in thoughts...

brother borrowed dvd from his friend. asked me to check it out. MY PLEASURE. :)As i was telling SY, sometimes i'm quite reluctant to watch certain movies when they're showing it in theatres, cos if it's a good show and something my brother will watch, i'm quite quite sure he'd get it soon. so i save money. :)Unless i really really like the show, and cannot bear not to watch it when it comes out, otherwise i'll just wait for my brother to buy it. And the great thing about dvd he buys - comes with extra features, behind the scenes etc. The Last Samurai came with a FULL commentary by either the director/producer - so they're showing the movie while he comments on the movie, the characters, the plot development, the actors AS you see the movie on the screen.

So i watched the movie once last night, watched the fighting scenes again this morning, followed by the full commentary. Two and a half times. And yes my goodness, it is a good movie. when you listen to the commentary you really get a glimpse of how much effort and thought went into each scene. The subtle little bits you didn't really get.

my favourite lines of all:
Katsumoto: You think a man can change his destiny?
Algren: I think a man does what he can, until his destiny is revealed to him.

beautiful.

Ken Watanabe is wonderful. He's just got that magnificent look about him, the way he carries himself as the character, the English he just picked up but spoke rather well. Particularly liked the contrast of the various sides of the character that he brought out - as the lord of the samurai, as father to Nobutada(the scene where his son dies, just watch the emotions on his face), as "servant" yet "teacher" to the Emperor, as equal with Algren... the multitudes of that, all brought out beautifully by Watanabe...I thought the character was wonderfully charming as well. The way he could be an all-powerful samurai lord, yet he acted in the kabuki play, making people in his son's village laugh.

The guy who played Ujio is great as well. Realized that he was the guy who acted as the father of the boy in The Ring. Yes, the first & original movie. not the spin-offs. well i dunno if he acted in the spinoffs and sequels, but i remember his face from the movie. and he's great. The character is no nonsense, tough and steady. The way he fought in that last battle, you really see that never-say-die spirit in his character. And his undying allegience to Katsumoto. The way he moves with the sword is a pleasure to watch - apparently the actor himself practises martial arts, and in the commentary it was said that he's almost like Japan's Tom Cruise - he had had a great many leading roles, but he agreed to be casted as a smaller character in this show, because he believed in what the character was about. :)

thought that Katsumoto spared Algren's life in the first scene where they met because he was impressed with his fighting spirit. Not really so. It was because he had seen the white tiger in his meditations or something, and at the moment when Algren was desperately fighting the samurai which outnumbered him, he happened to be holding the samurai's flag as a weapon - the flag was blue, with a white tiger painted on it. Katsumoto believed that Algren was destined to play an important part, and therefore spared his life. got this from the commentary.

and the fighting bits. to see dead men on dead me3A//grangeparkchurch.port5.com/" target="_blank">Grange Park Church
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