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Film Analysis - Rashomon

 

            "Rashomon," (1950) is a film directed by Akira Kurosawa. It is a manifesto of the nature of human integrity, exploring that the topic by investigating four different eye witness accounts of the murder of a samurai and the rape of his wife by an infamous bandit. Each portrayal of the events differ on varying degrees. The court, which judges these testimonies, never fully absolves the truth, but ultimately sides with the third party perspective of a woodcutter. The woodcutters illustration of the scenario answers the ultimate underling question of the film and shines a bright future for humanity.
             The film recounts the account of the bandit whom holds the namesake of the film, the dangerously renowned Rashomon. His account is, by and large, a romantic disillusion of his own behavior. He laughs loudly in a declaration of pride when he speaks of what he has done. I think, providing that the woodcutters account is factual, Rashomon acts in this way because he is concerned about the way he will be represented after the trial. If the public knew that he was acting cowardly and begged for a women his reputation would be damaged. The way in which Rashomon boast himself is a defensive tool in protecting the integrity of his name as a bandit. Death seems pretty much certain for him. He is almost always tied up in the sequences that take place in the present. Rashomon has stated himself on multiple accounts that people are motivated purely by self-interest. His behavior is a reflection of that belief. However, this says a lot to detriment the integrity of the bandit as a human being.
             The woodcutters perception on these events is perhaps the most important for the resolution of the film. He is the only third party witness to the murder and rape. Since the woodcutter was not involved with the dramatics in the grove his account is the most reliable. He is also a reliable source since he has nothing to gain from telling lies other than the dagger.


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