An American soldier goes to Japan to train a new army — and then fights on the other side. And there was a real war like this, in 1877.
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These are the new words. Match each word (1–8) to its meaning (A–H). Say your answers out loud — "I think 1 is D" — then check.
1 = E (a warrior) · 2 = H (a sword) · 3 = A (a soldier) · 4 = C (a village)
5 = G (an army) · 6 = B (to train) · 7 = F (to respect) · 8 = D (a battle)
Edward Zwick's The Last Samurai (2003). Read each part. Then try the questions from memory, and talk about the last one. (There are spoilers — that is fine, we want to talk about it.)
The year is 1876. Nathan Algren is an American soldier. He fought in big wars in America, and he did terrible things there. Now he is not happy. He drinks too much, and he has a boring job: he shows new guns to people in San Francisco.
Then a man from his old army comes with an offer. Japan is changing very fast. A rich businessman called Omura is making a new, modern army for the young Emperor of Japan. He wants Western men to train the new soldiers, and he will pay a lot of money. Algren says yes.
But the new soldiers are simple farmers. They do not know how to use a gun. Algren says, "They are not ready." Omura does not listen and sends them to fight. Their enemy is a group of samurai — old Japanese warriors — with a leader called Katsumoto. In the fog, the new soldiers are afraid and they run away. Algren fights alone. He is hurt, but Katsumoto tells his men: do not kill this one.
1. Why does Algren go to Japan?
2. Why is the first battle so bad for the new army?
1. A rich businessman, Omura, pays him a lot of money to train Japan's new modern army.
2. The soldiers are farmers. They are not trained enough, but Omura sends them to fight too early. They are afraid and they run away.
The samurai take Algren to their village in the mountains. He stays there all winter. A woman called Taka looks after him. This is very hard for her, because Algren killed her husband in the battle.
In the village there is no alcohol, so Algren stops drinking. It is difficult, but slowly he gets better. He learns Japanese. He practises with a sword every day, and a warrior called Ujio knocks him down again and again. Life in the village is simple and quiet, and everybody works very hard. Algren begins to respect these people.
Katsumoto talks with him. Algren learns something important: Katsumoto is not against the Emperor. He loves the Emperor — he was his teacher. But he thinks Omura is using the young Emperor to make money. One night, men come to kill Katsumoto. Algren fights with the samurai. Now he is on their side.
1. Who looks after Algren in the village, and why is it difficult for her?
2. What does Katsumoto think about the young Emperor?
1. Taka, Katsumoto's sister. It is very hard because Algren killed her husband in the battle.
2. He loves the Emperor and was his teacher. He thinks the businessman Omura is using the young Emperor for money.
In spring, Katsumoto goes to the city to speak to the Emperor. But Omura's men are all around the young Emperor. There is a new law: you cannot carry a sword in the street. Katsumoto says no. Soldiers cut the hair of his son Nobutada in front of everybody, and Katsumoto goes to prison. Algren leaves Omura's army and helps him escape. Nobutada dies in the escape.
Now there is one last battle. The samurai are only a few hundred; the army is very big. The samurai fight well at first. But then Omura's men bring their new machine guns, and the last samurai ride into the guns. Almost all of them die. Katsumoto is badly hurt, and he dies with Algren next to him. The young soldiers of the new army are shocked, and they go down on their knees.
Algren does not die. He takes Katsumoto's sword to the Emperor and gives it to him. The Emperor listens, says no to Omura's business plan, and takes his money away. At the end, Algren rides back to the village in the mountains.
1. What happens when Katsumoto will not give up his sword?
2. How does the last battle end?
1. He is arrested. Soldiers cut his son's hair in the street. Algren helps him escape, and his son Nobutada dies.
2. The samurai ride at the army, but the new machine guns kill almost all of them. Katsumoto dies, and Algren takes his sword to the Emperor.
This film is all about "how much". Too few men. Not enough time. English has two small words for this, and they are opposites.
Write one word in each gap. Then say the sentence out loud.
1. The new soldiers were young to fight well.
2. Omura did not give them time to learn.
3. The mountains in winter were cold for the army.
4. Algren was not strong to beat Ujio with a sword.
1. too (too + adjective = a problem)
2. enough (enough + noun: enough time)
3. too (too + adjective)
4. enough (adjective + enough: strong enough)
Write the two words in the correct order in the gap. Remember: after an adjective, before a noun.
1. The village did not have for the winter. (food / enough)
2. The farmers were not for a real battle. (enough / ready)
3. Is the young farmer to be a soldier? (enough / brave)
4. They did not have in the last battle. (guns / enough)
1. enough food (enough goes before a noun)
2. ready enough (enough goes after an adjective)
3. brave enough (after an adjective)
4. enough guns (before a noun)
Fill each gap with too or enough. Read it aloud when you finish.
Algren comes to Japan to train the new soldiers. But there is not time. The men are afraid to listen, and they are not strong . The samurai are good for them, and the new soldiers run away.
enough · too · enough · too
Remember: too = there is a problem. enough = it is possible. And watch the word order: enough time, but strong enough.
Yes — a lot of it. There was a real war like this in Japan in 1877, and a real leader. But the film changes one very big thing.
His real name was Saigō Takamori (1828–1877). He is famous in Japan. But here is the surprise: he was not against the new Japan — he helped to build it! He was an important leader for the young Emperor. Later he had a big argument with the government, so he went home to the south of Japan. In 1877 his young men started a war, and he joined them. He died on 24 September 1877.
Japan changed very fast. In 1873 the government made a new army of ordinary men — farmers, not samurai. On 28 March 1876 a new law said you could not wear a sword in the street. Only soldiers, police and officials could. Then, on 5 August 1876, the government stopped paying the samurai their money. So in a few years the samurai lost their job, their money and their swords. Many of them became very poor. That is why they fought.
In the film, the samurai fight with swords and the army fights with guns. This is not true. Saigō's men had guns too, and even big cannons. It was guns against guns. They lost because the government was much bigger: about 51,800 soldiers, and enough bullets to fire about 322,000 every day. The samurai did not have enough money or enough bullets.
But there is one true part. In the very last battle, at Shiroyama on 24 September 1877, only about 500 samurai were left, and 30,000 soldiers were in front of them. Their bullets were finished. So they took their swords and ran down the hill — and they all died. The film takes this one hour and makes it the whole war. Two more things: no American trained the Japanese army (the teachers were French, then German, and British for the navy), and Japan did not forget Saigō. In 1889 the government forgave him, and in 1898 they put up a statue of him in Ueno Park in Tokyo. You can still see it today.
Do all three tasks out loud. Use the timer to keep talking.
Tell the story of The Last Samurai in your own words. Use these steps to help you: an unhappy American soldier goes to Japan for money → the new soldiers are not ready and they lose → he lives in the samurai village all winter → the new law about swords, and the escape → the last battle, and the sword for the Emperor.
Try to use some key words (warrior, sword, soldier, village, army, train, respect, battle) and too / enough: "they were too young", "there was not enough time".
Omura says Japan must change fast and become modern. Katsumoto says Japan must keep its old way of life. Who is right? Say why. What is good about new things? What is good about old things?
Talk about old things and new things. Use too and enough.
Not sure what to say? Choose one: