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Orion12
12-16-2000, 14:34
I saw this movie when I was very young and prior to having any interest in Japan or Samurai. I do not remember the name of the movie but I recall that it took place just after Japan had surrendered from World War II.
Anyway the movie is about a US reconnaissance officer undercover on some island occupied by Japanese forces.
If I remember correctly the Japanese forces have to withdrawl from the island but their commander is so ashamed of Japans surrender he refuses to leave and decides live out the rest of his life on the island as a hermit.
I believe the commander was also requistioned to turn in his sword which he refused to do. (The Japan military stopped issuing swords to their military after the surrender and removed them from the army.)
Anyway throughout the movie this US recon guy and Japanese Commander become aware of eachother on this island. The Japanese commander proceeds to hunt down the recon officer and capture him, but instead of killing him he takes him out onto the beach and begins to beat him with a makeshift bamboo sword.
The Recon guy suffers a lot of these beatings on the beach during his time as prisoner but one day the Japanese officer brings 2 bamboo makeshift swords.
He begins to teach the marine or whoever he was basic strikes and blocks and over the course of weeks leading to months the Recon guy becomes a proficient swordsmen as the two train and duel together everyday on the beach, with the commander winning each battle.
At the end of the movie the Japanese commander comes onto the beach carrying two real swords and indicates they are going to fight for real this time. Their is sort of a love hate relationship between these two and the marine doesn't really see any sense in killing one or the other, especially since throughout the movie they cannot even communicate with eachother. But I think that the Japanese commander says something about fighting his last battle as a Samurai and I believe intended to train this marine until he was actually a better swordsmen than himself so the marine would kill him in the end and at least saving his honor since the surrender of Japan had taken it away.
Needless to say there was a lengthy duel and the American although severely wounded did manage to strike a killing blow on the commander and I think as the commander lay dying on the beach he offered the American his sword and gave him thanks for allowing him do die with honor and face.
Then yadda yadda yadda, I forget what happens after that. Although I do remember at one point in the movie the Japanese commander took a nun as a prisoner and used his sword to cut strips from her clothes (while she was in them) to bandage an injury. I think at the end she and the marine ran off together.
Anway does anyone know the name of this movie? It was low budget and looked to have been made in the early eighties.

Kurando
12-16-2000, 15:25
It sounds like you could be talking about "Hell in the Pacific" (http://us.imdb.com/Title?0063056) staring Lee Marvin and
ToshirĂ´ Mifune?

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/6305617554.01.MZZZZZZZ.gif

Is that it?

Anyway, if you liked that one another similar film that I highly recommend is Kon Ichikawa's horrifying 1959 Anti-War film "Nobi" (http://us.imdb.com/Title?0053121) (a.k.a. "Fires On The Plain" in it's English release)

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/6302844282.01.MZZZZZZZ.gif

I saw it at an international film festival about 15 years ago, and it haunts me to this day.

An interesting footnote about Nobi:
When I saw it I was accompanied by a Japanese friend and he told me he could barely understand the dialogue. He explained that it was performed in "old style" Japanese (maybe similar to old-school Shakespeareian parlance compared to modern English), most interesting...

Orion12
12-17-2000, 05:19
I don't think that was it. At some point did Mifune shave his head? I remember the Japanese commander fought with his head shaved at the end of the movie.

Ieyasu
12-17-2000, 14:57
I haven't seen that film myself, Orion... but I have heard so much about Ichikawa's "Fires on the Plain". I have to see that soon. Thanks for bringing it back to the forefront of my soggy head.

On old language... yes, there is an older dialect that many modern generations cannot understand. Kabuki theatre is presented often in ancient dialects (as Shakespeare, I guess, but I think it's even farther in its disparity to present-day speak). They handed out translation devices for foreign languages AND for Japanese folks. LOL. I thought that was quite interesting.

Tachikaze
12-17-2000, 15:54
I haven't seen the film you're talking about, but it's definitely not Hell in the Pacific.

solypsist
12-18-2000, 03:26
While that movie sounds like some vacations I've had...well...apparently it's not the right movie.
Actually, anyone seen Tetsuo- The Iron Man (or the follow-up)?? Now THAT'S something.

Kurando
12-18-2000, 04:32
LOL, Tetsuo- The Iron Man, and the second one: Tetsuo- Body Hammer yes I've seen them. Now the guy who wrote those screenplays has problems, scarey problems...

It explains a lot about you that you would even have heard of those shows soly, (same goes for me I guess). http://www.totalwar.org/ubb/smile.gif