Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

Rashomon was a ground breaking film for Akira Kurosawa, and is even today one of the more interesting films you could view. Recently (March 2002) released in DVD in the Criterion Collection, it would make a terrific addition to any serious classic movie collection.

This is one of those films that has the potential to change your life-or at least your appreciation of film-making generally. Because it deals with mystery, and with perception, I suppose it qualifies as “an art” film. I think over the decades, the universal judgment was that the movie was mysterious, beautiful, intriguing which loosely translated, means, “what’s going on?” I never did have that problem with this film, because I experience it as Kurosawa presented it, with wide eyed wonder, as I become deeply immersed in the woods, and in this story, which has so many angles and layers.
But before YOU make that judgment, watch the film. You may find out you are every bit as perceptive as the so called experts.

This Criterion Collection Edition has a full length commentary by Donald Richie, a well known expert on Japanese film in general, and Kurosawa in particular. The DVD includes a short segment on Miyagawa the ground breaking cinematographer for this film. There is a short introduction by Robert Altman, which I found of absolutely no value. Other extras are in a small booklet, which includes an excerpt from Kurosawa’s “Something Like an Autobiography” and two of the stories by Atkutagawa, which were the inspiration by the screenplay by Hashimoto and Kurosawa.

The movie is about how perception changes or redefines reality. There is no one central truth, just differing points of view, and you may press hard looking for the ultimate answer. Let me know if you think you found it. If you have a hard time following the action, I will give you a roadmap here, so consider this your spoiler alert.

A word of warning here” I found the theme from Ravel’s Bolero very disturbing and distracting, as it was kind of misused and thrown in by the Japanese composer, at Kurosawa's request. If it doesn’t bother you, forget I said this. All other uses of sound, however, are brilliant in enhancing or distancing the action and setting apart a moment to be remembered, or is about to change. Listen for the chimes, in particular.


Rashomon in Kurosawa Time

This film was number 12 for Kurosawa, and it has been considered his breakthrough film. It was the first Kurosawa film to get viewed extensively internationally. Perhaps it is most accurate to say that this is the first film in which the Kurosawa genius can be seen . In his autobiography, he states an implied belief that the only reason he was allowed to make his “eleventh century period piece” was because it was to be filmed on location in the Nara forests , the cast would be limited to 8 people total, and it would require the construction of only two sets. Hence the budget is what in the end decided the backers to go ahead with the film.

The combination of talents in this film was extraordinary. There was my favorite actor of all time, Toshiro Mifune, who was at the time, pretty much an unknown in Japanese film. There was Masayuki Mori, who was the best known of all the Japanese actors, an accomplished stage actor. There was Takashi Shimura as the Woodcutter, an actor who would later be superb as the “old” Samurai in the Seven Samurai. And Machiko Kyo, as Masako, the woman in the piece, who gave an extraordinary (and largely unappreciated) performance. Add to that the brilliant cinematography of Miyagawa, who shot directly into the sun for the first time on film, and used mirrors (stolen from the dressing room) to light the actors’ faces with reflected light from the sun, and it becomes a pretty impressive combination.

But how impressive would all this have been without Kurosawa? Would it have been just a melodrama, with sword play thrown in to appease the masses? Well I don’t know, but I am inclined to believe that Kurosawa is the genius that envisioned, story boarded and edited this masterpiece, which is now 50 years old! That every frame is perfect, that every nuance of character is expressed, and enhanced by the placing of each character in relation to each other, and to the audience, I can only say was the brilliance of the Japanese Director.


THE THEME

Now down to the nitty gritty. Kurosawa says his vision of this film came from his extensive research in the effectiveness of silent films, and in a way, what he was trying to do was to bring that back. He was trying to create a world that enhanced and dramatized each different view of the same event, and he did it masterfully. What is often seen as overacting, was completely intentional, in the sense that exaggerated gestures, and expressions enhanced silent films. If you watch the film a second time, you will notice how the dialog really only reiterates the physical visual scenes as they happen. Shut off the English subtitles, and I still believe you would understand what is being shown.

