the last sameri

[vlad_demstra]

hello all,

I was wondering if this movie is based on truth. If so can anyone give me links or books to read on this subject. thanks.

[RZST]

as far as i know it aint real. :)
i mean cmon, how real can a white guy be a samurai in feudal japan?

[Phatose]

No, it's not a historical story. It's a work of fiction, very loosely related to real events. But the white guy joins the samurai part was made up.



http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news....ml#main (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/12/1202_031202_lastsamurai.html#main)


http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedc....ies_7_0 (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dallas/entertainment/stories/120703dnartjapan.b75ee.html?cslink=cs_movies_7_0)




Tom Cruise's character is described as having As much historical basis as a teenage mutant ninja turtle. Pretty much sums it up.

[Gregoshi]

This makes me wonder if Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3 is fiction too... http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-confused.gif

[Voigtkampf]

Quote[/b] (Gregoshi @ Mar. 07 2004,02:34)]This makes me wonder if Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3 is fiction too... http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-confused.gif
Oh, dear... What comes next? Lord of the Rings?

[katar]

if they had done a historical film about that period without the gaijin i would have watched it.

watching Cruise on screen is not my idea of a good time. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-no.gif

[PseRamesses]

Quote[/b] (voigtkampf @ Mar. 07 2004,02:56)]
Quote[/b] (Gregoshi @ Mar. 07 2004,02:34)]This makes me wonder if Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3 is fiction too... http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-confused.gif
Oh, dear... What comes next? Lord of the Rings?
...and I talked to Chewie on the phone a while back and he told me that Star Wars is NOT based on real events? What´s next... Matrix? No, not that one ehh?

[Ragss]

You guys should all do yourselves a favor and see this movie. It is absolutely amazing. One of my all time favorites, right up there with the likes of bravheart.

And how he becomes a psuedo samurai is suprisingly plausable.

[Voigtkampf]

Quote[/b] (Ragss @ Mar. 07 2004,03:29)]You guys should all do yourselves a favor and see this movie. It is absolutely amazing. One of my all time favorites, right up there with the likes of bravheart.

And how he becomes a psuedo samurai is suprisingly plausable.
Been there, saw it, loved it Great soundtrack too, Hans Zimmer strikes again.

As for a plausible explanation of him becoming a samurai, I agree upon that wholeheartedly; Cruise just helped an average viewer to bring closer the Japanese culture while confronting it to western cultures.

[Seven.the.Hun]

yes, the last samurai i would recommend highly...much better than i thought it would be,
not the biggest tom cruise fan at all, although he did well with vanilla sky and he was wise to jump on board this samurai movie, and i was impressed by his work in it...supremely impressed by the actor who played Katsumoto...an epic movie that was well made, a great soundtrack, and very very sad...
2 swords up
http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-2thumbsup.gif

[Seven.the.Hun]

oh yes, and ugh, historically accurate ninja, and turtles non the less??? say it isnt so...
and i'm the firm believer in that truth is so often stranger than the fiction... http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-confused.gif

[Crazed Rabbit]

While it probably isn't completely historically accurate, it is an excellent movie. I highly recommend it. It is a grand glimpse at the last of the samurai in Japan.

And don't tell me The Holy Grail was fictional I use it as a historical reference for King Athur and his Knights of the Round Table.

Crazed Rabbit

[vlad_demstra]

I was asking cuz a friend swore up and down it was. I know it had little and loosly based on truth. but he was saying it all happen.

[Gregoshi]

Thanks folks. Now you got my blood boiling to see The Last Samurai. Must check if it is still playing in theaters.

BTW, for those not wise to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, their third movie takes place in Japan in the 1500's about the time guns were arriving. Thus the connect with historical accuracy. Heck even I know Star Wars isn't real...but I'm still holding out hope for MiddleEarth. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/cool.gif

[Voigtkampf]

Make sure you catch it if it's still running, Gregoshi , I went and found some of the last performances, only some twenty people, but it was still a decent great theater. It's truly an epic movie, and Katsumoto actor did great job, though Tom Cruise was also fair enough. My girl liked him even more, can't figure out why…

[Gregoshi]

Too late. I have to wait until May 4 for it to come out on DVD. I snoozed and I losed. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-zzz.gif http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-no.gif

[Puzz3D]

While not about the period in question, I would recommend the recently published book Flyboys by James Bradley for the way it ties Japanese military attitudes and actions in the first half of the 20th century back to a distortion of the samurai tradition by their modern military leaders. The personal experiences recounted are gut wrenching, and are placed in the context of a big picture which stretches from the early 1800's to 1947. A very well written and researched book which doesn't pull any punches, and maintains a balanced perspective.

