actor acting with a non-actor. Ted, you are used to seeing Japanese roles played by Asian American actors such as Pat Morita (Karate Kid) so you aren't used to seeing a real Japanese person in a movie.
It is unlikely that a man of that age would speak English. Does that mean people shouldn't try to communicate. And Bill Murray never used the word rodent. You did.

So what you are saying is that Asians should NEVER be made fun of in movies directed by someone who is not Asian? Is this what you're saying? It's okay for a movie like Joy Luck Club to make fun of Asian-Asian men because it was directed by an Asian American. But if a white person directed the same movie then it is not okay. Okay, now I understand. Asians should never be made fun of in movies. LIT made fun of more white people than Japanese. Count them:
1.Bob
2. Charlotte
3. Charlotte's husband
4. The lounge singer
5. The white rapper guy at the bar.
6. The two white guy businessmen at the hotel bar
7. The two fat Germans in the sauna
8. The ditzy blonde actress-Kelly
9. Bob's wife
10. The blonde businesswoman who schmoozes with Bob at the end.

That's a total of 14 white people made fun of.
I think this is fair and balanced. How about you?

LIT is also BORING AS HELL ...

*WAY* OVER RATED.

Compare LIT to a decent indie like In The Bedroom or Monster's Ball.

No comparison ...

YES. Lost In Translation IS racist.

Imagine if the movie was set in Nigeria instead. It would never have been made. It's that simple.

The starkest example of racism was the Murray/Funny-Looking-Old-Japanese Hospital Scene where the old man/woman was set up to look like some sort of rodent or something. Interestingly, the scene cuts to a shot where the rodent-person is gone, but is replaced by a softtoy ... of some sort of rodent ...

I think oriental people are intelligent and refined. Lost in Translation is an offensive movie to my oriental friends and acquaintances.
My wife, who is a beautiful Japanese woman, speaks near perfect English. She does not have problems with Rs and Ls. She thinks this film is a great diservice to the Japan and Asian folks.
I don't understand why there aren't any Asian American filmmakers to counter the other point of view.

Post deleted. Response to deleted post. - Ed.

A letter I wrote about this film ...

Dear Mike G.

Thanks for writing and sharing your experience in Tokyo. I do most all traveling in the Western United States and enjoy exploring and people-watching.

We do have Japanese Americans in our group and I look forward to them writing to you.

I understand that people such as yourself enjoy the film for different reasons. However, there are also Asian Americans who find the film offensive and potentially dangerous to Asian Americans. As I Chinese American, I find few opportunities in mainstream television and film to see positive portrayals of Asian Americans. More times than not, those portrayals come in the form of racial insults on radio, television, and film. It is bad enough that mainstream media portrayals of Asian Americans are an overwhelmingly lackluster or negative. But to see a large number of of critics ignore or dismiss the issue of stereotypes, and instead attempt to award the film "Lost In Translation" the prestigious Academy Award makes the situation intolerable.

We are about preventing the film from winning such a prestigious award and informing potential voters and audiences of the our concerns. We are not trying to censor the filmmaker's artistic license nor the audiences' right to see the film. We feel we are expressing the opinions as part of an on-going dialog about racism in the United States.

It is far worse that some people refuse to acknowledge our concerns and attempt to dismiss us as being overly- sensitive. Yet, being overly-sensitive may be in many ways preferable to what just occured today. CBS News and Associated Press report that two teens were charged with beating a Chinese delivery man to death in what CBS calls a pattern of teen violence and depravity. To me, the key has always been education of the issues and preventing ignorance, and promoting understanding and tolerance.

I understand and acknowledge your concerns and I hope you do likewise. That is a positive achievement in my view.

I enjoyed reading your letter about your experiences. Thank you for sharing.

Regards,

Kai
--
http://www.lost-in-racism.org
http://www.asianmediawatch.net

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I have to ask the same question others have asked already- have you who think it is racist actually been to Japan? I lived in Osaka for 2 years and guess what? I saw many things in this film that resembled some of my time there. The TV can be very "wacky" from an American point of view. Not all of it is that over the top but a lot is. And to those complaining about the poor English speaking abilities of many Japanese shown- most Japanese people do not speak English. Sorry. It isn't like going to Europe or even most of Asia. I have been to Hong KOng, S. Korea and Vietnam and all had a MUCH higher level of English than Japan.
The R and L jokes did wear a bit thin, I agree, but there is a lot of truth to that as well. Japanese has a much fewer sounds than English. There is no L in the language (there isn't really an R that is exactly like the English one for that matter) and things do get mixed up often. When foreign words are written in Japanese the Ls are written with characters that are more like Rs. There was a bar near my apartment called the Pinky Ling and many of my students called Lord of the Rings the Road of the Ring. It happens all of the time. My Japanese was made fun occasionally too. Was that racist? I don't think so.
This movie made me miss Japan a lot because it truly reminded me of much that I witnessed there.

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Shall We Dance is the most popular Japanese movie of all time. It made more money than LIT ever will. What do you think of that movie. A nitpicker could say it has stereotypes: Uptight salarymen etc. If Sofia Coppola made that movie, all of you would cry racism.

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I also believe the main reason that she is getting the criticism is because she is a WOMAN.

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Hiro S.

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You know what manzai is don't you? Manzai is Japanese comedy. And the most popular comedians in Japan are from the Kansai area: Downtown, London Boots, Samma, Nakagawa Kei and all of the comedians in Yoshimoto Kougyo. The humor in LIT was no different than the humor that these comedians use on TV. They also make fun of people (including foreigners) and nobody gets upset. Takashi Fujii (Matthew Minami)is also part of the Yoshimoto group and if you watch the DVD of LIT you can see the whole segment with Bill Murray, where he makes Bill touch a live eel. Downtown have a show called Hey Hey Hey where they make fun of all the musical guests, Japanese or foreign. The only person who really freaked out on the show was Mariah Carey. But Ricky Martin was on and he got the humor, and was cracking up while they insulted him. And Japanese comedy shows often feature segments where they go to a foreign country--in Asia or Africa and act silly and make jokes.

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Itami Juzo directed Tampopo and that made fun of Japanese society. It was a satire. He also did Minbo No Onna, which made fun of the yakuza and he got his face slashed for it. Takeshi Kitano made a movie in Los Angeles called Brother that featured Black gangbangers and goombah Italian mafia characters and nobody said it was racist.

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I thought the film resorted too much to stereotypes. What I have noticed (if it helps) is that the people who seem to love this movie here are bourgeois types. I guess the idea of having unlimited amounts of cash and being the center of attention in a strange land strikes a chord with them. Meanwhile, your self-respecting blue-collar film geeks are underwhelmed. Me? I thought the film was okay, Murray was good, but that the film got away too easy for its superficial immersion in Japanese culture.

Those who claim this movie is not racist are not actually Japanese. If 9 out of 10 Japanese people find a movie offensive, there is something wrong with the movie. As a Japanese, I am sorry, but I have to say that "Lost in translation" is the case. TV Guide's reviewer rightly notes that "humor is too often based in stereotypical perceptions of Asians (they're short, they're laughably polite, they eat weird food, and Coppola shamelessly invites us to laugh along with Murray's character, who, believe it or not, thinks it's hilarious when his hosts get their "r"s and "l"s switched...", If a Japanese director made a movie like "Lost in translation" and its humor was based in stereotypical perceptions of Americans (they are fat, they're laughably self-confident, they only eat hot-dogs and hamburgers), those who gave 9-10 to "Lost in translation" would probably give it 0-1.

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The following quote goes more to the definition of racism. However, the film/filmmaker is not completely absolved as the author still points out the film's flaws.

"I don't believe the film or Sofia Coppola is racist. What they are guilty of is perhaps closer to bad taste, ignorance, laziness, insensitivity - sins that don't necessarily add up to racism."

