Rashomon

1950

1h 28m

IMDb RATING

8.0/10

2.4K

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Crime

Drama

Mystery

Four people recount different versions of the story of a man's murder and the rape of his wife.

Directors

Akira Kurosawa

Writers

Ryūnosuke Akutagawa(novel by)

Akira Kurosawa(screenplay by)

Shinobu Hashimoto(screenplay by)

Stars

Toshirō Mifune

Machiko Kyō

Takashi Shimura

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Top cast

Tajômaru

Masako

Woodcutter

Takehiro

Priest

Commoner

Medium

Policeman

Directors

Akira Kurosawa

Writers

Ryūnosuke Akutagawa(novel by)

Akira Kurosawa(screenplay by)

Shinobu Hashimoto(screenplay by)

All cast & crew

Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

In what seems like an endless, almost biblical, rainstorm we meet three people sheltering in the ruins of an old gatehouse. Each has their own story to tell of the rape of a woman and of the murder of her husband. It was the woodcutter (Takashi Shimura) who discovered the body and who alerted the authorities. It was those authorities that conducted a trial at which a priest (Minoru Chiaki), the woodcutter, the widow/victim (Machiko Kyô); the ghost of her deceased Samurai husband and, finally, the renowned bandit "Tajômaru" (Toshirô Mifune) are required to testify. We are shown manifestations of each testimony: all smilier but different. Who were the two victims? Was he honourable and decent? Was she demure or a temptress? Are those testifying embellishing what they saw, what they did? What makes this film great is that there doesn't appear to be a right answer. Each version is plausible, nobody is entirely trustworthy and at the end of each story, you could easily agree that was an accurate report on the turn of events. Accompanied by the relentless sound of the rain and by a soundtrack that reminded me very much of Ravel's "Bolero" we explore each permutation with some super performances from all concerned, but especially from the almost maniacal Mifune and from Miss Kyô. Kurosawa packs loads into less than ninety minutes in a salutary lesson in classy and enthralling film making that is quickly paced, characterfully delivered and suitably exasperating at the end! This is a good film.

Geronimo196710 Feb, 2023