"The Last Samurai"

go · Post by go » Sat May 22, 2004 7:32 -0700

Dear Readers,
The Ninja attack scene is excellent.
Enjoy!
Best wishes to all,
go

goandal · Post by **goandal** » Fri Jun 25, 2004 15:53 -0700

I finally saw it this week. Great fighting scenes, but storyline was average.

Did the last samurai really die on the battlefield against modern technology or is it just Hollywood?

takematsu · Post by **takematsu** » Fri Jun 25, 2004 16:19 -0700

Did the last samurai really die on the battlefield against modern technology or is it just Hollywood?

Mainly the latter. The class system which the samurai occupied the upper reaches of was pretty much entirely dismantled during the Meiji restoration... but the people weren't minced up into mulch. Some were, as the events shown in the movie weren't 100% fiction, but a lot just went out and bought some trousers. I understand that some of the family names in Shogun were changed to avoid lawsuits from the still-extant descendants of various upper-rank families. SO, you won't find samurai in Japan for much the same reason you won't find knights in Germany-- the position was done away with. BUT, if the position were re-introduced, you'd have plenty of people with the necessary papers to step into it.

goandal · Post by **goandal** » Fri Jun 25, 2004 17:07 -0700

Thank you O' wise Takematsu-san.

It's great to see the sword fights in color. I've been watching too many old Kurosawa movies. LOL!!!

My co-worker with Magic Johnson!

Stan Sakai · Post by **Stan Sakai** » Sat Jun 26, 2004 7:50 -0700

goandal wrote: Did the last samurai really die on the battlefield against modern technology or is it just Hollywood?

There was an actual rebellion in (I think) the 19th centuray in which tradionalist samurai with swords went up against modern guns. You can easily figure out the outcome.

I actually thought The Last Samurai was based on this incident with major changes such as the characters and the location of the big battle.

goandal · Post by **goandal** » Mon Jun 28, 2004 14:34 -0700

I remember a commentary made by either the director or film star that, in actuality, the Japanese would've hired a European to train the early Japanese army, rather than an American. During that time the Euros were more advanced in military tactics than America.

takematsu · Post by **takematsu** » Tue Jun 29, 2004 8:31 -0700

the Japanese would've hired a European to train the early Japanese army, rather than an American. During that time the Euros were more advanced in military tactics than America.

Every time I watch a US civil war flick, I can't help but think that either side would have been eaten alive by pretty much any European army of the day. Of course, Europe was so jam-packed with untrustworthy neighbouring states, they tended to keep armies on hand just in case, unlike the US take on things at the time-- "Trouble brewing! We'd better get an army together!"