1. Give a brief outline of the plot (action) of the film.
The plot of the movie is the murder of the samurai husband. The plot is introduced right away given the discussion of the recent murder, by the priest and the woodcutter. After All four testimonies, the bandit, the woodcutter, the bride, and the samurai( through a medium) are different each retelling the murder from their own perspective providing the audience with four different stories. The film concluded by never telling the audience whose testimony was ultimately true.
2. What are the main symbols in the film, what do they represent?
Throughout the film we are presented with many symbols all depicting a different thing in human nature. One of the main symbols as far as I understood the film is the forest. The murder took place in a dark rainy forest symbolizing uncertainty of life. We have no idea the way life it’s going to take it’s course and I think the forest represents that. There’s so many paths in a forest and the darkness makes it hard to see which one is the best one. Another main symbol in the film and a more obvious one is the Rashomon itself, which is the gate that the priest and the woodcutter are sitting. The gate is falling apart representing how society is slowly crumbling and that we as humans make an already bad situation worse. Since the film shows people chopping wood from the rashomon, it can be seen how we humans don’t often help in situations where things are not good but instead we manage to further deepen the damage of the situation.
3. What are the main philosophical questions (ideas) being raised by the film? How are these themes still relevant today?
The main philosophical question being raised by the film is the individuality that resides within telling the truth. The film gives the audience the option of making their minds up about who’s telling the truth. This is important because it shows how the truth can be manipulated and retold to the extent of one’s memory or the way they perceive an event. This is still relevant today because as a society, truth always seems to be a struggle. We live in a world where we don’t know what the actual truth is, we don’t know how it’s being shaped to benefit the person telling it and we don’t know if the truth is actually a lie. Truth it’s what the mind wants it to be, which can often stray us away from the actual truth. The film also raises a question about morality in human nature. As humans we’re supposed to know the difference between right or wrong but when being presented with different truths, that task becomes hard. Each testimony shows how each person can make a situation benefit them, which makes us question who’s really a good or a bad person. Morality is still relevant today because daily life is a constant deciding what’s good or bad in our eyes.
4. How is the structure of the film important to the telling of this story?
The structure of the film is important to the telling if this story because it helps to more clearly convey the different themes in the story. The main thing which is the different testimonies all from different perspectives give the audience the task of arriving at the truth by themselves. Each testimony also give the audience an insight into each character and what motivates them as human, hopefully giving the audience another aspect in which to evaluate truth. The structure also keeps the audience involved and focused on the film since they now have to try to figure out who’s telling the truth, giving them a way to interpret the story depending on how they think.
5. Who’s story did you find most trustworthy and why?
Since each testimony seemed to be altered to fit each person’s interest I found it hard to believe anyone. But in my opinion the most trustworthy testimony was the woodcutters, even though he left certain details out for his own benefit. The woodcutters testimony seemed the most objective when retelling the events that lead to the death of the samurai. The woodcutters retelling is also the one who seems more realistic in my mind. The way he describe the events seem more coherent. For example, he claims the he saw the bandit tie up the samurai and somehow take his wife away but with her permission. The woodcutter has an outside perspective since he was not directly involved in the conflict which to me makes his testimony more trustworthy, trusting that his memory is sound and his recalling of the events are true.
6. Consider the final scene when the Priest chooses to hand the baby over to the Woodsman. What is Kurosawa trying to say with this gesture?
What I think that Kurosawa is trying to say with this gesture is that the priest ultimately came to trust the woodcutter. I think that by giving the woodcutter something as fragile and innocent as the baby. The priest shows that trust can be built and that he deemed the woodcutter responsible enough to take care of the baby.
7. Rashomon is an adaptation of a short story written by Akutagawa, consider what elements are present in the film that enhance or diminish a story like this. Are there aspects to the story that might be better served on the page, why?
Honestly, I think that the film is pretty interesting. Despite not having read the short story I get the feeling that the film does a good job illustrating the story. Being able to bring characters to life and settings and also portraying the main themes of the story in a film gives the audience to see things that they wouldn’t have been able to imagine from just reading the story. Despite this being a short story originally, I think it would probably be confusing on paper for someone like me who had to really pay attention to everything that was being described. All the symbolism and themes seem easier to understand visually for me rather than reading it but I believe that it ultimately comes down to personal preference.