In regards to “What’s up with the baby?”: the baby is a sign of humanity’s ironic nature. All of the characters are wretched people whose stories try to shore up the not-so-obvious honor behind their actions. The woodcutter is no different from the rest of them. Even the baby will grow up to be the same. Yet the woodcutter is still capable of great compassion and mercy, just like the rest of us are.

So, I will comment instead on Kurosawa’s lesser known remake of Brian’s Song.

The transposition of cultures was still interesting, but Kurosawa focused on the generational gap issues as opposed to the racial divide of the source material.

Using the ever amazing Takashi Shimura as an older player facing a life threatening illness was a bit of a reach, but Shimura pulls off the subtlety needed to keep this film grounded in the friendship between himself and the younger Toshiro Mifune. Both men were really past the appropriate age for their roles, but Kurosawa’s ability with a camera kept this from being quite as cringe worthy as moments in The Natural. Shimura’s “Brian” knew he was never the player Mifune’s “Gale” represented and yet shows more mentoring than jealousy as his time comes ever so close to an end.

At least, that’s how I remember it.

Obviously 99% of what I wrote above is an outright lie. The only “truth” to the story is that I was in “Charley’s Aunt” and I had a mid-sized (although very important) part. Everything else? Bullshit to the highest order.

Today’s film is “Rashomon” a film about telling lies. Or…telling different versions of the same story. This has since been used in other films and, of course, televisions shows. If you’ve got a slick little device like this and good actors at your disposal, why WOULDN’T you have them talk to the camera about whatever story you’ve created.

Oh, the story here? Well, seems a Buddhist Priest has gone a wandering with an axe only to find a dead body in the forest. He found a number of clues at the scene of the crime and brought it to the authorities. In his interview he tells what happened.

Well…soon there’s a man on trial for the killing and he tells what happened. Then the wife of the man killed tells what happened (this is all told to unseen judges and we never hear the questions). Then they even have the killed man speak about what happened (through a Medium) and all the stories criss-cross and have elements of truth (like my story above) but who is telling the TRUTH!?

We only find out later in the film that our initial wood-chopping priest actually saw the murder happen and he tells what has gone on but…still…is it the truth???

Finally the three main characters we’ve been following from the beginning (hanging out in a dilapidated temple (Rashomon of the title) discuss the issues at hand. A baby shows up (Was it the woman’s? If so, why didn’t she mention it?) and some humanity is once again brought to bear. Hope is given and the film ends.

WHAT I LIKED!

This film was very intriguing on a number of levels. The acting (especially by the “villain” Mifune) is quite over-the-top. The interweaving storylines kept me enraptured and there is a lot (and I mean A LOT) of camera movement. Almost hand-held in its style.

The music was particularly good, too.

WHAT I DISLIKED!

If I have any quibbles – it’s the acting by some of the actors (see Mifune) and the lack of any real clarification on what ACTUALLY happened. I guess that’s probably Kurosawa’s point is that we never actually know what truthfully happened (even in our own lives)…but I was waiting for a bit more clarification.

And what’s up with the baby?

BOTTOM LINE:

Fascinating film. I can see why it’s a classic and extremely influential.