Rashomon (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

Blu-ray is the typical Criterion excellence keeping in mind the starting point of a 1950 Japanese B&W with mediocre fidelity monaural audio. Has some good extras including an in depth analysis commentary that provides deep insight about the story, script writing, cinematography and directing within the context of traditional Japanese culture. Options include Japanese or dubbed English dialog (both mono), and English subtitles. It's interesting to watch with dubbed English and subtitles as they are clearly different translations. Found using both together that it provides additional insight into the more subtle meaning of the Japanese dialog. Roshamon is not an original screenplay, it is an adaptation of two Akutagawa short stories, "Roshmon" providing the story-telling setting and infant scene, and "In a Grove" providing the plot and charcters. Even without the optional analysis commentary, it becomes clear within the first 20 minutes or so this is not a Kurosawa action film. It is intellectual and challenges the viewer's concepts about absolute Truth and reality. It is a mental exercise as the priest and the woodsman relate their story about a crime and trial they recently saw to a third party who is curious, wanting to be entertained while waiting out a torrential rainstorm in the shelter of the Rashomon Gate. The priest in particular is losing his faith and belief in the basic Goodness of humanity after hearing the very different and self-serving testimony at the trial. The basic facts that a rape and murder occurred are not disputed, but who committed the murder and how both were carried out are what substantially differ in five different versions of the events (woodsman with original and later revised stories, notorious bandit on trial, murdered samurai via a "medium, and samurai's wife who was raped by the bandit). It's an absolutely outstanding exploration of Truth, what it is, and how it relates to what people perceive, remember and want or wish to believe. Add to it strong probability of ulterior motives and self-interest tainting the testimony. The themes are universal and timeless, and Kurasowa's portrayal of the story allows the film to be readily understood in nearly any country/culture, 60+ years later. It is cited by some as Japan's "Citizen Kane," their all-time greatest film with groundbreaking flashback-driven screenplay, directing, acting and cinematography (albeit a much different plot). Not surprising to me that Roshamon received the 1952 Academy Award (Oscar) for Best Foreign Language Film, and has withstood the test of time, continuing to place high on lists of the best Japanese films. Like two other Kurosawa films that were remade as Westerns, "The Outrage" in 1964 with Paul Newman, Edward G. Robinson and a very young Willim Shatner very closely follows Roshamon (with Kurosawa credited for the screenplay. The other two are Seven Samurai / Magnificent Seven and Yojimbo / Fistful of Dollars. Other films use major elements or the same themes more abstractly, but analysis shows the source. This is a film well worth seeing, more than once as the finer details in the story and Kurosawa's directing become more apparent

Master director Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon, one of the first of many masterpieces broke the mold when first released, becoming a worldwide sensation, and is still a staple of classic Japanese cinema. An ambitious, yet simply presented story of a horrendous crime, the account of which is told by multiple conflicting testimonies. Superb storytelling, highly original, but so often imitated that it eventually became formulaic. Great camerawork with memorable use of torrential downpour at the temple gates. Notable for making stars of Toshiro Mifune and Machiko Kyo in iconic performances. Kurosawa's decades of work are recommended, especially his samurai films: Throne Of Blood (a version of Macbeth) The Seven Samaurai (an undeniable masterpiece) and my favourite, the spaghetti western-inspiring, Yojimbo. This Criterion Collection Blu Ray looks fine and also contains plenty of extras, including an audio commentary, and several interviews and documentaries on the making of this profound classic.

Excellent. Highly recommend.

This is where we get the Rashomon Effect, when each of us have a different definition of the same situation. This is a great movie for any sociological theorist. I can never get tired watching this. Strongly recommended.

RASHOMON This 1950 Kurosawa crime drama, set in 11th century Kyoto, is one of many pictures which contribute to Kurosawa's reputation as one of the great filmmakers of all time. With its groundbreaking use of flashbacks this picture not only influenced future filmmaking but also contributed to the lexicon of courtroom justice. Eyewitness stories which contradict each other became known as the "Rashomon" effect. In the story four characters are witnesses to, or participants in, a murder or a suicide - and a possible rape. Each character recounts his or her story seemingly in response to questioning, though we never see or hear from an interrogator. It quickly becomes clear that they can't all be right, and what really happened is anyone's guess - until the end of the film. The deluge at Kyoto's Rashomon Gate which opens the film made a powerful impression on me. Maybe you'll have the same reaction. This picture won't be everyone's cup of tea, though for some it may become an acquired taste. That said, it's worth seeing for the fantastic acting and directing alone - also for the memorable woodsy mountain scenery and thickets (a Kurosawa specialty also featured in Seven Samurai) where the characters go astray both literally and figuratively. All part of Kurosawa's design, as pointed out in one of the essays included with the Criterion Collection edition of this film. The picture runs an hour and 28 minutes.

