Rashomon (1950) Rashômon (original title)

Director:

Akira Kurosawa

Writers:

Ryûnosuke Akutagawa (stories)
Akira Kurosawa (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

26 December 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

The husband, the wife...or the bandit?

Plot:

A heinous crime and its aftermath are recalled from differing points of view.

Plot Keywords:

Samurai | Trial | Priest | Murder | Truth

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 9 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Toshirô Mifune	...	Tajômaru
Machiko Kyô	...	Masako Kanazawa
Masayuki Mori	...	Takehiro Kanazawa
Takashi Shimura	...	Woodcutter
Minoru Chiaki	...	Priest
Kichijirô Ueda	...	Commoner
Noriko Honma	...	Medium
Daisuke Katô	...	Policeman

Directed by
Akira Kurosawa

Writing credits
Ryûnosuke Akutagawa		(stories Rashomon and In a Grove)
Akira Kurosawa		(screenplay) and
Shinobu Hashimoto		(screenplay)

Produced by
Minoru Jingo	....	producer
Masaichi Nagata	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Fumio Hayasaka

Cinematography by
Kazuo Miyagawa

Film Editing by
Akira Kurosawa

Production Design by
Takashi Matsuyama

Set Decoration by
H. Motsumoto

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Tokuzô Tanaka	....	assistant director
Mitsuo Wakasugi	....	assistant director

Visual Effects by
Aurelio x. Vera Jr.	....	restoration artist (restored version)

Camera and Electrical Department
Fujiro Morita	....	assistant camera
Kenichi Okamoto	....	lighting technician

Other crew
François Vila	....	press agent

Production Companies

• Daiei Motion Picture Company (as Daiei Eiga)

Distributors

• Daiei Motion Picture Company (1950) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Kadokawa Pictures (2008) (Japan) (theatrical) (restored version)
• Jesnet (2009) (Japan) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Allianz Filmverleih (1952) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Edward Harrison (1957) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Janus Films (2009) (USA) (theatrical) (restoration)
• Los Films del Búho (1984) (Spain) (theatrical)
• RKO Radio Pictures (1951) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Sascha Filmverleih (1955) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (1953) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• trigon-film (2011) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Concorde Home Entertainment (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Continental Home Vídeo (2003) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2012) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (USA) (laserdisc)
• Dolmen (2007) (Italy) (DVD)
• Embassy Home Entertainment (video)
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (1978) (USA) (TV) (network premiere)
• Sandrews (2003) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Tocantins (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• WoWow (2012) (Japan) (TV)
• trigon-film (2011) (Austria) (all media)
• trigon-film (2011) (Germany) (DVD) (HD restored)
• trigon-film (2011) (Germany) (all media)
• trigon-film (2011) (Switzerland) (DVD) (HD restored)
• trigon-film (2012) (Switzerland) (DVD) (Blu-ray)

Other Companies

• Daiei Studios  studio
• Lowry Digital Images  restoration: 2008

Also Known As:

"Rashômon" - Japan (original title)

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 (cut) | Switzerland:14 | UK:12 | UK:X (original rating) | USA:Unrated | West Germany:16 | Singapore:PG | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Daiei Tokyo Studios, Tokyo, Japan

Company:

Daiei Motion Picture Company

Trivia:

Often credited as the reason the Academy created the "Best Foreign Film" category.

Quotes:

Commoner:But is there anyone who's really good? Maybe goodness is just make-believe.
Priest:What a frightening...
Commoner:Man just wants to forget the bad stuff, and believe in the made-up good stuff. It's easier that way.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Immensity of Justice (2006)

A rare and a unique masterpiece from the master himself

As oppose to its commonplace plot, Rashomon as a concept is extraordinarily idiosyncratic and perhaps it is this striking attribute that makes it an undisputed masterpiece, howsoever improbable. It vividly limns the artistry of contrivance innate in the human psyche owing to the importunate desire of humans to placate their insatiable egos. This manipulation of facts has no limits and entirely depends upon the skill of imaginative improvisation of the individual along with his level of comfort at skullduggery. The ability to misinterpret comes naturally to the humans as a desperate ploy to counter the adversities of life and that's what makes it indispensable. As a direct consequence of contrivance, the concept of truth no longer remains universal but becomes rather subjective and a matter of individualistic perception.

Rashomon pioneered Kurosawa's dream tryst with perpetual brilliance and undoubtedly played a pivotal part in making his name a mark of excellence in the world of cinema. Rashomon is a well knitted tale about a supercilious samurai, his whimsical wife and a boorish bandit. The bandit inveigles the samurai into imprisonment and has his way with samurai's wife. The dead body of the samurai is later discovered under mysterious circumstances by a woodcutter. The bandit is captured and arraigned along with the deranged widow of the samurai. Their narrated versions seem such contrasting that a psychic is called upon to conjure up the dead samurai's spirit to record his testimony in order to corroborate the facts that seemed excessively manipulated. The samurai's version yet again differs considerably from the testimonies of the other two. Each version though different seemed to satiate the respective ego of the testifier. The woodcutter, who didn't want to get involved personally, later confesses to a priest to have actually witnessed the incident and comes up with a version of his own which falsifies the other three. The movie is ingenious as its actual motive has nothing to do with the revelation of truth as verity is merely a matter of lame perception, but rather is to highlight the discrepancies among the different versions as a medium to depict the irrational complexities associated with the human psyche.

The concept of Rashomon though well ahead of its time, sowed the seeds for creative innovation in the world of cinema and has served as the undisputed benchmark of innovative excellence for well over five decades. A quintessential Kurosawa classic, strongly recommended to the masses for its sheer brilliance and enigmatic charm. 10/10