Workhouse to Screen Rashomon, Classic of Japanese Cinema

As part of its affiliation with the Cherry Blossom Festival, the Workhouse Arts Center will be showing two films this weekend and hold a day of Japanese-themed demonstrations on Saturday.

The festivities begin tonight at 7:30 with a screening of what is arguably the greatest Japanese film of all-time.

Made in 1950, Rashomon, was notable for several reasons. It made its director, Akira Kurosawa, into an international superstar and launched a career that lasted for over 50 years, during which time Kurosawa became one of the most influential directors in the world.

Rashomon also was the highlight of partnership between Kurosawa and actor Toshiro Mifune that spanned 16 films from 1948-1965. The film also won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.

Since Rashomon’s release, its title has become shorthand for any story that involves multiple viewpoints, with its most notable heir being The Usual Suspects.

The plot itself is deceptively simple. Set in the samurai era, Rashomon tells the story of a warrior’s murder and his wife’s rape by a local bandit played by Mifune. The film begins with a priest and a woodsman telling a man of these crimes. The film then proceeds to see how the crime looked from different points of view.

The film puts on display the storytelling and metaphorical visual techniques that would make Kurosawa famous and those techniques can best be appreciated on the big screen. Rashomon is simply a must-see for any local movie fan.

For a look at other Japanese-themed events this weekend at Workhouse, click .