Hospital scene with the old man

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Random Drift
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Hospital scene with the old man

#1 Post by Random Drift » Tue May 04, 2004 1:54 am

When you watch the movie again (as I'm sure we all do), at the hospital scene where Bob tries to talk to the old man while Charlotte is in the examination room. Check out the two woman in the background. They can't stop laughing. It cracks me up.
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#2 Post by sc1957 » Tue May 04, 2004 10:17 am

I think showing those women does two things:

1) Shows that this movie really was made "on the fly."

2) Adds a realism that a bigger-budget, more "posed" film wouldn't show.

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#3 Post by Suntory » Wed May 05, 2004 12:30 am

Oh my God I LOVE that scene!!! :D :shock: :o :shock:

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What utter foolishness

#4 Post by jm » Fri May 07, 2004 11:59 pm

In reality, one of these women was the old man's daughter. In the movie, the women are laughing at the hapless old man trying to talk to the incomprehending American, just as we spend the movie laughing at the hapless Americans trying to talk to the incomprehending Tokyo citizens.
Last edited by jm on Sat Feb 17, 2007 2:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Wasn't that a WOMAN?

#5 Post by Justsaying » Thu Jun 03, 2004 9:23 am

I read somewhere else (can't remember now), but I read that the person Bob was "talking" too in the hospital was a WOMAN. Anyone else hear this? I thought it was an old man too, but apparently it's an elderly WOMAN? I may be wrong. Also, yes, the scene was improvised by Bill Murray, which is why the women in the background are cracking up. Bill keeps looking at them too, to see if they're gonna flip out at what he's doing.

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Re: Wasn't that a WOMAN?

#6 Post by jm » Thu Jun 03, 2004 10:14 am

"Yeah I heard the moon is made of cheese, but it ain't. Sofia has said in an interview that it was a MAN, which it was; that one of the laughing women was the MAN's daughter; that it was an improvised scene and it was so good she put it in. I don't think the women are laughing because Bill Murray is funny, but because he can't understand what the MAN is saying.

[quote:4b3b3ca14e="Justsaying"]I read somewhere else (can't remember now), but I read that the person Bob was "talking" too in the hospital was a WOMAN. Anyone else hear this? I thought it was an old man too, but apparently it's an elderly WOMAN? I may be wrong. Also, yes, the scene was improvised by Bill Murray, which is why the women in the background are cracking up. Bill keeps looking at them too, to see if they're gonna flip out at what he's doing.[/quote:4b3b3ca14e]"
Last edited by jm on Sat Feb 17, 2007 2:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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#7 Post by Guest » Thu Jun 10, 2004 5:36 am

Funny. I thought it was a woman too!

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#8 Post by Nijal » Tue Sep 07, 2004 5:33 am

Well, anyone knows what the old man(?) is saying? :)

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#9 Post by KKDallas » Tue Sep 07, 2004 1:29 pm

Nijal wrote:Well, anyone knows what the old man(?) is saying? :)
He is asking Bob how long he has been in Japan (Nippon). He tries to use his hands to verbalize by making a round clock and stopping his finger at a certain point.

I've gotten this information from a post either here or IMDB. I wish someone would translate this scene and post it here, just like the Suntory commercial scene is posted here. It is such a funny scene and one of my favorites!

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#10 Post by Tokyotraveller » Wed Sep 08, 2004 11:56 pm

The most direct translation would be "how many years have you been in Japan?". This of course is and idiomatic expression that the Japanese use to ask how long a person has been in Japan. For whatever reason this is usually the first thing a non-Japanese person is asked. I lived for over 2 years in various parts of Japan including Tokyo and never figured out the rationale behind that question. The hand gesture relates to a clock or the passage of time and is ubiquitous among older people when asking the question posed in the movie. If you understand what the man is asking it makes it all the more funny that Bob is totally lost. Almost equally funny was the reception officers directions to fill out all the paperwork and the doctors long explanation about how Charlotte needs to take good care of her toe, both of which go entirely over the characters heads.

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#11 Post by jm » Thu Sep 09, 2004 8:04 am

Baby, we've been waiting for someone who could translate the Japanese in the movie. Is you it?
Last edited by jm on Sat Feb 17, 2007 2:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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#12 Post by welcometoTokyo » Thu Aug 11, 2005 3:56 am

has anyone spot this old man appearing in the subway scene?
he walks by lower left corner of the screen without his hat. From that close up face shot I declare it's a man!


(( oh my gosh I'm slowly becoming a movie-freak.. Lit freaKkkk))

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#13 Post by welcometoTokyo » Thu Aug 11, 2005 3:57 am

has anyone spot this old man appearing in the subway scene?
he walks by lower left corner of the screen without his hat. From that close up face shot I declare it's a man!


(( oh my gosh I'm slowly becoming a movie-freak.. Lit freaKkkk))

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