Continuity

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CHris!
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#21 Post by CHris! » Fri Nov 12, 2004 10:04 am

Suntory wrote: Yea. But I wonder how many average Joe/Jane type people who went to
see the film didn't know that ikebana was flower arranging and therefore
didnt even notice it!!! :) Actually when I first saw the film I dont think I even knew what it was! I found out later. :?
hehe, yea I didnt actually know what it was until after a few viewings, partly because I didnt understand what she said, "iki bada?" what the hell is that...., So I kinda just went along with it :D
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#22 Post by Guest » Sat Nov 13, 2004 12:16 am

I thought it was some kind of mood altering Japanese herb.

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samwright8380
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Continuity

#23 Post by samwright8380 » Tue Nov 16, 2004 4:36 pm

Another possible continuity issue is at the start when you hear 'welcome to tokyo' and Girls starts playing, we assume that Bob is driving from the airport to the hotel. But the neon lights he passes by are those of Yaksuni Dori in Shinjuku, and the car is actually driving in the wrong direction from the Park Hyatt hotel. Maybe its me or is the taxi driver 'lost' ?

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#24 Post by KKDallas » Tue Nov 16, 2004 4:53 pm

Wow!! How observant of you, Sam!! I got my Tokyo map out to see what you are talking about and you are correct. They drive on the left and the building appear on Bob's left. Therefore he must be driving away from the Park Hyatt.

I like to pause my DVD at the end, after Bob and Charlotte say their goodbyes and Bob is on his way to the airport. I look for signs in English to help me find the route on the map. I have found only a small portion though.

My Tokyo map does not show Daikanyama. I believe the map that Charlotte creates for him to the sushi place is an area of Daikanyama. I can find part of the streets on my map but my map doesn't go far enough south and west. I'd like to plot Charlotte's map out as well.

Have you lived in Tokyo? I am longing to visit after seeing this movie.

Welcome to this website. I notice you are a new poster.

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Suntory
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#25 Post by Suntory » Thu Nov 18, 2004 12:27 am

CHris! wrote:i did wonder why she talks about ikebana on the phone, even though you dont see the actual ikenbana scene until later in the film...
It occured to me that including the ikebana, the entire sequence where Charlotte is there, seeing Kelly's press conference and then going to ikebana, that in fact she would have seen the press conference before she and John ran into her in the lobby!!! So basically we would have known who Kelly was in more detail at that point. I dont know why they edited it that way.

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#26 Post by hull_street » Thu Nov 18, 2004 12:45 am

So basically we would have known who Kelly was in more detail at that point. I dont know why they edited it that way.
It was important to establish early in the film that Charlotte is having a crisis.

If we had seen the Kelly press conference, ikebana, the subway trip and the temple before the phone call to Lauren occurred, we would not have understood why she was so upset.

Those scenes are all linked together, and it would have been nearly impossible to put them in their "right" order and have the film maintain it's emotional balance.

I think it was a conscious choice of mood over continuity and logic.

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Just Like Honey...
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#27 Post by Just Like Honey... » Wed Nov 24, 2004 12:17 pm

One weird theory that I have is that the beginning of the movie, when Bob arrives and Girls is playing in the background, he is simply returning a second time, for some unknown reason, and the Suntory ad he sees on the billboard is actually one of the photos taken during the second half of the movie, which is just one big flashback. So basically everything after the scene in the cab is just his memories from when he was last in Tokyo. Weird, huh? I don't actually believe the film was made that way, but it does make a strange sort of sense, and it's pretty neat to watch it again and look at it that way...
I'd rather be a gear in a big, deterministic, physical machine than just some random swerving.

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#28 Post by jml98 » Wed Nov 24, 2004 2:34 pm

this "flashback" theory was mentioned somewhere else on the site too...

also theres a slight error (not really continuity, more of an editing error) during the bar scene when charlotte is with john and kelly and the DJ guy...when charlotte gets up to talk to bob, you can hear kelly's voice in the background, but if you look closely at kelly and john, it definately does not "match"...anyway prob not even worth posting about, but wutever...
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#29 Post by Just Like Honey... » Thu Nov 25, 2004 6:11 pm

does anyone know who that DJ guy is and where he came from? after watching the movie for the fiftieth or sixtieth time i still havent noticed him anywhere else in the film, like in the background or something. maybe he shouldve been explained, then again maybe its one of those things we're left to assume.. also i did notice the situation you mentioned with kelly. probably an issue with the mikes or something...
I'd rather be a gear in a big, deterministic, physical machine than just some random swerving.

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#30 Post by jml98 » Thu Nov 25, 2004 8:30 pm

my guess is that he is one of those things we have to "Assume" -- assume who he is, where he came from. i think the point is, though, that it doesn't really matter -- he doesn't really matter -- and that is why sofia thought it would be ok for us to "assume" who he is
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#31 Post by Just Like Honey... » Fri Nov 26, 2004 2:38 pm

Another thing that I don't remember anyone mentioning is the whole thing about Charlie Brown..
It is never explained how Charlotte and John know him or how they knew Charlotte and John were in town, but it really doesn't matter that much. I've actually often thought about it.. because Charlie seems to have met Charlotte before, as she introduces him to Bob, but then again if she had already met Charlie, that would mean she had been in Tokyo before, which would kind of reduce the whole vibe of alienation from being in a foreign city.. Who knows?
Just another one of those things we are left to assume :D Anyone else have an opinion?
I'd rather be a gear in a big, deterministic, physical machine than just some random swerving.

