Shogun

This is absolutely a brilliant interpretation of the 1100 page book by James Clavell. Of course some details are left out, but I reckon only one time in the movie are you in doubt of whats going on (I am referring to the episode where Toranaga tries to escape the Ishido castle).

The movie is very close to the book, which for me, was a positive experience.

The story is well told and good acting is shown through the whole movie. The nature of the movie is, that when having watched an episode it is very hard not to see the following and the following and so on.

Are you into samurai stuff this is clearly a cool movie - note however, that there are not many battle scenes.

Basically, trying to fit a Clavell epic into a 2-hour movie is like trying to fit the entire Sears catalog into a single 30-second ad. While the miniseries is a masterful adaptation, covering all of the essential plotlines and perhaps even adding to the understanding for Mariko's and Blackthorne's relationship, the 2-hour cut is piece-meal and poorly edited. in short, it doesn't make sense, and it doesn't do justice to Clavel's greatest epic.

It is also a great read, by the way.

This movie should not be compressed into 2 hours. The 80 dollar DVD box set that I bought is totally worth it. 9 hours, on five discs, its a great film, and you should watch it all at once. The narrator does a great job of, well, narrating, but the voice is perfect for the setting, and so is the music. The film is very convincing of the surroundings and of the times. I am very pleased with the balance of fiction and historical accuracy portrayed in this film. The book should also be read, if you've the time or patience. The film "The Last Samurai" is reminiscent of James Clavell's work, I suggest you see that movie also. The portrayal of a Dutch crew and their captain first reaching Japan, while fiction, the reactions and manner in which Blackthorne is received could be torn from the pages of history.

This is the one, that showed everyone else how to really tell a book in a mini-series. No body had every really got it right before. Very few have gotten it right since. This is for people that love books, told on film. Not a butchered hatchet job.

A Classic.

What an excellent Mini-Series! After reading the book then seeing it come to life on TV, you can lose yourself in the Series. The Casting, Cinematography, Sets, Costumes and Acting were nothing less than Perfect.

You can actually learn some basic Japanese words and phrases from closely reading the book. James Clevell blended the Language lessons into Pilot's training and familiarization so well, you felt like you learned and felt with him. The Series did it almost as well but you were distracted by seeing living, breathing characters. The life and times were hard. The Barbarian world with the Unhealthy and downright odd beliefs and superstitions. Then the Ancient Culture of Japan, Brutal but with much beauty and creativity. Both full of Scheming, Evil, Honorable, Likeable, and Hateful characters.

I consider this the all-time #1 made for TV movie events. Too bad the voting scale only goes to 10.