The Perceptional Truth of Rashomon

Rashomon (1950), by Akira Kurosawa, is a film about four separate social figures recounting an encounter between a bandit, a samurai and his bride. Each version of the tale is subjected to perceptional changes that stem from each respective character’s inherent motivations. The film’s core theme is the presentation of truth — it is up to the viewer to decide which tale is valid. Rashomon’s importance lies in its historical context, non-diegetic composition (specifically editing), and narrative structure — each element revolving around the notion of perception of truth. The film not only introduced Japanese cinema to a worldwide audience, but its technical and diegetic techniques provided an innovative, modern form of cinematic structure — paving way for many films (including 8½ by Federico Fellini) to follow in form.

Rashomon is often considered the first Japanese film to be internationally acclaimed, effectively introducing the style of Akira Kurosawa to a global audience. Although Japanese cinema was prolific during World War II (it was one of the few nations whose film industry was not dominated by American imports), majority of the films produced were rarely distributed outside of the country. Yet, World War II led to the growth of the internationalism doctrine — the Western world had become more involved, both politically and culturally, in foreign affairs (in this case, cinema). Despite a mixed response from Japanese film critics, who labeled the script as “incomprehensible” and “more Western”, the film was acclaimed by international reviewers, winning the top prize, the Golden Lion, at the Venice Film Festival in 1951.

Rashomon contrasted the “invisible” style of storytelling implemented by Hollywood by the 1950s. Rather than tell a story so seamlessly that it seems real, Rashomon’s editing was done in order to illustrate that the film isn’t. Each flashback depicted has a question of authenticity that covers it, leaving the viewers with no stable narrative except for the one they can form on their own. This idea of an unreliable narrator was seen as an innovation in cinema, imploring filmmakers to utilize the unique ability of film (to capture and manipulate time and space) as a method of progressing the plot. Through the use of film’s technical abilities, Kurosawa provides an introspective character study that deals with the issues of truth by connecting elements of perception to cinematography and editing.

On Rashomon’s technical level, Kurosawa managed to highlight themes of perceptional truth through innovation, consequently causing the film to differentiate itself from traditional Japanese (and worldwide) cinema. The film’s structure is non-linear — the story of the Samurai’s death is recounted by four separate characters. Each time, the story differs — a reflection of the characters’ own perception of the event. Kurosawa uses the non-diegetic elements of cinema in order to illustrate each character’s own individual state of mind. The bandit’s story is presented as a series of quick cuts and rapid camera shots, covered by an ostentatious score that seeks to not only theatricalize the event, but create a sense of honor for the bandit himself. The bride’s tale includes more close-ups, highlighting the fearful expressions of her face and the barbarianism of the bandit’s. As a result, the tale feels more personal and more real — redefining the bandit’s actions as one of brutality by calling attention to the victim’s perception. The samurai’s story reflects one of honor — the shots are simple, stable, and lack continuous movement. When the camera does move, it’s slower (building tension in scenes such as when the Samurai picks up the dagger). Lastly, the woodcutter’s story plays without music, and has the least self-serving imagery — creating a realistic, if not slightly foolish, portrayal of the battle between the bandit and the samurai that presents the event as ignominious more than anything.

Each technique is used to connect the character’s subjective observations to the cinematography of the film, providing the audience with an in-depth look at how the four protagonists perceived the event (along with some additional alterations that are based on self-serving reasons). The idea of using a character’s perception to dictate the format of the film would become popular in the film industry, as seen in such films like Amores Perros (by Alejandro Inarritu), Pulp Fiction (by Quentin Tarantino), and Memento (by Christopher Nolan). An earlier example would be 8½ by Federico Fellini —a film about a film director who has director’s block as he attempts to film a science fiction movie. Several dreamlike scenarios take place in the film, a reflection of the main character’s personal state of mind. Fellini incorporated this technique of externalizing the psychology of the character as a visual outlet, similar to Kurosawa’s shift in filmmaking style with each character. One example in 8½ would be when the main character, Guido Anselmi, is confronted by all the women in his life who say disparaging truths that he is having difficulties coming to terms with — an elaborate fantasy of an amalgamation his imagination and memory. The camera moves rapidly between actions, a reflection of the heating nature of Anselmi’s thoughts — similar to the cinematography of Rashomon being directed by the character’s perception.

