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CNN Live Sunday

Interview With Author Mark Ravina

Aired December 07, 2003 - 16:46   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


FREDERICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, "The Last Samurai" starring Tom Cruise is topping North American box office sales in its debut this weekend. A book by the same name profiles a remarkable Japanese historical figure who was the model for one of the characters in the film.
The author of that book is Mark Ravina, associate professor of history at Emory University and he is here right here in Atlanta and your joining us. Who would have thought that your passion for writing about the discipline of the Samurai, this book might inspire a big screen film? This came as a big surprise to you, didn't it?

MARK RAVINA, AUTHOR, "THE LAST SAMURAI": It came as a huge surprise. I mean, for me, Japan in the 1870s is fascinating from the get-go, but something I learned through this process is certain figures like Saigo are so charismatic that they do inspire movies. That figures like this really do speak even though they're so old.

WHITFIELD: So Saigo Takamori is really the kind of model Samurai in your book and you saw some real parallels or you've come to learn of real parallels in the book "The Last Samurai", however, it's not identical, is it? They're not even using that character's name of Saigo Takamori.

RAVINA: No, Katsumoto in the movie is the character inspired by Saigo and producers say inspired. But what they do is the thing that moviemakers should do, which is take things that are in a historical figure's head and make them big on the screen. In the movie, Saigo speaks fluent English, he never learned fluent English and then he wears 15th century armor. But the real Saigo was torn between the modern world and traditional samurai way. So the moviemakers did get that right.

WHITFIELD: And so what is interesting to I think about the parallels and the differences of this movie, it came about without even really consulting you directly, correct? You find out kind of happenstance that your book has inspired this movie?

RAVINA: Yes, I found out -- there's not that many of us in America who work on this period. So a friend of a friend, I found out, they're making a movie about my guy. But I did help as consultant on several documentaries that are connected to this film. In fact, one called "History versus Hollywood" where we talk about those exact things the difference between the historical fact and the movie.

WHITFIELD: Now, in the movie, Tom Cruise's character, it's a fictitious character, but here he is, a civil war vet who's being sent to Japan to learn about the disciplines, the code of discipline and honor of a samurai. Does it concern you that there's this fictitious character helping to try to teach American audiences and world audiences who will be seeing this film about the disciplines of this art form?

RAVINA: You know there are some problems with that...

WHITFIELD: Yes.

RAVINA: but the movie, I think, is good in so many ways, I don't really want to fault it for that. It brings great Japanese actors to an American audience for the first time. It tells a really dramatic story of Japan that's rooted in fact even if the details are wrong. So I don't want to nitpick on that.

And let's face it; if the French did a loving remake of an American western, we'd kind of be flattered. And I hear the Japanese are really flattered by this movie rather than insulted by it. I like to pick up on that spirit rather than saying why do you need Tom Cruise to sell the movie?

WHITFIELD: So you see some real underlying lessons that could be taught and learned through the movie that will allow people to appreciate this historical -- might be a real historical documentation of sorts?

RAVINA: Yes. What I like about the movie and what I like about Americans learning more about this period is I think we sometimes get stuck in stereotypes, the Japanese are this way, the Japanese are that way. And the movie shows Japan in a period of rapid change. I think Americans could benefit from thinking of the Japanese as a dynamic culture that are changing and a dynamic society in which people disagree.

WHITFIELD: And a place of real contrast too. You have a Web site Thelastsamurai.info, people can learn about more information about you, your book "The Last Samurai" and more discipline of the samurai. All right, thanks very much, good to see you, Mark Ravina.

RAVINA: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired December 7, 2003 - 16:46   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDERICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, "The Last Samurai" starring Tom Cruise is topping North American box office sales in its debut this weekend. A book by the same name profiles a remarkable Japanese historical figure who was the model for one of the characters in the film.
The author of that book is Mark Ravina, associate professor of history at Emory University and he is here right here in Atlanta and your joining us. Who would have thought that your passion for writing about the discipline of the Samurai, this book might inspire a big screen film? This came as a big surprise to you, didn't it?

MARK RAVINA, AUTHOR, "THE LAST SAMURAI": It came as a huge surprise. I mean, for me, Japan in the 1870s is fascinating from the get-go, but something I learned through this process is certain figures like Saigo are so charismatic that they do inspire movies. That figures like this really do speak even though they're so old.

WHITFIELD: So Saigo Takamori is really the kind of model Samurai in your book and you saw some real parallels or you've come to learn of real parallels in the book "The Last Samurai", however, it's not identical, is it? They're not even using that character's name of Saigo Takamori.

RAVINA: No, Katsumoto in the movie is the character inspired by Saigo and producers say inspired. But what they do is the thing that moviemakers should do, which is take things that are in a historical figure's head and make them big on the screen. In the movie, Saigo speaks fluent English, he never learned fluent English and then he wears 15th century armor. But the real Saigo was torn between the modern world and traditional samurai way. So the moviemakers did get that right.

WHITFIELD: And so what is interesting to I think about the parallels and the differences of this movie, it came about without even really consulting you directly, correct? You find out kind of happenstance that your book has inspired this movie?

RAVINA: Yes, I found out -- there's not that many of us in America who work on this period. So a friend of a friend, I found out, they're making a movie about my guy. But I did help as consultant on several documentaries that are connected to this film. In fact, one called "History versus Hollywood" where we talk about those exact things the difference between the historical fact and the movie.

WHITFIELD: Now, in the movie, Tom Cruise's character, it's a fictitious character, but here he is, a civil war vet who's being sent to Japan to learn about the disciplines, the code of discipline and honor of a samurai. Does it concern you that there's this fictitious character helping to try to teach American audiences and world audiences who will be seeing this film about the disciplines of this art form?

RAVINA: You know there are some problems with that...

WHITFIELD: Yes.

RAVINA: but the movie, I think, is good in so many ways, I don't really want to fault it for that. It brings great Japanese actors to an American audience for the first time. It tells a really dramatic story of Japan that's rooted in fact even if the details are wrong. So I don't want to nitpick on that.

And let's face it; if the French did a loving remake of an American western, we'd kind of be flattered. And I hear the Japanese are really flattered by this movie rather than insulted by it. I like to pick up on that spirit rather than saying why do you need Tom Cruise to sell the movie?

WHITFIELD: So you see some real underlying lessons that could be taught and learned through the movie that will allow people to appreciate this historical -- might be a real historical documentation of sorts?

RAVINA: Yes. What I like about the movie and what I like about Americans learning more about this period is I think we sometimes get stuck in stereotypes, the Japanese are this way, the Japanese are that way. And the movie shows Japan in a period of rapid change. I think Americans could benefit from thinking of the Japanese as a dynamic culture that are changing and a dynamic society in which people disagree.

WHITFIELD: And a place of real contrast too. You have a Web site Thelastsamurai.info, people can learn about more information about you, your book "The Last Samurai" and more discipline of the samurai. All right, thanks very much, good to see you, Mark Ravina.

RAVINA: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com