And the author does point out that:

"... the flaws of the film's portrayal of Japan cannot be so readily aligned with the flaws of the characters."

http://www.shortfuse.org/shortfuse/2004/01/lost_in_transla.html

Lysiane Gagnon - The Globe

"Not only did I find it terminally boring, but I was truly scandalized by what I perceived as a crude anti-Japanese rant, bordering on racism."

Kiko Day of the Guardian writes

"Lost in Translation is being promoted as a romantic comedy, but there is only one type of humour in the film that I could see: anti-Japanese racism, which is its very spine."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1130137,00.html

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he reality is the vast majority of people who have seen/reviewed this film have no race issues with this film. Their campaign only edits and posts the URLs to the very scant number of reviews that are critical of the film. MetaCritic is a neutral website that simply aggregates film commentary from all over the world. It should not take anybody more than a few minutes to scan these reviews and realize that the vast majority of reviewers out there do not see any race issues with this film.

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Also, not all Asians who have seen this film are offended in anyway. This is reflected clearly in the Giant Robot forum.

For those who have not been to the Giant Robot forum, here is the link:

http://www.giantrobot.com/forums/showthread.php3?s=74fc6c08e2128124384f2b40c1008bb0&threadid=19213

http://www.metacritic.com/video/titles/lostintranslation/

Here are some very positive reviews if you are having problems accessing that URL:

Boston Globe / Ty Burr:
http://www.boston.com/movies/display?display=movie&id=2795

Chicago Sun-Times / Roger Ebert:
http://www.suntimes.com/ebert/ebert_reviews/2003/09/091201.html

Christian Science Monitor / David Sterrit:
http://search.csmonitor.com/search_content/0926/p14s01-almo.html

Empire / Rob Fraser:
http://www.empireonline.co.uk/reviews/review.asp?id=9722

Entertainment Weekly / Lisa Schwarzbaum:
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/review/movie/0,6115,479937~1~0~lostintranslation,00.html

LA Weekly / Scott Foundas:
http://www.laweekly.com/ink/03/43/features-foundas.php

Los Angeles Times / Kenneth Turan:
http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/reviews/cl-et-turan12sep12,2,5245235.story

New York Post / Lou Lumenick:
http://www.nypost.com/movies/5566.htm

New York Times / Elvis Mitchell:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/12/movies/12LOST.html

Philadelphia Inquirer / Carrie Rickey:
http://ae.philly.com/entertainment/ui/philly/movie.html?id=113312&reviewId=13097&startDate=09%2F19%2F2003

Portland Oregonian / Shawn Levy:
http://www.oregonlive.com/movies/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/entertainment/1063800172273470.xml

Premiere / Glenn Kenny:
http://www.premiere.com/article.asp?section_id=2&article_id=1194

ReelViews / James Berardinelli:
http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/movies/l/lost_translation.html

Salon.com / Stephanie Zacharek:
http://salon.com/ent/movies/review/2003/09/12/translation/index.html

San Francisco Chronicle / Edward Guthmann:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/09/12/DD137747.DTL&type=movies

Seattle Post-Intelligencer / Sean Axmaker:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/movies/139154_translation12q.html

Wall Street Journal / Joe Morgenstern:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/reviews/review_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1966939

The Hollywood Reporter / Kirk Honeycutt:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/reviews/review_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1966939

The New Republic / Stanley Kauffmann:
http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=20031006&s=kauffmann100603

Newsweek / David Ansen:
http://www.msnbc.com/news/962293.asp

New York Magazine / Peter Rainer:
http://www.newyorkmetro.com/nymetro/movies/reviews/n_9178/

The Onion (A.V. Club) / Nathan Rabin:
http://www.theonionavclub.com/review_pop.php?review_id=6805

And again the list goes on. Many of the people who liked the film are not racists and not blind to racism. But many simply take the film for what it is and do not see paranoid dellusions of racism where they simply do not exist.

