lost in translation

I’m slightly confused that Asian Media Watch is condemning Lost in Translation but supporting The Last Samurai in AA campaigning. Although the latter film is more explicit in its rejection of the present and embrace of the past, the positive use of Japan clichés (chanting monks, temples, flower twiddling) by the former makes it clear that Coppola is not rejecting Japan so much as, like Cruise, modernisation in Japan. Endorsing Tom Cruise’s epic just because he gave a bit part to Ken Watanabe is ridiculous.

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Comments

1. Multiple Truths sez:
   February 21st, 2004 at 13:27 lost for words
   I am lost for words at finding out that there is a campaign against the film Lost In Translation. These people must have very long toes. I saw the film and absolutely loved it, and that was before the recent…

2. Kai sez:
   February 22nd, 2004 at 09:14

   I am a coordinator the “Lost In Racism” (parent website is Asian Media Watch”) which is campaigning the motion picture industry to vote against the film “Lost In Translation” in the upcoming Academy Awards. We are not protesting the “The Last Samurai” because we feel the film, despite it flaws, still portrays Japanese people as living breathing feeling “3-dimensional characters.” While “Lost In Translation” expresses both negative attitudes towards modern Japanese culture and portrays the Japanese people as a collection stereotypes and caricatures — issues which have been largely ignored or dismissed by critics.

   The Oscar ballots are due next week and we are in the final stretch of our campaign. However, you can find film reviews that address the film’s anti-Japanese themes at:
   http://www.lost-in-racism.org.

   Regards,

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

3. Geoff sez:
   February 23rd, 2004 at 13:15

   I think these people are trying to bludgeon the film industry into portraying only positive stereotypes of Asians.

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