Rashomon

Mike Di Benedetto, 10/18/11, Rashomon, Japanese, Akira Kurosawa, 1951 Vince Festival (Grand Prize, 1951), Academy Award (Best Foreign Film, 1952).

            Rashomon is the kind of film that deserves to be mentioned in the context of any reputable conversation of impressive cinema.  The film can be approached and appreciated to a vast degree from a number of vantage points: the symbolism, the fine cinematography, and the way it questions human morality and ethics.  In many ways, Rashomon was ahead of its time and while borrowing both elements of western and eastern filmmaking succeeded in conceiving something powerful and original, even by today’s standards.

            The first article I read was a review by Roger Ebert for the Chicago Sun and was taken from “rogerebert.suntimes.com.”  Ebert begins with some background on the film and states that it seemed doomed from the start; the studio was reluctant to make it, and many felt the story was incomprehensible and confusing.  Yet once it was released, it took much of the world by surprise.  Ebert suggests that the genius of the film is that all the flashbacks are both true and false; they convey what the person telling the story believes he or she witnessed.  Ebert goes on to say that aside from the excellent storytelling, the film’s brilliance also lies in its visuals emotions.

            The second article I read was written by Keiko McDonald, entitled “Light and Darkness in Rashomon” and was taken from pages 120-129 from the 1982, 10^th volume of the Film Quarterly.  The article opens with some information on Rashomon’s background and achievements.  The author then focuses the remainder of the article on the film’s symbolism via use of visuals and lighting.  He discusses the contrast of setting between the story’s events; the murder and rape take place in a dark forest, the contemplation of the priest, the woodcutter and the commoner are set in the pouring rain, and the trial is held in the calm of day while the sun is blazing.  McDonald continues with his interpretation of the film’s symbolism all the while suggesting the impressive nature of the film.

            To me, Rashomon was a film composed by a perfect storm – stunning cinematography, symbolism and storytelling.  The very concept of telling a story through a series of distorted flashbacks is one that screams genius and has been borrowed by many since – television and film.  Rashomon broke Japanese cinema into the western world – and rightfully so.  Even though it was made more than a half of century ago, it’s the kind of film that couldn’t ever feel dated, and I would recommend it to anyone seeking a rich cinematic experience.  

400 Blows Journal

Mike Di Benedetto, 10/11/11, 400 Blows, French, 1959, Francois Truffaut, New York Film Critics Circle Awards (Best Foreign Language Film, 1959), Sant Jordi Awards (Best Foreign Director, 1961).

            400 Blows was among the most fundamental films of the French New Wave.  The New Wave movement promoted the “auteur theory” – the notion that a film’s director not just be a component in the making of the movie, but the driving force and main storyteller.  New Wave emerged in the late 50s and 60s, and its films showcased a detachment from standard and classic cinematic form; instead, these films ventured into uncharted territories, experimenting with editing, visuals and unconventional ways of telling their stories.  Francois Truffaut’s 400 Blows is an excellent example of all of this.

            The first article I read was a review by Nicole Rupersberg from ‘thedetroiter.com.’  The review begins with some background on Truffaut and the French New Wave and then goes on to describe the characters and plot of the film.  The reviewer discusses some specific shots (the bird’s eye view of the boys squirming in line while in gym class running through and the incredibly long shot of Doinel running to the sea at the end) and concludes with declaring 400 Blows as not so much a cornerstone of the New Wave movement but rather a precursor that certainly broke new ground.

            The second article I read was written by Leonard R. Koos and taken from the Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television entitled, “The French New Wake: a new look.”  The author refers to French New Wave as a “groundbreaking phenomenon” and applauds it on levels of aesthetics, politics, theory and approaches to production.  He brings up some prime film examples, 400 Blows being one of them, and then ends by emphasizing the importance and influence that the French New Wave and its films had on world cinema.

            Both articles define 400 Blows more as preceding material gravely significant to the actual New Wave movement – a film that many from the actual movement borrowed from and built off of, according to Koos.  Of course, the radical nature of New Wave films can be seen in 400 Blows, Rupersberg feels it is, as well, the individualistic quality of the film – it’s main character’s close relationship to the audience that has impacted so many films and directors since. 

            Personally, I really enjoyed watching this film, as well as learning about it.  Like a piece of music, I feel film is best enjoyed with knowledge of the context surrounding it and its place in history.  400 Blows is an instrumental piece of work, and many aspects of the film, most notably the cinematography and narrative, have been adopted not just by the French New Wavers that were to spawn shortly after, but in today’s film, and probably, tomorrow’s.