The Trade
Westerner negotiates for his life with Japanese warlord
Full Script
Lord Toranaga: You offer me knowledge. In exchange for what?
Blackthorne: My life. My freedom. A chance to go home.
Lord Toranaga: Home. An interesting concept. Tell me, what makes a place home?
Blackthorne: My country. My people. Everything I know.
Lord Toranaga: Everything you knew. The man who arrived here... he no longer exists.
Blackthorne: Then who am I?
Lord Toranaga: That is what you must decide. Barbarian or student. Enemy or ally.
Blackthorne: And if I choose wrong?
Lord Toranaga: Then you choose death. But even death, chosen well, has honor.
Blackthorne: In my country, survival has more value than honor.
Lord Toranaga: Then perhaps you should choose a new country.
Director’s Notes
Scene Objective
Strip away cultural assumptions and examine what remains
Key Moments
- -Toranaga's observation about Blackthorne no longer existing
- -The honor vs survival debate
Common Mistakes
- -Playing Toranaga as mysterious - he's direct, just operating in a different value system