Do My Eyes Deceive Me?

Rashômon, a Japanese film directed by Akira Kurosawa, has been described as a psychological thriller, not in the same terms as Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, but more along the lines of a who done it. Having played the game Clue and having read many Sherlock Holmes mysteries, I felt well equipped to solve this murder. I came away from this film just as puzzled as the woodcutter. Kurosawa's intent for this movie was to explore the nature of truth and to examine the meaning of justice. According to Tadao Sato, Kurosawa's film is significant because

Kurosawa’s Rashomon was shown at the Venice Film Festival in 1951 and was awarded the Grand Prix. It also won the Academy Award for best foreign-language film. This was the first time a Japanese film had won such high international acclaim, and Japanese films now attracted serious attention all over the world.

In 2002, Roger Ebert rated this film four stars, summarizing the effect of this film stating:

There is an explanation of the film's four eyewitness accounts of a murder, there, is not a solution.

He specifically notes that there are "four testimonies that don't match" "three self-confessed killers", and "no solution". The movie begins in the present as the woodcutter relays to the priest his account. The woodcutter is the person who found the body and reported it to the authorities. He was also present during the trial. Like the woodcutter, I watched this film, making note of each person's eyewitness account, coming to the realization that the variations were due in part to the individual perspective of each eyewitness. Their point of view, mentally and physically determined how each person saw and interpreted the sequence of events.

From personal experience, I have discovered that what I remember varies from my husband or children about specific events. In a trial preceding, witnesses are called to testify of what they recall of specific events. Key items are discovered when testimonies overlap. Questions arise when discrepancies occur. Kurosawa explains that some discrepancies occur because

Human beings are unable to be honest with themselves about themselves. They cannot talk about themselves without embellishing.

Rashômon takes four characters: the Bandit, the Bride, the Samurai, and the Woodcutter, to tell the story. Each provides an eyewitness account of what occurred and how the Samurai was murdered. Each witness tells truths and tells lies. We spend our time watching the movie to decide who murdered the Samurai, and we come away just as confused as the woodcutter who states at the very beginning that he does not understand. There is also the question as to the woodcutter's own innocence. He was not completely truthful about what he knew of the forest and the dead Samurai.

This film utilizes flashbacks to help tell the story as each eyewitness testifies to the events that led to the death of the Samurai. The past and present are depicted through the weather, raining at the beginning of the movie, which is the present, and sunny, hot weather, representing the past events. The sequence of events shown in the film is not in chronological order, requiring the viewer to piece together the facts presented. This plot arrangement was not typical for filming in the 1950s. Kurosawa's use of flashbacks in Rashômon was innovative and clever. In addition to new ways of telling a story, Kurosawa tried new ways of filming and even broke the norm, capturing the sun through a screen of leaves.

Storytelling through flashbacks and filming sunlight set this Japanese film apart from the more traditional filmmaking styles and of Western cinematography. The most distinguishing mark of this film is the acting style. Facial expression was over-exaggerated. Almost every Japanese film I have watched exhibits extreme facial expressions. Some of this stems from the extreme masks used in Japanese theatre, as well as, the usage seen in earlier silent films to relay feelings and emotions.

I have watched many Japanese films with my spouse, and have been less than engaged in the process (merely wanted to be with my husband). I have not enjoyed these films. Yet, after analyzing Rashômon, I feel that I could appreciate these films and enjoy them more when watching them with him.

References:

Ebert, Roger. “Rashomon Movie Review & Film Summary (1950): Roger Ebert.” Movie Review & Film Summary (1950) | Roger Ebert, https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-rashomon-1950.

Sato, Tadao. "Kurosawa Akira". Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Mar. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kurosawa-Akira. Accessed 4 June 2022.