“The Last Samurai” is a film centered around the idea of journeying physically, spiritually, emotionally and mentally. We witness these journeys not only through observations of a character going through a personal transformation but a whole culture around him who is likewise in turmoil. This film allows us to join in on an adventure and journey of the character, the world he enters and the people he meets. The story is based on a time just after the Civil War, a time when the modern western world which had just encroached upon the American West, condemning the Native American, began to engulf traditional Japan as well. The purpose of this film is to give a voice to these people, to share in their struggles and experiences and be enlightened, as the protagonist is, at their way of living and their out look on life and its purpose. The audience is simply people with a connection to the struggles of a culture undergoing rapid changes by modern development. Any person passionate about culture and tradition and simply, any person who can open their mind to a world unknown to them and to learn from it. As well as this we must recognize that it is a Hollywood production and its purpose first and foremost would be entertainment, and being able to satisfy the wants of the majority. The film’s two main characters help convey meanings throughout the entire film about the journeys that are undergone. Katsumoto, the last remaining leader of the Samurai and in particular Captain N...
Akira Kurosaw’s Seven Samurai is a film that encompasses various ideologies in order to allow the audience to understand the lives of Japanese people during the 1600’s. The film delves deep in social issues of the roles of the people within the society, the expectations as well as the obligations within the respected castes and elements within groups of ; suffering, working together, protecting family and working for the better good of the community.
In conclusion, Katsu’s tale allows one to delve deep into the day to day life of an unemployed samurai during the end of the Tokugawa era. His life can be observed to see the immense privilege the samurai status held. Not only that, he displays the values of a samurai warrior and although he does not act like an honorable samurai, he is an honorable warrior. Katsu displays the tenacity of both samurai privileges and values during the late Tokugawa shogunate. Although his life may not exemplify the ideal samurai, it does in fact allow one to observe the life of an ordinary samurai.
In the 2004 movie, Hidalgo, the story of how a cowboy and cavalry dispatch rider, billed as the “world’s greatest endurance rider,” is challenged to compete for pride, honor, and his own survival in a 3,000 mile long race known as the Ocean of Fire. Likewise, the story of The Last Samurai depicts how a civil war era captain is charged with the responsibility of training a “modern” Japanese military force, and is captured by Samurai warriors in a battle to quell the Samurai rebellion. While he is being held by his captors, he learns the ways of the Samurai and must use his new skills to fight for his, as well as Japan’s pride, honor, and cultural survival. This essay will attempt to draw similarities between Hidalgo and The Last Samurai by examining the individual feats accomplished by the movie’s main characters as well as explain how these seemingly dissimilar movie plots are actually quite similar.
Overall, the object of this movie is to entertain the audience sitting at home watching it, laughing at the mishaps and situations that happen along the way. The question is, however, at who’s expense does the laughter come? Perpetuating this stereotype only goes to further damage the way Asian Americans are seen by the American public. Also during the time the movie was being made, the yen and the dollar were in competition over which had more value. This movie in a subtle way suggests that American workers can overcome any adversity, while the Asian cast is lucky to have such determined Americans to help them out of their problems. The movie serves to inspire Americans by relying on a stereotype of Asians to show that Asian are weak and Americans are strong, and that they can overcome any challenge they rally behind.
Masatsusu, Mitsuyuki. 1982. The Modern Samurai Society: Duty and Dependence in Contemporary Japan. New York: AMACOM.
