Civil War soldier Nathan Algren leaves the USA for feudal Japan. After signing up to help defeat a warlord, he is captured. Algren knows the fate of enemy prisoners, but he is surprised to be spared and then finds himself drawn to the samurai's way of life, amongst other things.
For 97 years, Academy of Motion Pictures members were allowed to vote for or against movies they had not bothered to watch. This new rule mandating voters watch every movie in every category they vote on will take effect in time for the 98th Academy Awards ceremony next March.