RASHOMON: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS
“There is no such thing as an objective truth, it's all subjective. Unless the brain finds a way to
observe the universe, independent of the brain, every truth is subjective truth.” ― Abhijit
Naskar, Sin Dios Sí Hay Divinidad: The Pastor Who Never Was
Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon takes the viewer on a distorted journey filled with elements that
make them uneasy and perhaps even disturbed. The movie follows a multiple-perspectives
narrative, emphasising the subjectivity of truth, and the human nature of twisting reality to serve
their ego and vanity. Released on August 25th of 1950, the movie is based on Ryunosuke
Akutagawa’s two short stories, In a Grove and Rashomon. The former lends the characters and
the plot while the latter provides the setting. Akutagawa is known for his impeccable portrayal of
the Japanese past in his story and for his original writing style. The original Rashomon by
Akutagawa is based on a tale that was included in the 11th-century classical anthology Konjaku
Monogatari-shu. It chronicles the tale of an unemployed lower-class bureaucrat. Standing in the
midst of the night at the Gate of Rajo (also known as Rajomon or Rashomon), he was lost. The
lifeless bodies of unidentified people were piled up on the upper level of the gate. He made the
choice to avoid any contact with the living by spending the night among those deceased. There,
he encountered an entirely destitute elderly woman who was ripping the hair from these bodies
in order to sell them. He threatened the elderly woman, stripped her of her clothing, and fled.
The composition Yabu no Naka (In the Grove) was also derived from the same anthology.
The word “Rashomon”(Japanese: 羅生門) literally means “dispute”. It originates from the
legend of Rashomon, an ancient gate in Kyoto. The dispute or the conflict forms an important
, part of the film and later on, this was a factor used to indicate if a movie is an example, a part of
what is called a Rashomon effect. According to studiobinder.com, “The Rashomon Effect is a
term used to describe how a single event can be described in a variety of ways due to the
unreliability of multiple witnesses. The witnesses’ unreliability and subjectivity are a result of
situational, social and cultural differences.” In the article, DeGuzman argues that the presence of
a conflict, an unreliable narrator and an ambiguous ending is what makes a movie come under
the banner of the Rashomon effect.
The viewers are almost thrown into an eerie, queer place as the movie starts, and from the very
beginning, there’s an unease stirred in them. The background score is aptly used in places where
there’s a need to build tension and suspense. The setting consists of only three locations, namely,
the Rashomon gate, the woods and the courtyard of the judicial court. By using a simple
aesthetic, the movie was able to express its unbridled intensity without losing its cohesion. The
historical references were kept to a minimal so as not to interfere with the visuals or the
sophisticated plot. Despite the fact that these designs are so magnificent, the camera angle used
to capture them is carefully managed, acting as an anchorage to the previously dispersed plot
pieces. The story's unifying reference point is specifically the courtyard's immobile point of
view. Rashomon is generally considered to be the first to venture into the heart of a pitch-black,
dense forest. The camera catches the location's unprocessed, massive, and dense air using
reflected mirrors and daylight. In an effort to recapture the spontaneity of silent film, Kurosawa
defies the 180-degree rule, reversing spatial relationships, juxtaposing long shots with close-ups
and shots of opposite motion, showing a daring inventive use of camera movement as cinematic
punctuation, and bringing back into credibility the wipe, a mode of transition that once flourished
but nearly vanished with the development of the classic sound film.
“There is no such thing as an objective truth, it's all subjective. Unless the brain finds a way to
observe the universe, independent of the brain, every truth is subjective truth.” ― Abhijit
Naskar, Sin Dios Sí Hay Divinidad: The Pastor Who Never Was
Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon takes the viewer on a distorted journey filled with elements that
make them uneasy and perhaps even disturbed. The movie follows a multiple-perspectives
narrative, emphasising the subjectivity of truth, and the human nature of twisting reality to serve
their ego and vanity. Released on August 25th of 1950, the movie is based on Ryunosuke
Akutagawa’s two short stories, In a Grove and Rashomon. The former lends the characters and
the plot while the latter provides the setting. Akutagawa is known for his impeccable portrayal of
the Japanese past in his story and for his original writing style. The original Rashomon by
Akutagawa is based on a tale that was included in the 11th-century classical anthology Konjaku
Monogatari-shu. It chronicles the tale of an unemployed lower-class bureaucrat. Standing in the
midst of the night at the Gate of Rajo (also known as Rajomon or Rashomon), he was lost. The
lifeless bodies of unidentified people were piled up on the upper level of the gate. He made the
choice to avoid any contact with the living by spending the night among those deceased. There,
he encountered an entirely destitute elderly woman who was ripping the hair from these bodies
in order to sell them. He threatened the elderly woman, stripped her of her clothing, and fled.
The composition Yabu no Naka (In the Grove) was also derived from the same anthology.
The word “Rashomon”(Japanese: 羅生門) literally means “dispute”. It originates from the
legend of Rashomon, an ancient gate in Kyoto. The dispute or the conflict forms an important
, part of the film and later on, this was a factor used to indicate if a movie is an example, a part of
what is called a Rashomon effect. According to studiobinder.com, “The Rashomon Effect is a
term used to describe how a single event can be described in a variety of ways due to the
unreliability of multiple witnesses. The witnesses’ unreliability and subjectivity are a result of
situational, social and cultural differences.” In the article, DeGuzman argues that the presence of
a conflict, an unreliable narrator and an ambiguous ending is what makes a movie come under
the banner of the Rashomon effect.
The viewers are almost thrown into an eerie, queer place as the movie starts, and from the very
beginning, there’s an unease stirred in them. The background score is aptly used in places where
there’s a need to build tension and suspense. The setting consists of only three locations, namely,
the Rashomon gate, the woods and the courtyard of the judicial court. By using a simple
aesthetic, the movie was able to express its unbridled intensity without losing its cohesion. The
historical references were kept to a minimal so as not to interfere with the visuals or the
sophisticated plot. Despite the fact that these designs are so magnificent, the camera angle used
to capture them is carefully managed, acting as an anchorage to the previously dispersed plot
pieces. The story's unifying reference point is specifically the courtyard's immobile point of
view. Rashomon is generally considered to be the first to venture into the heart of a pitch-black,
dense forest. The camera catches the location's unprocessed, massive, and dense air using
reflected mirrors and daylight. In an effort to recapture the spontaneity of silent film, Kurosawa
defies the 180-degree rule, reversing spatial relationships, juxtaposing long shots with close-ups
and shots of opposite motion, showing a daring inventive use of camera movement as cinematic
punctuation, and bringing back into credibility the wipe, a mode of transition that once flourished
but nearly vanished with the development of the classic sound film.