Human beings are fascinated by heroes. Joseph Campbell believes that throughout history heroes have followed a hero’s journey model or monomyth. This means that there are common patterns that can be found in many hero stories. Time after time, people have read about heroes leaving the ordinary world to complete the quest that will change mankind and better the hero. While many tasks and challenges may lie in the hero’s way they always return victorious. The Hero serves a dual purpose. Heroes are smart, brave and resilient. They show the world what is possible through hard work and perseverance. Heroes also reflect the fears and limitations that people are faced with. Heros inspires people to be the best versions of themselves. Chihiro the main character in Hayao Miyazaki’s film Spiri
The movie is all about the Joad family and their pursuit to find the American dream. They are a very poor family who lives during the great depression. They decide to leave their home that gets demolished and move to California in order to hopefully get some work, make some money, and eventually one day own land of their own again. The main themes of this movie were the pursuit of the American dream, and how it can be completely different depending on the people. The Joad family when compared to Jay Gatsby or The Buchanan family. They did not want everything, they just wanted to be fed and have a place to call their
The film’s major focal point is on the life of women. Women in the 50s were seen as objects and not for who they really were. Women were disrespected by men instead of being treated like the queens they were born to become. Men would violate the women with his eyes instead of being a kind gentleman towards them. Women were expected to stay at the house and care for the household duties instead of becoming the independent person that a woman is. The modern society still believes some of the themes of the 50s. Many men still tell a woman that she is to stay in the kitchen, but many women stand up and fight back for their individual rights. The women in the 50s had little to no individual rights. As society changes throughout the years, women have slowly claimed their place in the world and have demanded the respect of many
The movie depicts what it was like to be Australian in the decades of the 50’s and 60’s and the decisions of the Australian government over this period, through the journey of four Aboriginal women and one Irish man. The movie explores the treatment of indigenous people living in this era in comparison to white Australians. The unique ways in which the characters made their living provided for scrutiny, judgement and vulnerability. In the movie you see just how differently the Aboriginal community was treated compared to the white Australians during these era’s.
...ile the war is still happening. The lack of freedom and human rights can cause people to have a sad life. Their identity, personality, and dignity will be vanish after their freedom and human right are taking away. This is a action which shows America’s inhuman ideas. It is understandable that war prison should be put into jail and take away their rights; but Japanese-American citizen have nothing to do with the war. American chooses to treat Jap-American citizen as a war prisoner, then it is not fair to them because they have rights to stay whatever side they choose and they can choose what ever region they want. Therefore, Otasuka’s novel telling the readers a lesson of how important it is for people to have their rights and freedom with them. People should cherish these two things; if not, they will going to regret it.
This movie is a wonderful production starting from 1960 and ending in 1969 covering all the different things that occurred during this unbelievable decade. The movie takes place in many different areas starring two main families; a very suburban, white family who were excepting of blacks, and a very positive black family trying to push black rights in Mississippi. The movie portrayed many historical events while also including the families and how the two were intertwined. These families were very different, yet so much alike, they both portrayed what to me the whole ‘message’ of the movie was. Although everyone was so different they all faced such drastic decisions and issues that affected everyone in so many different ways. It wasn’t like one person’s pain was easier to handle than another is that’s like saying Vietnam was harder on those men than on the men that stood for black rights or vice versa, everyone faced these equally hard issues. So it seemed everyone was very emotionally involved. In fact our whole country was very involved in president elections and campaigns against the war, it seemed everyone really cared.
Yukio Mishima’s Temple of the Golden Pavilion represents the hardships, evil, and rebirth throughout the timeline of the war and after, creating the individual experience and perspective of a young man fighting his own personal, internal wars. This is highlighted through first person accounts of brutal acts of military officials and the contrast of the beauty in
In the beginning of the novel, “The Pillars of the Earth”, written by Ken Follett, an innocent young man is hanged, as a priest, monk, and knight watch. Who this man is, his overall importance, and his connections to other characters’ shapes and molds the story as it progresses. This young man acts like a central point, as someone who ties in everyone else’s paths to create the storyline, despite the fact he dies in the prologue, before the book even begins.
...director did not limit the film to its historical context but extended the same to romance and fantasy. From a different angle of view, the director made use of the theme to communicate with the viewers and the fictional characters can be considered as his tools. Besides, ample importance is given to historical and fictional characters. In short, the amalgamation of history, fantasy and romance constituted much to the film’s importance as a historical/fictional masterpiece.
The movie opens with rain pouring down onto the ruins of the ancient, eponymous Rashomon, a formerly grand structure was once a city gate, but now lies in an unsavory and derelict district. The gate serves as the principle setting of the frame story, wherein, while waiting for the rain to subside, a woodcutter, a priest, and a peasant discuss the strange murder of the samurai. The gate is also symbolic, representing the decline of Japan immediately fo...