Far ahead of its day, this movie was intended to show how perception alters reality. Seen through each character's eyes, the same event becomes an event with a completely different meaning. You may decide none of the stories being told by these characters are true, or you may decide they are all true. Richie, in his commentary implies that he thinks that the priest is the director’s spokesman. I don’t believe this is true. I believe that we, the audience, represent Kurosawa’s view, which is neither as open and forgiving as that of the priest, or so harsh and cynical as the only other “impartial” listener to these tails, the “commoner.” But watch the film, And decide for yourself.


The SYMBOLISM

There are multiple symbols, and stereotypes that help us to layer the realities as they are presented. The rain is especially interesting, and of course is the classic symbol of sadness and depression, the depths of depravity. Since it was hard to photograph rain in its natural state, ink was added so that it could be filmed against the gray sky. Note how it steaks on the faces of the actors.

The use of the “triangles” to show the dynamic tension between the characters is a masterful device used to reinforce the dymanic tension among the three nain characters. This applies not just to the characters in the rape/murder scene, but in the storytelling scene at the ruined temple as well. Kurosawa also uses large blocky diagonals to signal changes and discord. Of course there are many others, but these are a few of the more obvious.


THE PLOT

***SECOND SPOILER ALERT***



It is raining hard. Two men huddle in the shelter of a ruined temple (Rashomon is on the gate) . A third man runs for the shelter. The two men are muttering to themselves,
I just don’t understand it”. The third man, the commoner, is curious and wants to hear the whole story.


The basics are, that a man is dead, presumed the victim of foul play. A famous bandit, who presumably raped the man’s wife, is being held as a suspect. There are in this story, we believe, only the three major players: The man, who is traveling with his wife, the wife, and the bandit.
That the woman was raped, no one denies. But the essential question will be, how did the husband die?

The opening scene is a brilliant long shot that shows the woodcutter, one of the narrators of this story, walking through the woods. You can feel the sunshine on his shoulder, watch it reflected off his axe, and almost smell the living forest, as he is shot from all angles making his way deeper into the woods, where shadows and leaves will shift the light patterns, and make all a bit darker and more mysterious. He comes upon a lady’s hat, then a dagger sheath, then a piece of rope, and finally, to his horror a dead body. He does not see the woman, and only came upon the body later, he says.

The next day he is taken in front of a judge, and tells his part of the story. We sit at the point of the view of the judge now, hearing as several people tell their story, which is of the same event. As each story is told, we find them all, and then none of them believable.


THE WOODCUTTER'S STORY

He finds the lady’s hat, the samurai's cap, the dagger pouch, and a length of rope as he approaches, then finds the body, runs off, and tells his story the next day. It is a story of seeing nothing, and not really wanting to be involved. Watch for variations in this as the woodcutter re-tells his story.

THE PRIEST'S STORY

His story starts before the action, he sees the man leading the horse, with the woman on it, going through the forest.

THE POLICEMAN'S STORY

He catches the bandit, Tajomaru, on a horse, that clearly doesn’t belong to him. He arrests him.
He decided they belonged to the murdered man.

THE BANDIT'S STORY

The bandit says he had drunk polluted water and as sick to his stomach. He laughs hysterically. But then, he decides to tell the truth, his story of what happened with the man, the woman and himself. We see him lying at the foot of the tree, dozing, when he sees a fleeting glance of a woman, beautiful, and a man leading her horse. Animal like, he watches the entourage pass, and reaches for his sword. (A wonderfully acted sequence that you need to watch)

He decides he must have the woman, and tricks the husband into going off to look for some swords he found, and he isolates him and a battle follows. He ties him up. He then approaches the woman, and takes her to her husband, where she sees him bound. He has his way with her, and admires her feisty spirit. He loves her, and wants her to come away with him.
She tells him "either you or my husband must die", and he let’s the husband loose, and they fight to the death. But when he looks around for his prize, she is gone.

So he takes the horse, drinks poisoned water and gets caught as he is writhing on the ground in pain.


The woodcutter says, they are all lies.

