The Last Samurai

1) Japan. The end of XIXcentury,Capt. NathanAlgren(main section), an Americanmilitary officer hired bythe Emperor of Japanto trainthe countrysfirst armyof the ascending sunto contemporary artof warfare. The Emperoris trying toeradicate the old-fashi one(a)dImperialwarriorclassof samurai, in preparation fora morepro-Western disposal policiessupportingforeign trade. Meanwhile,as a result ofcollisions with thesamurai,Algrenfinds himself in the contract ofthe confrontationof two worlds andcivilizations,wherethe sole(prenominal) way tosurviveisguided byits induceconceptof honor. ) Nathan Algren What do you want? Katsumoto To do my enemy. Nathan Algren Ive appearn what you do to your enemies. Katsumoto Warriors in your country do non kill? Nathan Algren They dont cut the heads off defeated, kneeling men. Katsumoto General Hasegawa asked me to help him end his life. A samurai cannot stand the shame of defeat. I was honored to cut off his head. Katsumoto And who was your general? Nat han Algren Dont you have a mutiny to lead? Katsumoto People in your country do not desire conversation? Nathan Algren He was alieutenant colonel.His name wasCuster. Katsumoto I know this name. He killed many warriors. Nathan Algren Oh, yes. Many warriors. Katsumoto So he was a nice general. Nathan Algren No. He wasnt a rock-steady general. He was arrogant and foolhardy. And he got massacred because he took a single battalion against two thousand stormy Indians. Katsumoto Two thousand Indians? How many men for Custer? Nathan Algren Two hundred and eleven. Katsumoto I like this General Custer. Nathan Algren He was a murderer who fell in love with his own legend. And his troopers died for it.Katsumoto I think this is a very good death. Nathan Algren Well, maybe you can have one just like it someday. 3) Differences amidst the two culturesof these countriesare very strongas wecan see inthe dialogue, Nathan Algrenprotagonistdoes not understandwhat Katsumoto,the rebel leadersays, furt heronly inthe beginning andat the end ofthe submit conditionquite cookly showshow Englishman understood the ancient culture ofJapan. In this impressionthe bestscenesis a cuneusicdeath,lets say,three hundredJapanese who encounteredby continuousfire from theguns andhowitzers.Herewe are talking aboutpersonal chivalry and military honor,above all,including devotion totheir rulerorlord. The humanpersonality, which clay independent and free, even inthe moment of death,whenmade a witting choicebetweenfame and infamy,isthe main measure ofvalue. And this,directorshowedthe viewers byeyesof the protagonist,a foreigner. The fact that hehas mastered theculture which he didnt know at all andin the end intractable to befor it. 4) Finally, I want to say that the main principle of endurance in the harsh environment of foreign life is adaptation.And I chose this film because there are clearly shown and gradually as the main character throughout the film get used to the Japanese environment. The p rotagonist, taken captive by samurai, gradually turns into a samurai. Contemplation of people indifferent to his own death, talks with rebel leader Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe), stating that the person who saw the perfect condition of a flower, has lived a life not in vain, a clear rhythm and strict rest of life around make from American captain a new man.He understands why his former enemies absolute hero not the one who kept the army and strategic positions, but the one who led a detachment of 211 troops against the two thousandth. And he understands why Katsumoto smiles happily when he heard that all 300 soldiers were killed Spartanat Thermopylae he understands why widow of killed by him Samurai nursed him after being wounded killed for a fair fight can not be an enemy. And, realizing this, Olgren wears the captain samurai armor, stands in order of their recent opponents and comes with a brand against guns and howitzers.Predetermined outcome of the battle, but it absolutely does not matter death only worthy end of life as a single eucharist of honor. Therefore, before the final battle, the protagonist offers a simple truth, which requires a languish way to me fate can not be change or submit- the fate amenable to recognition only. University of International Business and Economics The persist Samurai Intercultural communication Student Farrukh Khamraev ID IUP2010070 Date November 29,2011 Beijing, 2011