Rashomon

Slug: Nicole Gonzalez, 10/18/2011 (1950), Rashomon, 88 min, Japanese, Director: Akira Kurosawa (1953) Nominated for the American Academy Awards for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black and White: Takashi Matsuyama and H. Motsumoto, (1952) Winner of the American Honorary Award Voted by the Board of Govemors as the most outstanding foreign language film released in the United States during 1951, (1953)Nominated for the BAFTA Film Awards for Best Film from any Source: Japan, Winner of the Blue Robin Award for Best Screenplay: Akira Kurosawa Shinobu Hashimoto, (1953)Nominated for the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures: Akira Kurosawa, (1951) Winner of the Manichi Film Concours for Best Actress Machiko Kyô, (1951) Winner of the NBR Award for Best Director: Akira Kurosawa and Best Foreign Film: Japan, (1951) Winner of the Golden Lion Award: Akira Kurosawa, (1951) Winner of the Italian Critic Award: : Akira Kurosawa.

Rashomon


Kurosawa tells the story of the married couple and the man who kills the husband in an allegory tale; showing more than one side of the story. The film theory that is used is formalism because of the styling of how the wife tells her story and how other tell tge same story in a different way. The camera lets the audience judge exactly how the husband dies by not letting the judge speak (Precious 1). The camera shoots from both the vertical, showing the sun, the forest and the characters by using horizontal movement (1). In the very last scene, the woodcutter, the commoner and the priest find a baby. The baby could symbolize a new beginning or an innocence life from the “horrible story.” The ending shows sentimentality because Kurosawa brings an emotional level to the audience so they could feel sad or nostalgic from original story of the wife, the husband and the bandit (2).




Kurosawa is named “master of medium,” because he had the ability to show Western audience how Eastern films are made (Crow 1). Crow does question whether or not the woodcutter’s testimony was the truth because he might be lying of the crime that was committed (1). Since there was more than one side of the testimony, Crow states that it might fall into the category of nihilism-showing some truth with some lies (1). While this first review gives the movie appraise, the second article does not praise the movie. Barbarow criticizes the essay, "How to Solve a Mystery of Roshomon," by Parker Tyler calls the movie "a masterpiece." Also, the article states that Kurosawa wants the audience to be the fifth witness, which fails because the audience does not know which side to believe (421). He even states that all of the story loses their identity because there is no truth (421). Barbarow questions whether or not the movie is worthy to be called a masterpiece (421). Crow praises Kurosawa for using the baby to draw the audience in an emotional level (1). Also, showing some dramatic emphises on the wife being thron on the leaves. Barbarow criticizes on the first shot where there is a rainstorm which could have been seen in Hamlet. The showing of the baby was not needed (422).




Akira Kurosawa’s “Roshomon” does capture all for sides of the story, but I find the female character quite annoying. From all of the stories, she is over-emphasizing the crying or she seems confused of who side to take: the bandit or her husband. Even during the trial, I didn’t want to believe her story because her expression is so over the top, I wanted to believe she was the reason for the crime. In addition, the movie seemed to be a little degrading on females because as both the husband and the bandit fight over her, they tell her she is nothing without a man, which made me question of why are the two men fighting over her in the first place.









Work Cited:
Barbarow, George. “Rashomon and the Fifth Witness.” The Hudson Review, Vol. 5, No. 3 (Autumn, 1952), pp. 420-422. Web. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3847915


Crow, Jonathan. “review.” Rovi, 2011. Web.  http://www.allrovi.com/movies/movie/v40347



“Rashomon.” Precious Bodily Fluids, March 2009. Web. http://andrewsidea.wordpress.com/2009/03/05/rashomon/

400 Blows

Slug: Nicole Gonzalez, 10/11/11, “400 Blows,” 99 minutes, French, 16 November 1959,


(1960) Nominated for Oscar in Best Writing, Story and Screenplay-Written Directly for the Screen Francois Truffaut and Marcel Moussy.

(1961)Nominated for BAFTA Film Award in Best Film from any source: Francois Truffaut (France)and Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles Jean-Pierre Leaud (France).

(1960) Won for Bodil Award for Best European Film (Bedste eurpaeiske film) Francois Truffaut (director).


(1960) Won French Syndicate of Cinema Critics Award for Best Film Francois Truffaut Tied with Hiroshima Mon Amour


(1959). Directed by François Truffaut

400 Blows



TV Guide praises the movie; how the director, Francis Truffaut was one of the directors to hit the French New Wave (Review 1). Truffaut started an upcoming actor name Jean-Pierre Léaud, who plays the director's alter ego Antonie (1). What made the movie memorable was the freeze show of Leaud at the very last scene.
Also, the use of black and white photography to show the hardship of France in the 1950's, even though Antonie was getting in trouble for some trivial reasons. The second articles focuses the scenes ( Shatnoff 3). For example, the author states that Anotone struggles with "two hurricanes" in his life "his family and society" (4). He tries to fit in with both school and his parents, but always end up getting in trouble. Both articles praise the movie for being innovative and be able to capture the hardship of a little boy.







As an example of a film theory, Truffaut uses formalism for choice of music, lightening and editing to tell a story in the movie “400 Blows.” The choice of making the film black and white shows how imperfect life in 1950's France and the urban living. The moments of Doinel running away from home at night uses less light to show the moments when he was trying to find a place to stay. The music goes along with the mood of the movie. One particular choice of music for the scene when the boys are having gym time, Truffaut uses happy music to shows the boys being playful while trying to ditch the teacher. As the mood changes where the film shows the scene where Doinel goes to observation camp, the music slowed down to make the scene gloomy. The pressure Doinel gets from his parents and his teacher drives him to run away. The scene where Doinel is in the ride and he is being spun around, Truffaut uses the camera to spin around, showing how much fun the boy is having.







Doniel is shown as the main character is judged by society. Also, how black and white shows the hard life in France. People live in small apaprtments and show how adults and the boys treat Antone while he tries to fit in with both society and his family.








While watching “400 Blows,” I felt that Truffaut wants the audience to empathize with Antoine. While watching, the parents and the teacher seem like they were all against him because he comes across like he is a trouble maker when really, no one cuts him a break. I’m waiting for an inspirational scene where the boy stops becoming a trouble maker. Plus, I didn’t see why he had to be placed in a juvenile hall for stealing a typewriter. But, I will give the director this; I could see other movie directors like Martin Scorsese to be inspired to use the camera techniques. Not that I would think of watching the movie again but, Truffaut’s life story seems interesting to reading about and maybe watch more of his movies.







Work Cited

TV Guide. "The Four Hundred Blows: Review." Web. http://movies.tvguide.com/the-four-hundred-blows/123669


Judith Shatnoff. "François Truffaut: The Anarchist Imagination" Film Quarterly Vol. 16, No. 3 (Spring, 1963), pp. 3-11 Published by: University of California Press Article Stable Web. URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1210725.