The Last Samurai

I saw the movie "The Last Samurai", the second time for me.
It was released in 2003, directed by Edward Zwick, starred by Tom Cruise and produced by Marshall Herskovitz Edward Zwick Tom Cruise and others.
And Timothy Spall, Ken Watanabe, Billy Connolly, Tony Goldwyn, Hiroyuki Sanada, Koyuki, and Shin Koyamada in supporting roles.
The film was nominated for four Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor (Ken Watanabe), Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design and Best Sound (Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer and Jeff Wexler). It was also nominated for three Golden Globe Awards: Best Supporting Actor (Watanabe), Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama (Tom Cruise) and Best Score (Hans Zimmer).

This was a big hit!
It grossed a total of $456 million at the box office!
Yay.
This one is very popular in Japan as well.
A lot of Japanese actors are in this film.

An article says this story was written inspired by Satsuma Rebellion led by Saigō Takamori in 1877.
And Tom Cruise played as Nathan Algren who was an American army officer fighting at a American Civil War and Indian Wars.

And this story is related to Meiji Restoration in Japan in 19th century.
It's one of the most exciting subject for me.
Tom Cruise was so good and direction of Edward Zwick as well.
But I didn't understand why Americans--director, scenario writers and producers were attracted by Japanese rebellion.
And Japanese Samurai and Bushido.
Americans were the primary people that tried to force Japanese westernization.
And Japan followed that.
And now, most Japanese even don't know what Japanese Samurais were like.
Or What Bushido was.
This movie shows them.
Although it's created by American guys.
We Japanese were taught them by Americans!

Anyway, I was glad that ancient Japan and Japanese are depicted beautifully.
And a little bit sadly.
Also we, Japanese can learn about ancient Japan and Samurai and Bushido by watching it.
I was impressed that Americans have studied and known well about them.
Including Japanese way of thinking and national character.

Japan had greatly changed since the Meiji Restoration.
After more than 200 year national isolation, japan was forced to open a port by the Great Powers from Western countries including the US.
That's the Meiji Restoration.
And some of samurais had resisted the change.
Especially, young samurais called "Huhei Shizoku", or discontented element.
Japan abolished a system of social rank, the four social classes:
warriors, farmers, craftsmen, and merchants after Meiji restoration.
As a result, a lot of samurais lost their job and privilege as samurai.
And some of them were dissatisfied with that.
It led to several Japan's civil wars including "the Seinan war".
That's one of the biggest Japan's civil war and the last one in the country.
This movie was inspired by the incident and created.

Anyway, direction is superb.
Camerawork and performance of actors as well.
There are a lot of remarkable scenes.
Beautiful scenery, several splendid battle scenes.
And touching story between Nathan Algren(Tom Cruise) and Katsumoto's family members and villagers.
Nathan starts to discover and is attracted to Japan's way of living and thinking, little by little.
Japanese mind. And Bushido.
Actually he had been suffering from alcoholism by the trauma of American civil war and Indian war.
He had experiences of killing civilians including kids and women.
While he lives in the village where Katsumoto and his family and company are living in, he starts to get back his quiet and peaceful mind.
On the other hand, Katsumoto has been attracted to Algren.
To his mysterious appeal.
To his fierceness as a fighter and his mind.
And later, Katsumoto notices those characters are his own ones.
He is a noble spirit man and he finds the same spirit in Nathan.
At the same time Nathan Algren starts to be attracted to Taka, Katsumoto's young sister.
She is a young, beautiful woman with two children.
And her husband was killed by Algren in the first battle between Katsumoto's army and national army.
Director, Edward Zwick said in his comment of this movie,
"This battle is the first scene I imagined to create this film."
Fierce, ominous samurais emerge from a foggy bamboo grove.
"I wanted to depict that."
Indeed, this is one of remarkable scenes.

Anyway, Taka's husband was killed by Algren in this battle.
That's why she hated him at first.
But little by little she is also attracted by him through the days spending together.
And many experiences---living, fighting against national army including Ninjas.
Fighting, protecting each other they become like a family.

Algren decides to go back to his own country for a time.
But he changes his mind and stays Japan to rescue Katsumoto.
And fight with their enemy together.
Decides to share his fate.

At last, final day of the battle has come.
That's the most moving, magnificent and splendid scenes.
There are three times of battle on that day.
And final one is beyond description.
It's marvelous.
I'd like to put it on the list "One of the best scenes in the film history".
Camerawork, movement of actors and horses and music are just great.
Also, however, that scene is too sad and tragic.

Thanks to their sacrifice, Japan's restoration has done.
You will know real Japanese through this film.
By seeing ancient people and samurai.

I read Magic tree house fact tracker, "Ninjas and Samurai" by Mary Pope Osborne and Pope Boyce.
It says--
*The code of bushido prepared samurai to die without fear.
For them a death in battle was the best death of all."
Also it says,
*A samurai's loyalty to his daimyo or shogun was key.
He had to put his lord above everyone, including his family and himself.

Also,
*Samurai were expected to get up early, dress neatly, never complain, and have perfect manners.

That's great.
But I'm not sure if samurai's way of living or bushido was really right.
If they were really happy.
However I know they were great people.
Their spirit or bushido gave great influence on all other Japanese.
And spread among them.
Moreover, we all modern Japanese have inherited them, I guess.
Or I hope.

I was really impressed by this movie and people who created it.
Though they are Americans, they understand Japanese more deeply than us, Japanese.
And I'd like to write a scenario for Tom Cruise!
----someday, maybe. ----something.