This is an idea for a weekly webseries that I pitched to a company with a new digital channel (I'm writing video essays for them right now). I don't think they're moving forward with new series at the moment, and this was the least likely contender of the ones I pitched, so I just wanted to save it here:
AMERICAN SAMURAI
Logline: Why has this striking aspect of Japan’s history captured the imagination of the western world? This series explores the complex ways America (and the west) has at times honored or appropriated the Samurai – through films, television, comic books, fashion, and even food.
Format: Video Series
Synopsis: In the vein of Nerdwriter1 or Channel Criswell’s programs, but with an in-depth dive into a more specific theme, “American Samurai” takes a single, recognizable world (and history) and explores it across all of American culture – with a weight especially towards cinema and graphic novels.
Why does the idea of the Samurai resonate within our culture? And to what extent do we appropriate and simplify its history for our own ends – a part of the larger “orientalism” problem? And does the river flow only one way – or are we only absorbing an idea already adapted and revived by the Japanese people?
“American Samurai” would hold appeal for both fanatics as well as the casual viewer, since it covers such a broad array of pop culture and history alike – all of which would supply a rich visual foundation of videos, images, and interviews for the substance of the videos themselves.
Take for instance the first obvious reference, Akira Kurosawa. His prolific work has gone on to infuse the west with samurai culture and inspire countless remakes. Yojimbo inspired Sergio Leone to make A Fistful of Dollars, Seven Samurai to Magnificent Seven, Hidden Fortress to Star Wars.
Was it just plot that was lifted out of a feudal Japanese setting – or were their intrinsic philosophies (Bushido, stoicism) too? What was it about these ideas that connected so well with the American audience time and time again?
But complicating things further, was that Kurosawa himself drew from western noir classics like The Glass Key – making his version of samurai a thing unto themselves. Cinema is certainly a rich playground for the series, from Melville’s Le Samourai to Jarmusch’s Ghost Dog, Tarantino’s Kill Bill to the potentially problematic The Last Samurai or 47 Ronin (and countless others).
In addition to movies, there is a wide array of other areas to dissect and discuss: television (Samurai Jack), graphic novels (Frank Miller, Lone Wolf & Cub), food (themed restaurants), to fashion and even martial arts.
Beyond pop culture, this series would seek to go back to the historical roots and condense them for a contemporary audience – classic Japanese texts like Bushido: Soul of Japan, The Unfettered Mind, and The Demon’s Sermon on Martial Arts. What has changed from these powerful texts and Samurai in feudal Japan, to our depiction of them today?
As a series written by an American, “American Samurai” would not position itself as an authority on Japanese culture – but seek instead to identify and discuss the ways in which America has engaged with it. Hopefully in such a way to teach and inspire the audience to learn more.
Continuing Series Potential: Beyond Samurai, the series could expand (in a “seasons” type of format) to explore other cultural histories that have osmosed into American culture: Native American traditions (e.g. sports teams), Norse/Viking mythology (e.g. biker gangs), etc.
-- there were a whole bunch of images that went with it, but I'm just going to re-post the one that does the most work here...
