Samurai: The Last Warrior (TV 2004)

International Samurai expert, Dr. Stephen Turnbull, provides historical insights into these legendary warriors in this documentary program described as "powerful and intriguing" by the Los Angeles Times.

Director:

Charlie Shepard

Writer:

Charlie Shepard

Stars:

Barry Robbins, Stephen Turnbull

Cast

Credited cast:
Barry Robbins	...	Narrator
Stephen Turnbull	...	Historical Consultant (as Dr. Stephen Turnbull)

Storyline

For over two thousand years, the way of the Samurai was the law of the land for the kingdom of Japan. These valiant warriors lived their lives by a code of honor, dispensing justice at the end of a sword and defending the island from attack. The strength and skill of the Samurai is legendary, with historical accounts of superhuman feats and immunity to pain. Numerous Hollywood movies have attempted to portray these wise and fierce warriors, but none before have presented the complete history and philosophical code of the Samurai that is contained in this acclaimed program. Based on the works of Dr. Stephen Turnbull and featuring some of the top Samurai scenes from popular motion pictures, this program takes you on an amazing journey, along the true path of the last, great warriors.

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Plot Keywords:

samurai | warrior | japan | martial arts

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Taglines:

The Path of Honor, The Sword Of Revenge

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Genres:

Documentary | History

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 June 2004 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$75,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

67 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

References The Last Samurai (2003)

User Reviews

Surprising insights into an ancient discipline

I thoroughly enjoyed the Tom Cruise film "THE LAST SAMURAI" and was understandably interested to hear about this documentary companion piece. Utilizing the research and on-camera explanations by Dr. Stephen Turnbull, the world's foremost authority on the Samurai and Japanese warfare history, this program skillfully paints a portrait of an amazing warrior philosophy. Original Samurai photographs (from the late 1800's), are combined with art prints, contemporary footage and scenes from famous Hollywood "Samurai" movies to complete the vision of these disciplined and spiritual fighters. The program balances the delivery of factual content (ala "The History Channel") with action footage and re-enactments to deliver a fully engaging and entertaining show. I was a little disappointed at the 66-minutes running time not being as much as I would prefer... but the DVD bonus features deliver another 20-minutes of great material to make this program a fantastic value and imminently collectible.