Rashoman, a review

RASHOMAN

Director: Akira Kurosawa

Writers: Ryunosuke Akutagawa, Akira Kurosawa

Toshiro Mifune - Tajomaru

Machiko Kyo - Takehiro Kanazawa

Takashi Shimura - Woodcutter

Minoru Chiaki - Priest

Kichijiro Ueda - Commoner

Noriko Honma - Medium

Daisuke Kato - Policeman

The movie begins with a Buddhist priest and another man sitting in a burned temple. They both indicate they don’t understand the testimony they heard in the courthouse garden. A man has been murdered - the priest has lost faith in the human sole.They ask a traveler to listen to their story to try and figure it out..

The speaker was in the forest three days ago to gather firewood. He sees a woman’s hat in  a bush, and then searches, finds some other things belonging to a samurai, and then trips over two hands sticking out of the dirt.

The priest then testifies in the courtyard that he met the murdered man and his wife, wearing a veiled hat and riding a white horse,  three days ago in the forest. He couldn’t see the woman’s face but the man was carrying a sword, a bow and arrows.

Next, Tajamoru, a notorious bandit from the mountains testifies while bound with ropes. He tells how he was caught with a bow, arrows, a sword and a white horse. Tajamoru stated he wasn’t thrown off the horse, as had been reported, but had a drink in a poisoned mountain stream and fell of the horse when getting sick.

(The Story according to the bandit.)

He continues that he spotted the samurai and his wife three days ago in the hot forest while sleeping. As they passed Tajamoru glimpsed her face through the veil, and he said he thought he’d seen a goddess. At that point he began scheming on how to get her.

Tajamoru approaches the couple down the trail. He offers to sell some swords he claims to have discovered to the samurai, who follows to the booty while his wife waits by a stream.

(Why would a samurai leave with this crook? What greed??)

Tajamoru leads him deeper and deeper into the woods, until finally he captures the samurai and ties him up. Then, the bandit fetches his wife, and returns and rapes her, although she appears to enjoy it somewhat. The thief admires the wife’s fierce fighting. The wife tells the thief that, because of her honor,  one of the men must die, and she will go with the winner. A fight ensues and Tajamoru kills the samurai with a sword.

The thief ends his testimony by stating he sold the sword.

Back in the rainy temple the woodcutter says the story is a lie and the woman has different version. The priest notes she was docile.

(The woman’s version.)

After she was raped, the thief ran away leaving the wife and husband together. She embraced her husband - who rejected her as tainted. She cuts him loose and begs him to kill her due to her shame. The samurai just sits there. So she takes her dagger and stabs and kills him, and then fails to kill herself.

Back in the downpour in the burned out temple one of them says: “Women use their tears to fool everyone. They even fool themselves.”

At the courtyard a medium is brought in to testify for the dead samurai

(Samurai’s version.)

The thief tried to console his wife after the rape and attempted to get her to marry him. The samurai said his wife never looked so beautiful. The thief said he would take her anywhere she wanted. She agreed but demanded Tajamoru kill her husband, who turned pale at the request. The thief, now disgusted with the woman, threw her to the ground and asked the samurai what to do with her. The samurai was now ready to pardon Tajamoru. The woman ran off and the theif chased her. Hours later the thief returned and cuts the samurai loose who kills himself with the dagger.

At the temple, the woodcutter says the samurai’s story is wrong too, in that he was killed by a sword, and not a knife. The traveller then gets the woodcutter to admit, he had seen everything.

(Woodcutter’s version.)

He did find the hat as in his first version, but also heard the woman crying just after behind the bush. He then saw a man tied up. The thief was begging the woman for forgiveness and to marry him. She cuts the samurai loose who refuses to fight for his spoiled wife. The samurai demands his wife kill herself and when she refuses, gives her to Tajamoru. The thief then starts to leave and the woman breaks down and cries.

The samurai says “women are weak by nature.”

His wife says men are weak. She asks why the samurai won’t kill the thief to defend her honor. And the thief had to rape her at knife point. She claims she would have been proud to have been with a thief of such high reputation. (Really? - SG)

Then the men fought, the samurai missed many times and finally sticks his sword in a stump. Tajamoru quickly kills the samurai. The woman runs away. Tajamoru takes the swords and leaves.

At the temple shell, someone has left a baby. The traveller steals its kimono and amulet and says: “dogs are better off in this world.” and “If you are not selfish, you will not survive.” The woodcutter and traveller fight. The woodcutter, by his silence admits he stole the woman’s knife and admits he isn’t perfect either.

The priest and woodcutter discuss the baby. The woodcutter has six others at home, what difference would one more make and takes the baby.

Divine_Malevolence: Do you know how many things were based upon this concept? It's like a classic in cartoons. I think I saw a Lizzy McGuire episode based upon it.

Sam Glass: lol.. well you sent me... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_a_Grove

Divine_Malevolence: Yes. Based upon "In a grove". I'm astounded that I had yet to hear about this all.

Sam Glass: so what is the issue to you

Divine_Malevolence: People conceive things differently based upon circumstances. And dead people are angry.  "If that was all, I would not be in this darkness!"

Sam Glass: ha.. the different stories based on their morality?  individual differences?

Divine_Malevolence: Conceived differences. The woman was messed up in the head afterward.

Sam Glass: but was she? didn't she say it was the men?

Divine_Malevolence: She said she stabbed the guy because he was lookin' at her funny. And tried to kill 'erself. She wasn't mentally competent to stand trial.

