Rashoman

Rashoman

1. Give a brief outline of the plot (action) of the film.

– A man and his wife were traveling through the woods with a horse. The couple are attacked in the woods, and the husband ends up dead while the wife escapes. The events leading up are unclear, and are told from four different perspectives. It is a murder-mystery.

2. What are the main symbols in the film, what do they represent?

– I think the main symbols were the sun and the rain. I think the sun may have had to do with blindness or dishonesty. Before the bandit began to speak he was staring directly at the sun. The camera then panned to the sun for us to look at. The bandit then proceeded with a convincing story as if to blind us. The rain is representative of the downfall of man, or at least Rashoman— as this is the only place we see rain in the film. The rain is especially important in the final scene with the baby. Laughter was another symbol. I think when the characters broke out in maniacal laughter they were filled with too much power or pride.

3. What are the main philosophical questions (ideas) being raised by the film? How are these themes still relevant today?

– There is a lot of subjectivity in the film. Depending on who is telling their story, the story itself warps. I think this raises the question of whether man can be truthful even if it means making himself look bad. The characters each wanted to prove they are powerful, but their pride is not helping them tell the truth. The story is entirely distorted each time it is told, and there is no way to know who was really telling which story is true. The characters cannot find an answer to what has happened or why it has happened. The search for truth was the first idea established and was continuously being used throughout the film.

4. How is the structure of the film important to the telling of this story?

– The back and forth between the questionings and the proposed “realities” allows for the viewer to accurately visualize the story being told in full detail. The other scenes are used as buffers and for more context to each interview.

5. Whose story did you find most trustworthy and why?

– I would say that the story I found the most trustworthy was the woodcutter’s. His story showed the weaknesses of each of the other three characters. Since the other three characters who gave testimonies were the three who were actually fighting, they took out pieces that made them look bad. Some examples being that the woman spat in the bandit’s face, or that the husband and bandit had horrible fighting skills.

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?

– The priest says the woodsman helped him keep his faith or the belief that man can be good and honest. The woodsman did not even want to get involved in the whole situation in the

woods to begin with, even though he might’ve had the truest story. The priest saw that he was a good man.

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?

– Through film, we are able to see body language. I think body language is the most important aspect of determining if someone is telling you the truth. I think that the back and forth sequencing would probably be difficult to follow on a page.

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