Last Bill Translation

[Mark Mays]

I'm in the process of moving as well (annoying, isn't it?)

Lost in Translation and The Last Samurai are likely part of a similar mind
set. Japanese pop culture is on the minds of some who have an ear for such
things in our entertainment industry, and the idea of films set in Japan
seemed at once both hip and financially risk-worthy. Really, either of those
films could have been set in different places in different eras. When you
break the scripts down to theme, the impact of "Japaneseness" was heavier
from The Last Samurai of course, still only superficially. Cruise's
character could have experienced similar situations and learned similar
lessons in South Africa, or India, or Compton .

Tarantino was on a completely different mission. I sometimes wonder if he
didn't feel left out of the recent interest in "Asian" action films. You
probably recall how often he name checked Hong Kong directors in the myriad
of interviews he did in the halcyon days of Pulp Fiction popularity. It was
just a feeling I got, but whilst sifting through the onslaught of pre
release PR for Kill Bill I wondered if this project wasn't Tarantino saying
to us all, hey, if it were not for me you all would not know about this
stuff, so let me show you hacks how its done. Tarantino's aware of Japanese
cinema, okay. I missed that nod to Mizoguchi, though. I saw the parade of
homage as posturing. He has demonstrated the skill to make a good action
film, or even a martial arts or chanbara possibly. So why not just make one
instead of stringing together a greatest hits compilation?

I don't think this past year will mean much to the Japanese industry on the
whole save an ego boost to those directors Tarantino offered a pat on the
back in the end credits and in interviews. As I've seen on the various
critics' ML I read, I've seen an increased interest in obtaining Shaw
Brothers releases, yet nary a peep about Shurayuki Hime, for example.

Regarding Lost in Translation, the "unimaginative" portrayal of Japan
indicated a larger problem I had with the film, a bothersome condescension
the lead characters had towards people in general, from the awful "lip my
stockings" scene to the smirking at the lounge singer in the bar. That said,
I can't give Coppola points for presenting an accurate representation of a
typical tourist's view of Tokyo. She can clearly do better. BTW, she's said
that the film was based in part on her experiences when she visited Tokyo
with her father doing a Suntory ad with Kurosawa.