We have taken so much of what this film introduced to us in 1950 for granted and if there is any doubt as to the great debt film-makers owe to this wonderful director with regards his massive contributions to film-making over his entire lifetime then this film certainly goes a long way in putting all that to rest. Many already know how my personal favourite Kurosawa film Seven Samurai (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray ] directly or indirectly influenced films like The Magnificent Seven [Blu-ray ] and even Ocean's Trilogy (Ocean's Eleven / Ocean's Twelve / Ocean's Thirteen) [Blu-ray ] but Rashomon has influenced too many future films and even tv dramas over the years to even be mentioned. Every time you see a scene with a direct shot of the sun in it it's because of this film. It was the first film shot mostly in the depths of the jungle too. Every time Gregory House states in one of my all time favourite tv series "House" that "everybody lies" or every time we get to see alternate possibilities on any CSI episode all this has its genesis here in this brilliant Kurosawa classic. Kurosawa himself once described this film as an attempt to show that everybody relates events that they have experienced in ways that put them in a favourable light or that no testimony is ever completely objective. We see this premise here as every witness somehow manages to relate the same event in a way that they feel achieves a positive outcome for them. Whose story is true? The viewer will have to decide and for this viewer the answer is a mixture of all the stories but we'll never be sure and unlike Blade Runner (30th Anniversary Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray ] where Ridley Scott basically tells you if Decker is a replicant or not (at least in the special features documentary of the version that I have) Kurosawa does no such thing here and he leaves you to decide. Thankfully we get Criterion in the driver's seat and not Kino or worse StudioCanal and taking responsibility for the very important task of restoring and making this essential film worthy of a blu-ray release. The source master isn't perfect but Criterion's effort at picture quality restoration does bear fruit and although it is not perfect you would have to try very hard to detect any obvious imperfections like spots or scratches although they are not completely eliminated. Also the constrast and picture definition isn't the best that you'll see in other black and white 1080p releases but considering the age of the film they are still quite admirable. The sound quality in Mono also isn't perfect but it is still very good. Also included is a 48-page booklet containing essays on the film as well as the transfer details. Like any true classic film Rashomon rewards repeated viewing and while I enjoyed "Seven Samurai" a lot more this film is still one that I look forward to watching again and again on my short list of films to view at least once every year. This Criterion blu-ray release comes highly recommended and only just misses getting 5 stars from me because the picture and sound quality isn't the best but perhaps there will be another restoration attempt made in the future to outdo this one. In the meantime this release will do very well and is probably the best version of the film that is currently out there.

Not only one of Kurosawa's best films, but also one of the most influential films of all time. This film shows multiple versions of the same incident from the point of view of various participants and witnesses, none of which on its own is complete or entirely accurate. Plus, it has Toshiro Mifune who is always fun to watch on screen. The storytelling is compelling and the film is beautifully shot. As usual, Criterion has presented an exquisite print of the film with a variety of extras. It is a definite improvement over the older DVD version of the film and well worth the upgrade.

A justly famous classic; perfect in almost every way. It embodies the old wisdom of "What you see depends on where you stand." It is beautifully filmed, highly emotional and often violent. Indeed, a friend commented after seeing it "It absolutely murders the stereotype of the inscrutable oriental." Buy it for an harrowing trip through real humanity.