THE WIFE'S (MASAKO) STORY

Skip the whole first duel. We come in when the bandit has his way with her, and runs off. The woman is left alone with her husband, and becomes a tragic heroine, as her shame is met with contempt by her husband. And rather than see that contempt in his eyes, she is driven by her passion and undoing to approach him with a dagger. We assume she killed him, although she swoons in the nick of time. Just a note here, that this is a classic theme in Japanese culture and story telling. So she is not a western liberated woman, as she is acting out the tragedy that life has handed her. In the best Japanese tradition.

THE HUSBAND'S STORY


He speaks (brilliantly) through a medium, a shamaness.

In his story, the husband is tied up, and watches his wife being violated. And then, she says she would prefer the bandit and goes to leave with him. But she stops and asks him to kill the husband. The bandit is not impressed, and changes his mind. She runs off, the bandit chases her.

Then, the husband cries, and does the only honorable thiongs and kills himself

THE WOODCUTTER'S SECOND STORY

The woodcutter, who has been saying that all these stories are lies, is finally urged by the “commoner” to tell the truth.

I’m going to withhold this one, because it is fascinating, and gives a completely different view of all three of the major characters involved in the rape and the murder.

Which version is the truth? Well that’s up to you to decide, isn’t it?

About the baby: If you have a question, it is only the message of hope, and redemption.

Look for the dagger. It is important!

THE CAST

Toshiro Mifune as Tajomaru-he is the mobilizer, in all the stories, without whom there IS no story. He was told by Kurosawa in one famous scene (as he waits dozing under the tree) to emulate a “lion” and be animal-like. Indeed he is. The overacting on some of the parody scenes (the last if you need directions) are over the top, deliberately. It is just one more way this brilliant actor followed direction by Kurosawa, and helped create the idea that reality is truly through the eye of the beholder. I absolutely love this actor, and I couldn’t say something bad about him if I tried! He was relatively unknown at the time this was filmed, although he had been in a few of Kurosawa’s earlier efforts. The story is that he came to work on the set, on the lighting crew, just hungry for work one day. The rest is history.

Machiko Kyo-as Masako, the woman-the wife-who is raped. This was a magnificent, highly underrated performance. If you had any doubt about “women” being played in Kurosawa’s film, let it rest, because she plays the woman in all guises. It was a wonderful, and I am more impressed with every subsequent viewing.

Masayuki Mori as Takehiro, the husband. He is a “nobleman” and his character also shows many sides. The character says little, but he was THE star of this film, and the only well known actor in the piece at the time. Excellent, sometimes riveting performance.

Takashi Shimura as The Woodcutter. You will see him again as the recruiting older Samurai in Seven Samurai. This is one fine actor, whose character is a veritable chameleon of changes that are rarely conveyed by any dialog. He goes from simple observer to a quite different role, and then goes to still another character in the final scene. Excellent, even outstanding, performance.

Minoru Chiaki as the priest. This is a sad sack incarnate, the one character who wants to believe the best possible version of the ultimate story. That he becomes bleak in the middle shouldn’t surprise you. He was a frequent cast member in Kurosawa’s flicks as well.

Kichijiro Ueda as the Commoner. He is the one character (besides the audience) who witnessed nothing at all about the event of the rape and the murder. He is the goad to get the story told. We would like to identify with him , but Kurosawa cleverly pulls the rug out from under him at the last minute. Sarcastic and worldly, this character can only listen because he was never a part of the original story.

Fumiko Honma as the Medium., through which the dead husband speaks. Anther a very interesting and graceful performance.


Daisuke Kato as Policeman. Throughout his part of the story, he holds Tajomaru on a tether, like a Labrador on a chain. If there is any real humor in this flick, it resides in this character.

FINAL RECOMMENDATION

I hate to review movies that I feel I may dishonor by not praising enough. Kurosawa was a creative genius. Mifune was a marvel to watch. Rashomon offers ample proof of both allegations.

It is definitely a must see rental for serious classic movie lovers, and would make an outstanding addition to any serious DVD collection.

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age