At the beginning of Rashomon three strangers take shelter from an intensive downpour beneath Rashomon Gate, one of the main entrances to the old imperial capital of Kyoto. The Gate is abandoned except for the three and it is dilapidated and falling apart.
Does the Gate (and its state of disrepair) suggest something about a theme or idea in the movie? What about the way it is filmed (including things like camera distance and framing)? Is the Gate a symbol in the film?
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ReplyDeleteRashomon Gate is one of the central settings throughout the plot of the movie, and so it's likely an intentional and symbolic inclusion in the film. Before any of the characters even tell their story of the events in the woods (which they say is the most horrible story they have heard), they describe how they have witnessed plague and crime, indicating that the world around them, much like the gate, is in a state of disrepair. Furthermore, as each of the characters' perspective of the woods sequence is shown to the audience, we're shown three characters taking shelter from the rain at Rashomon Gate again. As each story is told, it becomes clear that there are many discrepancies between them, demonstrating that none of them may be true. Between each story, there are several long shots displaying the gate, reminding the audience of its unfortunate state. At these points in the film, the gate not only serves as a symbol for troubling circumstances in the characters' lives (plague, crime, etc.), but for the dissolution of truth. Also, in these long shots, the gate seems extremely large in comparison with the three characters under it, signifying that their experiences and lives are small in the context of the larger world around them. Even though the characters describe the events in the woods as the most horrible story they have heard, the long shots of the characters within the gate make even a story as “horrible” as this one seem small and unimportant. Ultimately, the gate serves as a symbol for the adversity within the characters' lives, the decay of the world around them, the dissolution of truth, and how small this story really is in a larger context.
ReplyDeleteThe Rashomon Gate’s disrepair represents the broken state of truth in the movie. The movie starts off with the characters telling the audience through dialogue with each other about what the world is like. The characters mention that there is plague and crime all over Japan. You think the gate would represent society and what has happened to Japan. This thought is disproven when we are shown the trial of the bandit through flashbacks. The fact that there is a trial and a court to hear the case shows the audience that society has not completely collapsed as the Rashomom Gate has. The characters tell the story of the trial and each person’s different “perspectives” on what happened in the forest. As the story is revealed, you find that each person is lying to make themselves look better. In between one of the testimonies, one character breaks off a piece of the Gate and makes a fire with it. This is a literal representation of the character's trust in the testimony being broken due to it being clear that no one is telling the full truth. This is further added to during the climax of the story when the Woodcutter tells his version of the events and leaves out the expensive blade that would have sold for a high amount. When he is confronted about this the story goes back to Rashomon Gate, further emphasizing the loss of trust between the characters. The story ends with the Woodcutter taking the child left behind and leaving the gate. Right before he leaves the rain starts to subside representing hope for tomorrow, but the gate still remains broken just like how the trust between the characters remains broken at the end of the film.
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ReplyDeleteThe run-down state of the gate, along with the rain, reflects the state of humanity. The director shows through all of the different perspectives that humanity is deceitful and evil. The degree of difference in each testimony speaks to this idea as everyone manipulates the story for their own advantage. For example, the thief claims that his battle with the samurai was much more advanced and well put-together, while the other's testimonies describe the fight as being more sporadic and overall worse. The thief wants to make himself seem like a better fighter than he really is, and other characters have similar motives for changing other parts of the story. The people under the gate are able to temporarily hide from this by having the woodcutter give his supposed objective story, but eventually, they have to go back into the world. The many long-distance shots add to this effect as they show the power of the rain as well as the failure of the gate. It is raining quite heavily, and the rain seems to never stop, and the people inside the gate seem insignificant in comparison. The actions the narrators take inside the gate while hiding from the rain are also indicative of the state of humanity. When they take wood from the walls of the gate to use in their fire, they are contributing to the dilapidated state of the gate that we see throughout the film. It represents how humans are willing to burn something that would help them in the long term if they are able to have more short-term comfort. They are willing to lie for short-term benefit, even if it might hurt them later in life.
The Rashomon Gate is used as a clever piece of symbolism by the director. This is because it introduces the viewer to the Japan of Rashomon and its state of despair. This is shown by the fact that the gate is in shambles and the fact that the gate was used as the entrance to the city and was usually held in pristine shape, showing that this Japan is one of chaos. This is exemplified as one of the characters uses the gate's walls as firewood. The viewer understands the full scope of the world of Rashomon as they witness the retelling of events by the different parties. In these retellings, the viewer realizes that no one is telling the truth, even the dead man, as the stories contradict each other. Furthermore, as the film comes to a close, it becomes clear that each party twisted the narrative to paint themself in a better light, as even the woodcutter who saw everything left out how he stole the woman's dagger. Overall I believe that the Rashomon Gate was used as a symbol of Japan and its falling apart.
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