Reaction Paper: Rashomon (Film Adaptation of In a Grove)

The film adaptation was as complicated as the actual short story written by Ryunosuke Akutagawa. Well, the film was quite old. Maybe it could be better if its not in black and white but we can do nothing because it was made many years ago. The story started with men talking to each other and later on sharing a story which is about the dead man found in the forest. One of the men was the woodcutter who found the corpse. He later on shared his experience. All throughout the duration of the film, the statements from the people involved in the incident were taken. It was good and was faithful to the literary work of Akutagawa. The actor who played the role of the criminal, Tajomaru did well. He looked like a notorious criminal indeed, complete with the evil laugh. One thing I found quite hilarious in the film was the fight scene. It was comical; instead of being thrilled about the sword fight, I laughed instead. The performance of the actress who portrayed Masago was also complicating in my opinion. She cried hard then suddenly laughed and then burst in anger later on. I thought that maybe she was out of her mind. On the other hand, I didnt see the intense emotion in the samurais eyes as described in the short story when he looked at Masago. In the end, the case was not solved like the literary version. Maybe it was done on purpose for the readers and the audience to think and contemplate on it. Who is the killer? Now, Im having thoughts to suggest this story to the producers of CSI so that it can finally be solved.