analysis

LAST SAMURAI ANALYSIS

The establishing shot shows us the rolling mountains of Japan, this gives the watcher the idea of there the film is going to be set. The establishing shot consists of a tracking shot across the mountains with some traditional Japanese music in the background to add the effect that Japan at this time is a peaceful place. The next few shots still show the mountains but a narrator is added and he tells us of how Japan was created by the gods, then he voices his own view about how Japan was made by a “handful of great men”. This shows that the film will be about one or a few heroes that keep Japan at peace or from falling into tyrannical rule. This then cuts to a man sitting on a hill with his eyes shut, this indicates that he is thinking about a past experience. The scene then changes to a flashback of hunters cornering and fighting a white mountain tiger, this gives imagery of battles to come within the film. The scene then fades into the title screen. All the while the traditional Japanese music is giving us a calming feel to the movie.