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| Starring: Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe, Shin Koyamada,
Hiroyuki Sanada Directed by:
Edward Zwick |
Theatrical Release: 2003
DVD Release: 2004
Released by: Warner Home Video Dolby
Digital 5.1
Widescreen (anamorphic) |
The Last Samurai is a well-made film, if a little
over-simplistic and Anglo-centric. Yes, the Samurai were noble warriors with a strong code
of honor, but they were also wildly xenophobic and fiercely opposed to progress. It seems
very condescending to suggest that the Samurai needed a white man to save them. These
factors are minor, though, and can be forgiven in light of the excellence of the rest of
the film. This isn't a history lesson, it's entertainment, and in that regard The Last
Samurai is superb.
The Real Story If
you were to choose PBS Home Video's Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire (**1/2) by
its title alone, you might think you were in for a documentary on the daily life of the
Japanese people during the country's renaissance, but the DVD's cover art gives a more
accurate portrayal of the three episodes therein. It follows 250 years of Shogun rule,
with enough blood, politics, and military strategy for even the most hardened worshippers
of Japan's history from the 16th to the 19th centuries. The DVD is narrated by Richard
Chamberlain, the old Shogun himself, and there is little to criticize in what is presented
-- a well-made docudrama that is both historically accurate and artfully portrayed. Why,
then, did I not enjoy this DVD very much? I prefer my reality to be as real as possible,
à la the films of Ken Burns, who lets stories tell themselves through period pictures,
letters, and firsthand accounts. Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire is more
spectacular for sure, perhaps because of the history it recounts, but it's less human, as
well. Still, it is a decent overview of the Shogun era and a good supplement to The
Last Samurai.
...Marc Mickelson
marc@hometheatersound.com |
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A beautiful-looking film, The Last Samurai's lush
cinematography is captured well on DVD. The colors are all clean and consistent, with no
blooming or streaking -- whites and blacks are excellent. There is a lot of fine detail to
be found in the armor, the characters' faces, and the wooden beams of the houses. There is
some blurring during the faster action, and backgrounds could be sharper, but overall this
is a good presentation.
The sound is a bit more problematic than the images. Mostly
front-loaded, the audio design seems to miss a few chances to really show off, as in the
large battle scenes or when the titanic cannons thunder. Dialogue is crisp and clear, and
the attention paid to environmental sounds makes the world of that age come alive. The
score by Hans Zimmer (his 100th score) is understated and powerful, never dwarfed by the
other sounds, but never drowning them out either.
To preserve the image and sound quality, the only extra on
the first disc of this set is an informative commentary by director Edward Zwick. Disc 2
features "Tom Cruise: A Warrior's Journey," a 13-minute discussion with the
actor that focuses more on Japan and the Samurai than his own experiences working on the
film. "Edward Zwick: Director's Video Journal" is a fine companion piece to his
commentary, offering on-set footage and the challenges of getting the scene on film.
"Making an Epic: A Conversation with Edward Zwick and Tom Cruise" may have the
longest title in the extras, but doesn't offer much more than the pair's individual
featurettes.
"Bushido: The Way of the Warrior" is a text-based
feature that presents the kanji character for the seven principles of bushido and an
explanation of each. "History vs. Hollywood: The Last Samurai" is a 20-minute
documentary from the History Channel, which does a nice job of educating viewers about the
accuracy of the film. Here, at least, the dark side of the Samurai is given in a
historical context.
"A World of Detail: Production Design with Lilly
Kilvert" gives an in-depth explanation of what it took to turn the back lot of the
Warner Brothers studio into late-19th-century Japan not once, but twice. "Silk and
Armor: Costume Design" is a short look at the clothes of the film, and "Imperial
Army Basic Training" shows the process of teaching all the extras how not to kill one
another with the various weapons. Finally, we get "From Soldier to Samurai: The
Weapons," which discusses the arms used in the film.
There are two deleted scenes with optional commentary from
Zwick, and footage from the premieres in Tokyo and Kyoto that feature subtitled interviews
with the cast. Of course, we get trailers, as well. |
