(1950) - B&W - 88 min
LikeTelevision's movie channel is proud to present - Rashomon, a tale about a murder and rape - and a look at truth, justice and lies. We hear four separate accounts of the crime and each is quite different than the other versions. The film explores perception and reality. We learn about the TRUTH, a painful truth, that indeed we all tell lies, even to ourselves. If you have read any Existential works by Jean Paul Satre, Soren Kierkegaard, or Martin Heidegger - this film will really get you thinking about man's search for TRUTH.

Minoru Chiaki as the Priest

Akira Kurosawa's film Rashomon is one his best, and listed in most lists as one of the top 20 films ever made. In case you are unfamiliar with Kurosawa's remarkable talent, he is the director of Seven Samurai - which is the inspiration for The Magnificent Seven, Yojimbo, which inspired Clint Eastwood's A Fistful of Dollars, and Hidden Fortress, which inspired George Lucas to make the Star Wars Trilogy. You can also see Yojimbo and Seven Samurai at this site.... and soon we hope to feature another Classic - Sanjuro.

The wife, Masako - played by Machiko Kyô

Part one
Intro, B&W Credits etc. The film opens with the Priest and the firewood dealer at Rashomon, a temple that has been destroyed, trying to find shelter from the pouring rain. The two are discussing the details of a recent murder and it is causing them great anguish, because they do not know the truth. A man comes by and asks to hear the story.

Part two
We get more details about the murder as we hear the confession of a notorious bandit named Tajomaru (played by Toshirô Mifune). Mifune's performance is brilliant as the bandit, he tells his story and must act out each of the other versions. Great stuff!

Part three
The three men make some observations about the story so far, and then we listen to the woman's story about what really happened. This is followed by an account from a dead man, who speaks through a spirit medium.

Rashomon - Akira Kurosawa Classic Message Board

The firewood dealer and the priest tell their story at the temple Rashomon, which has seen better days

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The husband has to watch his being raped

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The bandit tells his side of the story

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Rashomon - Akira Kurosawa Classic
Starring - Toshirô Mifune as Tanjomaru -the bandit, Machiko Kyô as Masako - the woman, Masayuki Mori as Takehiro, Takashi Shamura as the firewood dealer, Minoru Chiaki as the Priest, Kichijro Ueda as the Commoner, Fumiko Honma as the Spiritual Medium
Directed by - Akira Kurosawa

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Part one
Part two
Part three
Part four
Part five

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The fierce and evil bandit Tanjomaru played by Toshirô Mifune

Part four
We learn that the firewood dealer has seen the whole thing, and we listen closely to his side of the story, and can surmise what happened to the purloined dagger - the murder weapon that had the expensive pearl handle, the murder weapon that is still missing.

Part five
Some very interesting commentary by the man who has listened to all the stories, and a conclusion that leaves us never knowing the truth - unless the truth is that we all lie, even to ourselves. In fact, when we understand this reality, and how our perception of reality is distorted by our own prejudices, we can only then get closer to finding the truth, but we must also accept the fact, that we will never know the truth. I hope you enjoyed this classic Kurosawa film and reflected on the O.J. Simpson trial with Johnny Cochran, Bill Clinton's testimony, Martha Stewart, and the Enron debacle. If you liked this film, by all means - watch more Kurosawa!

The bandit's version of the murder - but where's the dagger?

The Spiritual medium tells the murdered husband's version of the murder

The husband prepares for battle, with a nice lens flare on his trusty Samurai sword