Rashomon (Classic)

Famously the first Japanese film to make an impact at Western festivals after the end of WW2, Kurosawa’s first masterpiece – a what-really-happened murder mystery set in the medieval Heian era – is also notable for giving its name (literally!) to the so-called ‘Rashomon effect’, whereby audiences are presented with multiple contradictory or overlapping narratives and must decide for themselves which (if any) are ‘true’. Stunning direction and vivid performances from all the principals ensure that – far from being an arid narrative exercise – Rashomon remains both consistently gripping and morally profound.

98% – Rotten Tomatoes

8.2 / 10 – IMDB

“the tone and approach of Rashomon are radically different from anything Western viewers are likely to be familiar with. The film is presented almost as visual poetry, paying a great deal of attention to sights and images while sound and dialogue have lesser importance. The cinematography is singularly evocative. It would be possible to watch Rashomon without subtitles and still capture more than a small fraction of its essence.”

“Rashomon has lost none of its fascination or power. It’s still a marvelous piece of cinema that asks unanswerable questions of great import. Films like Courage Under Fire may capture some of the spirit of Rashomon, but no movie before or since has presented these issues in quite the same unique and intense fashion”