The cast and the director of �Saigo no Chushingura� (International Title: The Last Ronin) were in Los Angeles on October 14th for the movie�s US premiere.

To date, this is the first Japanese-language movie that has been pursued by Warner Brothers, as well as the first ever Japanese movie screened at the Steven J. Ross Theatre. It was reported that after the screening, which was attended by 500 industry professionals, including a rare appearance by the Chairman and CEO of Warner Brothers, Barry M. Meyer, the cast received an overwhelming standing ovation.

This movie is just one of the many adaptations based on one of Japan�s most historical events. �It's a story of revenge where Oishi Kuranosuke, a high ranking samurai, led a group of 47 ronin into the mansion of their master�s killer. This same group of 47 ronin were sentenced to commit seppuku. �Saigo no Chushingura� will follow the story of two ronins who were able to survive the sentence. The two ronins are played by Yakusho Koji and Sato Koichi.

Aside from the standing ovation, one cast member in particular, Sakuraba Nanami, received a lot of praises regarding how great she had portrayed her character. During the event, Sakuraba, who looked very pretty in red kimono, said that the audience�s comments gave her a lot of courage.

"Her performance is really praiseworthy. How she portrayed the role of Oishi�s daughter, and how she expressed her deep affection for Magozaemon created a great balance in her performance," the executive vice-president of 20th�Century Fox commented.

�Saigo no Chushingura� is scheduled to open in Japan on December 18th.

Source: Japan Zone, Kawaii-Joyuu

Photo: Japan Zone