9.5

Rashomon (Akira Kurosawa Collection)

Akira Kurosawa nails it once again with Rashomon, a movie he filmed back in 1950 that clearly has influenced modern day directors with his distinct storytelling style. Most notably Quentin Tarantinos style of the multiple angle storyline with every player seeing the action slightly differently. 

In this case a woman has been raped and her husband killed. As the story unfolds we see four examples of how different perspectives can affect the way that we see the characters in a movie. The thing that Akira challenges us to do is work out which version is the right one. Great story angles with convincing acting make this compelling viewing. 

We are confronted with very different stories from the bandit who did/didn’t rape the woman, the victim herself who claims she killed her husband, a woodcutter who states that he saw the entire thing, and even the spirit of the murdered man is called upon claiming suicide. 

Kurosawa’s mastery of the camera and storytelling comes to the fore when you watch the different angles. Of particular note is the sword play that differs greatly depending upon who is telling the story. We see precision swordsmanship all the way through to amateurish clumsy blows being traded. 

The quality of the video on this flick is excellent considering the age and Akira’s knowledge of the camera and working with shadow make it a great watch. Of special interest is the making of Rashomon featuring interviews with the original cast and crew. We also have a plethora of other features that will delight fans as they’ve gone to some real effort to bring you as much information about the movie and the people behind the camera as possible. 

I highly recommend this feature and would also willingly point you in the direction of the other Kurosawa releases. To learn more about the director himself, there is also a documentary available from Madman.