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*** Official THE LAST SAMURAI Discussion Thread

post #1 of 189
11/10/03 at 8:01am
Thread Starter 
Other than Return of the King, this is my most anticipated film for the rest of the year. The full theatrical trailer has just hit the theaters (with Revolutions), and it looks great. Not as effective as the teaser, but I like it's almost silent film approach, and John Toll's amazing cinematography shines through wonderfully. Ed Zwick has been out of the game for a while--nice to see him back to work. Also, you can hear some score samples by Hans Zimmer on the official website. They sound decent, yet somewhat formulaic for him (very Gladiator like). I hope there's more to it!

There are some early reviews out, and the general consensus has been positive. What do you think?

I have a feeling this is going to be one of the best of 2003.
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post #2 of 189
11/10/03 at 10:24am
Looks like another great epic, and I love the score in the trailer, not sure if that's music in the movie though.
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post #3 of 189
11/10/03 at 10:29am
I liked the teaser trailer better but it looks great, will see it when it hits the theaters !
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post #4 of 189
11/10/03 at 11:04am
Click here to see 44 stills from the movie.
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post #5 of 189
11/10/03 at 11:04am
I have high hopes for this film but I still have a hard time picturing Cruise in this role. I felt the same way about Gibson in Braveheart. Luckily for me about a third of the way into that movie I was convinced that Gibson was William Wallace. I hope for the same reaction to Cruise in LS.

That said, I love period war/action movies and this one looks like it's going to be great.
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post #6 of 189
11/10/03 at 11:36am
Yeah, after RotK, this is my most anticipated film left this year. It looks like it's going to be a winner.

What year is this supposed to be set in? SOmetime after the Civil War, right?
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post #7 of 189
11/10/03 at 1:23pm
After ROTK, this is my anticipated film left this year as well.

Ed Zwick is a solid director and is behind one of my favorite films of all time in Glory.
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post #8 of 189
11/10/03 at 1:29pm
The big question for me is, how similar to "Dances with Wolves" is it? Frankly, I hope they don't deviate from the core too much. It's a solid story that fits well with the Japanese culture and Zwick should give it a good shot.
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post #9 of 189
11/10/03 at 1:51pm
A side note, both, Cruise and Zwick are hosting a Samurai tribute to Kurosawa on Turner Classic Movies channel on November 28th. You can read about it here.
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post #10 of 189
11/10/03 at 7:14pm
Quote:
I have high hopes for this film but I still have a hard time picturing Cruise in this role


Ditto. Everything looks as perfect as it can be for this movie, but Cruise sticks out (literally).

But still its a minor pre-movie gripe as I'm sure within the first 10-15 minutes of this epic my mind will be looking for the more important aspects of the film.

Raymond
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post #11 of 189
11/12/03 at 9:20am
Thread Starter 
http://www.darkhorizons.com/news.htm has the international poster up. Also, a review was posted a couple days ago. Looks positive!

Thanks for the link to those images, Bill!
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post #12 of 189
11/12/03 at 2:40pm
I don't like the idea of playing with history just to have an American character in there so the film will appeal more to western audiences, but if there has to be an American star, then I can't think of anyone better than Tom Cruise actually! So with that said, this is still my most anticipated film of the rest of the year (aside from ROTK), but there is a strong possibility that it won't live up to my expectations.
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post #13 of 189
11/12/03 at 3:21pm
I remember seeing a show not too long ago on TCM about the role of Native Americans in movies and how film would inevitably show a white man becoming a better Native American than the Native Americans themselves - and how offensive that is. This movie seems like exactly the same thing except with an Asian culture in the place of the Native American culture. I want to see the film but everytime I see the trailer, I can't help thinking back to that point. I don't know.
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post #14 of 189
11/12/03 at 3:43pm
The local news mentioned that a stunt mechanical horse stopped at the wrong spot and Tom Cruise was 1" from getting sliced open by a real sword in one of the scenes. Yowie!
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post #15 of 189
11/12/03 at 4:34pm
I have never felt that Costner becomes a “better native American than native Americans” in DWW – he becomes a better person because of what he learns from them. I’m sure the very idea WOULD be offensive, but it’s quite offensive to claim that this is what happens in DWW.

Similarly, I think Last Samurai looks like it will do the same thing with Tom Cruise. He looks like a cocky, no-load cavalry officer who gets his ass kicked and then learns to respect and eventually love the culture he once dismissed. Japanese samurai culture is even better for this dramatic purpose than native Americans, so I’m really looking forward to what they do with it.

