1. Rashômon; movie review

 

RASHÔMON

Cert 12A

88 mins

BBFC advice: Contains sexual violence references, suicide, moderate threat, language

What happened to the movie industry's visionaries, risk-takers and innovators?

Nowadays, the public is fed a diet of remakes, sequels and bloated franchises as studios cower in fear of making a box office flop.

The irony is that cinema captures the imagination because it evolves and history has shown that its lowest points are when it has stagnated.

Nobody seized its creative possibilities with greater gusto than genius director Akira Kurosawa.

Indeed, his 1950 picture Rashômon revealed a storytelling and writing technique so new that it became a word in its own right.

According to Wikipedia, The Rashomon effect is when "an event is given contradictory interpretations or descriptions by the individuals involved, thereby providing different perspectives and points of view of the same incident."

Rashômon was also an introduction of Japanese cinema to Western audiences, winning the Golden Lion at the 1951 Venice Film Festival, just six years after the end of World War Two.

It is still, hailed as a masterpiece although, while its cinematic significance is undeniable, it probably doesn't pass the test of time as much as I had hoped.

I last watched Rashômon about 15 years ago and was looking forward to reacquainting myself.

However, its melodramatic screaming and shouting are rather off-putting and its big reveal didn't feel as hard-hitting as it did first time around.

Set in around the 10th century, it stars Takashi Shimura and Minoru Chiaki as a woodcutter and a priest who are taking shelter from torrential rain at the city gates, recounting the horrific story of a murder and rape to an excitable commoner (Kichijiro Ueda) who has joined them.

The tale is then told through the eyes of a bandit (Toshiro Mifune) who is believed to have perpetrated the crime, the woman (Machiko Kyō) who has been attacked, her Samurai husband (Masayuki Mori) and the woodcutter who claims he witnessed the event.

Rashômon runs at only 88 minutes so each of the accounts are short but, crucially, they all tell a different version.

Let's be honest, some of the scenes jarred - for example, a laughable knife fight.

But while the film may not be everyone's cup of tea, its place in history cannot be denied.

Consequently, it deserves its 8/10

Reasons to watch: Cinema history

Reasons to avoid: Its acting doesn't pass the test of time

Laughs: One

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 8/10

Did you know? Movies which rely on the Rashomon effect include Hero (2002) Elephant (2003) Gone Girl (2014) Vantage Point (2008) and The Usual Suspects (1995)

The final word. Akira Kurosawa: "We had our share of troubles in making the picture. After one reel was edited there was a studio fire, and another one during dubbing. I’m not happy when I think back to those times. Also I did not know that the film was being sent to Venice. And it certainly would not have been sent if Giuliana Stramigioli [head of Unitalia Film] had not seen and liked it." BFI

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