***
DVD Release
Essentially a murder mystery, Rashômon is the story of a brutal crime
and the aftermath as told from differing points of view. A priest and
woodcutter are hiding in the ruined gate of Rashômon when an anonymous man
appears from the deluge and questions them about the court case they appeared
at that morning. Through a series of flash backs, the film shows the differing
stories of the same event until some kind of truth is understood.
The story has elements of An Inspector Calls, with an unknown man
asking questions about the murder and disclosing uncomfortable truths about
human nature along the way. As a study into human psychology, it is a quite
interesting film but the repetitive nature of the flash backs to the murder
scene become quite wearing and the wronged woman’s hysterical nature is very
grating (there is only so much high-pitch wailing that I can stand). Also, like
An Inspector Calls, the ‘moral’ of
human nature is played in quite a heavy-handed fashion and the crossing between
past and present only exacerbates this leaving the audience in no doubt of the
failings of mankind. The information is expressed through a court scene,
although we never see the judge or hear them asking the questions, making it
appear as though the audience is being directly addressed by the different
characters, which is quite an interesting trope. The court scene also features
a rather disturbing sequence in which the dead man speaks through a medium and
the scene works well, but again we flash back to another scene in the wood and
another possible murder sequence. With such a repetitive structure, the film
ends up feeling a lot longer than its short 90 minute running time.
The acting on display is
excellent, and special credit should go to Toshirô Mifune as the bandit, Tajômaru, who adopts different
characteristics seamlessly depending on who is telling the story. Although
grating, Masayuki Mori displays similarly diverse skills as the wife. However, the
acting cannot sustain the recurring and episodic nature of the film, but it has
some interesting ideas into the strengths and weaknesses of man.
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