Rashômon (1950)

Director:

Akira Kurosawa

Writers:

Ryunosuke Akutagawa (stories)
Akira Kurosawa (writer) ...
(more)

Release Date:

26 December 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Tagline:

The husband, the wife...or the bandit?

Plot:

A heinous crime and its aftermath are recalled from differing points of view.

Plot Keywords:

Truth | Japan | Samurai | Forest | Psychic

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 7 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Toshirô Mifune	...	Tajômaru
Machiko Kyô	...	Masako Kanazawa
Masayuki Mori	...	Takehiro Kanazawa
Takashi Shimura	...	Woodcutter
Minoru Chiaki	...	Priest
Kichijirô Ueda	...	Commoner
Noriko Honma	...	Medium (as Fumiko Honma)
Daisuke Katô	...	Policeman

Directed by
Akira Kurosawa

Writing credits
Ryunosuke Akutagawa		(stories Rashomon and In a Grove)
Akira Kurosawa		(writer) &
Shinobu Hashimoto		(writer)

Produced by
Minoru Jingo	....	producer
Masaichi Nagata	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Fumio Hayasaka

Cinematography by
Kazuo Miyagawa

Film Editing by
Akira Kurosawa

Production Design by
Takashi Matsuyama

Set Decoration by
H. Motsumoto

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Tokuzo Tanaka	....	assistant director
Mitsuo Wakasugi	....	assistant director

Camera and Electrical Department
Fujio Morita	....	assistant camera
Kenichi Okamoto	....	lighting technician

Production Companies

• Daiei Motion Picture Company (as Daiei Eiga)

Distributors

• Daiei Motion Picture Company (1950) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Kadokawa Pictures (2008) (Japan) (theatrical) (restored version)
• Kadokawa Entertainment (2009) (Japan) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Edward Harrison (1957) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Janus Films (2009) (USA) (theatrical) (restoration)
• Los Films del Búho (1984) (Spain) (theatrical)
• RKO Radio Pictures (1951) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (1953) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Concorde Home Entertainment (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Continental Home Vídeo (2003) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (USA) (laserdisc)
• Dolmen (2007) (Italy) (DVD)
• Embassy Home Entertainment (video)
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (1978) (USA) (TV) (network premiere)
• Sandrews (2003) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Tocantins (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Daiei Studios  studio
• Lowry Digital Images  restoration: 2008

Also Known As:

Rashomon (Japan) (alternative transliteration)
Rashou-mon (Japan) (alternative transliteration)
Rashomon (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
Às Portas do Inferno (Portugal) [pt]
A vihar kapujában (Hungary) [hu]
Das Lustwäldchen (West Germany) [de]
Demonernas port (Sweden) [sv]
I geisa ki o samurai (Greece) [el]
Rashomon (Austria) [de]
Rashomon (Greece) (reissue title) [el]
Rashomon (Denmark) [da]
Rashomon (Brazil) [pt]
Rashomon (Poland) [pl]
Rashomon (Italy) [it]
Rashomon - Dæmonernes port (Denmark) [da]
Rashomon - Das Lustwäldchen (West Germany) [de]
Rashomon - paholaisen portti (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Australia:M | Argentina:16 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:14 | UK:12 | UK:X (original rating) | USA:Unrated | West Germany:16 | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Nara, Japan

Company:

Daiei Motion Picture Company

Trivia:

This film is often given credit for the first time a camera was pointed directly at the sun. In Kurosawa's biography, he gives credit to his cinematographer for "inventing" it and himself for using it, but years later, during commentary that preceded the TV showing of the film, the head of the studio claimed credit, which Kurosawa bitterly denies.

Quotes:

Priest: I don't want to hear it. No more horror stories.
Commoner: They are common stories these days. I even heard that the demon living here in Rashômon fled in fear of the ferocity of man.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Law & Order: Criminal Intent: Weeping Willow (#6.10)" (2006)

Kurosawa is just so damn good

"Rashomon", Akira Kurosawa's 1950 film about a horrible crime and the various versions of the "truth" that come to fruition during the investigation is absolutely amazing, pure and simple. The story is told four different times, each time from the point of view of one of the participants. The basic story of the crime is that a bandit (Mifune) comes across a husband and wife traveling through the forest. The bandit, Tajomaru, seduces/assaults the Masako (Kyo) after tying up her husband Takehiro (Mori), and soon after, Takehiro is dead. What happens between the times Tajomaru encounters the couple and the discovery of Takehiro's body is what is left to be discovered. Masako, Tajomaru and even Takehiro (with the assistance of a medium) each tell their account of the story, each taking blame for Takehiro's death. The fourth telling is from a passer-by, and the audience is left to decide which is the true account.

I absolutely loved this film. I had heard that Yimou Zhang's "Hero" had, if not as an homage, employed the same technique of storytelling and perspective, but seeing this great film was a real treat. The story is original and rich, and Kurosawa always is able to pull great performances from his actors. I found "Rashomon" to be extremely compelling from start to finish, and even managed to be really creeped out at one point. (The psychic medium is pure, unadulterated nightmare fuel) From the very little that I know of Japanese cinema of the 1950's & 1960's, I realize that Kurosawa was not the only director, but he certainly was the trailblazer and set the bar for the genre for decades to come. His peers were putting out material, it was just fairly primitive. (It is easy to forget that not every country's film industry was as opulent as America's) To see this kind of film, a film that is actually incredibly simple, but so ingeniously conceived of and executed makes me remember why I have been and always will be both a student of and lover of film. 8/10 --Shelly