Review of Rashomon (1950) by Randy P — 14 Feb 2009
My first Kurosawa film. I think I'm going to enjoy his work, because I felt this film had several flaws, but was still very enjoyable. It is a little uneven as far as tone, with moments that seemed to need music being silent and vice versa.
There were also shifts between very serious, naturalistic performances, and then Toshiro Mifune's MANIC FREAKOUTS~! It moves slowly, and was probably the longest 88 minutes of my life, but once the story began to unfold I was hooked.
Kurosawa examines human goodness and human truth through the eyes of four people, all witness to the same crime. No two have the same story, and the viewer is left to wonder what truly happened. Yet, unless you've missed the point, you must question any decision you come to, and assess whether you are lying to yourself or not.
A very thought-provoking film. I can't wait to further explore Kurosawa, and I give this a solid recommendation in a big way.
This review of Rashomon (1950) was written by Randy P on 14 Feb 2009.
Rashomon has generally received very positive reviews.
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