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#32 Post by jml98 » Fri Nov 26, 2004 8:15 pm

i think it is definately one more thing to "assume"...i think Charlotte and Charlie were friends but not really that close. It's kinda like one of those classmates kinda friendships; you're friends with someone in the confines of the classroom at school, but you don't really talk to them outside of school (maybe an occasional hi or something) and don't go out with them that much (or at all). If you look at the scene where charlotte sends bob the peanuts or wutever, charlie and john are talking, charlotte is kinda out of it. Also i think that no matter how good of friends charlotte was with charlie, she would always feel like an outsider, being Charlie's only western friend (when they all go out and party/karaoke etc. Charlotte is the only westerner other than bob) i also think that could be why charlotte invited bob to go party with them, so she wouldnt be the only american....anyway;

More concisely: yes, it may reduce Charlotte's alienation, but not very much. it's really bob that does that.
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#33 Post by Just Like Honey... » Sun Nov 28, 2004 2:45 am

Just another one of those things that a part of me wants to be explained in more detail in a sequel or prequel.. too bad we all know that would ruin it.. I think we all feel that way in a sense though, I can't help but feel a disturbing sense of emptiness every time the movie ends, like there should be more, but there isn't... It makes me want to start watching it from the beginning again, and sometimes i do just that.
I'd rather be a gear in a big, deterministic, physical machine than just some random swerving.

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#34 Post by CHris! » Sun Nov 28, 2004 8:32 am

The end definatly leaves you wanting more, But you know if ever you saw anymore it would ruin the overwhelming feeling of loneliness and isolation, so the only thing you can do is enjoy that un-explainable feeling LiT leaves you with, then watch it again, to try and understand just what the feeling is
theres nothing more than this

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#35 Post by jml98 » Sun Nov 28, 2004 2:20 pm

the end does leave you wanting more, but the point is, it cannot last. Bob and Charlotte both have their own lives, both have wives, Bob has children. It could never last. To steal a line from the back of the DVD: there are "unexpected connections we make that might not last -- yet stay with us forever"
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#36 Post by Just Like Honey... » Tue Nov 30, 2004 1:08 pm

they shouldve put that on the front part of the movie maybe... just becuase its the gist of the whole thing. when i first rented this movie (i know, i know, i missed it in theatres), i had no idea what to expect. but being the huge bill fan that i am, that didnt bother me so much. i also heard that it had gotten a lot of critical acclaim, and my movie watching history has pretty much sent me the message that if the critics like it, its going to suck (hellooooo "Traffic"), so i didnt expect the movie to be that good.. well i was going to make a point of some kind but hey i forgot what it was.. lol
I'd rather be a gear in a big, deterministic, physical machine than just some random swerving.

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#37 Post by jml98 » Sun Jan 02, 2005 4:43 am

i found a continuity error (more of an editing error...) that i don't think is on IMDB...when Bob is in the elevator (the first time he sees Charlotte in the elevator) notice the Japanese woman in the very-traditional looking Japanese clothes, and the little girl in white. The next day, when Bob gets out of the elevator to meet Kawasaki and the others (when they invite him to be on the Japanese talk show) you can see that woman and the girl get out...Its not technically a continutity error, because it could be that the woman and girl also ride in the elevator that day, but its kinda unlikely..

my guess is that the second elevator part is actually a continuation of the first part. It's as if they shot Bob getting off the elevator after Charlotte got off, then just used that part for the second part...my explanation might be confusing, but if you watch the movie and look out for that woman in traditional Japanese garb and the little girl, you'll probably see what I'm getting at...anyways...
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#38 Post by jml98 » Sun Jan 02, 2005 5:31 am

i think i found another continuity error that isn't on IMDB...in the final (sad) goodbye, when the camera zooms out to show Bob and Charlotte hugging, you can see a blue BMW behind them. But later, when the camera gives us a last glimpse of Charlotte walking away, there is a white car in its place....

anyways..its not like i watch just to find errors, but i dunno for some reason during my most recent viewing these things really stood out...
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Re: Continuity

#39 Post by The Shoegazer » Mon Jan 03, 2005 12:12 am

  • During the fire alarm, Bob is wearing a kimono and not carrying anything,
    but in the bar and in the elevator later he's wearing a coat.

Maybe he got back to his room and got something more appropriate for a night in the bar than a kimono. Anyways, why not leave it alone, the message is there for some people to see, the meaning in hidden in their facial expressions and the few words and actions so why worry about small things like that? This was a small budget movie done in a short amount of time so editorial and some other unimportant errors were sure to occur,but this is one of those movies that you will watch so much that you will automaticly notice such things. That says a lot about the originality and feeling you get from the movie(for example:can anyone imagine watching The Beautiful Mind or Spider-Man over 7-10 times?). So I can now easily say that this kind of movie is very unlikely to come out ever again.

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#40 Post by jml98 » Sun Jan 09, 2005 7:24 pm

i haven't really looked at other movie's errors on IMDB...does LiT have more or less (or about the same) than the average movie? It seems like it has a lot...
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