Through these elements Kurosawa develops the theme of truth, focusing on its presentation rather than its existence. Yet, in order to fully introduce the concept of an unreliable narrator, Kurosawa ensured that each tale was a balance of probability and fiction — preventing the viewer from relying on a single account. This mode of narration, in which the truth is indiscernible, would leave a clear impact on the film industry.

Rashomon’s non-linear plot focuses on a series of flashbacks that are based on biased perspectives. It is up to the audience to discern the truth by using the combination of perspectives. Similar to Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold, there are clear contradictions between the accounts given — contradictions that take form because of the self-serving intentions of the characters. As a result, the film’s flashbacks not only illustrate the perceptions of the protagonists, but their mentality as well, combining narrative with character. The film’s narrative structure was unique, using social signifiers to provide the characters’ backstory and motivation (bandit, bride, samurai, woodcutter) and taking place in relatively few locations. The film jumps back and forth between the past (the death of the samurai) and the present (the trial, and the aftermath), favoring reiterations instead of linearity. This method of storytelling, in which the plot continuously leaps back and forth between time is also found in 8½. Fellini also employs perception to guide the narrative of the story — using Anselmi as the lens to view the story world. As a result, the film also includes Rashomon’s manipulation of perception.

The film switches seamlessly between these fantasies and reality, making it difficult to distinguish one from the other. At one point, Guido even “shoots” himself — similar to the potentially fantastical accounts given by Rashomon’s protagonists (e.g. the samurai “killing” himself). By fusing introspection with reality, both Rashomon and 8½ reflect a more modernist format of presentation, one that uses psychology as a decisive element. As a result of this inherent bias of the film, the truth must be determined by the audience themselves. This introspective format of narration would leave a significant impact on cinema, paving way for many character-study films.

Rashomon and 8½ both raise issues of pertinence, each echoed in the narrative structure and content of the film — however they contrast in their purpose. Rashomon focuses on issues of the post-war society, raising questions of humanity and more importantly, perception of truth. Each character’s introspective arch is present in order examine the effect perception has on events. Similar to the contrasting perceptions of the Second World War and its aftermath, Rashomon seeks to illustrate that there is no measurable way to determine truth because subjectivity is nature. 8½ uses its storyline to take a self-critical look at the process of filmmaking itself, breaking down the barriers between reality and fantasy in order to create a visual psychoanalysis. Guido, unlike the characters of Rashomon, is based on more than social categorization — he has a deep history that takes up much of the plot. Therefore, 8½ can be seen as a more introspective look on a single character, while Rashomon attempts to do the same albeit with society in general.

Rashomon’s influence as a film emanates from its innovative use of perception — its manipulation of the truth by adhering the filmmaking style to the character’s individual subjective experiences. The film’s historical context, editing, and narrative all revolve around the element of truth (and how perception has the ability to affect it). This quality allowed the film to differentiate itself from mainstream film composition, innovating the cinematic industry and leading to the emergence of a new form of film, one that combined reality and fiction and expanded the capacities of film in storytelling. As a result, Rashomon’s qualities can be found in many films that follow it, including 8½ which takes Rashomon’s psychoanalytical characteristics and applies them to a single, fully-realized character.

Bibliography

8 1/2. (1963). [film] Directed by F. Fellini. Italy: Cineriz. Classic Art Films. (2018). Rashomon (1950). [online] Available at: http://www.-

classicartfilms.com/rashomon-1950.

di Montezemolo, F. (2018). Lecture #7.

di Montezemolo, F. (2018). Lecture #8.

Garcia Marquez, G. and Rabassa, G. (2014). Chronicle of a Death Foretold. [S.I.]: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.

Kurosawa, A. and Richie, D. (2000). Rashomon. New Brunswick [N.J.]: Rutgers University Press.

Rashomon. (1950). [film] Directed by A. Kurosawa. Japan: Daiei Film.

Snider, E. (2010). What's the Big Deal?: Rashomon (1950). [online] MTV News. Available at: http://www.mtv.com/news/2763523/whats-the-big-deal-rashomon-1950/.