The Samurai (2003)

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Director:

Tony Long

Writer:

Tony Long

Stars:

Edward Herrmann, Toshishiro Obata, Michael Shu

Cast

Credited cast:
Edward Herrmann	...	Narrator (voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Toshishiro Obata	...	Himself / Swordsman
Michael Shu	...	Ronin 1
James Wong	...	Ronin 2

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

samurai | samurai sword | martial arts | japan | japanese | 

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Genres:

Documentary | History | War

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2003 (USA)

Box Office

Budget:

$250,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Greystone Television

Technical Specs

Color:

Color Black and White

User Reviews

Through the ages

This is a documentary on... yes, exactly. It goes back to the earliest days, and takes you through hundreds of years, including World War 2(!), and finally up to present day(even mentioning the fascination with them seen in popular culture, if extremely briefly). It is well-told, through narration, still images, actual authentic footage, interviews(of eloquent people who have something to say), and last but most definitely not least, re-enactments. The entirety of this is edited well. The pacing is good. It's about 90 minutes in length, and it is time well spent. This manages to be both thorough and concise, covering a lot of history in a perfectly acceptable amount of time, and without leaving the audience feeling like anything was really glossed over. It tells us of many important figures, and gives us the original words(with their literal meaning described) designating several key concepts found in the Samurai way, and go into great detail on precisely what these ideas were, and what the thinking behind them was. I enjoyed this quite a bit, and would say anyone else interested in the phenomenon are rather likely to, as well. I recommend this to anyone who wants to know more about these amazing, honorable warriors, and to a relatively lesser degree, Japan's past in general. 7/10