This 1950s Japanese film captures the retelling of four versions of a story of a murdered
samurai and the raping of a bride. The filming involved dramatic music, flashbacks, and
compelling and complex characters. The use of multiple perspectives for retelling made it hard
to decide who had truly killed the samurai. The story could be interpreted as a web of lies.
However, lies could be the wrong word to use as these are retellings of what happened to the
characters. Couldn’t the retellings be their own perceptions of what happened, not lies? I
thought this at first but also considered the pattern that each story seemed to favour the teller,
and they seemed to be seen as redeemable or honourable. For reference, the samurai spoke
through the medium that he had been killed by his bride’s dagger by his hand, indicating he was
not defeated by anyone, so we can interpret that he is still an honourable samurai and was not
bested. In my opinion, the overwhelming theme present throughout each retelling is the human
nature to preserve a good image of oneself.
In many crime shows, like Law and Order, the witnesses often withhold their statements
for fear of the truth, consequences of actions, or personal benefit. This can be noted in
RASHOMON as the woodcutter most likely took the dagger from the scene and said he only
found the samurai’s body to the authorities to cover up stealing.
The music choices were crucial to keep the audience on their toes. The ominous and
eery music used for the woodcutter to find the body was brilliant as it created a feeling of
despair. It convinced me that the woodcutter stumbled upon the body, before seeing his
recollection of the event.
I’ll leave my group members with a thought. Near the end, the woodcutter’s perspective
is deemed “the true story,” but was it? Was it the film's way of concluding the true murder, or a
clever way to question even his point of view?
