Record industry (great depression)

Around 1929, the world had to face the crisis of The Great Depression which was a worldwide economic collaspe. It was actually centered in North America and Europe, but had devastating effects around the world, particularly in industrialized countries and producers of raw materials. So did the music business, American record companies, which had sold more than 100 million copies a year in the mid-20s, were soon selling just six million. Most of them went out of business. However, in the mid-30s, as the Great Depression stubbornly continued, jazz became America's popular music at that time. It had a new name as ‘swing’ and its impact was very strong and revolutionary. ‘Swing’ or ‘jazz’ had saved the recording industry. In 1932, just 10 million records had been sold in the United States. But by 1939, that number grew to 50 million. Swing which had grown up in the dancehalls of Harlem became the new definition of music for an entire generation of Americans.

Pearl Harbor

The story followed the lives of three characters in the weeks before and after the well-known bombing incident at Pearl Harbor. Since they were young, Rafe and his best friend Danny shared the same dream to fly and it came true when they became fighter pilots in the United States air force. Rafe met Evelyn, a military nurse and they fell in love. However, Rafe had to leave Evelyn behind and went to England to fly with the Royal Air Force which was shot down over London and was thought that he was dead. Evelyn and Danny took the news mournfully, and stood side by side to get through it. However, Rafe unexpectedly came back, and the unavoidable love triangle came. But Rafe and Danny were called in to serve the army again, and in an incident, Danny sacrificed his life to safe Rafe’s. Though he was the only one who came back, their love could not pursue on.

Basically, this is another love story which has a focus on two men and a woman but it is actually also dealing with a historical incident. The film does not only tell a story about fictional characters but also concerns about the political and military events; the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. At the very first time, America seemed to ignore Japan’s angriness when America refused to give them oil and fuel during the war, but it was too late to found out that they were underestimated Japan. The U.S. government thought that Pearl Harbor was too shallow for the aerial torpedo attack, but with the new invented of technique use, Japan could bomb Pearl Harbor thoroughlyIn conclusion, this movie had portrayed the destructive images of the World War 2, though consisted of some inaccurate historical contexts.

Honestly, this is not my favorite movie at all. With a predictable love triangle of the three main characters and a boring narration of the bombing at Pearl Harbor, I could not help myself fall asleep twice during watching it. However, I’m not saying that there’s nothing good in this film, I found many witty lines and excellent camera views in many battle scenes. I suggest you to watch this film if you are looking for pleasure on another love story, but not a good source to learn about the infamous bombing incident of the Pearl Harbor attack accurately.

The Last Samurai

The story took place during the early modernization of Japan, when the young Emperor power’s was weakened by influence of American power. The country was pushed to be modernized and westernized which included training the new modern army in Japan to replace the old way of Samurai. An American War Captain named Nathan Algren, an alcoholic soul-lost veteran, was hired to do the duty. However, on the first attack on the Samurai, Algren was captured as a hostage. Living as a part of the Samurai, Algren eventually found his lost soul through learning the great Samurai’s ways of life.

The first and obvious thing I can see from this movie is how the American has an influence over Japan. It was the big time of change in Japan when American had tried so hard to crack Japan’s isolation policy at that time. Moreover, the differences between the two cultures, American and Japan, were emphasized clearly in the movie which I can learn many interesting facts from it. The second thing I got from this movie is the American’s image from the Japanese natives’ point of view. While American thought that they were ‘civilized’ and Japan was ‘barbarian’, their coward methods in using guns and rifles in the battles, or their impure way in judging value of things make them actually a brutal and immoral themselves.

For me, it might not be the very most impressive film I’ve ever watched, but it surely is one of the best films in many aspects. I’m kind of impressed many things in this movie, including scenes, narration, techniques and especially the casts. I think the film reflects the message of the director clearly. I would recommend you to watch the movie because entertainment is not the only thing you will gain from this movie, The Last Samurai.

P.S. In fact, there are not American involved in Japanese military.