Rashomon

Kurosawa’s hugely influential masterpiece — screening here in the beautiful new 35mm restoration we first presented last summer — was the film that introduced the Japanese cinema to the West. Rashomon now stands as a cultural touchstone of the modern age, with a title that has entered the international lexicon as a synonym for the subjectivity or relativity of truth. In medieval Japan, four witnesses to a rape and murder give mutually contradictory accounts of the incident. Expertly paced and superbly acted, the film features magnificent cinematography by Kazuo Miyagawa, the master of camera tracking who also shot Mizoguchi’s sublime Ugetsu. Kurosawa regulars Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura head the fine cast; legendary actress Machiko Kyo, in a career-making performance, has the female lead. Rashomon was a surprise recipient of the Golden Lion at Venice in 1951 — Japanese officials had been reluctant to enter the film, fearing it would not be understood by foreigners — and went on to win the 1951 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. “Rashomon is one of the great film experiences . . . It has its own perfection” (Pauline Kael). “The truth about Rashomon — that it’s one the best movies ever — is beyond dispute” (A. O. Scott, New York Times). B&W, 35mm, in Japanese with English subtitles. 90 mins.