I saw it and absolutely loved the movie it is definately on my list to buy when it comes out which will hopefully be soon. You notice how DVD's are out not to long after the movie comes out in theaters?
Use to be you'd have to wait forever.
| Printable Version of Topic
Click here to view this topic in its original format |
| Celtic Radio Community > General Discussion > The Last Samurai |
| Posted by: scottish2 12-Jan-2004, 09:16 AM |
| Anyone here see the movie "The Last Samurai". I saw it and absolutely loved the movie it is definately on my list to buy when it comes out which will hopefully be soon. You notice how DVD's are out not to long after the movie comes out in theaters? Use to be you'd have to wait forever. |
| Posted by: Eamon 12-Jan-2004, 09:34 AM |
| I enjoyed the movie as well, Scottish2. It had its historical issues, but thats Hollywood. The fight scenes were well done, and Cruise and his inner demons were believable. That is a VERY interesting time in Japanese history. They went from a fuedal system to a world power in less than 100 years. Amazing. I have to be careful with the DVD's. I always go out and grab the new releases, then kick myself when the 'extended version' comes out later for just a few dollars more. Eamon |
| Posted by: Aon_Daonna 12-Jan-2004, 02:47 PM |
| The one LITTLE flaw is tom cruise *retches* Well, I wouldn't be fair if I only had historical issues on Braveheart, I have them on this movie as well - which doesn't mean I can't enjoy a film. I just don't watch them after the standarts printed in the paper (history) |
| Posted by: silverdragon 12-Jan-2004, 02:53 PM |
| I saw this one and enjoyed it greatly, also. But I must confess ignorance -- was this supposedly based on historical events? Or was it merely "period" fiction? |
| Posted by: Annabelle 12-Jan-2004, 02:53 PM |
| I can't wait for "Last Samuari" to come out. I thought the movie was terrific. The costume beautiful and the acting well done. I like Tom Cruise. I have a son that looks just like him. I've had him walk in the salon or on a site with his Rayebands on and people think it's Cruise. Thank goodness he's not. Women go ba ba over him even when they find out he's not Cruise. And I'd never get any work done. Annabelle |
| Posted by: scottish2 12-Jan-2004, 02:54 PM |
Oh I agree most historical style films do have I guess it's called creative liscense today tomorrow who knows but they do add things and take out things to make the story line flow more easily, but it has spurred in me an interest in teh Samurai. When I goto Japan I know they have books on this and I plan on getting some as it's an interesting subject.  |
| Posted by: scottish2 12-Jan-2004, 02:55 PM | ||
Well to some degree it is fiction but I can sort of picture this happening in real life though not neccessarily along the movies lines but with the samurai not wanting to see their world end as it were. |
| Posted by: Annabelle 12-Jan-2004, 02:56 PM |
| I'll definetly be buying a DVD copy of it whe it comes out. Great movie. I'm glad they don't make me wait long now. A |
| Posted by: Aon_Daonna 12-Jan-2004, 03:08 PM |
| Dave, get some books on the Meiji period. It's a time of great turmoil and bloodshed but politically very interesting because of the changes Japan went through in that time (If I'm right the Meiji Period started about 1815) |
| Posted by: scottish2 12-Jan-2004, 03:11 PM |
| Oh I have several books on Japan I am working through now. Two on Buddhism (one thanks to maisky ) and another on Japanese history. |
| Posted by: Aon_Daonna 12-Jan-2004, 03:15 PM |
I got into Japanese History through Ruruoni Kenshin, a very popular Manga series losely based on a japanese novel playing in the Meiji Period (the writer/artist of that is called Watsuki Nobuhiro (I think, might be the other way round though  ). If you know enough I'm sure there are japanese bookshops on the net, if not I can have you japanese books ordered from Germany. Hideyoshi is very nice and always tries to get me whatever I just want. |
| Posted by: Mailagnas maqqas Dunaidonas 12-Jan-2004, 03:19 PM |
| An enjoyable movie, but the comic book aspects make me question the historical accuracy. Based on the 3+ years I spent in Japan, the values seem more or less right, but the events overall don't feel right. |
| Posted by: scottish2 12-Jan-2004, 03:21 PM |
| Well each year when I goto Japan as it's an annual trip I always stop several times into a bookstaore named Maruzen as they have an English area and thye have tons of great Japanese books translated into English so I always buy several each year to keep me busy My 2003 trip I bought 2 on Hiroshima (Not from Maruzen as I visited Hiroshima and the other I bought in Tokyo) and then I did but a book entitled The Girl with the White Flag and all were very interesting and historical. |
| Posted by: scottish2 12-Jan-2004, 03:27 PM | ||
Like I said creative liscense sometimes ruins history.  |
| Posted by: Aon_Daonna 12-Jan-2004, 03:38 PM |
| You got the advantage of better japanese than I have.. I only buy japanese comics because I can understand them (with picture + i-net help) partly.. also the quality is better than all the stuff that is published over here. I have several artbooks of my favourite series' and they are all imports which I love dearly. Mailagnas.. the last samurai is not based on a comic I think... Anyway, I don't read Kenshin as accurate historical compilation, such things more go like fantasy in my head (same with all sorts of "historical novels"). For history I read real history books |
| Posted by: Eamon 12-Jan-2004, 03:38 PM |
| The Meiji restoration (or rebellion, depending on who you listen to) started 1868 when the Tokagawa Shogunate was overthrown. Rule of Japan was given back to the Meiji family. They institued a massive change toward industrialism, which was resisted by the Samurai who wanted things the way they were accustomed. Meiji declared it illegal to wear swords, topknots, etc (basically, they attacked the Samurai with penal laws, should be familier stuff to you Irish and Scottish historians out there). Samurai were forced underground and were looked at with a bit of a criminal aspect. They went out with far less drama than the movie showed. Also, the Military advisors that were brought into Japan were from France and Austria, not the US. I agree with Mailagnas. The values are there, but the history is not. If any of you get the History channel, there was an episode of "History vs. Hollywood" that does a good job of defining the differences. I still enjoyed the movie, and am looking forward for the DVD. Eamon |
| Posted by: Aon_Daonna 12-Jan-2004, 04:08 PM |
| ah well, bugger, back to reading! =) But I just remembered about the restoration and such, dunno where my mind went there. I mess up everything these days. Must be bacause I write 2 tests within one week, one on thursday and one on monday.. It's quite hard for me to find good books in the library here but I just basically read whatever gets between my fingers. |
| Posted by: peckery 12-Jan-2004, 04:22 PM |
| This is a movie. Does not have to be historically accurate.. It's Tom Cruise for God's sake. That having been said, I thought it rocked. |
| Posted by: Aon_Daonna 12-Jan-2004, 04:26 PM |
| I disagree. I think History is interesting enough (I can tell great wartime stories that are actually true and not the imagining of some hollywood magnate that sets people into totally wrong settings...) without added features. I still enjoy films |
| Posted by: scottish2 12-Jan-2004, 04:35 PM |
| If nothing else it gets you thinking and maybe interested in a period of history you might have know zero about before watching it and yes this is definately top of my list to buy when it comes out. |