Like most people, I was first introduced to Akira Kurosawa with his 1954 film "Seven Samurai" and was just blown away by that cinematic masterpiece. The next film I saw was "Kagemusha" and I thoroughly enjoyed the stunning visuals and story-telling in that film too. I have seen many Kurosawa films over the years but "Rashomon" was the one film that I never seemed to have an opportunity to watch. For some reason or another, this film has always eluded me. By chance, I saw this dvd being offered by Amazon - brand new - for an outstanding price of $12(!) and didn't hesitate to purchase it. I'm glad I did. The premise to Rashomon intrigued me not to mention that the film stars Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura and Minoru Chiaki who would later appear in "Seven Samurai" as samurai protagonists Kikuchiyo, Kambei and Heihachi. The premise of this film involves the discovery of a murdered samurai in a forest and three characters providing their own contradictory interpretation as to how the samurai was murdered. This unprecedented idea in film has even created a well-known principle called "The Rashomon Effect" which is regularly discussed by film, law, journalism, literature, psychology and sociology experts and scholars all over the world. Rashomon is a beautifully done film and the recent criterion version is masterfully restored. Although some scenes appear fuzzy, they are few and far between and the overall audio and video is quite clean. The included booklet includes the two Ryūnosuke Akutagawa novellas that are the basis for this film: "Rashomon" and "In a Grove" which are definitely worth reading. Without a doubt, I am quite pleased with this purchase and the fact that I only paid $12 for it makes it even more sweeter. Rashomon is a must-see film.

Esta pelicula es mi favorita de todos los tiempos, adquiere vigencia con las nuevas tecnologias, la trama es de un asesinato que presenciamos con nuestros ojos, pero posterioente, se hace un juicio, con todos los involucrados, incluido el muerto. y descubrimos que a pesar de ser testigos del asesinato, condenamos rapidamente sin conocer el contexto, es similar a lo que sucede en estos tiempos de tik tok, a veces vemos un parte de un video y juzgamos y condenamos, pero posteriomente apararece el video completo y decubrimos que la victima es el victimario.

このレビューは、「羅生門 デジタル完全版[Blu-ray]と「羅生門 Blu-ray（北米版）[Import]のレビューです。 この映画「羅生門」に関して、多くを語ることは必要ありませんね。 日本映画界が世界に誇れる映画の一本と言って過言ではない作品です。 インターネットでも簡単に検索し、情報を集められるので苦労しません。 多くのレビュアーさんが詳しいレビューをされているので誰もが安心して購入できるレビューばかりです。 そこで自分は、日本国内盤と輸入盤を比較してみました。 比較対象品は、日本盤がもちろん角川書店さんが発売している正規品のブルーレイ。 輸入盤は、賛否両論！ただし綺麗だという評価が多いクライテリオン社盤です。 黒澤 明 監督作品や初代「ゴジラ」などのレビューでは、圧倒的に日本盤よりキレイ！見易い！と評価の高いクライテリオン社製のブルーレイですが、この「羅生門」に関してはちょっと事情が違うようです。 両者を見比べると殆ど大差はない様子。 ただし若干ですが、レストアして修復したフィルム傷が、多少消し切れていないかな？と思われるシーンが多く見受けられた（そのように見えた）のがクライテリオン社製の方。 同じシーンでも日本版の方は、あまり目立たなかったというのが自分の感想です。 しかし素人ながら感じたのは、同じマスターではないのかな？ということ。 フィルム傷の見え方には、多少違うコントラストの関係が影響しているのかな？という感じです。 画質の見比べは、案外簡単そうで難しく、２台のモニターで同時再生しても、モニターの設定や生産時期による違いで、電気店で同じ映像を流していても、どのモニターも画質が随分違って見えるように若干の違いが出てしまいます。 自分は、１台のモニターしかないので本当に感じでしかわかりませんが、確認のため同じ条件でパソコンを使い画面キャプチャーして比較しています。 黒澤 明 監督作品や初代「ゴジラ」などのブルーレイ・ソフトは、明らかにコントラストの違いやシャープネスの違いがハッキリわかりますが、この「羅生門」に関しては、甲乙つけがたいというのが率直な意見です。 「羅生門」のブルーレイは、日本盤も輸入盤も殆ど変化はないというのが結論ですが、若干のコントラスト違いは見受けられます。 ただし特典映像は、比べ物にならないほど輸入盤の方が上です。 当時の撮影秘話や苦労などがわかるインタビューが盛りだくさん。英語字幕を消せば日本のテレビ番組を見ている感覚で全て見ることができます。 この特典映像だけでも輸入盤を買う価値があるという感じです。 自分は、両方買って大満足しております。 と言うことで、星5つとさせて頂きました。

excellent

Classic film, great special features and an insightful commentary on the film and great booklet