Rashomon: A Thriller Movie Directed By Akira Kurosawa (Movie Review Sample)

Rashomon
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Rashomon
Produced in 1950, Rashomon is a thriller movie directed by Akira Kurosawa, closely with working alongside the cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa. The film stars Masayuki Mori, Takashi Shimura, Machiko Kyo, and Toshiro Mifune. The film is often based on two stories; “In a Grove” which provides the plot and characters and the Ryunosuke Akutagawa's, “Rashomon” that gives the setting. Kurosawa makes the screenplay simple and comprehensible as he presents human nature as a complex aspect when it comes to speaking the truth concerning particular matters. All the flashbacks in the movie are half true and half false. They are true in that they present an accurate portrait of what every witness thinks happened. On the other hand, they are false because in his autobiography, Kurosawa potray human beings as incapable of being honest about themselves and with themselves. Kurosawa started his career with the film known Sugata Sanshiro in 1943 where a boy learns the meaning of life via judo.
Rashomon made me like Japanese cinema especially due to the elevated level of emotion by the actors. The film opens in the torrential rain with two men sheltering at the Kyoto Rashomon's Gate. The rain in the movie is important as it separates the present from the past. Most movies that start with rainfall signify that there are people somewhere who are enslaved and in need of help, but find it hard to access. Kurosawa made good use of the rain at the beginning of the film since it creates suspense to the viewers. The two men are a woodcutter (Takashi Shimura) and a priest (Minoru Chiaki)2. Later on, we see a commoner (Kichijiro Ueda) engaging in the conversation. During the conversation, the commoner learns that a samurai had been murdered and his wife raped by a suspected local bandit. When the woodcutter and the priest try to tell the commoner what they saw, they make use of flashbacks. The wife, the bandit, and the woodcutter stories completely disagree since everyone is lying for their own benefit. When I was watching this part, it dawned on me how human beings always want to favor themselves. Everyone want to be on the safer side of the story where they do not to take the blame for the evil actions they perpetrate. Even if one has done something wrong, they do not admit to it right away
Kurosawa uses emotions and visuals to communicate to his audience; which make the movie interesting. For example, when the woodcutter began his journey into the woods there is silence which depicts an entrance into another realm of the reality. These also create the images of life and death since the forest is portrayed as a fearful place. Kurosawa had realized the weight of honesty of emotion in the silent film. Sometimes dialog does not carry significant weight as compared to the actor’s eyes, gestures, and faces to express emotions. The dramatic incident is often singular and devoid of the conventional plot. The photography is excellent, and the flow of images are expressive beyond words. The use of incidental sounds and music is ...