Rashomon [1950]
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Genre: Crime/Drama/Mystery
Language: Japanese
Country: Japan
Rashomon is widely regarded – and rightfully so – as one of the most influential films of all time. Released in 1950, Akira Kurosawa’s masterpiece pioneered the idea of having the same story told through multiple points of view, and it has spawned countless other re-tellings. The story is simple: a notorious bandit happened upon a traveling samurai and his wife while wandering through the forest and then proceeds to rape the wife. In the midst of this, the samurai ends up stabbed to death. What proceeds is the re-telling of this story from various viewpoints: the bandit, the wife, and the dead samurai (through a very spooky medium). Every story is different from the other, and naturally each person makes themself look as good as possible in that situation. Of course, this brings up a conflict of interest to the viewing, leaving them to decide what actually transpired.
Rashomon is truly fascinating in that the viewer is being shown the same scene multiple times (with different results), yet each scene offers a fresh and enthralling take on what happened. Throughout all of this, there is breathtaking cinematography that makes the most out of the film’s small budget. Some may complain about over-the-top acting (particulary from the wife), as well as the movie’s slow pacing, but these are small faults for a truly vital piece of cinematic history. Simply put, Rashomon is a must-see for any aspiring film buff.
8/10
