Rashômon (1950)

Directed by Akira Kurosawa. Starring Toshirô Mifune, Machiko Kyô, Takashi Shimura, Kichijirô Ueda, Minoru Chiaki, Masayuki Mori, Noriko Honma, Daisuke Katô.

Early Kurosawa classic, the one which firmly put him on the international map; based on a short story by Ryûnosuke Akutagawa (“In a Grove”), though it takes its title from a different Akutagawa short story, referring to the name of a ruined city gate. Film depicts four different testimonials of the same event—the supposed murder of a samurai (Mori) and rape of his wife (Kyô)—each one contradictory of the others. Brilliant editing techniques enhance the radical narrative structure, though it’s rarely difficult to follow, and leads to a timeless and unshakable conclusion, as elusive as it is thought-provoking. Innovative use of the camera as well, cementing Kurosawa’s status as one of the great directors of his era, regardless of nationality. The film’s title has even entered the lexicon as shorthand for anything that describes or echoes the plot device. Won an honorary Oscar for Best Foreign Film (honors in that category wouldn’t start getting handed out regularly for a few more years). Over a decade later, there was an American remake set in the U.S. Southwest called The Outrage.

95/100