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A riveting psychological thriller that investigates the nature of truth and the meaning of justice, Rashomon is widely considered one of the greatest films ever made.

A hiker (Kichijiro Ueda) seeks shelter from the rain under the roof of the "Rashomon Gate". There he meets a priest (Minoru Chiaki) and a woodcutter (Takashi Shimura) who tell him of a gruesome story. The hiker wants to know more and so he listens to the story about the bandit Tajomaru (Toshiro Mifune) who killed a samurai (Masayuki Mori) wandering through the woods of a near forest and raped his wife (Machiko Kyo), told from the perspective from four different individuals. Tajomaru's story differs greatly from the one of the samurai's raped wife, but even the story of the killed samurai himself, who depicts his version of the events leading to his death through a medium, and the one of a fourth eyewitness, the woodcutter, don't add up to a congruous picture of what happened. What really happened that day and what motives do the four different eyewitnesses have to falsify the true story?

Director: Akira Kurosawa
Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Machiko Kyo, Masayuki Mori, Takashi Shimura, Minoru Chiaki, Kichijiro Ueda
Country: Japan
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery

BD50, DVD9 | 1080p AVC, NTSC 4:3 | 01:28:29 | 43.9 Gb, 7.61 Gb + 3% rec
Language: Japanese, English
Subtitles: English

Extras:

• Commentary - this is the same audio commentary which critic and Japanese film historian Donald Richie recorded in 2001 for Criterion. The commentary appeared on Criterion's old DVD release of Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon (2002).

• Robert Altman on Rashomon - the late American director discusses Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon, its unique themes and qualities (the innovative camera work in particular). In English, not subtitled. (7 min, 1080i).

• The World of Kazuo Miyagawa - excerpts from the Japanese television documentary The World of Kazuo Miyagawa. Throughout his career the legendary cinematographer worked with a number of renowned Japanese directors, including Kon Ichikawa, Yasujiro Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi, Yasuzo Masumura, and Kazuo Mori. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles. (13 min, 1080i).

• A Testimony as an Image - in this documentary, script supervisor Teruyo Nogami, who first worked with Akira Kurosawa on Rashomon, meets many of the film's cast and crew members, including co-writer Shinobu Hashimoto and assistant director Tokuzo Tanaka. The documentary includes discussions and interviews where the participants address the production history of Rashomon and the various technical and logistical challenges that had to be overcome, Akira Kurosawa's work ethic, etc. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles. (69 min, 1080i).

• Interview with Takashi Shimura - actor Takashi Shimura, who plays the woodcutter in Rashomon, is interviewed by writer and film critic Gideon Bachman at the 1961 Berlin International Film Festival. The interview is translated by Japanese film historian Donald Richie. In English, not subtitled. (16 min, 1080p).

• Trailer - original Japanese trailer for Rashomon. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles. (4 min, 1080i).