86th FC movie club is barely a week old and rashomon was the second movie that was screened. out of all, rashomon was plucked out of the galaxy just because it was recommended by one of our guest speakers at the academy(much to the dismay of the masala movie lovers ), even though i'v seen the movie earlier i wanted to watch the movie once again - atleast to show off that i was indeed a movie buff. i occupied the the first row, with my friends and the movie started..
About the movie - Rashomon - released in 1950 , directed by akira kurosawa is considered by critics as one of the greatest masterpieces ever to be produced, for simple reasons - it brought about the distinct narrative style which we are used to seeing in recent movies like vantage point,virumandi etc. The movie again set the trend among whodunnit movies. From maniratnam's yuva to the pathetic "game" made by abinay deo the "rashomon" effect is evident through out, across several movies
The plot - the story has 3 narrators and 3 main "in plot " characters - it is indeed difficult to manage a movie with so little characters (ask sooraj bharjatya and vikraman !) but still kurosawa shows his masterfulness in the way he has managed the characters and juggled around with them brilliantly. Each of the 3 main characters has a distinctive body language - the villain who makes the funny laugh , the heroine with her typical scream and the hero with his "stare" - today's cinema , which is dominated by CGs and "punch dialogues" has a lot to inspire from this movie. location changes are too less but quite apt. the comic climax fight(brought out in final version) and the beautiful message given at the end are the high points of the movie.
The "yawns" - to put up with a movie released in 50s means no fast cuts/edits,no breathtaking visuals ,no CG s ,no groundbreaking music and rashomon is no exception. some scenes like the one where the woodcutter goes to the forest- goes, goes and goes , like our trek in LBSNAA.Such scenes do test our patience.
Overall , rashomon is a must watch film for any serious movie buff.If you go in questioning the credentials of the director and the movie,By the time you come out of the hall you know why they have such high billings !
P.S - if you liked the movie, do try 'andhanaal" by sivajiganesan - its narrative style is roughly inspired by rashomon but has a different plot slighltly and it is a masterpiece in tamil cinema.
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