2046  "Lost in Translation" as a tango movie

Date: Tue, 2 Dec 2003 08:22:44 -0800
From: Western Larch <larix_occidentalis@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: "Lost in Translation" as a tango movie

Tango-L readers,

I just saw the movie "Lost in Translation" and it
actually strikes me as a very tango movie.
It's all about different forms of communication,
whether by glances, by actions, or by words,
and it shows how rich and complex a simple
message can be.

I think my favorite part was when Charlotte went
by herself to Kyoto and was walking around the
temple grounds, and she watches a traditional
wedding party pass by. I don't think there are
any spoken words at all in that scene.

In several scenes there were people who were
using a lot of words without saying much. To me
that has a definite parallel with tango.

Music, sound, and especially silence are very
important in the movie. In between bursts
of frantic activity, in unexpected out of the
way places, everything slows down and, just
like in tango, if you listen carefully you
can sense the smallest vibrations.

OK, actually my favorite part is at the end,
when Bob and Charlotte embrace, and he mumbles
something to her that the audience can't quite
make out. Just like tango, the message is all
between the two of them.

L.O.