Rashômon

1950, Japan, Akira Kurosawa, 88 min.

Introduced by professor Paul Anderer

Director Akira Kurosawa masterfully laces three different perspectives on the story of the murder of a Samurai warrior.

Three men are forced to take refuge from the rain in the shell of a former gatehouse called Rashômon. After one of the men admits he knows more about the murder than he originally let on, Rashômon becomes a space of revelations and changes in perception.

This movie is often cited as the reason why the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences created the “Best Foreign Film” category.

About the Speaker

Paul Anderer, Mack Professor of Humanities and professor of Japanese literature at Columbia University, has served as chair of the department of East Asian languages and cultures and as acting dean of the graduate school. His writings include Other Worlds: Arishima Takeo and the Bounds of Modern Japanese Fiction (Columbia, 1984) and Literature of the Lost Home: Kobayashi Hideo-Literary Criticism, 1924-1939 (Stanford, 1995). He is currently writing a book on the black and white films of Kurosawa Akira and their relationship to post-war Japan and the silent film era.

About Cabaret Cinema: Rain

Inspired by Nepalese Seasons: Rain and Ritual, this summer Cabaret Cinema showcases classic rain-drenched films that allude to the power of the downpour. Learn more