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To AAF Forum,

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There are commentaries published by independent authors who do address the "Lost In Translation's" heavy reliance on Japanese stereotypes and caricatures for humor. The fact that some reviewers and audience members choose not to address this issue does not negate the fact that the Japanese characters in the film are underdeveloped and are portrayed as one-dimensional stereotypes. It also does not negate the fact that there are real people in our group and real people writing in the forum who exist and are offended by the film.

Here are independent authors do address this issue:

Richard Corliss - Time Magazine
(quoted below)

Ken Fox - TV Guide
http://www.tvguide.com/movies/database/ShowMovie.asp?MI=44868

Gregory Weinkauf - Dallas Observer
http://www.dallasobserver.com/issues/2003-09-18/film.html/1/index.html

and more independent excepts and reviews of the film available at:
http://www.asianmediawatch.net/lost/lost.html

And thanks to the writers in this forum:
Eric
Karen Fujikawa
Yoko Akashi
Mark Yakich

In speaking with members of the motion picture industry attending screenings of the film in LA and NY, the typical reactions are 1) "I don't like the film" and worse) 2) "I like the film" and acknowledgement that the stereotypes are a problem."

Our campaign is about informing the voters of the Academy Awards and other motion picture awards that we are real, that our concerns are real, and that negative effects of this film are real.

Sincerely,

Kai
--
http://www.lost-in-racism.org

To AAF Forum,

[Section deleted - response to off-topic posts. - Ed.]

There are commentaries published by independent authors who do address the "Lost In Translation's" heavy reliance on Japanese stereotypes and caricatures for humor. The fact that some reviewers and audience members choose not to address this issue does not negate the fact that the Japanese characters in the film are underdeveloped and are portrayed as one-dimensional stereotypes. It also does not negate the fact that there are real people in our group and real people writing in the forum who exist are are offended by the film.

Here are independent authors do address this issue:

Richard Corliss - Time Magazine
(quoted below)

Ken Fox - TV Guide
http://www.tvguide.com/movies/database/ShowMovie.asp?MI=44868

Gregory Weinkauf - Dallas Observer
http://www.dallasobserver.com/issues/2003-09-18/film.html/1/index.html

and more independent excepts and reviews of the film available at:
http://www.asianmediawatch.net/lost

And thanks to the writers in this forum:
Eric
Karen Fujikawa
Yoko Akashi
Mark Yakich

In speaking with members of the motion picture industry attending screenings of the film in LA and NY, the typical reactions are 1) "I don't like the film" and worse) 2) "I like the film" and acknowledgement that the stereotypes are a problem."

Our campaign is about informing the voters of the Academy Awards and other motion picture awards that we are real, that our concerns are real, and that negative effects of this film are real.

Sincerely,

Kai
--
http://www.lost-in-racism.org

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For those who have not been to the Giant Robots forum, here is the link:

http://www.giantrobot.com/forums/showthread.php3?s=74fc6c08e2128124384f2b40c1008bb0&threadid=19213

Most people there do not find any racism in the film and those who like--or dislike--the move judge it on criteria other than race. I know that might come as a shock to some, but many people out there are viewing the movie as a movie. Not as some evil carrier of evil supposedly racist themes.

And while one cannot do an armchair racial inventory [section deleted - personal attack. - Ed] on who says what, the vast majority of the readers of Giant Robot are (a) young and (b) Asian American.

In the long run, films like "The Last Samurai" will have more of a negative impact on Asian perceptions in the U.S. since the same people who buy bushido blades off of the Home Shopping Network will now think that any Asian out there is somehow a Samurai expert and has wisdom on the code of honor.

PS: A comment that hints at rumors of racism appear here:

[URL deleted because its length destroyed the layout of the page. For long urls, put them in the "URL" section of the posting form and advise readers to click on your name for the post. -- Ed.]

And just as quickly are dismissed by others.