First Look - Rashomon (1950) directed by Akira Kurosawa

A must watch for film enthusiasts

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I have been following Mr. Hassan Abd Muthalib thru most of his film talk for more than a year now. He is a veteran and top scholar in the field of film and its history. He has talked about and recommended his talk attendees about the classical Japanese film director, Akira Kurosawa and his early films

In his last talk during the Merdeka Sama-Sama event in Ipoh last few weeks talking about classic Malaya films, he mentioned about P.Ramlee's Semerah Padi and its meaning, which is quite totally on a different level compared to the literal face translation of the movie.

He then mention Rashomon in the same breath as Semerah Padi so I have decided to watch it (and if I can, understand it, which I doubted it)

I have been looking around online for copy of it and found a free one for viewing on Youtube, but in less superior quality. I am thinking of purchasing a digital copy from Amazon soon as a precious collection.

The movie

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I wrote this right after I finish watching the movie. It tells the story about the encounter of a samurai, his beautiful wife and a bandit named Tajomaru in the woods.

An old man looking for fire wood after the event bumped into what is left of the encounter.

All of them were taken into the main court to be investigated on what actually happened after the old man reported it. The beautiful wife, Tajomaru and the old man was taken in for statement. Even the Samurai (which is supposed to be dead) has been summoned in by a medium to give his statement from the after life.

Each one of them came with a different version of the story. They reported of what allegedly happened to a silent questioner, which is not shown who he/she is.

So on the surface you have 4 different versions of the story of what happened.

What actually happened is still a mystery and take some murder investigators mind.
And I think it that is exactly what this movie is about. It plays around with the nature of human itself. A different person watching the movie will have a different take about which story is true.

Truth or Lies

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I think the ruined building named Rashomon is a temple or court where the trial took place. After three days of the so call incident, it has shown to be in ruined and in the middle of a heary rainstorm. Probably depicting its incapability to serve justice itself as the judge is also human.

The young priest who is doubtful of the old man's story and a stranger came in for the rain cover in my opinion serves as two extreme of judgement for the old man and for us to think if hes telling the truth, or not.

At the end of the movie the stanger talked abt selfishness and how it is required just to survive in this world.
As the movie ends, the rain stopped, the priest trust the old man with the baby and the old man walked off the ruin into a clear sky. Probably showing that there is hope in life how bad things go.

I will watch wolfcrow youtube video on his take about the movie and if im lucky enough, will hear it straight from Mr. Hassan Abd Muthalib himself of his translation.

Thank you for dropping by :)