The Last Samurai Page #9

INT. YORITOMO'S HOUSE - NIGHT

Algren sits hunched in a dark corner. His body is convulsed

with shivering.

His withdrawal from alcohol, his wounds, his isolation and

his imagined sins are devouring him.

Then we see he is not alone. The woman stands in the doorway,

watching him closely. Finally she enters with a bowl of soup.

He glances up, something like panic in his eyes.

She kneels and attempts to hand him the soup, but be knocks

it out of the way and grabs her by the throat.

ALGREN:

Sake!

She stares at him, the breath being squeezed out of her, but

there is not even a whisper of fear in her eyes. She is

utterly impassive. Shaken, he lets her go, and crumples to

the floor.

ALGREN:

(mumbling to himself)

Sake...

The woman leaves the soup and walks away.

INT. YORITOMO'S HOUSE - DAYS LATER

Daylight streams in, finding Algren lying on his back. The

worst of the detox is past. As he lies there, these first

moments of repose lead to:

SUDDEN FLASH OF MEMORY:

The beautiful blond WOMAN from the picture laughs merrily,

and falls back languorously in a grassy field.

Back in the room Algren shakes off the memory as harsh SOUNDS

from outside draw him to the window.

EXT. YORITOMO'S HOUSE - MORNING

Algren watches from the window as the samurai train. It is

like nothing else in the world. Part sacred ritual, part

martial preparation, samurai training combines athletic

prowess and graceful artistry into one effortless whole.

Finally well enough to walk, Algren comes out onto the porch

to watch the spectacle. In front of him, is a Kendo (The Way

of the Sword) master practice with their long and short

swords. They have incredible control.

NAKAO, a mountain of a man, is a Karate master. He stands

unarmed, four samurai facing him. They attack with wooden

swords. He effortlessly defeats them -- the agility of the

huge man is shocking.

Kyudo ("The Way of the Bow") masters use their bows for target

practice.

Yoritomo holds a bundle of arrows. In the distance, a line

of plums.

Algren watches. Yoritomo just seems to stand there, his eyes

hall-open.

And then -- in a stunning blaze of movement -- Yoritomo fires

the arrows --

one after another, amazingly fast -- cleanly hitting each

plum. The final arrow splits the previous one as it buries

itself in the tree.

A wooden sword leans against the porch.

Algren idly picks it up, feeling its balance. In a flash,

Ujio has raced over and grabbed it from him. Algren stands

motionless as Ujio screams at him.

The training stops, as everyone watches Ujio berate Algren.

Even as Ujio continues screaming. Algren simply shakes his

head, turns away, and walk back into the house.

INT. YORITOMO'S HOUSE - DAY

As the sounds of training resume outside, Algren explores

the house.

He comes upon Higen and Toshiie playing with the red ball.

They are embarrassed to encounter him alone. There's a moment

of suspension, and then Higen throws the ball to Algren.

Algren looks back and forth between the two boys, fixes his

gaze on Higen but throw the ball to Toshiie, causing both

boys to laugh and run away.

Algren walks on.

INT. SMALL ROOM - DAY

Algren opens a sliding shojii screen and discovers a small

room that has been made into a kind of shrine.

Candles and incense burn, a small Buddha sits on a dais, and

Algren's eyes are drawn to what seems like an apparition

standing in the corner.

The BRIGHT RED ARMOR of the warrior Algren killed in the

fog, is held upright by an unseen stand. It is almost as if

the dead warrior himself is swing back at him.

Algren senses someone behind him and turns. The woman is

standing across the hall. Their eyes meet. She turn, and

walks away.

EXT. VILLAGE - NIGHT

A first, light snowfall has covered the ground. Algren walks

out into the still night. He turns a corner and confronts

curious sight:

Ten warriors kneel, motionless in the snow, their eyes closed

in concentration.

As Algren puzzles over this, he becomes aware that Katsumoto

is now standing next to him.

KATSUMOTO:

They are training.

ALGREN:

Training what?

KATSUMOTO:

Their minds. It is called bushido...

Algren looks at him. He has never heard the word.

KATSUMOTO:

The way of the warrior. We study

from when we are young. Are my words

correct?

Algren does not respond.

KATSUMOTO:

I will practice my English with you.

ALGREN:

Why do you learn English?

KATSUMOTO:

To know my enemy.

ALGREN:

If I am your enemy, why have you not

killed me?

Katsumoto doesn't answer.

ALGREN:

Was General Yoshitaka your enemy?

KATSUMOTO:

No, I honor his memory as my kinsman.

ALGREN:

That why you helped him kill himself?

KATSUMOTO:

If a samurai is defeated in battle,

he must take his own life to spare

himself the shame of capture. It is

required that his kaishaku his trusted

friend, help him. I was honored to

by his kaishaku.

ALGREN:

Hell of an honor.

KATSUMOTO:

It was his destiny. He knew it, he

died at peace.

ALGREN:

Who was the warrior in the red armor?

KATSUMOTO:

My son-in-law. His name was Hiroshi.

ALGREN:

And the woman who cares for me?

KATSUMOTO:

My daughter, Hiroshi's wife. Her

name is Taka.

Algren is incredulous.

ALGREN:

I killed her husband?

KATSUMOTO:

It was an honorable death.

Katsumoto walks away.

INT. YORITOMO'S HOUSE - DAY

Algren it now well enough to kneel at the table with the

others. Taka treats him with utter politeness and dignity.

He watches her intently, seeking any sign of the animosity

he's certain she must feel.

She hands him a bowl of rice.

ALGREN:

(smiling politely)

You hope I choke on it, don't you?

She bows, uncomprehending.

ALGREN:

You want to poison it and watch me

fall over the table and foam at the

mouth.

Yoritomo bows in response to Algren's new willingness to

communicate.

YORITOMO:

(to Taka, subtitles)

I promise I'll make him take a bath.

TAKA:

(subtitles)

Soon. Please.

EXT. VILLAGE - BATHING TUB - DAY

Yoritomo leads Algren to a large, wooden bathing tub in a

secluded part of the village. A banked fire smolders beneath

it.

Embarrassed, Yoritomo indicates to Algren that be needs to

bathe. Algren strips off his filthy uniform then lowers

himself into the steaming water.

Yoritomo begins taking off hit own kimono. Algren is taken

aback. Used to Western privacy, he is a bit disquieted about

bathing with another man.

Yoritomo, unconcerned, climbs into the tub. He chats

pleasantly as they bathe, showing off his old battle wounds.

Algren's discomfort turns to outright alarm when a toothless

old grandmother appears. She happily strips and joins them

in the tub!

Algren sinks a little lower into the water. The old

grandmother smiles at him with her toothless grin.

EXT. VILLAGE - DAY

Algren, feeling self-conscious in the clean kimono he's

wearing for the first time, walks back with Yoritomo. Kids

start walking with them, pointing at his Japanese garb,

laughing as he stumbles in his wooden clogs. They pass by

Ujio training a group of samurai using wooden kendo swords.

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