"Rashomon"
Director Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon
took me by surprise. I knew almost about the film except that it is
regarded as one of his finest masterpieces. The picture's runtime spans a
mere 88 minutes in length. I should put aside my assumptions that just
because his film is considerably shorter compared to some of his other works
that doesn't mean Kurosawa still had something important to say. Rashomon
has a lot to say in a little amount of time. Moral philosophy runs
extraordinary deep in such a way I was left still trying to process what I just
saw. I was caught off guard in one of the best ways possible.
Stop me if you've heard this
one, a priest (Minoru Chiaki,) a wood cutter (Takashi Shimura,) and a commoner
(Kichijiro Ueda) are seeking shelter beneath a large gate (known as a rashomon)
from a torrential downpour. The three men huddle around a fire and
discuss a crime that has recently taken place. It is a crime of
murder. A samurai (Masayuki Mori) is found slain in the forest. The
man responsible for this heinous crime is the notorious bandit Tajomaro
(Toshiro Mifume) who is brought to trial and stands at the mercy of the
court. Case closed right? Wrong. As our storytellers point
out it's not about how the samurai was killed but the motives behind why he was
killed. The priest saw the samurai, Takehiro, with his wife Masako
(Machiko Kyo) the day he was murdered and the woodcutter was the one who
discovered his body. Both men were present at the trial of Tajomaro and
recant to the commoner what they heard. This tale of murder is told from
four different viewpoints: Tajomaro's, Masako's, Takehiro's (through the
use of a medium channeling his spirit,) and the woodcutter's. Each
character offers a completely different telling of what occurred on that
sweltering day in the forest.
Rashomon's script works
on a number of levels. Through brief, yet intense storytelling it's clear
that each character has his/her own set of ideals. How ethical of person
is someone? You don't really know until you're left with an ultimatum
that is going to change the lives of all the parties involved. Who is
most important to you and what actions are you willing to take to protect what
is at stake? If man is willing to sink to this level of disparity is there
a path to his redemption? Is there any good left in humanity?
These questions are not easily answered but are certainly explored. And
that's how Kurosawa gets his audience right where he wants them.
I suppose one could think that
these questions are a bit too grand and philosophical given the size of the
film. I don't think Kurosawa's goal was to overwhelm his audience with
seemingly pretentious ideas and concepts. On the most minimalistic level
of realization and interpretation Rashomon makes you think about these
characters, the choices that they make, and why they are making them. The
larger scope of the picture dealing with its themes, theories, and viewpoints
are to be talked about on the car ride home with your fellow moviegoers.
The film doesn't offer much in the way of answers although Kurosawa definitely
points you in the right direction. By the end it's up to you the viewer
to decide what really happened that day. Even though there isn't one definitive
answer the ending doesn't feel like a cop out.
I want to see Rashomon at
least two more times in my life. It's one of those films that earns the
right to be rewatched because it can be examined on varying degrees of
appreciation. Rashomon's aesthetics, characters, plot, and themes
all carry a certain weight to them that unfortunately can't be fully realized
on its initial viewing. I liked what I saw but have the feeling I missed
quite a bit in the subtext of the film and am not doing it justice. Rashomon
might seem straightforward from its description on the DVD jacket but the
film is layered with great depth and complexity that only Kurosawa knows how to
tell. When watching the film you may be wondering where Kurosawa is going
with the picture and then it subtly hits you why he is a master
storyteller. The human soul is charred and blackened by this crime and
only the downpour which the film opens with can wash away this great
wrongdoing. Kurosawa lends us his umbrella to weather us from the
storm.
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