The Main Message In The Film Rashomon
Rashomon is a famous Japanese film from the 1950’s about a man who dies after his wife was raped by a bandit. Point of view in film is where the scenes are made so that the audience can view a situation the way that particular character sees it. In Rashomon, there are multiple points of view present. This film is not a traditional film where there’s a beginning, middle, and end present. Instead this film is considered non-linear. Multiple characters in the film present their versions of how the crime occurred. One can say that this film is about point of view because the film consists of the multiple characters and their flashbacks of how the crime occurred.
In the opening scene this is where the director first shows his stylistic choices through cinematography and editing. It first shows a big shot of the gate and the stormy and rainy weather. This opening shot sets the mood for the entire film. The shots get closer as the viewer can see up close to the faces of the priest and the woodcutter. After the woodcutter presents his story first, the priest goes next, then the woodcutter presents a second story from when he is in the courtroom, after that was the policeman, and lastly the woman. At the end of the bandit’s, woman’s, and “dead” man’s story they each claim to say they were each responsible for the death of the man.
The first character to present their version of the situation is the woodcutter. An example where the director uses cinematography to make point of view to construct the narrative is in the woodcutter’s flashback where he is walking through the woods, the camera sort of follows him as he finds the woman’s hat and then continuing to walk to then find a rope. This scene also shows stylistic choices in editing as well as the woodcutter is walking through the woods the shots seem to zoom in closer and this allows the viewers to focus on his reaction. This choice in cinematography allows the audience to go along with his point of view and react to things the way he did as well. With this film not being considered a classic, as the movie resolves, the viewers still don’t know the truth.
The goal of the movie is that the viewer is able to come up with their own truth of what may have actually happened in the woods. If the film was shot with only one point of view, then this would be a completely different film and the audience would believe the story from that one point of view.
Overall the director is trying to say that at this time in Japanese society, morality and righteousness were the most important things to the people and if they can’t be found in reality then they can be found in fiction. Everyone is happier with the fictional version than they are with reality because that makes them seem like a better person.
