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Rashomon - Criterion Collection Actors: Toshirô Mifune, Machiko Kyô Director: Akira Kurosawa Number of Items: 1 Picture Format: Academy Ratio Format: Black & White Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) Running Time: 88 minutes Studio: Criterion Collection Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Region Code: 1 Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2002-03-26 Buy from Amazon |
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From Amazon.com essential video This 1950 film by Akira Kurosawa is more than a classic: it's a cinematic archetype that has served as a template for many a film since. (Its most direct influence was on a Western remake, The Outrage, starring Paul Newman and directed by Martin Ritt.) In essence, the facts surrounding a rape and murder are told from four different and contradictory points of view, suggesting the nature of truth is something less than absolute. The cast, headed by Kurosawa's favorite actor, Toshiro Mifune, is superb. --Tom Keogh From Description Brimming with action while incisively examining the nature of truth, Rashomon is perhaps the finest film ever to investigate the philosophy of justice. Through an ingenious use of camera and flashbacks, Kurosawa reveals the complexities of human nature as four people recount different versions of the story of a man's murder and the rape of his wife. Toshiro Mifune gives another commanding performance in the eloquent masterwork that revolutionized film language and introduced Japanese cinema to the world. |
 "A Case of Rape in 12th Century"Rashamon is an incredibly influential film. In 1951 it seemed odd indeed with its five points of view, it's camera movement, it's melancholy theme, rape and murder. There is also a self-mocking element to the Samurai sword fighting and Kimono doll histrionics. The overacting is actually snide sarcasm about Japanese film or societal convention. Japanese film folks were surprised Western viewers grasped these ideas. After all, American Westerns have their formal rituals, the gunfight at noon, the horsy loner, and so on. 12th Century Samurai and their sword fighting, the status of women in Japan, their victimization, all is standard film fare in the East. This one is a thoughtful film with interesting, original cinematography, but for those looking for huge battles as shown in the later Ran, this one is a Perry Mason court case. "Truth? What is truth?"A nobleman and his wife are attacked by a bandit deep in the forest; the woman is raped, the nobleman killed (or is it suicide?). The bandit, the wife, the nobleman's ghost, and a woodsman who discovers the aftermath (or witnesses the whole thing?) tell their version of the crime, and each is very different from the others. Kurasawa is exploring what truth is and to what extent will someone twist it to protect oneself. It's a great idea, but what really makes the picture work so well is that through each version of the story the characterizations deepen and become multi-layered. Only the very ending, which seems to be more about selfishness than truth, might their be a misstep; otherwise the movies is perfect. Deservedly a classic, and devastating in its message of mistrust. Definitely worth a watch. "Rashomon"Kurosawas ingenious breakthrough feature examines the elusive nature of truth, and our ability to reshape it to suit what we want to believe. Brilliantly composed and shot, the film's dreamlike quality is hypnotic. Thought-provoking and surprisingly accessible, Rashomon is a cinematic triumph.  "As a film this deserves an A; as a DVD, a B minus"This really is a work of art, from a film-making and acting perspective, but the DVD comes up short in several areas. I won't get into Rashomon as a work of art, as it has been amply covered in other posts. But the "Criterion Collection" DVD itself suffers a bit in several respects: shakiness in the opening title scenes and some early shots of the temple (which I believe is the result of the film conversion process, rather than shaky camerawork) and the 1.3/1 aspect ratio. This latter is particularly irritating in the courtyard testimony scenes, when the other witnesses are cut off, but is also apparent in some of the fight scenes. And imagine how glorious those dappling-sunlight-through-the-trees scenes would have been in widescreen! A shame. On the other hand, the DVD extras such as the Altman commentary and interview with the cinematographer are welcome additions. "A Classic"One of the timeless classics offering a profound insight into the nature of human beings and the stories we tell. How we see things, the filters we place on our view of the world, say more about us than the "truth" of the events we "witness". This film is a masterpiece - a must see not only for film lovers but for anyone looking to art as a reflection of human realities. |
