Revisiting the Movies of 1950: Rashomon

What is the truth? Is there an absolute truth? If so, is there any possible way to ever know the absolute truth? Everyone has a different point of view, a different set of experiences, circumstances, and choices that have led them to exceedingly different lives. If you and I were to watch the same event together, will we see the same exact thing, or will we both see it differently through the our different views?

Akira Kurosawa poses this question and more in this renowned and celebrated film about the recounting of a murder. While traveling, a man and his wife are ambushed by a famous outlaw (played by Kurosawa favorite and legendary actor Toshiro Mifune), and this scenario ends with the wife’s rape and the man’s death (neither graphically portrayed). But when a court convenes to sentence the outlaw, they discover that the four witnesses have different stories to tell. A peasant witness (who had been eavesdropping) tells one story, the outlaw another, the wife still another and finally through a medium, the victim himself tells of his death.

Kurosawa does not attempt to tell us what the truth is, and leaves it to us to piece together the different parts of their stories to find one that seems most likely. But who can really know? All four are certain of their viewpoints, but might one or all of them be lying, or maybe some little detail was missed? Kurosawa has expertly portrayed a scenario that shows that we can never know the absolute truth behind every criminal case. An inherent failing of being human is that we cannot ever know the absolute truth, because everyone could see the same truth but still disagree on what it is. Widely considered one of the best films ever made, and bringing Japanese cinema to a global audience, Rashomon is a fantastic dive into the truth behind truth and the terror that it brings.

P.S. - Do you want to enjoy this classic, or perhaps have a better understanding of perception that is still wholly relevant today (see Ferguson case)?  Check out Amazon (or similar provider) and:

1) Rent digitally for $2.99.

2) Buy on Criterion Collection Blu-ray for $23.99.

3) Buy on Criterion Collection DVD for $13.90.

4) Buy digitally for $14.99.

P.P.S. - Always remember to check your city library’s catalog as well for films! You’d be surprised how many of my recommendations can be borrowed for free from your library.


Honorable Mention: Cinderella