Factual error: In the scene before the Americans are to be introduced to the emperor, they are told that the "Meiji" emperor is reform minded. However, Meiji is a posthumous era name, in other words, given after the emperor's death, which occurred many years later, whereas he is still very young in the period depicted.
The Last Samurai (2003)
1 suggested correction
Directed by: Edward Zwick
Starring: Tom Cruise, Billy Connolly, Ken Watanabe, William Atherton, Chad Lindberg
Revealing mistake: The road leading out of the samurai village has distinct tire tracks from vehicles.
Emperor Meiji: I have dreamed of a unified Japan. Of a country strong and independent and modern. We have railroads and cannon, Western clothing. But we cannot forget who we are. Or where we come from.
Trivia: While Hiroyuki Sanada was filming a battle sequence with Tom Cruise (Nathan Algren), a "live" sword was used. The mechanical horse prop in the sequence broke, and Cruise did not fall off as planned. The sword came within an inch of Cruise's neck. At the time, bystanders and crew screamed, almost witnessing the actor's decapitation.
Question: Who does the voiceover for the trailer? He says: "Tom Cruise" and then "The last samurai".
Chosen answer: I'm not 100% sure, but I think it may have been Jim Cummings. He does a lot of voiceovers for movie trailers, cartoon characters, songs and the like. He's the voice of Cat in CatDog, Winnie the Pooh, Tasmanian Devil and has had small roles in films like Shrek, Sinbad and Antz. Find out more about him at this address: http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0191906/.
Suggested correction: They are using modern terms and words so that the film and characters are easier to understand.
Greg Dwyer
It doesn't change the fact that this is a factual error, no matter the reason behind it.
Epigenis
Yes it does. Almost nobody outside Japan would have known the name "Mutsuhito." Films often use modern terminology to make things easier for audiences to understand. Like saying "vegetarian" instead of the older term "Pythagorean."
LorgSkyegon