Rashomon (1950)

Rashomon is a 1950 Japanese film directed by extraordinary film-maker Akira Kurosawa. Described by some as a period piece, and others as a crime drama, 63 years after its original release the film is now considered one of the most influential projects of all time. The film’s plot is instantly intriguing. Four accounts of a rape and murder are presented by witnesses, all of which differing from one another. While the premise is simple, Kurosawa questions meaningful philosophical and psychological concerns such as the nature of the human condition and ‘what is truth’. This deeper exploration provides a backbone to the film, providing engagement well beyond simple entertainment. Kurosawa employs film-making techniques way beyond his time, such as a puzzling open-ended non-linear narrative. This ingenuity is undoubtedly what has preserved the impact of this film. Although some sequences in the film are hyperbolic and clichéd to 21st century audiences, the ideologies presented by the director aren’t. The transcendence of these ideas is completely intentional, preserving the films genuineness through a modest narrative in order to engage with many audiences as possible. Kurosawa’s mind-set clearly wouldn’t have been focused on engaging an audience in 2013, yet he certainly was aware of the potential audience of the film. And, muchly deserved, the film became the highest grossing foreign film in America in 1951, and also collected a huge amount of awards including an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Film. This cemented Kurosawa’s name across many countries as one of the most respected and inventive film-makers working at the time. The film is littered with noteworthy performances. Toshirô Mifun, Machiko Kyô and Masayuki Mori are all memorable, proving sentimental interactions and haunting imagery that exists in the mind long after the film concludes. Rashomon is truly brilliant. Its proposed messages are as equally remarkable as its film-making techniques and acting. Kurosawa manages to create a truly extraordinary film which is brutally unrecognised as a masterpiece.