Tokyo Story and Rashomon - Essay Example

?“Tokyo Story” and “Rashomon Introduction In the 1950s, two of Japan’s most distinguished directors created films that are considered by critics to be some of the world’s greatest films ever made. Directors Akira Kurosawa and Yasujiro Ozu possess distinctive filmmaking styles that reflect their beliefs and philosophies in life. This paper examines each director’s style through an analysis of the stylistic devices they employ in their films. Ozu accepts both the good and bad things of life as they are. Kurosawa, meanwhile, believes that human beings can rise above the bad things in life. An analysis of several scenes will illustrate these points. Ozu’s “Tokyo Story” tells the journey of an elderly couple to the city of Tokyo where they reunite with their children and grandchildren. Their children, however, don’t have the time to spend with them. A few days later, the elderly couple goes back home. The mother falls ill and eventually dies. After the funeral, the children return to Tokyo leaving their father alone. Kurosawa’s “Rashomon”, meanwhile, recounts the stories of four different persons about a murder that transpired in the woods. A wife is allegedly raped by a bandit while her husband is murdered. In a dilapidated house that bears the name “Rashomon”, a priest and a woodcutter relay the story to a commoner. All four stories mutually contradict one another. In the end, an abandoned baby is found at the dilapidated house. 2. Themes Ozu explores the consequences of generational gap in families. Children, once grown, will live their own lives and leave their parents behind. Parents, on the other hand, will wish that their children achieve success and live happy lives. As time passes by, parents and children grow emotionally apart. The once warm and caring relationships become cold and neglectful. Neither parents nor children are to be blamed in this situation; it’s just the way things are. The acceptance of the joys and the disappointments of life – the way things are – is another theme of this film. While people can choose their actions, they can’t choose what life has to offer. Take pleasure in the good things in life and take courage in facing the bad things in life. To achieve peace, therefore, we must constantly overcome the hardships and difficulties of life. Kurosawa, meanwhile, explores the subjective nature of reality and the human tendency to embellish one’s positive characteristics and conceal those that are unattractive. Reality, as the film portrays, is a matter of interpretation. One event can be viewed and looked at from different perspectives creating a myriad of meanings out of it. The ultimate and absolute truth of something, therefore, can never be realized. This applies to human beings as well. People choose to believe what they please. Their perception is always influenced by motives both good and bad. 3. Stylistic Analysis Mise-en-scene. This refers to the composition of a scene which include the setting, lighting, costumes, and actor’s gestures, to name a few. Ozu’s mise-en-scene is constructed with utmost control and filled with telling details. The teapots, cups, or slippers are all there for a reason. Each tells a story of its own (eg. slippers lying at the elderly couple’s door at the spa). In “Rashomon”, the mise-en-scene gives emphasis on nature. Most of the time, the actors are shot beneath the shadows of trees and leaves revealing both their good and bad nature. The sometimes hysterical and animalistic acting of the wife and bandit show how strongly they held to their perception of the event. It seems like they’re trying hard to conceal their bad nature. Cinematography. This refers to the distance and movement of the camera, and the framing and duration of shots. Ozu often utilizes long and medium shots which show entire landscapes, actors in full body or waist up, and the space/background where the actors move around. Close-ups which emphasize facial features and emotions are never used. The camera moves only once in this film which means that there are no tracking, panning, or zooming shots almost the entire time. Actors are shot from a sitting position which lends a meditative feeling to the film. Ozu’s camera crosses the 180-degree continuity line which can be disorienting to the viewer. This style enables Ozu to capture the actors’ actions and emotions as they are without the added ‘meaning’ that camera movement gives. Kurosawa’s cinematography, meanwhile, relies on multiple cameras and tracking shots. Using multiple cameras to shoot a single scene enables Kurosawa to have multiple views of a scene and easily cut and piece together different shots. Close-ups are used extensively to emphasize actor’s emotions. The tracking shots, in addition, prove useful in scenes where the actors are running. The camera seems to move effortlessly as it follows the characters pass through leaves and tree branches. Editing. This refers to the tying together of different shots that make up the entire movie. Ozu doesn’t use much of the fade-in’s and out’s or the dissolves. To transition to the next scene, he uses bridging shots (eg. river, buildings), empty spaces, or just cut directly. His editing style serve to slow the film’s pace and build up to an emotionally powerful ending. In “Rashomon”, the effect of flashbacks was achieved by carefully piecing together different sequences. This enables the priest and woodcutter to relay their story to the commoner by referring back to past sequences, and to show past sequences as if they’re happening in the present time. The theme of the film was achieved by the technique of flashback. 4. Scene Analysis The final sequence in “Rashomon” shows that human beings can rise above their weaknesses and imperfections. Shot in close-ups, the woodcutter (who lied about the dagger) persuades the priest to let him take the abandoned baby home. The camera pans to the right as the woodcutter leaves with the baby. It is human nature to both lie and love. The acceptance of life’s disappointments is captured in the last sequence of “Tokyo Story”. The shot begins with the father sitting quietly. A neighbor visits and offers condolences. Without ever moving, the camera lets us see the resigned sadness of the father. Despite the grief, the father gives out a smile letting us know that life must, indeed, go on. In one inventive sequence in “Rashomon”, the camera shoots directly at the sun and uses it to light up the actors’ face. Partly covered by the leaves, the sun shines brightly indicating that the good in human nature will prevail. Sun light, in addition, was reflected through mirrors to lit actors’ faces. This technique emphasized certain facial features and accentuated emotions. 5. Conclusion This paper attempted to analyze the styles of Akira Kurosawa and Yasujiro Ozu through a close reading of their films. It is explained that each director possessed different skills in using mise-en-scene, cinematography, and editing. Ozu’s camerawork is characterized by slow pacing which allowed for different emotions to build up. Kurosawa, meanwhile, employs a more mobile camera that moves along with the actors. It is through the active camerawork that Kurosawa displays his hope for human beings. Works Cited Kurosawa, Akira, dir. Rashomon. Perf. Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura. Daiei Motion Picture Company, 1950. Film. Ozu, Yasujiro, dir. Tokyo Story. Perf. Chishu Ryu, Setsuko Hara. Shochiku Eiga, 1953. Film. Read More