Christian Murillo
Professor Wexler
English 495
December 8, 2013
Lost in Harvey
Of the
three pieces of assigned reading, it felt that Harvey’s “Cultural Space and
Urban Place: The New World Disorder,” resonated the most in regards to the
film, “Lost in Translation.” Sophia Copolla’s masterpiece is about a man named
Bob who is an actor that is dissatisfied with his life and career. For money,
he takes a job in Japan reading lines for a commercial. While some might see
this as an unforgettable opportunity to dive into a new culture, Bob sees this
as a mockery of his profession and worse, as a waste of his time. His tone
changes however, upon meeting Charlotte, a young woman who like Bob, finds
herself in Japan; but even more like Bob, she soon discovers that they are occupying
the same lonely place in time and space, and that together they create a whole
that cannot be matched by the outside world. This is in part because despite
being surrounded by millions of people and lights, the city itself is too big,
too sharp and as such, too stifling and blinding. These themes come together notably
in two key concepts of Harvey’s work; the idea of the public and the private
space and the Chicago school’s definition of Urbanism.
When we
first meet Charlotte, she is presented as a lonely housewife, occupying a nice
hotel room with a beautiful vista of Japan. Her husband is a photographer that
caters to celebrities and as a consequence, is consistently busy. His image is
of a frail, forgetful but loyal husband who is too busy to pay attention to his
wife who is finding herself wallowing in self misery. Charlotte does not have a
job nor does she have any prospects other than existing in a city she doesn’t
understand; a jab by her husband indicates that she went to Harvard and from
that we can deduce that a woman with such distinct intelligence must be going
insane in this situation. As such, Charlotte thus represents the Private Space
which Harvey defines as the “Home” and the “Feminine” both of which apply to
Charlotte. In this case, Bob would thus represent the “Public Sphere” which as
Harvey notes is considered masculine due to its association with work, however,
the film takes these concepts and redefines the roles. Bob is uncomfortable in
his sphere due to his inability to understand the language and his refusal to compromise
to their cultural norms. As such, it is interesting to see Charlotte take the
lead in branching out from the domestic sphere and taking Bob with her; through
her, she introduces him to Karaoke, Sushi, and even Japanese people Bob would
have otherwise never met, despite his role as the masculine public figure.
As much as
Charlotte and Bob are the main characters, it can be argued that the city of Tokyo,
and by associated Japan itself, is also a character. The sprawling urban jungle
is rife with experiences, amusements, and sensations that must be experienced
in order to be remembered, and as stated above, Bob only gets to experience
these things because of Charlotte. Given how the city is portrayed throughout
the film, Harvey’s research of the “Chicago School’s” thoughts on Urbanization,
seem to resonate well with the films portrayal of Japan. Ernest Burgess’ quote,
“Urbanism is a way of life, social existence” (Harvey) is presented by the film
as Tokyo itself; it is a massive urban complex that at times depicts a veritable
sea of people crossing the street as a dinosaur crosses the window of a
building. Automobiles (taxis in particular) and people seem to fill every shot
as almost every scene is filled with residents living their lives with almost
every person (whether playing games or working) given a purpose. This also
explains why Charlotte and Bob feel so out of place; they have undefined roles
in this city due to the language and cultural barriers. In addition, Chicago’s Louis
Wirth’s definition is given more prominence when considering the portrayal of
Tokyo; “Urbanism is large number of people in close proximity w/out knowing each
other. City dwellers form associations bases on lifestyle, culture, and
ethnicity” (Harvey). This is arguably one of the most strongest and enduring
themes of the film; that you can be standing on the street in one of the
busiest cities in the world and be utterly, devastatingly alone. While
Charlotte has used this as an excuse to explore and gradually build an
open-mind for cultural differences, Bob has used this as a reason to perpetuate
his negative emotions from his career towards the Japanese people. We can see
this by the way he mocks their pronunciation and the indifference he displayed
in going on their talk show.
“Lost in
Translation” is a masterpiece of cinema; it features a man and a woman so
vastly different, yet so complete in their desolation of spirit and isolation
of mind and body that their coming together is itself a miracle. This miracle
is recognized by both of them in the way that they appreciate that their friendship
is lingering only on a matter of a few days before they are torn apart and
sucked back into the drain of their lives. It is only through Charlotte that
Bob is able to feel comfortable in his Public Sphere and accept that Tokyo is a
city with its own way of life that cannot be ignored or misinformed; it is a
vital, living breathing creature that must be recognized and understood in
order to appreciate what it has to offer, which is this case was a friendship
that was the only thing not lost in translation.
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