Sparing In The Rain Scene Analysis

In The Last Samurai Tom Cruise plays a character, named Capt. Nathan Algren, who gets captured as a prisoner of war by the Samurai. He is taught about them and their unorthodox culture and way of living. He ends up falling in love with their culture and fights for them in their war against the much larger and technologically advanced Japanese Empire. The scene I choose is the "sparing in the rain" scene, in which Capt. Nathan Algren spars with wooden swords. This scene shows the true strength and will to live that the Capt has as he gets beaten time and time again but continues to get up and keep fighting. The director Edward Zwick does an amazing job with each individual detail of the way the in which each individual hit from the wooden
sword sounds, to each little visual effect he uses. The way Zwick was able to combine these elements to perfection added a level of intensity and a willingness to live that few Directors are able to accomplish are able to accomplish in film today. The Last Samurai is known as a visually excellent film, this scene is no exception.
The way they were able to get the perfect camera angles to show the rain interacting with the blood on the Captain's face is perfectly shows the viewer how battered, weak, and beaten this man truly is. this scene is a perfect example of how making a man look like he's truly immortal. No matter how many times he's beat, he keeps getting up and continues to try and fight and get better. The Camera Angles they use in this scene also give us a view of the surrounding areas . It shows the valleys and hills that surround this small mountain town. They also find a way to highlight the simple way of life that these Samurai, there simple dress and the way the kids practice sparring instead of playing. The Film crew did a great job with the hair of each individual character in this scene as well. All of the Samurais hair is up in a positive way, so that even though it's raining their hair still stays out of their face and makes them look much better off. where as Tom Cruise's character has long hair that is strong all over his face and looks messy and unorganized. Making the Capt look like a downtrodden person who really doesn't have anything going for him. this makes the fact that he continues to get up and continue to try and win show even more of an intense will to live feeling. While they show all of this beautiful scenery it's Pouring down rain. The crew also did a perfect job with
the sound in the film. A major role in this scene is how the rain in interacting with everything. One of the most important things the rain does is add sound to the scene. As humans we tend to relate doing things in the rain with having a dedication or an intensity for a certain thing. In this scene they use the rain to highlight how Tom Cruise wants to win. It shows how intense of a personality he has and how he's willing to do anything to become the absolute best at everything he does