11-01-2006, 10:35 PM
There is, to be sure, a constant struggle between the goals of entertainment and accuracy. The two are not always in opposition with each other, but that is often the case.
If I might digress for a moment...
While in graduate school I worked on a production of the kabuki play Chushingura. No expense was spared in our attempt to render a production in English that was faithful to the kabuki original. Acting and music instructors were hired from the National Theatre of Japan, while costumes and wigs were purchased from the kabuki suppliers in Japan. We rehearsed for over 6 months, learning the entire play in Japanese and then re-learning it in English.
All of us were fanatics for accuracy, not to the history of the actual event (perhaps the most famous in Japanese history) but rather to the traditions of the kabuki theatre.
However...
When it came to giving the play an English title the director decided upon "The 47 Samurai." Now anyone familiar with this event will instantly see the problem with this title. The heroes of the story were not samurai, but rather Ronin -- master-less samurai, a very important distinction.
Several of us argued rather strenuously with the director about this title. Poor choice. Wrong impression. Historically inaccurate. We should educate the American public. Etc. Etc. Etc.
The director had a simple response -- is samurai in the standard English dictionary? Yes. Is ronin? No. Case closed.
The vast majority of he public knows what a samurai is (or at least believe they do) however, very few have even heard of ronin let alone know what it means or its significance in Japanese history.
No doubt the producers of HBO's Rome faced similar decisions. I think they could have made some better choices (helmets for one) but I do understand their need and their desire to reach as wide an audience as possible.
I have watched HBO's Rome and I too enjoyed it, faults and all. By the same token, I am glad to see it picked apart here in terms of historical accuracy. What is seen in the cinema or on TV has a way of becoming the accepted historical truth of the subject, and this site at least should strive to ensure that does not happen. I have leaned much from these discussions and hope to continue to do so when Rome II airs next year.
:wink:
Narukami
If I might digress for a moment...
While in graduate school I worked on a production of the kabuki play Chushingura. No expense was spared in our attempt to render a production in English that was faithful to the kabuki original. Acting and music instructors were hired from the National Theatre of Japan, while costumes and wigs were purchased from the kabuki suppliers in Japan. We rehearsed for over 6 months, learning the entire play in Japanese and then re-learning it in English.
All of us were fanatics for accuracy, not to the history of the actual event (perhaps the most famous in Japanese history) but rather to the traditions of the kabuki theatre.
However...
When it came to giving the play an English title the director decided upon "The 47 Samurai." Now anyone familiar with this event will instantly see the problem with this title. The heroes of the story were not samurai, but rather Ronin -- master-less samurai, a very important distinction.
Several of us argued rather strenuously with the director about this title. Poor choice. Wrong impression. Historically inaccurate. We should educate the American public. Etc. Etc. Etc.
The director had a simple response -- is samurai in the standard English dictionary? Yes. Is ronin? No. Case closed.
The vast majority of he public knows what a samurai is (or at least believe they do) however, very few have even heard of ronin let alone know what it means or its significance in Japanese history.
No doubt the producers of HBO's Rome faced similar decisions. I think they could have made some better choices (helmets for one) but I do understand their need and their desire to reach as wide an audience as possible.
I have watched HBO's Rome and I too enjoyed it, faults and all. By the same token, I am glad to see it picked apart here in terms of historical accuracy. What is seen in the cinema or on TV has a way of becoming the accepted historical truth of the subject, and this site at least should strive to ensure that does not happen. I have leaned much from these discussions and hope to continue to do so when Rome II airs next year.
:wink:
Narukami
David Reinke
Burbank CA
Burbank CA
