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News / Comments
The Secret of the Lost in Translation Whisper Unlocked
You can't keep anything from us, Bill Murray!
by Jeff Giles | December 14, 2007
Blog Article | Discuss Article
Summary

Ah, the wonders of technology. First it gives us the remote control, then the Roomba -- and now, it's been used to solve one of the most impenetrable riddles in all of modern cinema. Back to Article
Comments (1-20 of 49 posts) | Reply
zachdybs
zachdybs writes:
on Dec 14 2007 07:44 AM

interesting.
but now i feel a little dirty for having listened to their secret.

and its just a movie.
but its one of my all time favorites.


(Reply to this)
Dr. Hanso
Dr. Hanso writes:
on Dec 14 2007 07:45 AM

The ending still sucks.

(Reply to this)
Dr. Hanso
Dr. Hanso writes:
on Dec 14 2007 07:45 AM

The ending still sucks. Nice work, though.

(Reply to this)
Baccus83
Baccus83 writes:
on Dec 14 2007 07:46 AM

The ending's brilliant, and it's interesting to hear what he actually says - but all the same entirely beside the point. I mean, there's a reason Sofia Coppola decided to keep it from us.

(Reply to this)
cowzilla3
cowzilla3 writes:
on Dec 14 2007 07:49 AM

Not happy at all, totally ruined the open edning there.

(Reply to this)
puablo
puablo writes:
on Dec 14 2007 07:57 AM

Interesting indeed. I think I actually kinda like it.

(Reply to this)
RBatty024
RBatty024 writes:
on Dec 14 2007 08:00 AM

It's actually a damn good line. It has a Zen koan quality that you find throughout the film. I always think of the movie through Zen terms, so this works within that context. Of course, just because that's what Bill Murray said doesn't mean that's what the character said.

(Reply to this)
laika86
laika86 writes:
on Dec 14 2007 08:03 AM

The ending is so great because of the ambiguity.

(Reply to this)
LordVapor
LordVapor writes:
on Dec 14 2007 08:18 AM

makes a lot of sense actually. always thought that it was bullcrap if they wouldnt have ended up together, because they were obviously in love, and life is too short.....although, we all know that just cause two peope love each other and should belong together, doesn't make it fact.....

(Reply to this)
iankusc
iankusc writes:
on Dec 14 2007 08:40 AM

Sometimes Technology is the problem and not the solution. This is like the tacked on "Special Edition" of Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind. Some things are just better left to the imagination.

(Reply to this)
Novastar.
Novastar. writes:
on Dec 14 2007 08:43 AM

Bill Murray you old dog!

(Reply to this)
bethehero7404
bethehero7404 writes:
on Dec 14 2007 09:28 AM

great film...so now what, are we going to find out what was in that suitcase in Pulp Fiction now? Geeze.

(Reply to this)
tomwaitsjr
tomwaitsjr writes:
on Dec 14 2007 09:49 AM

The soul of the ving rhames character was in the suitcase.

(Reply to this)
blinkybrown
blinkybrown writes:
on Dec 14 2007 10:20 AM

Definitely prefer thinking it all just ended with the kiss. That line changes the film entirely. It wasn't meant to be heard.

(Reply to this)
Prosper761
Prosper761 writes:
on Dec 14 2007 10:41 AM

Still the single most overrated movie ever made. Sophia Coppola should put down her camera for good. Between this and "Marie Anroinette," I lost 4 hours of my life that I'll never get back.

(Reply to this)
clamman27
clamman27 writes:
on Dec 14 2007 11:14 AM

Who the hell cares? At the end of the day its still one of the most over-rated, over-analyzed movies of recent years. And no, Bill Murray didn't deserve an Oscar for this. Neither did Sofia. But again, who cares? What's done is done. LiT fanatics will whine oh you just don't get it, it's a beautiful character study... blah blah. Over rated.

(Reply to this)
malaguy
malaguy writes:
on Dec 14 2007 11:19 AM

nice work, but the movie still blows my *** harder than any other over-indulgent pretentious piece of **** movie out there.

(Reply to this)
justice_rehnquist
justice_rehnquist writes:
on Dec 14 2007 11:57 AM

Lost in Translation was a great film. For the first time in contemporary cinema, two adult characters were depicted as behaving responsibly toward each other in spite of their demonstrable love and appreciation for each other. Any other hack director would have had the characters have sex together and engage in this ultra-passionate temporary affair. Sofia Coppola wrote these characters as intelligent and aware of their moral obligations to refrain from infidelity (although Murray's character did sleep with the red-headed lounge singer). By contrast, Murray's respect and deep love for Johannsen's character restrained him from violating the bond of fidelity with his wife.

Johannsen's character was in a marriage manifested by neglect, while Murray's character was in a marriage that was suffering from a loss of mutual spousal effort to maintain genuine romance and heartfelt communication.

This film is great and the unrevealed whisper at the end brought a heightened sense of satisfaction and empathy.

If you want stereotypical, melodramatic cheating spouses with little or no genuineness, rent Todd Field's "Little Children." This film felt like a 2-hour noontime soap opera.



(Reply to this)
lambman
lambman writes:
on Dec 14 2007 01:42 PM

can somebody just quote the line in their reply? I am sure I am not the only one at school/work where youtube content is blocked

(Reply to this)
Missing Reel
Missing Reel writes:
on Dec 14 2007 01:56 PM

Umm...I thought the last part of the line was clearly "call your husband and tell him that you love him." I thought the first part was just the mystery.

If that is the line, I don't like it at all. Hell, it's a goodbye scene; Not an "I'll call you..." scene.


(Reply to this)
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