Directed by: Akira Kurosawa
Released: 1950
Run time: 88 minutes
Certificate: 12A
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The murder of a Samurai is recalled by several witnesses as the nature of truth is questioned
Set in 12th Century Japan, Rashomon follows the trial of a notorious bandit accused of the cold-blooded murder of a samurai and the brutal rape of his wife. But as several witnesses, the surviving wife and the accused recount the events leading up to the horrific incident, each story seems to contradict the next until the nature of truth itself comes into question.
Rashomon was directed by Kurosawa in the early years of his career, before he was hailed as a grandmaster. It was made reluctantly by a minor Japanese studio, and the studio head so disliked it that he removed his name from the credits. Then it won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, effectively opening the world of Japanese cinema to the West. It subsequently won the Academy Award as best foreign film and set box office records for a subtitled film.