Sam Glass: but shouldn't her husband have avenged her? and did the notorious thief have to use a knife to rape her? she said she was willing anyway...

Divine_Malevolence: Can't even tell if it was consentual or not at this point.

Sam Glass: with a knife... but she said she admired the thief...

Divine_Malevolence: And the knife was used against the bandit. He ne'er used it himself.

Sam Glass: what about his story.. how was it biased? I think he exaggerated his fighting ability..

Divine_Malevolence: There was no test of fighting ability in the court. However, I assume an infamous bandit would have some fighting ability to flaunt.

Sam Glass: ok... but he didn't talk s much as the others about talking the woman into going with him?? did he?

Divine_Malevolence: He was confident in that respect. She agreed that she'd go with, everything else is moot to the victor.

Sam Glass: and the samurai.. through the medium... said he killed himself.. with the knife... and how he would have let the thief go after his wife wanted him killed... honor?

Divine_Malevolence: Depression. Dude was probably really set off about the entire chain of events.

Sam Glass: i think it was more than that.. he had his honor.. and how would you like it if your wife was raped in front of you.. and then she would want to go with the scum.. and want u killed???

Divine_Malevolence: That's not honor, man. Honor's setting things right. He was saddened that his wife would want him dead, and that'd be quite the blow.

Sam Glass: but to a samurai?  hmm..

Divine_Malevolence: Still human. Ningen.

Sam Glass: yea... with a license to kill.  ningen?

Divine_Malevolence: Human.

Sam Glass: and the woodcutter.. forgot to talk about the knife he stole

Divine_Malevolence: Did he say he stole it? He could've just been backing off because he admitted to lying.

Sam Glass: he took it.. what about the baby.. what was that about?

Divine_Malevolence: I 'unno. Either he was gonna steal it's cloth and abandon it, or he was tellin' the truth about his six kids.

Sam Glass: i think it was a reminder about humanity... and innocence.. and we need to keep going on even in the face of all the problems and bad things we face.. after all.. what's one more mouth to feed?

Divine_Malevolence: It left an open ending. Like in "The lady or the tiger."

Sam Glass: i don't follow, Grasshopper...

Divine_Malevolence: Ever read "The lady or the tiger"?

Sam Glass: na

Divine_Malevolence: At the end, a door opens. On the other side, there could be a beautiful lady, or a tiger. They don't tell you which. It's left up to the imagination.

Sam Glass: and in this case.. what is the choice?

Divine_Malevolence: He could either be bringing the baby to his family so's to take care of it, or he could be robbin' it like a filthy liar.

Sam Glass: i think you are confusing the woodcutter with the 6 kids and the commoner, who stole the kimono and amulet.. aren't u?

Divine_Malevolence: Naw, just the woodcutter. He could be a thieving brat as well.

Sam Glass: sell the kid?

Divine_Malevolence: But he could also be a decent fellow.  Don't know too much about his character.

Sam Glass: yea.. but he clearly had emotion.. that was the key to knowing he cared.. like the priest.. it was the commoner who didn't have any emotion.. and who you couldn't trust

Divine_Malevolence: There was a phrase from your samurai book about that. Something about "The man who smiles"? People can act to deceive.

Sam Glass: I'll have to go back and find that one.. but i think it is off point.. of the three in the destroyed temple.. two were distraught and cared.. they were telling it to the dispassionate commoner...  the dispassionate one stole the kimono and amulet.. the woodcutter may as you have said stolen the dagger.. but he was poor and trying to feed his six kids.. in the end nobody was perfect.. and told their stories with bias as toward their station in life. The truth was outside the stories.

Divine_Malevolence: You sure he had six kids?

Sam Glass: I believe him.. because he had nothing to lose.. and he seemed genuine.. again.. it was easy to see he cared.. and his emotions made sense when thinking of him in total.

Divine_Malevolence: Y' ne'er know. He said he had six kids to attain the trust to take that one kid. Why? I 'unno. But that's a gain.

Sam Glass: ahh, Grasshopper.. methinks possible the bias in this one resides in you...

Divine_Malevolence: I'm just saying, he could be a sly dog. Not that he is, but it's possible.

Sam Glass: sure.. but why? what about him makes him suspect to you? because he cares?

Divine_Malevolence: Because the theme of the story is y'can't really trust anyone.

Sam Glass: "if you're not selfish you can't survive" was what the commoner who stole the kimono said... u think that applies to everyone?

Divine_Malevolence: It's possible to apply it to most of the people in the story.

Sam Glass: the baby?

Divine_Malevolence: Woulda stolen something if he coulda.

Sam Glass: milk? sure.. but my point is if you rated them.. those who were more emotive.. the ones who showed they cared... would be less likely to take advantage of others.. so .. form 1-10 with 1 as the most likely to steal and 10 as least likely how would you rate them?

Sam Glass: the priest - 10]

Divine_Malevolence: The priest was a 10, the woodcutter was a 7, everyone else was probably 3 or below.

Sam Glass: I would put the samurai at 8.. they had their code and honor.. although they would lie

Divine_Malevolence: Not too sure 'bout him. He'd probably be a seven-ish guy as well.

Sam Glass: kk but at least you'll admit the woodcutter was more believable than the commoner!!.. and that nasty wife!!

Divine_Malevolence: Trufact.

Sam Glass: ok, good conversation.. anything else?

Divine_Malevolence: Sounds good.
Sam Glass: next week Sanjuro...  two weeks Ran