“The Last Samurai” was directed by Edward Zwick, best known for “Shakespeare in Love” (he was a producer of the film and won an Oscar for it). “The Last Samurai” was released on November 22, 2003.
Later, Zwick would work with Tom Cruise on “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back”. In the United States, the film grossed $111 million, but it brought at least $50 million to the economy of the area where “The Last Samurai” was filmed (New Zealand, Taranaki). The reason was that it provided jobs and an influx of tourists wanting to see the shooting location.
The film plot revolves around Nathan Algren, a man with extensive combat experience who is offered to train soldiers for the imperial army. In 1876, these were ordinary peasants who were sent into battle even though Nathan proved that they were not yet ready for this. Insurgent Katsumoto destroys the emperor’s army and captures Algren himself whom Katsumoto saw in his visions.
In captivity, the American learns Japanese, the art of swordsmanship and falls in love with Taka, the local woman. They are friends with Katsumoto. He unwittingly actively participates in historical Japanese events and eventually gives up the idea of returning to the US, staying with his beloved.
In addition to the title star, Tom Cruise, the film “The Last Samurai” featured such prominent figures as Ken Watanabe and Hiroyuki Sanada. The soundtrack was composed by Hans Zimmer; it was the 100th film in his career. But for Ken Watanabe, who would later play in Nolan’s “Inception” and “Godzilla”, it was not only the first US film but also the first film where he spoke in English.
It is of interest to note that Hiroyuki Sanada (“The Wolverine”, “Sunshine”, “Mortal Kombat”) had an experience that almost cost the performer the main role in life. In the episode when Nathan Algren rides a horse and dodges Ujio’s katana, the equipment suddenly failed and the mechanical platform that served as a horse did not move down but stayed put. If Sanada had not stopped the blade an inch from Cruise’s neck, the actor’s modern fans would never see either “Top Gun” or new impossible missions.
The film was nominated for the Oscar Award four times, the Saturn Award five times, the Satellite Award four times and the Golden Globe Award three times, apart from the less prominent awards in the movie-making industry.
See also
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Shogun's Samurai
Shogun's Samurai, is a 1978 Japanese historical martial arts film directed and co-written by Kinji Fukasaku. This film is the first of two unrelated Fukasaku films starring Shinichi "Sonny" Chiba as Jubei Mitsuyoshi Yagyu, with the other being Samurai Reincarnation.
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Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto
"Musashi Miyamoto" is a 1954 Japanese film directed and co-written by Hiroshi Inagaki, starring Toshiro Mifune. It is the first film in Inagaki's Samurai Trilogy of historical adventures. The film is adapted from Eiji Yoshikawa's novel "Musashi," originally serialized in the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun from 1935 to 1939, and is loosely based on the life of the famous Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi.
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Samurai Champloo
"Samurai Champloo" is a 2004 Japanese historical adventure anime television series and the debut production of studio Manglobe. Spanning 26 episodes, it aired from May 2004 to March 2005, initially on Fuji TV and later across the Fuji Network System. In North America, it was broadcast on Adult Swim and released commercially by Geneon Entertainment and later Crunchyroll. MVM Films handled the English release in the United Kingdom, while Madman Entertainment managed distribution in Australia and New Zealand. A manga adaptation was serialized in Monthly Shonen Ace in 2004 and subsequently released in North America by Tokyopop the following year.
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Samurai Jack
"Samurai Jack" follows the journey of a young prince (voiced by Phil LaMarr) from a feudal Japanese kingdom. His father, the emperor of Japan (voiced by Sab Shimono as an elder and Keone Young as a younger man), received a magical katana from three gods—Ra, Rama, and Odin—which he used to defeat and imprison the demon Aku (voiced by Mako, and later by Greg Baldwin in Season 5). Eight years later, Aku escaped, conquered the land, and imprisoned the emperor. The prince's mother sent him away to train and return with the magic sword to defeat Aku. Upon his return, the now-samurai prince nearly defeats Aku, but the demon casts him into the distant future.
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Samurai Cat
What happens when you combine the internet’s favorite animal with sword-wielding Japanese warriors? You get the 2014 Japanese comedy-drama "Neko Samurai," or "Cat Samurai" (or "Samurai Cat").
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Samurai Assassin 1965
Based on a famous incident in Japanese history, Samurai Assassin presumes some historical knowledge from its audience, but don’t let that deter you. Most of the movie is fictional.
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Blue Eye Samurai
Set in 1600s Japan, the series stars Maya Erskine as a mixed-race samurai named Mizu, driven by a quest for bloody revenge. The show, titled Blue Eye Samurai, features breathtaking fight scenes and an all-star cast. One memorable sequence sees Mizu backed to the edge of a seaside cliff, surrounded by the Four Fangs, master swordsmen intent on her demise. Over an intense eight minutes, she transforms the precarious terrain into a battleground, defying physics as she dismantles her enemies. The scene culminates in a stunning visual with a death blow delivered against the backdrop of a crashing wave bathed in the red glow of sunset, resembling combat on the lip of a volcano.
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Red lion
The film by the Japanese director Kihachi Okamoto "Red Lion" was first seen by the audience in 1969. The plot of the picture takes place during a period of turbulent events in the history of Japan in 1866-67, which ended the Edo era and preceded the imperial restoration. Kihachi Okamoto's favorite features are the introduction of sudden plot twists and an unexpected ending. The film "Red Lion" was no exception in this sense. It begins as a set of comedic situations that take place with comical characters. But gradually the plot becomes more and more serious coloring and eventually ends in tragedy.
