Rashomon

This film is Akira Kurosawa at his finest, despite the fact that it re-examines the tired clichés of truth and human depravity. The main feature that distinguishes it from films of similar content is its eloquence, the way it presents its concepts with Japanese intensity. The creative cinematography, bold lighting and storyboarding effectively enables the characters to convey their potent mockery of verité through verisimilitude.

In brief, it presents four recounts of a man's murder and the rape of his wife from the perspectives of different participants/bystanders. All four give factually different accounts of the event, and despite this wealth of information, the truth remains obscure. Even toward the end of the film, Kurosawa persists in depicting that even the most honest façades merely disguise webs of deceit and self-interest. The truth of the age-old ideas in the film are delivered with blunt frankness and a fair portion of cynicism. Man's fallibility is inevitable; selfishness is what fuels human life and its operations; we cannot escape from these universal laws; and every single person is susceptible to, even an agent of iniquity. ("They are common stories these days. I even heard that the demon living here in Rashomon fled in fear of the ferocity of man.")

There is much personal interaction between the film and the viewer, especially when one's world view and values are innocuously questioned. In its introduction, the film promises a grossly executed murder but fails to deliver this. One may be disappointed by this seeming inadequacy because expectation is created to be fulfilled or denied, not to be fallen short of (not really a form of denial, is it?). But what desensitisation afflicts us when 'average' acts of violence no longer niggle at our consciences or provoke any form of shock!

There are also a number of deep-seated contradictions that arise in the film. The characters of the woodcutter and the commoner are plated with impenetrable cynicism, a seemingly wise and world-weary attitude is taken toward the accounts. Yet within these accounts, conservative male-female relations are expounded: chauvinism, misogyny, males' blind resort to violence ("A man has to make a woman his by the sword"), females' inconstant behaviour and histrionics, etc. It is unlikely for jadedness to be borne out of conservatism because the parochialist, more often than not, constructs comfortable beliefs to fall back on in times of crises. This delusional approach cuts no ice with the cold realism of the cynic.

The film is not flawless, but it certainly deserves its Oscar and BAFTA nominations. It is perfect for the viewer who is looking for an unadulterated treatment of human nature. The music also deserves credit, for a play on Ravel's Bolero is made during the woman's account of the murder. The chord progressions and rhythm are maintained, but western orchestral instruments are replaced with Japanese instruments. A different melody is played during each variation and the gradual culmination of texture parallels the buildup to the climactic murder scene. Sadistic background music is played throughout all the recounts, not your typical horror movie soundtrack but more light-hearted tunes that contrast with the serious events that are being presented, questioning the significance of crime and injustice in the modern world.

Both DVD and videocassette are available at the esplanade library, in Japanese with English subtitles or an optional English dubbed-over track.

Anon.