I just hope Zwick evades his tendencies to bang us over the head with his message.
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post #16 of 189
11/12/03 at 7:24pm
Quentin,

I'm not sure how the claim would be offensive. The claim has been made about DWW but that is not nearly the only film to have been accused of this. I personally like DWW but, not being a Native American, I can't make any claims on what it looks like from their perspective. Same goes for The Last Samurai. It is interesting however, that these types of movies keep getting made with this similar vein.
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post #17 of 189
11/14/03 at 8:34am
"The big question for me is, how similar to "Dances with Wolves" is it? "

This was exactly my thought when I saw the full length trailer!! Oh well, I guess the only way to find out is to see it !!
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post #18 of 189
11/14/03 at 10:15am
The fact is, a movie entirely set in a foreign land or culture has a difficult time being backed by studios as "an event film" if there isn't an American/European (white) star or told from his/her point of view. There were other major films, most notably The Last Emperor. But these are the rare rare exceptions. Studios simply do not believe Americans will be interested in seeing a film told from the POV of of a non-white character. I dont' think its necessarily true given the right story and character but I can understand why studios would be hesitant. Maybe this is probably one of the reasons why Arthur Golden's book "Memoirs of a Geisha" is having a difficult time being made? Maybe since there are no white characters. But since its a great story and a wildly popular book here in America somebody should make this one soon.

And that DWW shows that a white man can be a better Native American than a Native American is pure rubbish. I've seen that movie many times and I simply do not remember seeing that message anywhere. These "fish out of water" stories invariably show the main character developing into a new type of person by learning the ways of the people around him. Not better than others but a better person than he/she was before.
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post #19 of 189
11/14/03 at 12:38pm
Thread Starter 
Rob Marshall (Chicago) is slated to direct Geisha, after Spielberg abandonded it. Should be interesting to see how that production goes.

From Dark Horizons:

Memoirs of a Geisha: "After months of negotiation, Columbia Pictures, DreamWorks and Miramax Films are closing in on a deal that will allow Rob Marshall to direct 'Geisha' as a co-production among all three studios..."

As for the comparison of Last Samurai to Dances, there may be a great similarity--it remains to be seen. As for the resulting controversy, Quentin summed it up rather well.
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post #20 of 189
11/16/03 at 7:53pm
Thread Starter 
Reviews of Hans Zimmer's score are starting to crop up. You'll find reviews at http://www.filmtracks.com http://www.moviewave.net and 30 second samples from every track are available at http://www.musiconfilm.net

Sounds very good!

Tracksounds should have a review up soon.
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post #21 of 189
11/17/03 at 5:54am
Maybe I'll hear some of the Soundtrack on XM radio in the next few days (probably missed it so far). Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon should have opened up a few doors for exclusively native dramas but Cruise has an undeniable box office draw. Simple reality.
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post #22 of 189
11/17/03 at 6:33am
There was a review at Dark horizons last week that gave it a glowing recommendation
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post #23 of 189
11/17/03 at 8:11am
Same goes for The Last Samurai. It is interesting however, that these types of movies keep getting made with this similar vein.


Fish out of water scenarios can make for good conflict between the principal characters. The tribulations of an outsider trying to adapt to another culture has more possibilities of entertaining conflict than the same scenario using someone familiar with the culture. It doesn't surprise me that these types of movies keep getting made.

From watching the trailers the movie looks promising. While I'm not sure that Cruise is the best selection to play the lead, they could have chosen worse. For example, they could have tried to sign Keanu Reeves.
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post #24 of 189
11/17/03 at 2:59pm
Quote:
For example, they could have tried to sign Keanu Reeves.
It's funny that you said that, because I just read that Keanu is replacing Russell Crowe in Ridley Scott's upcoming epic film Tripoli.
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post #25 of 189
11/21/03 at 5:17am
Have anyone seen the beatiful VR tours that are up the official site! It looks very nice, plus you can hear parts of Hans Zimmers score as well.http://www.movingimage.us/last_samurai/index.html
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post #26 of 189
11/21/03 at 10:18am
Finally caught a good bit of the score on XM and it really sounded good.
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post #27 of 189
11/24/03 at 10:58pm
Saw it tonight. Aside from a few noticably slow stretches in the first 45 minutes, I thought it was damn good.

There's a series of battle sequences in Act III that will blow your socks off.

Odds are, if you're already psyched for this one...you'll dig it. If you're not so interested in it...you'd probably dig it anyway.
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post #28 of 189
11/24/03 at 11:01pm
(And to answer a question posed earlier...the movie takes place in 1876 and 1877.)

Character actor fans take note: William Atherton is in it!
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post #29 of 189
11/25/03 at 12:18pm
Hmmm....sounds like a five star could be in Scott's future...

Great news. I am eagerly looking forward to this one.
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post #30 of 189
11/25/03 at 12:25pm
Hmm, a good review from Scoot. That's a good sign.
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