RASHOMON

Yesterday I rewatched Rashomon, directed by Akira Kurosawa. The first time I watched the film, I was taken by its story and the way it was told. It seemed very familiar, having a story told from the perspective of all the parties involved, and all their stories of the same event end up being different. I was giddy to find out this narrative technique is called the Rashomon Effect and has been used in all sorts of contemporary storytelling. I had recognized it from particular episodes of my favourite television shows, such as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Arrested Development and How I Met Your Mother. I revelled in the mystery that Rashomon spun around the ideas of truth, perspective and human nature.

This time, I found myself focusing on the beautiful form and cinematography of the film. The above picture is an example of a shot that creates a triangle through body language and eye lines. All the shots that I noticed in the film were beautifully composed, without feeling too stagey and composed (at least I think so).

I also really loved the use of dappled light. The dappled lighting made me think of the colours of a forest, even though the film is in black and white, and it also gave me a sense of the trees, leaves and depth in the forest. It also made the subjects that were dappled look more interesting, as the dappled light cast irregular shadows across faces and created shapes with light.

I have borrowed more Kurosawa films and I am excited to watch them all and read up more about him and his work.