‘Rashômon’ (12A)

***

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.