DESCRIPTION: Already slated as one of the top movies of 2003, "The Last Samurai, " starring Tom Cruise, will be released nationally on December 5, 2003. All script reviews of "The Last Samurai" have been positive, according to www.upcomingmovies.com. The book will contain parts of the script, exclusive stills from the movie, and interviews from the actors, actresses, and the director. Synopsis of Movie: Set in the 1870s, this film captures Japan at the beginnings of its modernization out of a feudal society and the samurai way of life. Enter Captain Woodrow Algren (Tom Cruise), a hard drinking Civil War veteran. He arrives in Japan to train the troops of the emperor, whose army is preparing to wipe out the last vestiges of the samurai warriors. When Algren is captured by the samurai, he sees the samurai way of life and starts to question his loyalties...
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More About the Author
Terry J. Erdmann is the author or co-author of numerous books about the entertainment industry, including Star Trek The Original Series 365, Star Trek 101, Monk: The Official Episode Guide, The Last Samurai Official Companion, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, The Secrets of Star Trek Insurrection, The Magic of Tribbles, The Tribble Handbook, Star Trek: Action! and The 4400 Companion. As a motion picture publicist, he helped to create the marketing campaigns for dozens of films, from Cocoon, Aliens and Willow, to What's Love Got to Do With It, Father of the Bride Part II, G.I. Jane and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. Terry and his wife, writer Paula M. Block, live in Southern Oregon with their two collies, Shadow and Mandy.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great Coffee Table Book,
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This review is from: The Last Samurai (Screenplay and Movie Guide) (Paperback)
The book not a technically accurate in some instances, but a good introduction to a culture and civilization which is often unnecessarily portrayed as inscrutible.Some military misconceptions: bushido is portrayed as a tangible code of rules instead of an ambiguous warrior ethic. They say that the Way of archery (kyudo) was Japan's first martial art and that it existed before the Way of the spear (yarido), which in turn existed before the Way of the sword (kendo), but the Way refers to peaceful applications of deadly arts, which are more accurately (though not universally) referred to as kyujutsu, yarijutsu, and kenjutsu. In another instance, it says, "ashigaru," which means foot soldier, practiced the specialty of "The Way of the Bow and the Horse." There are excerpts from the screenplay, but they are far from complete and are used basically as side bars to David James's photographs which are stunning. Something that could have truly added to the book is a listing of credits. On the positive side, the book does a good job of explaining Algren's flashbacks to the Sand Creek massacre, the production of costumes, set, weapons and armor. And of particular note is the training of horses for the film. Beautiful pictures and insights into the movie, but almost as much, and in some instances, more can be found at its website - www.lastsamurai.com. Don't use this as a reference book. It was designed as a coffee table companion to a movie which Zwick, the director, himself describes as "literary fancy." Almost forgot! Go see the movie. Nick Jamilla, author of Shimmering Sword: Samurai, Western, and Star Wars Sword Fighting.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
I found some mistakes.,
By YASUHISA KOMUKAI (Victoria, British Columbia Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Last Samurai (Screenplay and Movie Guide) (Paperback)
Yes, this is a good movie book. This book helps American people to understand Japanese history, which this movie is based on.However, I found some mistakes in the Japanese translation. For example, the definition of Ashigaru and Kote are totally wrong. (Ashigaru should be Yabusame, and Kote is glove.) I am really disappointed about these mistakes, because the movie is excellent and I could feel that all the staff tried to make everything authentic. But overall, this book helps people to understand the different culture, which even new Japanese generation like me sometimes feel difficult to understand.
10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A masterpiece just like the movie.,
By
This review is from: The Last Samurai (Screenplay and Movie Guide) (Paperback)
This book is filled with magnificent photographs and information of history contained throughout the film, along with behind the scenes info. The book also contains segments of the movie script.An excellent companion to the outstanding movie.
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