[Seven.the.Hun]

oh i caught the movie again at the dollarfifty theatre...just as good when it goes around again...still couldnt stress enough how great the soundtrack is...one so good is rare in movies these days... http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/cheers.gif and http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/cheers.gif again

[Nowake]

No, it's not real. The usual american bullshait. You know that part in the movie where they say that they look in Germany for engineers, in France for etc and in America for warriors? It ain't true. After 1870 the japanese army was reorganised with prussian instructors.


So let be http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[Suppiluliumas]

I was disgusted by the Progress=evil theme and by the unbalanced portrayal of the Samurai class (all of the good and none of the bad). I found it to be insulting to my intelligence. The costumes, music and cinematography were nice though. Watch it to be intertained, not to learn anything of value.

[Mablung]

Lord of the Rings fiction?? News to me http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-dizzy2.gif I could have sworn Sam Gamgee lived next door http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-stunned.gif

[RZST]

Quote[/b] (mablung of the heavy hand @ Mar. 16 2004,21:45)]Lord of the Rings fiction?? News to me http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-dizzy2.gif I could have sworn Sam Gamgee lived next door http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/gc-stunned.gif
nope, thats probably your neighbors dog.

oh and some of the scenes in TLS were not real, ie: they were digitally created, like in the end where the samurai were charging the maxim guns(beautifull scene btw), all the horses you saw were all digitally created O_O; it looked bloody real to me, most of the stab/slash/poke/arrowpoke/poke scenes were also vfx created.

its pretty awesome :)

[Yussuf]

Quote[/b] (katar @ Mar. 07 2004,03:21)]if they had done a historical film about that period without the gaijin i would have watched it.
When the last sword is drawn would be such a film.

Review of the film (http://www.kungfucinema.com/reviews/whenthelastswordisdrawn.htm)

[Seven.the.Hun]

well, my take, anyway...
how cares about historical accuracy???

i mean it is a MOVIE, besides, anyone who wants to buy into the truth of anything spawned from television is unwise...i mean actors/scripting/ads/propaganda/misdirection...on and on and on, tis no secret that media lies (cleverly by merely omitting portions of truth) and so called documentaries are also 'someone's version' of the 'truth'...usually 'someone' who was not a witness to the lesson...

movies are entertaining, that's all, seeking truth is better done within one's own brain, and making judgements of truth is tricky at best,

i say if truth is your only entertainment, finding it on the big screen or any screen is not gonna happen...watch as much LIVE tv as possible, or attempt to film your own movie of something u witnessed, then a maybe...otherwise, that flashy screen will only forever yield the 'soiled' truth...

admire the art, learn what u can, never forget that often truth is stranger than fiction...enjoy the show

and bty...my apologies for blasting the issue so badly, but i have never seen the logic in the debate of historical accuracy of stuff on a screen or letters on a page that someone else wrote, since perspective is rarely understood, then it usually causes a bit more in the mass confusion
but great movie anyway...

[squippy]

There was a real figure who may or may not be the inspiration for the film, Samurai William. I only saw the book, I have not read it myself:

http://www.bookpage.com/0301bp/nonfiction/samurai_william.html

[vlad_demstra]

Quote[/b] ]oh and some of the scenes in TLS were not real, ie: they were digitally created, like in the end where the samurai were charging the maxim guns(beautifull scene btw), all the horses you saw were all digitally created O_O; it looked bloody real to me, most of the stab/slash/poke/arrowpoke/poke scenes were also vfx created.


thats kinda interasting.. where did you find this info out?

[RZST]

Link 1 (http://www.cgnetworks.com/story_custom.php?story_id=1909&page=)
Link 2 (http://www.rendernode.com/articles.php?articleId=106)
Link 3 (http://www.cgnetworks.com/story.p....)


Quote[/b] ]Some of the key sequences that Digital Dimension relied on 3ds max were multiple shots involving the integration of a photorealistic 3D sword and lance into live-action footage. 3ds max was used to design and texture the weapons, and then blend the CG weapons with the users' hands while matching the CG lighting with the live-action lighting.

pretty interesting stuff :)