Rashomon - Criterion Collection

Rashomon - Criterion Collection Review

As the week of Akira Kurosawa's 100th birthday celebration has came and past, I decided that it was appropriate to watch a Kurosawa film and what best than a film he created 50 years ago, "Rashomon". A film written and directed by Akira Kurosawa and based on two stories "Rashomon" and "In a Grove" by Ryunosuke Akutagawa and featuring cinematography by Kazuo Miyagawa.

Many consider "Rashomon" to be the first film that American and Western audiences were exposed to a Kurosawa film and with the film winning an Italian Critics Award and the highly coveted Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival and an Academy Honorary Award, there was quite a bit of interest in the film. Needless to say, the film was an influence to many filmmakers and even received a loosely-based remake in 1964 titled "The Outrage" starring Paul Newman.


VIDEO & AUDIO:

"Rashomon" is presented in black and white (1:33:1). It is important to note that the film has received major restoration in Japan by Kadokawa and the version featured by Criterion Collection on DVD as released years before the restoration was completed. But the version shown on the DVD is good for a 50-year-old film and has its share of dust and specks but at the time of this DVD's release, the Criterion Collection did feature the film with a new HD digital transfer and restored image.

The transfer was created from a 35mmm fine-grain master positive on a high definition Spirit Datacine. The MTI Digital Restoration was used to remove thousands of instances of dirt, debris and scratches.

Some scenes look very good such as closeups where we can see the beads of sweat on the characters. But also various cuts during the forest and in many ways, Kurosawa's admiration for silent film is used in "Rashomon" as there are minimal sets and kept things simple. Also, the film utilized really technological uses of contrasting shots courtesy of cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa.

With the Criterion Collection dedicated in releasing Kurosawa's films on Blu-ray, fans can only hope that this new restored version of "Rashomon" will be considered for Blu-ray release sometime in the near future.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

Audio for "Rashomon" is presented in Dolby Digital Monaural. Dialogue is primarily center channel driven but for a more immersive soundscape, I chose to watch "Rashomon" via my receiver set on stereo on all channels. According to the Criterion Collection, the HD transfer of the film includes restored sound.

According to the Criterion Collection, the MTI Digital Restoration System was used to remove thousands of instances of dirt, debris and scratches. The soundtrack was mastered at 24-bit from the original audio magnetic tracks. Audio restoration tools were used to remove clicks, pops, hiss and crackle.

It is important to note that the main Japanese soundtrack is included but also the original English dubbed soundtrack. Personally, I didn't watch much of the film with the English soundtrack as it was very reminiscent to watching old Kung Fu, Shaw Brothers films in the early '80s. But for those who can't stand subtitles, at least they have the option to select an English dubbed soundtrack.

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"Rashomon - THE CRITERION COLLECTION #138 comes with the following special features:

* Audio Commentary by Donald Richie - Film historian Donald Richie provides the commentary of "Rashomon". As a film critic well-versed in Japanese cinema, Richie goes into depth about the filmmaking of the film.
* Video Introduction by Robert Altman - (6:39) Filmmaker Robert Altman ("Mash", "Shortcuts", "Gosford Park") talks about his love for the film and Kurosawa's symbolic use of light.
* Excerpts from "The World of Kazuo Miyagawa" - (12:32) A Japanese documentary (with English subtitles) based on Akira Kurosawa's longtime cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa who talks about working with Akira Kurosawa and gives viewers insight to the director and the their professional relationship. Most importantly, the techniques used to film "Rashomon".
* Trailer - (3:27) The original theatrical trailer for "Rashomon".
* 28-Page Booklet - Featuring the an essay on "Rashomon" by Stephen Prince (Author of "The Warrior's Camera: The Cinema of Akira Kurosawa"), "Akira Kurosawa on Rashomon" (from "Something Like an Autobiography) and excerpts from Ryunosuke Akutagawa's "Rashomon" and "In a Grove" novel (both translated in English).

JUDGMENT CALL:

I first watched "Rashomon" while I was a young college student and was very surprised by how the film was much different from "The Seven Samurai", especially when it came to the number of characters featured, the emotion of the characters especially the crazy Tajomaru and also taken aback by the reaction of the samurai's wife Masako.

Needless to say, the concept of seeing flashbacks and finding out that these flashbacks were either truth or fabrications, one can't deny of how this film captures your attention as you want to know who committed the crime.

I was impressed how Kurosawa was able to film "Rashomon" despite receiving a low budget and keeping things to a minimalist set. Just to see how the camerawork came about, how meticulous the editing was since Kurosawa likes to shoot a scene with several cameras and of course, the character performances which were quite important in the development of the film. In fact, prior to the film, the actors and staff lived together temporarily and it was a system which Kurosawa felt worked in bringing harmony to the set.

As mentioned, there has been restoration done on "Rashomon" with the source material being extremely in bad condition despite the 35mm print from 1962 being in very good physical condition. So, each scene was digitally restored and cleaned up courtesy of the Academy Film Archive, the National Film Center of the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo and Kadokawa Pictures, Inc. The film has been shown throughout the world in 2009 and one can hope that with Kurosawa's films making it to Blu-ray, the Criterion Collection considers the new restored version of "Rashomon" for Blu-ray release.

But for now, those who find "Rashomon" can be content with the Criterion Collection's DVD release for now. A good number of special features, solid picture and audio quality as one can expect from a 50-year-old film on DVD and an informative booklet and a few bonus features included. "Rashomon" is definitely a Kurosawa masterpiece worth watching and having in your collection.

Rashomon - Criterion Collection Overview

Brimming with action while incisively examining the nature of truth, Rashomon is perhaps the finest film ever to investigate the philosophy of justice. Through an ingenious use of camera and flashbacks, Kurosawa reveals the complexities of human nature as four people recount different versions of the story of a man's murder and the rape of his wife. Toshiro Mifune gives another commanding performance in the eloquent masterwork that revolutionized film language and introduced Japanese cinema to the world.

Rashomon - Criterion Collection Specifications

This 1950 film by Akira Kurosawa is more than a classic: it's a cinematic archetype that has served as a template for many a film since. (Its most direct influence was on a Western remake, The Outrage, starring Paul Newman and directed by Martin Ritt.) In essence, the facts surrounding a rape and murder are told from four different and contradictory points of view, suggesting the nature of truth is something less than absolute. The cast, headed by Kurosawa's favorite actor, Toshiro Mifune, is superb. --Tom Keogh

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Sep 21, 2010 01:11:05